Friday, 26 February 2016
-Did you know:
-VA Does Not Stand For ‘Veterans Administration’.
-Congress to Choose Where in US to Put Gitmo Prisoners: Pentagon.
-Defense Committees Poised to Receive Military 'Unfunded Requirements' List.
-Lacking basic gear, special operators stuck buying their own equipment.
-Chinese, Russian Subs Increasingly Worrying the Pentagon.
-Army's new top civilian leader: former paratrooper, congressman.
-10 years of MARSOC: How the Marine Corps developed its spec ops command.
-Change of rate names a hot topic as top Navy leaders meet with Norfolk sailors.
-Disbrow confirmed as Air Force under secretary.
-What will beneficiaries gain from higher Tricare fee?
-Tricare changes will improve access, defense health officials say.
-Bill advances to have VA work with Rx monitoring.
-Veterans affairs committee chairman demands answers on allegations nurse drank at casino, assisted i n surgery.
-VA Deputy Chief to announce improvements to Veterans Crisis Line in Canandaigua.
-Veterans crisis Line complaints prompt visit by VA Deputy Secretary to Canandaigua VA.
-Under shadow of prior reversals, VA takes action against 2 execs in Ohio.
-VA Disciplines 2 Officials in Cincinnati Center Probe.
-VA ousts Memphis hospital director cites underperformance.
-Lawmaker: Congress Must Investigate VA Inspector General’s Work.
-Watchdog says IG dropped ball on VA probe, tried to ‘discredit’ whistleblowers.
-Counsel: Feds didn’t properly investigate whistleblower claims at VA hospital .
-Senator demands answers on VA wait-time reports.
-5 Veterans who died while waiting for a doctor’s appointment with the VA.
-The Military Isn't Providing Equal Access To Care For PTSD Between Pay Grades.
-VA’s Biorepository to Accept DNA Donations from Active Duty Troops.
-U.S. ‘Precision Medicine’ Study Seeks Genetic Patterns of Disease, Looking for 79,000 volunteers.
-GI Bill funds still flow to troubled for-profit colleges, Oversight is an issue when it comes to this benefit for Veterans.
-Veterans can get free training for cybersecurity jobs.
-VA Calling Attention to New Veterans’ Services Network.
-New Fisher House in Tucson open to support families of hospitalized Veterans.
Did you know:
Did you know VA provides burial and memorial services for Veterans, their spouses and other eligible family members? These services are provided at VA national, state and tribal cemeteries to ease families through the loss of their loved one at no cost. Some benefits are also available for Veterans who choose burial in a private cemetery. You can learn more during the #ExploreVA Facebook Chat with representatives from VA and Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) on Wednesday, March 2 at 2 p.m. EST. Click the button below to visit our event page and register for event reminders.
During the hour-long online chat, you can:
- Get answers to your questions on burial and memorial benefits from VA experts.
- Learn how VA memorial benefits can save families thousands of dollars and offer comfort in knowing their loved one's gravesite will be cared for forever.
Share stories about how memorial benefits helped honor a Veteran in your life.
Register NowGovernment Executive: VA Does Not Stand For ‘Veterans Administration’.The 2016 presidential campaign has been everything except predictable. But we can count on one thing: At any given moment, an Oval Office hopeful somewhere is screwing up the name of the Veterans Affairs Department. Both Republican and Democratic candidates consistently call the Veterans Affairs Department the “Veterans Administration” during debates, rallies, town halls and other public remarks. That would be fine if it were the 1980s, and Ronald Reagan were president.
Military.comCongress to Choose Where in US to Put Gitmo Prisoners: Pentagon. Congressional opponents of President Obama's plan to relocate Guantanamo prisoners to the U.S. seized upon the crucial detail that was left out of the proposal Tuesday -- whose district or home state would get stuck with them and the political baggage they would bring?
National DefenseDefense Committees Poised to Receive Military 'Unfunded Requirements' List. The Senate Armed Services Committee last week asked the military chiefs to submit a detailed list of items that were not funded in the president's fiscal year 2017 budget request. This annual drill - known as the "unfunded requirements" list - is taking on added significance this year as congressional defense hawks seek to make a case that the Pentagon should receive tens of billions of dollars more than what the president requested.
Stars and Stripes Lacking basic gear, special operators stuck buying their own equipment.Elite troops such as the SEALs are more and more forced to dip into their own pockets to purchase basic military gear such as helmets, global positioning devices and medical supplies, according to people involved in the military’s unofficial civilian-side supply network who came to Capitol Hill on Thursday.
Foreign PolicyChinese, Russian Subs Increasingly Worrying the Pentagon.The commander of American forces in the Pacific is worried that the United States doesn't have enough submarines to meet the rapidly modernizing fleets being put to sea by China and Russia - and that things will only get worse before they get better.
Army TimesArmy's new top civilian leader: former paratrooper, congressman. Just 12 years after leaving the Army as a captain, Patrick Murphy is now serving as its top civilian leader.
Marine Corps Times10 years of MARSOC: How the Marine Corps developed its spec ops command.A decade after the Marine Corps stood up its new special operations command, Marine Raiders are helping lead the charge against the Islamic State group, training local troops across the African continent and quietly conducting missions across the Asia-Pacific region.
Navy TimesChange of rate names a hot topic as top Navy leaders meet with Norfolk sailors.Changes to rating names, personnel evaluations, and concealed carry rules were top issues as the service's top officer and enlisted sailor took questions during an all-hands call held here on Feb. 24.
Air Force TimesDisbrow confirmed as Air Force under secretary. The Senate recently confirmed the latest Air Force under secretary.
Stars and Stripes What will beneficiaries gain from higher Tricare fee?As they review the Defense Department’s latest plan to raise Tricare fees and co-pays, particularly for working-age retirees and their families, key congressional panels are asking what beneficiaries can expect in return.
Military Times: Tricare changes will improve access, defense health officials say.Military retiree and Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., was having none of it. Coffman said he will work to ensure that military and veterans facilities remain separate. "We need to reform the VA, but until it is reformed, I don’t want to see them taking care of active-duty or our active-duty families. The departments have different standards and different standards of care," Coffman said. "If I have to get this into the [National Defense Authorization Act], I will. It would be wrong for our military families."
The Journal Gazette: Bill advances to have VA work with Rx monitoring.A U.S. House committee advanced legislation Thursday containing a provision prompted by an investigation of drug purchases by the Veterans Affairs medical center in Marion. The House Veterans Affairs’ Committee approved a bill that included an amendment requiring VA facilities to participate in state prescription drug monitoring programs. Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-2nd, introduced the proposal in December after the federal Drug Enforcement Agency began investigating purchases of painkilling drugs by the VA medical center in Marion.
The Times Leader: Veterans affairs committee chairman demands answers on allegations nurse drank at casino, assisted i n surgery.The chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on Thursday penned a scathing letter demanding answers on allegations a registered nurse drank at least five beers before participating in a surgical procedure on a veteran. In a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert A. McDonald obtained by the Times Leader, U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller denounced the alleged actions of VA nurse Richard. J. Pieri…
Daily Messenger: VA Deputy Chief to announce improvements to Veterans Crisis Line in Canandaigua.Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sloan Gibson will be at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center Friday to talk about the Veterans Crisis Line. The visit Feb. 26 will be “to review progress at the Veterans Crisis Line” — including expanded staff and facilities of the national hotline based in Canandaigua — that “build on changes already made to strengthen hotline offices,” according to a release Thursday from VA.
Daily Messenger: Veterans crisis Line complaints prompt visit by VA Deputy Secretary to Canandaigua VA.Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sloan Gibson will be at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center Friday to talk about the Veterans Crisis Line. The visit comes on the heels of a report issued Feb. 11 showing some veterans and their families who called the Veterans Crisis Line in Canandaigua didn't actually talk with a trained responder. Their calls instead went to voicemail.
Stars and Stripes: Under shadow of prior reversals, VA takes action against 2 execs in Ohio.The Department of Veterans Affairs took action Thursday against two more top executives, raising the specter of yet another showdown with the federal appeals board that has been overturning VA disciplinary measures. The actions against two executives in the Cincinnati region came in the wake of a federal probe into professional misconduct at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center conducted Feb. 9-11.
The New York Times (AP): VA Disciplines 2 Officials in Cincinnati Center Probe.The Department of Veterans Affairs ousted the head of its Ohio-based regional network Thursday and disciplined an official at the Cincinnati VA medical center in connection with a probe of the hospital's management and veterans' care. The agency said its findings are being referred for a possible federal criminal investigation. The VA announced in Washington that Jack Hetrick, director of the Ohio-based network that serves some 500,000 veterans including in Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan, is retiring after his proposed removal…
The Washington Times (AP): VA ousts Memphis hospital director cites underperformance.The Department of Veterans Affairs has ousted the director of the Memphis VA hospital due to underperformance issues. A statement released by the department Thursday says William “Bill” Mills will begin serving as acting director of the hospital starting Monday. Mills has been director of the VA medical center in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Mills replaces C. Diane Knight, who has been moved to another position in Nashville.
Military.com: Lawmaker: Congress Must Investigate VA Inspector General’s Work.Rep. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois and disabled veteran, wants Congress to investigate allegations that the Veterans Affairs Department's inspector general's office has kept reports on the wait-times scandal under wraps. "After the abhorrent wait-time abuses that took place in [VA hospitals] across the country, it is absolutely vital that we carefully study the misconduct and act on lessons learned to ensure we never repeat such disgraceful mistakes," Duckworth said…
FOX News (Video): Watchdog says IG dropped ball on VA probe, tried to ‘discredit’ whistleblowers.A top government watchdog on Thursday accused the central agency tasked with holding Veterans Affairs accountable of dropping the ball -- by failing to properly investigate whistleblower claims of secret wait lists at Shreveport, La., and Chicago hospitals where thousands of veterans languished up to 15 months without care. Further, Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner said the VA’s Office of Inspector General even tried to “discredit the whistleblowers” who brought the allegations…
Chicago Tribune: Counsel: Feds didn’t properly investigae whistleblower claims at VA hospital .Whistleblower's claims that a west suburban Chicago VA hospital had covered up delays in veterans' access to care, federal investigators said Thursday. Germaine Clarno, a social worker and union president at Hines VA Hospital, found out in 2011 that supervisors at the hospital were telling workers to "zero out" patient wait times and to avoid using the hospital's official electronic scheduling system in order to mask major delays in veterans receiving treatment.
USA Today: Senator demands answers on VA wait-time reports.Sen. Tammy Baldwin placed a hold on President Obama’s nominee to be the next inspector general at the Department of Veterans Affairs because she is concerned the inspector general’s office is keeping Congress and the public in the dark about problems at the VA. The Wisconsin Democrat cited a USA TODAY report Wednesday that revealed the current acting inspector general, Linda Halliday, has not released reports with the findings of wait-time investigations…
Independent Journal: 5 Veterans who died while waiting for a doctor’s appointment with the VA.In September 2015, a bombshell report released by the Veteran Affairs Inspector General revealed that a mind-boggling 307,000 U.S. veterans had died while still waiting to be approved for care from VA hospitals and programs. With a number that large, the idea that there are real people and families behind each of the 307,000 can often be forgotten. Here’s a look at just 5 of these veterans who have lost their lives:
Task & PurposeThe Military Isn't Providing Equal Access To Care For PTSD Between Pay Grades. A new RAND report found that service members receive varying levels of mental health care based on pay grade.
Military.com: VA’s Biorepository to Accept DNA Donations from Active Duty Troops.Medical research is getting a boost starting today from the Pentagon, which has authorized soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen to donate their blood to the cause. Word of the program's expansion came from the White House, which said VA program would play a role in the Precision Medicine Initiative President Obama announced in January 2015. The initiative is intended broaden medical research to find new treatments for a range of diseases…
The Wall Street Journal: U.S. ‘Precision Medicine’ Study Seeks Genetic Patterns of Disease, Looking for 79,000 volunteers.The National Institutes of Health said on Thursday it hopes to enroll 79,000 volunteers by the end of 2016 toward what it hopes will be a one-million-patient “precision medicine” study of the genetic causes of diseases. Another part of the initiative is an effort by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to build another study group of veterans and active-duty military personnel in a companion effort, to be called the Million Veteran Program.
POLITICO: GI Bill funds still flow to troubled for-profit colleges, Oversight is an issue when it comes to this benefit for Veterans.The Obama administration's crackdown on for-profit colleges has escaped the notice of one federal agency with an already poor management record: The Veterans Affairs Department takes little or no action when these colleges are punished by federal and state regulators for serious misdeeds, allowing them to continue reeling in millions in Post-9/11 GI Bill dollars.
The Washington Times (AP): Veterans can get free training for cybersecurity jobs.Military veterans who are interested in cyber security jobs can receive free training in the field through a special program. Omaha Internet security firm Solutionary is sponsoring an intensive six-week training program for veterans who qualify as long as they agree to work for the Omaha company for at least two years.
WABI (CBS-5, Video): VA Calling Attention to New Veterans’ Services Network.The VA Maine Healthcare System is calling attention to a newly formed network of organizations working to share information about veterans’ services. The initiative “Putting Maine Veterans First” was discussed at a veterans’ town hall meeting in Waterville Wednesday night. The VA is teaming with state agencies, veterans service organizations, and community partners to help veterans file benefits claims, access healthcare and other services they qualify for.
The Arizona Republic: New Fisher House in Tucson open to support families of hospitalized Veterans.The facility is wheelchair accessible and volunteers are available. The houses are built on the premise that a family's love is great medicine and when a loved one is in the hospital, a Fisher House unites families, relieving financial and emotional stress from the veteran in the hospital being away from home and the family from wondering what their member's treatment is every day.