News
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By Leo Shane III
Military Times Staff writer
Jun. 25, 2014 - 10:53 AM
Lawmakers are moving as fast as they can to pass a new Veterans Affairs reform bill. Unfortunately for supporters, that doesn’t guarantee it’ll be finished soon.
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By Patricia Kime
Military Times Staff writer
May. 27, 2014 - 07:33PM
A new Veterans Affairs Department effort to shorten wait times for veterans needing health care could include extended hours and overtime at VA health facilities in addition to increased staffing at some VA primary care clinics.
In cases where VA cannot meet demand for timely appointments in-house, the initiative would expand access to care in private health facilities paid for by VA.
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Undersecretary for benefits said name change would be 'limiting'
By Patricia Kime
Military Times Staff writer
After the Institute of Medicine in March recommended using the term “Gulf War illness” to describe symptoms affecting more than 200,000 Persian Gulf War veterans, a top Veterans Affairs Department official expressed concern that such a change would imply a direct causal link between service in the 1990-’91 conflict and long-term illness.
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Lowest level since Agent Orange cases added in 2011
WASHINGTON – One year after the backlog of pending disability compensation claims peaked at over 611,000 in March 2013, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has reduced that number by approximately 44 percent to 344,000 claims – a reduction of more than 267,000 – while at the same time improving the accuracy of the decisions being made on Veterans’ disability claims. Additionally, on average, Veterans are waiting 119 days less for a decision than they were at this time last year.
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Categories: Agent OrangeFebruary 25, 2014 | by Bryant Jordan
A new study found that airmen who flew and maintained the C-123 Provider long after the planes were used to spray Agent Orange over Vietnam were exposed to dangerous levels of the dioxin that remained in the aircraft.
A report in Scientific Research titled "Post-Vietnam Military Herbicide Exposures in UC-123 Agent Orange Spray Aircraft" found that environmental testing of the planes revealed traces of dioxin levels above the Defense Department's own standards for maximum permissible exposure to poisonous chemicals.
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Categories: GI BillNew Online Complaint System Empowers Students, Strengthens Enforcement
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The New York Times
December 23, 2013
By JESSICA SILVER-GREENBERG
With every slip and fall, every bruise and ache, the reality set in: Henry Schaffer, 86, could no longer live on his own. So his daughter, Kristi, began searching for a retirement home — and the money to pay for it.
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FARGO, N.D. — A group of about 15 North Dakota National Guard Soldiers who have been serving overseas since September are scheduled to return home to North Dakota tomorrow. The Soldiers are assigned to the Fargo-based 231st Brigade Support Battalion Logistical Support Element (BSB LSE).
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Categories: VAThe Department of Veterans Affairs is updating the way it determines eligibility for VA health care, a change that will result in more Veterans having access to the health care benefits they’ve earned and deserve.
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By Dawnthea Price | The Free Lance-Star
© Tribune News Service
January 19, 2015
Wounded service members are learning new ways to protect the nation through the intricacies of cybersecurity training.
Representatives from the Federal IT Security Institute and its Wounded Warrior Cyber Combat Academy were in Stafford County Monday to mark the program’s progress.