News
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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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Want to make a WWII Veteran's 100th birthday extra special? Vern Hendricks will celebrate his big day Jan. 30th. Cards and greetings may be sent to him c/o Rose Lenz, 202 E. Sherman, Elk Point, SD 57025. A party in his honor will also be held at the United Parish Church in Elk Point on the 30th from 2-4 PM. Mr. Hendricks served three tours in the Army in Africa, Sicily, Italy, and Europe. Among several awards, he is distinguished with two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.
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Military Times Staff Report
6:46 p.m. EST December 4, 2014
Two congressmen are sponsoring legislation to give students additional GI Bill benefits if they are working toward degrees in the science, technology, engineering and math fields.
Students who use the Post-9/11 GI Bill would receive an extra nine months of benefits if they pursue a degree in one of the STEM fields, according to congressional documents and a news release.
Reps. David McKinley, R-W.Va., and Dina Titus, D-Nev., introduced the legislation Wednesday.
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ByTravis J. Tritten
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 21, 2014
WASHINGTON — An overhaul of the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs means new education benefits will kick in next month for the spouses of servicemembers who died since 9/11 in the line of duty, according to the department.
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September 12, 2014
Defense One
Years of study notwithstanding, the Veterans Affairs Department still knows too little about the readjustment difficulties faced by the increasingly younger and more female cohort of recently separated service members.