News and & Useful Links

Important Articles and News concerning Veterans

We try to keep abreast of news items concerning veterans. The following articles are some of the most recent.

UPDATE: VA Shredder Story Gains National Attention

If military veterans applying for benefits either haven't gotten a reply from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or received a different response than expected, it could mean that evidence for their claim file wound up in the shredder.
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VA Claims Found in Piles to be Shredded

Department of Veterans Affairs regional offices have been ordered to immediately stop shredding documents after an investigation found some benefits claims and supporting documents among piles of papers waiting to be destroyed.
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Houston soldiers' suicides prompt scrutiny

An alarming number of suicides among Houston-based Army recruiters — including two in recent weeks — has prompted calls by a senator and veterans' advocates for closer scrutiny of high-stress recruiting duty during wartime.
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VA mishaps shake Congress' confidence

A key congressional leader says he has no confidence in the Department of Veterans Affairs and would have pulled his own children out of the VA's human subject study that used a drug with dangerous side effects that is being prescribed to veterans with mental disorders.
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VA, Monster Partner for Veteran Job Seekers

In a new plan to help veterans find jobs, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has partnered with Monster Government Solutions, a division of Monster Worldwide, Inc., a company that markets online employment services to employers and job seekers.
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Report Says Some Vets Paying More For Health Care

Some military retirees disabled in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan pay more for health care than other retirees, and a new report recommends waiving their insurance premiums to correct the inequity.
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President Signs New GI Bill Into Law

President Bush’s signature today on a new GI Bill for the 21st Century is being hailed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. as a tremendous victory for a new generation of military servicemen and women who have been at war for almost seven years.
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A Vet Centers Coming to 39 Communities

Combat veterans will receive readjustment counseling and other assistance in 39 additional communities across the country where the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will develop Vet Centers by fall 2009.
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Willie Nelson Video Tapes Public Service Announcements for Veterans’ Healthcare

During a recent concert appearance in Tama, Iowa, grassroots American Icon Willie Nelson took time out from his schedule to video tape several public service announcements (PSAs), which are being produced by Operation Firing For Effect (OFFE). The PSAs were written by OFFE Public Relations Director, Jere Beery, and approved by Mr. Willie Nelson prior to production.
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Akaka Calls VA Employee's Suggestion to Misdiagnose Veterans Disturbing and Disappointing

U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, issued the following statement this morning regarding an email sent by a Department of Veterans Affairs employee suggesting that in order to save time and resources, VA should avoid diagnosing veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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VA Chief Promises Better Women's Care Following Scathing Report

Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake told women veterans on Friday that the agency is working to eliminate disparities in the care offered to women and men.
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Increasing numbers of U.S. troops have left the military
with damaged bodies and minds

Despite the decline in the total number of veterans — as soldiers from World War II and Korea die — the government expects to be spending $59 billion a year to compensate injured warriors in 25 years, up from today's $29 billion, according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press. And the Veterans Affairs Department concedes the bill could be much higher. Read More

Congress Enacts the "Veteran's Benefit Act of 2003" (HR 2297)

The U.S. Congress today enacted the "Veteran's Benefit Act of 2003" (HR 2297) that includes section III, the provision of "'Sole Source', 'Restricted Competition' and entrepreneurship education and training benefits for Service Disabled Veterans (SDV)".
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Medical Priority for Disabled Veterans

Veterans Affairs officials want to send veterans with service-connected medical problems to the front of the line when it comes to receiving medical treatment at VA facilities.
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Useful Links for Veterans

The following links may be of value to you.