FROM: U.S. VETERANS ADMINISTRATION
VA to Expand Benefits for Traumatic Brain Injury
Adds Five Illnesses Related to Service-Connected TBI
WASHINGTON – Some Veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who are diagnosed with any of five other ailments will have an easier path to receive additional disability pay under new regulations developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The new regulation, which takes effect 30 days from today, impacts some Veterans living with TBI who also have Parkinson’s disease, certain types of dementia, depression, unprovoked seizures or certain diseases of the hypothalamus and pituitary glands.
“We decide Veterans’ disability claims based on the best science available,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “As scientific knowledge advances, VA will expand its programs to ensure Veterans receive the care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve.”
This regulation stems from a report of the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine (IOM) regarding the association between TBI and the five diagnosable illnesses. The IOM report, Gulf War and Health, Volume 7: Long-Term Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury, found “sufficient evidence” to link moderate or severe levels of TBI with the five ailments.
The new regulations, printed in the Federal Register, say that if certain Veterans with service-connected TBI also have one of the five illnesses, then the second illness will also be considered as service connected for the calculation of VA disability compensation.
Eligibility for expanded benefits will depend upon the severity of the TBI and the time between the injury causing the TBI and the onset of the second illness. However, Veterans can still file a claim to establish direct service-connection for these ailments even if they do not meet the time and severity standards in the new regulation.
Veterans who have questions or who wish to file new disability claims may use the eBenefits website, available at www.eBenefits.va.gov/ebenefits.
Servicemembers who are within 180 days of discharge may also file a pre-discharge claim for TBI online through the VA-DoD eBenefits portal at www.eBenefits.va.gov/ebenefits.
The published final rule will be available Dec. 17 at http://www.regulations.gov.
Showing posts with label VA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VA. Show all posts
Monday, December 16, 2013
Sunday, December 15, 2013
VA OFFICIAL OUTLINES PROGRESS ON VA BACKLOG BEFORE SENATE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
VA Progress on Claims Backlog Highlighted during Congressional Testimony
December 11, 2013
A Says Claims Backlog Down 36 Percent since March
WASHINGTON – At a hearing today before the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Under Secretary for Benefits, Allison A. Hickey, outlined progress made by the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) in reducing the backlog of Veterans’ disability compensation and pension claims by 36 percent since March -- attributing the success to the combined impact of VBA's transformation initiatives and increased employee productivity.
“We know there is much more work to be done to reach our goal of eliminating the disability claims backlog in 2015,” said Hickey. “But I’m encouraged that the improved tools and processes we’ve put in place so far are having a real impact so that we may better serve our nation’s Veterans, their survivors and their families.”
In her testimony, Under Secretary Hickey detailed the elements of VBA’s transformation plan, which includes re-training and reorganizing its workforce, streamlining business processes, and building and implementing new technology solutions. With each transformation milestone, said Hickey, VBA is successfully moving away from a paper-bound, manual process to improve benefits delivery to Veterans, their families, and survivors through paperless claims processing. She also noted that if full funding is received, mandatory overtime for VBA claims processors, which helped bring down the backlog this year, will continue for much of 2014.
Key accomplishments highlighted in the testimony included:
Decreasing the pending inventory of claims by 22 percent;
Decreasing the number of claims in the backlog (those pending over 125 days) by 36 percent;
Increasing claim-level accuracy from approximately 83 percent in 2011 to 90 percent today;
Increasing medical issue-level accuracy to approximately 97 percent today;
Completed processing of 99.9 percent of all claims that were pending over two years;
Completed processing of 97 percent of all claims that were pending over one year through the end of October;
Converting over 360 million images of paper claims documents into a digital format for electronic processing; and Establishing over 3.2 million Veteran, Servicemember and family member accounts in eBenefits, the joint Defense Department/VA web portal for accessing and tracking VA benefits.
Also, VA’s web-based, paperless electronic claims processing solution, the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS), was successfully deployed to all 56 of VA’s regional benefits offices across the country, six months ahead of schedule. VBMS has also been fielded to the Appeals Management Center, the Records Management Center, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, VA’s National Call Center, and all VA Medical Centers. Currently, about 75 percent of the VBA’s claims inventory is in digital form for electronic processing in VBMS – a percentage that is growing daily. In December, VBMS will continue to add new features and capability.
During her testimony, Hickey thanked the committee members for their support, noting that VA will rely on their continued support for resourcing the information technology and automation advancements needed to meet the Department’s goal of eliminating the backlog in 2015. In fiscal year 2013 alone, VA provided over $59 billion in compensation benefits to four million Veterans and survivors, and over $5 billion in pension benefits to more than 515,000 Veterans and survivors.
For Veterans and separating Servicemembers who are planning to file a disability claim, VA urges them to do so by filing Fully Developed Claims (FDCs) electronically through eBenefits. Veterans and separating Servicemembers who need help filing their claims can contact their local veteran service organization for assistance.
Under current law, Veterans filing initial disability compensation claims as FDCs now through Aug. 5, 2015, may be eligible for up to one year of retroactive benefits. Registered eBenefits users with a Premium account can file a claim online, track the status, and access a variety of other benefits, including pension, education, health care, home loan eligibility, and vocational rehabilitation and employment programs.
VA Progress on Claims Backlog Highlighted during Congressional Testimony
December 11, 2013
A Says Claims Backlog Down 36 Percent since March
WASHINGTON – At a hearing today before the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Under Secretary for Benefits, Allison A. Hickey, outlined progress made by the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) in reducing the backlog of Veterans’ disability compensation and pension claims by 36 percent since March -- attributing the success to the combined impact of VBA's transformation initiatives and increased employee productivity.
“We know there is much more work to be done to reach our goal of eliminating the disability claims backlog in 2015,” said Hickey. “But I’m encouraged that the improved tools and processes we’ve put in place so far are having a real impact so that we may better serve our nation’s Veterans, their survivors and their families.”
In her testimony, Under Secretary Hickey detailed the elements of VBA’s transformation plan, which includes re-training and reorganizing its workforce, streamlining business processes, and building and implementing new technology solutions. With each transformation milestone, said Hickey, VBA is successfully moving away from a paper-bound, manual process to improve benefits delivery to Veterans, their families, and survivors through paperless claims processing. She also noted that if full funding is received, mandatory overtime for VBA claims processors, which helped bring down the backlog this year, will continue for much of 2014.
Key accomplishments highlighted in the testimony included:
Decreasing the pending inventory of claims by 22 percent;
Decreasing the number of claims in the backlog (those pending over 125 days) by 36 percent;
Increasing claim-level accuracy from approximately 83 percent in 2011 to 90 percent today;
Increasing medical issue-level accuracy to approximately 97 percent today;
Completed processing of 99.9 percent of all claims that were pending over two years;
Completed processing of 97 percent of all claims that were pending over one year through the end of October;
Converting over 360 million images of paper claims documents into a digital format for electronic processing; and Establishing over 3.2 million Veteran, Servicemember and family member accounts in eBenefits, the joint Defense Department/VA web portal for accessing and tracking VA benefits.
Also, VA’s web-based, paperless electronic claims processing solution, the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS), was successfully deployed to all 56 of VA’s regional benefits offices across the country, six months ahead of schedule. VBMS has also been fielded to the Appeals Management Center, the Records Management Center, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, VA’s National Call Center, and all VA Medical Centers. Currently, about 75 percent of the VBA’s claims inventory is in digital form for electronic processing in VBMS – a percentage that is growing daily. In December, VBMS will continue to add new features and capability.
During her testimony, Hickey thanked the committee members for their support, noting that VA will rely on their continued support for resourcing the information technology and automation advancements needed to meet the Department’s goal of eliminating the backlog in 2015. In fiscal year 2013 alone, VA provided over $59 billion in compensation benefits to four million Veterans and survivors, and over $5 billion in pension benefits to more than 515,000 Veterans and survivors.
For Veterans and separating Servicemembers who are planning to file a disability claim, VA urges them to do so by filing Fully Developed Claims (FDCs) electronically through eBenefits. Veterans and separating Servicemembers who need help filing their claims can contact their local veteran service organization for assistance.
Under current law, Veterans filing initial disability compensation claims as FDCs now through Aug. 5, 2015, may be eligible for up to one year of retroactive benefits. Registered eBenefits users with a Premium account can file a claim online, track the status, and access a variety of other benefits, including pension, education, health care, home loan eligibility, and vocational rehabilitation and employment programs.
Friday, November 29, 2013
MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
November 27, 2013
The blessings of freedom and justice, opportunity and prosperity, so dear to all Americans, were not gained without sacrifice, nor preserved without purpose.
These blessings are at the heart of our American celebration of Thanksgiving, a holiday that acknowledges both our colonial roots and the beneficence of the Almighty. Vital in that history was the sharing of the harvest by American Indians, enabling the preservation of our early settlers during those first winters in the New World. Sharing one’s blessings and giving thanks for the bounties of the harvest, long a part of Native American culture, became part of our American Thanksgiving celebration, as well. This cherished tradition endured and flourished as our Nation grew and prospered.
Of this rich, new land, Thomas Jefferson once proclaimed to fellow Virginian, James Monroe, "My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!" [Letter, June 17, 1785]
The principles and values that define us as Americans found their origins in Jefferson’s time and have been sustained since by the vigilance and valor of generation after generation of men and women who, in both peace and war, have safeguarded our way of life. At the Department of Veterans Affairs, caring for those who, in President Abraham Lincoln’s words, “have borne the battle” remains our noble mission.
President Lincoln further established the last Thursday of November as a national “day of Thanksgiving” for the benevolence and bounty that has been given to the American people. On this uniquely American holiday, let us remember our good fortune at living in a land of plenty—safe, secure, and free from tyranny and oppression.
Another courageous generation of young Americans serves today as a force for good in some of the most remote and unforgiving places in the world. Many will observe Thanksgiving and the upcoming Holiday Season without the warmth and companionship of families and friends. Their missions are difficult and dangerous, and they perform them without hesitation. In this season of Thanksgiving, let us pray for their well-being and safe return. As we gather at our own tables on November 28th, let us not only give thanks for the blessings in our own lives, but give thanks for the men and women who now serve, and for those who have served on Thanksgivings past, ensuring for us and future generations of Americans the “precious blessing” of liberty.
“Happy Thanksgiving” to all our Veterans and their families, to the Survivors of the Fallen, and to my VA colleagues across our Department, who serve them so faithfully. May God continue to bless this great and wonderful country of ours.
-- Eric K. Shinseki
November 27, 2013
The blessings of freedom and justice, opportunity and prosperity, so dear to all Americans, were not gained without sacrifice, nor preserved without purpose.
These blessings are at the heart of our American celebration of Thanksgiving, a holiday that acknowledges both our colonial roots and the beneficence of the Almighty. Vital in that history was the sharing of the harvest by American Indians, enabling the preservation of our early settlers during those first winters in the New World. Sharing one’s blessings and giving thanks for the bounties of the harvest, long a part of Native American culture, became part of our American Thanksgiving celebration, as well. This cherished tradition endured and flourished as our Nation grew and prospered.
Of this rich, new land, Thomas Jefferson once proclaimed to fellow Virginian, James Monroe, "My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!" [Letter, June 17, 1785]
The principles and values that define us as Americans found their origins in Jefferson’s time and have been sustained since by the vigilance and valor of generation after generation of men and women who, in both peace and war, have safeguarded our way of life. At the Department of Veterans Affairs, caring for those who, in President Abraham Lincoln’s words, “have borne the battle” remains our noble mission.
President Lincoln further established the last Thursday of November as a national “day of Thanksgiving” for the benevolence and bounty that has been given to the American people. On this uniquely American holiday, let us remember our good fortune at living in a land of plenty—safe, secure, and free from tyranny and oppression.
Another courageous generation of young Americans serves today as a force for good in some of the most remote and unforgiving places in the world. Many will observe Thanksgiving and the upcoming Holiday Season without the warmth and companionship of families and friends. Their missions are difficult and dangerous, and they perform them without hesitation. In this season of Thanksgiving, let us pray for their well-being and safe return. As we gather at our own tables on November 28th, let us not only give thanks for the blessings in our own lives, but give thanks for the men and women who now serve, and for those who have served on Thanksgivings past, ensuring for us and future generations of Americans the “precious blessing” of liberty.
“Happy Thanksgiving” to all our Veterans and their families, to the Survivors of the Fallen, and to my VA colleagues across our Department, who serve them so faithfully. May God continue to bless this great and wonderful country of ours.
-- Eric K. Shinseki
Sunday, November 24, 2013
SECRETARY SHINSEKI'S STATEMENT REGARDING THE DISABILITIES TREATY AND VETERANS
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Statement from Secretary Shinseki on the Disabilities Treaty
November 21, 2013
WASHINGTON -- Ratification of the Disabilities Treaty is important to our Nation's 5.5 million disabled Veterans.
Ratification of the Disabilities Treaty is not about changing America. It’s about helping the rest of the world raise their accessibility standards to the gold standard the United States has set through our ADA. Ratification will help reinforce America’s global leadership role and reputation, putting us in the strongest position to advance disability rights worldwide.
By joining the treaty, we will be helping the 5.5 million Veterans with disabilities and the 50 million Americans with disabilities study and work with dignity and pursue greater opportunity abroad with the same access they enjoy at home.
I served for roughly 10 years in Europe as a disabled Soldier following my tours in Vietnam. During that time, I had to learn to walk and run again. I had to convince the Army that I could continue to serve, and learn to adjust to a new reality. I recall the absence of aids for the disabled in many places where I served—ramps, lifts, automatic door openers, among other devices that are commonly available in this country.
Our disabled Veterans and service members have put their trust in our country. Now, it’s time for our country to put its trust in them. It’s time to ratify the Disabilities Treaty.
I urge the Senate to approve the Treaty this year.
Statement from Secretary Shinseki on the Disabilities Treaty
November 21, 2013
WASHINGTON -- Ratification of the Disabilities Treaty is important to our Nation's 5.5 million disabled Veterans.
Ratification of the Disabilities Treaty is not about changing America. It’s about helping the rest of the world raise their accessibility standards to the gold standard the United States has set through our ADA. Ratification will help reinforce America’s global leadership role and reputation, putting us in the strongest position to advance disability rights worldwide.
By joining the treaty, we will be helping the 5.5 million Veterans with disabilities and the 50 million Americans with disabilities study and work with dignity and pursue greater opportunity abroad with the same access they enjoy at home.
I served for roughly 10 years in Europe as a disabled Soldier following my tours in Vietnam. During that time, I had to learn to walk and run again. I had to convince the Army that I could continue to serve, and learn to adjust to a new reality. I recall the absence of aids for the disabled in many places where I served—ramps, lifts, automatic door openers, among other devices that are commonly available in this country.
Our disabled Veterans and service members have put their trust in our country. Now, it’s time for our country to put its trust in them. It’s time to ratify the Disabilities Treaty.
I urge the Senate to approve the Treaty this year.
Monday, November 18, 2013
DENTAL INSURANCE OFFERED BY VETERANS ADMINISTRATION
FROM: DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
VA Offers Dental Insurance Program
November 15, 2013
WASHINGTON – VA is partnering with Delta Dental and MetLife to allow eligible Veterans, plus family members receiving care under the Civilian Health and Medical Program (CHAMPVA), to purchase affordable dental insurance beginning Nov. 15, VA officials announced today.
“VA continues to explore innovative ways to help Veterans get access to the care and services they have earned and deserve,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “This new dental program is another example of VA creating partnerships with the private sector to deliver a range of high-quality care at an affordable cost, for our Nation’s Veterans.”
More than 8 million Veterans who are enrolled in VA health care can choose to purchase one of the offered dental plans. This three-year pilot has been designed for Veterans with no dental coverage, or those eligible for VA dental care who would like to purchase additional coverage. Participation will not affect entitlement to VA dental services and treatment.
There are no eligibility limitations based on service-connected disability rating or enrollment priority assignment. People interested in participating may complete an application online through either Delta Dental, www.deltadentalvadip.org, or MetLife, www.metlife.com/vadip beginning Nov. 15. Coverage for this new dental insurance will begin Jan. 1, 2014, and will be available throughout the United States and its territories.
Also eligible for the new benefits are nearly 400,000 spouses and dependent children who are reimbursed for most medical expenses under VA’s CHAMPVA program. Generally, CHAMPVA participants are spouses, survivors or dependent children of Veterans officially rated as “permanently and totally” disabled by a service-connected condition.
Dental services under the new program vary by plan and include diagnostic, preventive, surgical, emergency and endodontic/restorative treatment. Enrollment in the VA Dental Insurance Plan (VADIP) is voluntary. Participants are responsible for all premiums, which range from $8.65 to $52.90 per month for individual plans. Copayments and other charges may apply.
Historically VA’s free dental services have gone to Veterans with dental problems connected to a medical condition that’s officially certified as “service connected.” Free dental services will continue for those Veterans.
VA Offers Dental Insurance Program
November 15, 2013
WASHINGTON – VA is partnering with Delta Dental and MetLife to allow eligible Veterans, plus family members receiving care under the Civilian Health and Medical Program (CHAMPVA), to purchase affordable dental insurance beginning Nov. 15, VA officials announced today.
“VA continues to explore innovative ways to help Veterans get access to the care and services they have earned and deserve,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “This new dental program is another example of VA creating partnerships with the private sector to deliver a range of high-quality care at an affordable cost, for our Nation’s Veterans.”
More than 8 million Veterans who are enrolled in VA health care can choose to purchase one of the offered dental plans. This three-year pilot has been designed for Veterans with no dental coverage, or those eligible for VA dental care who would like to purchase additional coverage. Participation will not affect entitlement to VA dental services and treatment.
There are no eligibility limitations based on service-connected disability rating or enrollment priority assignment. People interested in participating may complete an application online through either Delta Dental, www.deltadentalvadip.org, or MetLife, www.metlife.com/vadip beginning Nov. 15. Coverage for this new dental insurance will begin Jan. 1, 2014, and will be available throughout the United States and its territories.
Also eligible for the new benefits are nearly 400,000 spouses and dependent children who are reimbursed for most medical expenses under VA’s CHAMPVA program. Generally, CHAMPVA participants are spouses, survivors or dependent children of Veterans officially rated as “permanently and totally” disabled by a service-connected condition.
Dental services under the new program vary by plan and include diagnostic, preventive, surgical, emergency and endodontic/restorative treatment. Enrollment in the VA Dental Insurance Plan (VADIP) is voluntary. Participants are responsible for all premiums, which range from $8.65 to $52.90 per month for individual plans. Copayments and other charges may apply.
Historically VA’s free dental services have gone to Veterans with dental problems connected to a medical condition that’s officially certified as “service connected.” Free dental services will continue for those Veterans.
Friday, November 8, 2013
VA SAYS OVER 800 VETERANS HIRED AS MENTAL HEALTH PEER SPECIALISTS AND PEER APPRENTICES
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
VA Meets President’s Mental Health Executive Order Hiring Goal
November 5, 2013
More than 800 Veterans Hired as Mental Health Peer Specialists and Peer Apprentices
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs has hired 815 Peer Specialists and Peer Apprentices, exceeding the hiring goal set in President Obama’s Aug. 31, 2012 Executive Order aimed at improving access to mental health services for Veterans, service members and military families.
On June 3, VA announced the department met another goal established by the Executive Order by hiring 1,600 additional mental health professionals.
“We have made strong progress to expand Veterans’ access to quality mental health services, but we must continue to increase access,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “These newly hired employees, Veterans themselves, are uniquely equipped to guide fellow Veterans through difficult issues.”
Peer Specialists and Peer Support Apprentices are a unique cadre of people joining VA’s mental health care teams. They are Veterans who have successfully dealt with their own mental health recovery for a minimum of one year. Peer Specialists are trained and certified, while Peer Support Apprentices are undergoing training and certification to become Peer Specialists. An additional component from the Executive Order mandated that all training for these peer counselors would be complete by the end of the year. VA remains on track to meet that requirement.
“We are proud to have exceeded the hiring goal established by the President in his Executive Order,” said Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Robert A. Petzel. “We are well on the way to have all of these new hires trained by the end of the calendar year.”
Specialists and apprentices are working at every VA medical center throughout the country as well as at Community-Based Outpatient Clinics with over 10,000 enrollees. As the Nation’s largest integrated health care system, VA cares for more than 6.3 million Veterans annually, and has seen an increase in the amount of service men and women who are dealing with mental health issues. VA’s push to hire Veterans who can provide peer support is a key part of a greater effort aimed at increasing access to mental health care services for the nation’s Veterans by hiring thousands of new mental health professionals.
Earlier this year, VA announced a 50 percent increase in staffing for the Veterans Crisis Line (1-800-273-8255), which has been credited with rescuing more than 26,000 actively suicidal Veterans.
This year, VA held Mental Health Summits at 151 VA medical centers across the country to further engage community partners, Veteran Service Organizations, health care providers and local governments, and to address the broad mental health needs of Veterans and their families.
To learn more about current VA Peer to Peer job opportunities visit: http://www.vacareers.va.gov/peer-to-peer/. Veterans and their families interested in learning more about the mental health services provided by VA can go to www.mentalhealth.va.gov.
VA Meets President’s Mental Health Executive Order Hiring Goal
November 5, 2013
More than 800 Veterans Hired as Mental Health Peer Specialists and Peer Apprentices
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs has hired 815 Peer Specialists and Peer Apprentices, exceeding the hiring goal set in President Obama’s Aug. 31, 2012 Executive Order aimed at improving access to mental health services for Veterans, service members and military families.
On June 3, VA announced the department met another goal established by the Executive Order by hiring 1,600 additional mental health professionals.
“We have made strong progress to expand Veterans’ access to quality mental health services, but we must continue to increase access,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “These newly hired employees, Veterans themselves, are uniquely equipped to guide fellow Veterans through difficult issues.”
Peer Specialists and Peer Support Apprentices are a unique cadre of people joining VA’s mental health care teams. They are Veterans who have successfully dealt with their own mental health recovery for a minimum of one year. Peer Specialists are trained and certified, while Peer Support Apprentices are undergoing training and certification to become Peer Specialists. An additional component from the Executive Order mandated that all training for these peer counselors would be complete by the end of the year. VA remains on track to meet that requirement.
“We are proud to have exceeded the hiring goal established by the President in his Executive Order,” said Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Robert A. Petzel. “We are well on the way to have all of these new hires trained by the end of the calendar year.”
Specialists and apprentices are working at every VA medical center throughout the country as well as at Community-Based Outpatient Clinics with over 10,000 enrollees. As the Nation’s largest integrated health care system, VA cares for more than 6.3 million Veterans annually, and has seen an increase in the amount of service men and women who are dealing with mental health issues. VA’s push to hire Veterans who can provide peer support is a key part of a greater effort aimed at increasing access to mental health care services for the nation’s Veterans by hiring thousands of new mental health professionals.
Earlier this year, VA announced a 50 percent increase in staffing for the Veterans Crisis Line (1-800-273-8255), which has been credited with rescuing more than 26,000 actively suicidal Veterans.
This year, VA held Mental Health Summits at 151 VA medical centers across the country to further engage community partners, Veteran Service Organizations, health care providers and local governments, and to address the broad mental health needs of Veterans and their families.
To learn more about current VA Peer to Peer job opportunities visit: http://www.vacareers.va.gov/peer-to-peer/. Veterans and their families interested in learning more about the mental health services provided by VA can go to www.mentalhealth.va.gov.
Monday, September 9, 2013
AG HOLDER ANNOUNCES VA MOVE EXTENDING SAME-SEX BENEFITS TO MARRIED COUPLES
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Attorney General Holder Announces Move to Extend Veterans Benefits to Same-Sex Married Couples
In the Obama administration’s latest step to ensure equal treatment for same-sex married couples following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a key section of the Defense of Marriage Act, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Wednesday that President Obama has directed the Executive Branch to take steps allowing for same-sex spouses of military veterans to collect federal benefits.
The new policy means that the administration will no longer enforce statutory language governing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) that restricts the awarding of spousal benefits to opposite-sex marriages only. The language, contained within Title 38 of the U.S. Code, has, until now, prevented the Executive Branch from providing spousal benefits to veterans—and in some instances active-duty service members and reservists—who are in same-sex marriages recognized under state law.
In a letter to Congressional leaders, Holder stated that the President’s decision was consistent with the Court’s decision in Windsor in June.
“Although the Supreme Court did not directly address the constitutionality of the Title 38 provisions in Windsor, the reasoning of the opinion strongly supports the conclusion that those provisions are unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment,” Holder wrote.
The decision not to enforce Title 38 aligns with the Obama administration’s determination last year that two provisions of Title 38 that govern benefits for veterans and their families were unconstitutional as applied to legally married same-sex couples. At that time, the Attorney General informed Congress that the Department would no longer defend the Title 38 provisions, but that the Executive Branch would continue to enforce them. Today’s announcement makes clear that enforcement of the provision in Title 38 defining marriage as between a man and a woman will now cease.
The announcement comes after the House Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) recently decided to stop defending the Title 38 provisions in pending cases. In addition, last week, a federal district court in California held the Title 38 provisions unconstitutional on equal protection grounds. After consideration of these developments and a recommendation by the Attorney General, the President directed the Executive Branch to cease enforcement of the Title 38 provisions.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Attorney General Holder Announces Move to Extend Veterans Benefits to Same-Sex Married Couples
In the Obama administration’s latest step to ensure equal treatment for same-sex married couples following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a key section of the Defense of Marriage Act, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Wednesday that President Obama has directed the Executive Branch to take steps allowing for same-sex spouses of military veterans to collect federal benefits.
The new policy means that the administration will no longer enforce statutory language governing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) that restricts the awarding of spousal benefits to opposite-sex marriages only. The language, contained within Title 38 of the U.S. Code, has, until now, prevented the Executive Branch from providing spousal benefits to veterans—and in some instances active-duty service members and reservists—who are in same-sex marriages recognized under state law.
In a letter to Congressional leaders, Holder stated that the President’s decision was consistent with the Court’s decision in Windsor in June.
“Although the Supreme Court did not directly address the constitutionality of the Title 38 provisions in Windsor, the reasoning of the opinion strongly supports the conclusion that those provisions are unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment,” Holder wrote.
The decision not to enforce Title 38 aligns with the Obama administration’s determination last year that two provisions of Title 38 that govern benefits for veterans and their families were unconstitutional as applied to legally married same-sex couples. At that time, the Attorney General informed Congress that the Department would no longer defend the Title 38 provisions, but that the Executive Branch would continue to enforce them. Today’s announcement makes clear that enforcement of the provision in Title 38 defining marriage as between a man and a woman will now cease.
The announcement comes after the House Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) recently decided to stop defending the Title 38 provisions in pending cases. In addition, last week, a federal district court in California held the Title 38 provisions unconstitutional on equal protection grounds. After consideration of these developments and a recommendation by the Attorney General, the President directed the Executive Branch to cease enforcement of the Title 38 provisions.
Monday, September 2, 2013
THE 'VETSUCCESS ON CAMPUS' PROGRAM EXPANDS
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
VA Announces Big Expansion of 'VetSuccess on Campus'
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2013 - As a new school year begins, a Department of Veterans Affairs official announced today that VA will nearly triple the number of colleges and universities it partners with to offer on-campus vocational and rehabilitative VA counseling through its "VetSuccess on Campus" program.
Curt Coy, VA's deputy undersecretary for economic opportunity, told reporters during a conference call that the program, which began in 2009, will expand from its existing 32 campuses to 94. Its primary goal is to provide on-campus counseling and referral services to student veterans as they transition to civilian life, Coy said.
"We put an experienced vocational rehabilitation counselor, full-time, on a college campus to help not just wounded warriors or disabled veterans, bur for all veterans on the campus," he explained.
Coy said the department looks for schools with veteran and beneficiary enrollment of at least 800 to 1,200 and strives to partner bigger colleges or universities with "feeder schools" such as community colleges, so they can share counseling resources. Officials also seek to ensure the campus is close to a VA regional center or medical facility.
Those regional VA facilities are where on-campus counselors come from, Coy noted, because the department assigns its most experienced people for on-campus work and then backfills their previous positions.
"The school has to ask or volunteer to host a ... counselor," he said. "They provide office space, access to their computers and a telephone." The VA pays the counselor's salary, he added.
Some 90 percent of a counselor's workload may involve answering questions about educational benefits, Coy said, but he noted the program, which offers students veterans the chance for face-to-face conversation with a VA expert, can help to smooth life for former service members in other ways as well.
Every veteran is different in some small way, he said, but VA counselors "can, in many cases, break through any concerns or questions they may have, and help them connect with their benefits."
He offered as example a student veteran using the Post-9/11 GI Bill who has not yet begun receiving a housing allowance or other benefits.
"[The counselor] can intercede directly on behalf of that veteran, and it works out very, very well," Coy said. He added that the chance to consult an experienced VA vocational and rehabilitation counselor also offers student veterans a chance to learn about overall benefits they may be entitled to.
"The most important thing is to provide those student veterans with the tools they need to be successful in their academic environment ... [and] meaningful employment as they move on," Coy said.
VA Announces Big Expansion of 'VetSuccess on Campus'
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2013 - As a new school year begins, a Department of Veterans Affairs official announced today that VA will nearly triple the number of colleges and universities it partners with to offer on-campus vocational and rehabilitative VA counseling through its "VetSuccess on Campus" program.
Curt Coy, VA's deputy undersecretary for economic opportunity, told reporters during a conference call that the program, which began in 2009, will expand from its existing 32 campuses to 94. Its primary goal is to provide on-campus counseling and referral services to student veterans as they transition to civilian life, Coy said.
"We put an experienced vocational rehabilitation counselor, full-time, on a college campus to help not just wounded warriors or disabled veterans, bur for all veterans on the campus," he explained.
Coy said the department looks for schools with veteran and beneficiary enrollment of at least 800 to 1,200 and strives to partner bigger colleges or universities with "feeder schools" such as community colleges, so they can share counseling resources. Officials also seek to ensure the campus is close to a VA regional center or medical facility.
Those regional VA facilities are where on-campus counselors come from, Coy noted, because the department assigns its most experienced people for on-campus work and then backfills their previous positions.
"The school has to ask or volunteer to host a ... counselor," he said. "They provide office space, access to their computers and a telephone." The VA pays the counselor's salary, he added.
Some 90 percent of a counselor's workload may involve answering questions about educational benefits, Coy said, but he noted the program, which offers students veterans the chance for face-to-face conversation with a VA expert, can help to smooth life for former service members in other ways as well.
Every veteran is different in some small way, he said, but VA counselors "can, in many cases, break through any concerns or questions they may have, and help them connect with their benefits."
He offered as example a student veteran using the Post-9/11 GI Bill who has not yet begun receiving a housing allowance or other benefits.
"[The counselor] can intercede directly on behalf of that veteran, and it works out very, very well," Coy said. He added that the chance to consult an experienced VA vocational and rehabilitation counselor also offers student veterans a chance to learn about overall benefits they may be entitled to.
"The most important thing is to provide those student veterans with the tools they need to be successful in their academic environment ... [and] meaningful employment as they move on," Coy said.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
NATIONAL NURSES WEEK AND VETERANS AFFAIRS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
by Hans Petersen, VA Staff Writer
Monday, May 6, 2013
This is National Nurses Week.
The American Nurses Association has designated this year’s National Nurses Week theme: "Delivering Quality and Innovation in Patient Care."
Join us in celebrating the men and women who serve this country by caring for its Veterans.
80,000 Nurses Caring for America’s Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs has one of the largest nursing staffs of any health care system in the world.
Numbering more than 80,000 nationwide, the VA integrated nursing team provides comprehensive, complex, and compassionate care to our nation’s Veterans.
VA’s nurses are a dynamic, diverse group of honored, respected, and compassionate professionals. VA is the leader in the creation of an organizational culture where excellence in nursing is valued as essential for quality health care to those who served America.
"VA nursing is at the center of generating value-based innovation. Their work is a demonstration of integrity, commitment, respect and excellence as we shape efforts to ensure access to personalized, proactive health care for Veterans," according to Cathy Rick, VA’s Chief Nursing Officer.
She adds, "I am extremely proud to call myself a VA nurse."
National Nurses Week: Every year — May 6th through May 12. May 12 is Florence Nightingale’s birthday.
The VA nursing team is composed of registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPNs/LVNs), nursing assistants, and intermediate care technicians.
VA nursing provides the largest clinical training and cooperative education opportunities in association with undergraduate and graduate programs at numerous colleges and universities.
In the 1990s, VA provided clinical experience to one out of every four professional nursing students in the country. VA nurses are highly valued members and leaders of the health care team, contributing their knowledge and expertise to the care of patients.
In addition to clinical care, VA nursing is also a significant part of advancing research in VA and keeping up with the latest technological innovations. Nurse researchers help to promote inclusion of evidence into practice to provide quality care for Veterans.
Components of VA Nursing
Professional nursing supports the mission of the VA health care system by providing state-of-the-art, cost-effective care to patients and families as they respond to illness and health issues.
In addition to medical, surgical and psychiatric units, VA nurses work in intensive care, spinal cord injury, geriatric, dialysis, blind rehabilitation, specialty care (such as diabetes clinics), hospice, domiciliary, oncology, and organ transplant units.
VA nurses provide care across a variety of settings including primary, ambulatory, acute, geriatrics, rehabilitation, and extended care settings.
They work in outpatient clinics, community living centers, and home-based primary care programs.
VA nurses also play a considerable role in emergency planning, preparedness, response, and recovery.
VA nurses proudly serve America’s heroes by practicing the art and science of nursing in order to provide holistic, evidence-based, high quality care.
-
by Hans Petersen, VA Staff Writer
Monday, May 6, 2013
This is National Nurses Week.
The American Nurses Association has designated this year’s National Nurses Week theme: "Delivering Quality and Innovation in Patient Care."
Join us in celebrating the men and women who serve this country by caring for its Veterans.
80,000 Nurses Caring for America’s Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs has one of the largest nursing staffs of any health care system in the world.
Numbering more than 80,000 nationwide, the VA integrated nursing team provides comprehensive, complex, and compassionate care to our nation’s Veterans.
VA’s nurses are a dynamic, diverse group of honored, respected, and compassionate professionals. VA is the leader in the creation of an organizational culture where excellence in nursing is valued as essential for quality health care to those who served America.
"VA nursing is at the center of generating value-based innovation. Their work is a demonstration of integrity, commitment, respect and excellence as we shape efforts to ensure access to personalized, proactive health care for Veterans," according to Cathy Rick, VA’s Chief Nursing Officer.
She adds, "I am extremely proud to call myself a VA nurse."
National Nurses Week: Every year — May 6th through May 12. May 12 is Florence Nightingale’s birthday.
The VA nursing team is composed of registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPNs/LVNs), nursing assistants, and intermediate care technicians.
VA nursing provides the largest clinical training and cooperative education opportunities in association with undergraduate and graduate programs at numerous colleges and universities.
In the 1990s, VA provided clinical experience to one out of every four professional nursing students in the country. VA nurses are highly valued members and leaders of the health care team, contributing their knowledge and expertise to the care of patients.
In addition to clinical care, VA nursing is also a significant part of advancing research in VA and keeping up with the latest technological innovations. Nurse researchers help to promote inclusion of evidence into practice to provide quality care for Veterans.
Components of VA Nursing
Professional nursing supports the mission of the VA health care system by providing state-of-the-art, cost-effective care to patients and families as they respond to illness and health issues.
In addition to medical, surgical and psychiatric units, VA nurses work in intensive care, spinal cord injury, geriatric, dialysis, blind rehabilitation, specialty care (such as diabetes clinics), hospice, domiciliary, oncology, and organ transplant units.
VA nurses provide care across a variety of settings including primary, ambulatory, acute, geriatrics, rehabilitation, and extended care settings.
They work in outpatient clinics, community living centers, and home-based primary care programs.
VA nurses also play a considerable role in emergency planning, preparedness, response, and recovery.
VA nurses proudly serve America’s heroes by practicing the art and science of nursing in order to provide holistic, evidence-based, high quality care.
-
Thursday, July 26, 2012
U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LEON PANETTA ON CRAFTING SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR VETERANS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSEPanetta: DOD, VA Crafting Integrated Support SystemBy Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 25, 2012 - The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments are building an integrated military and veteran support system that is fundamentally different and far more robust than in the past, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told a congressional panel today.
Panetta addressed a relatively rare joint hearing of the House Armed Services and Veterans Affairs committees to discuss assistance for service members as they return to civilian life. Joining him was VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki.
"This hearing comes at a very important time for our nation and for collaboration between our two departments," Panetta told the panel.
A new generation of service members and veterans is coming home today, he said. "They have fought and died to protect this country, and we need to fight to protect them," he added.
The two departments are working more closely together, Panetta said. "But frankly," he added, "we have much more to do to try to reach a level of cooperation to better meet the needs of those who have served our nation in uniform, especially our wounded warriors."
Returning service members and veterans deserve a seamless support system, the secretary said, "so they can put their lives back together, pursue their goals, give back to their communities, and strengthen our nation in new ways."
Such an effort takes tremendous commitment on the part of all Americans, he said, describing collaboration between the two departments led by a joint committee co-chaired by Erin C. Conaton, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, and W. Scott Gould, deputy VA secretary.
DOD and VA also are enhancing collaboration across five priority areas, Panetta told the panel.
One effort is called the Transition GPS Program, announced July 23 by President Barack Obama.
"At the Department of Defense, our goal is to provide a comprehensive transition assistance program that prepares those who are leaving the service for the next step, whether that is pursuing additional education, whether it's trying to find a job in the public sector or the private sector, or whether it's starting [a new] business," Panetta said.
The transition program, he added, will ensure that every service member develops an individual transition plan, meets new career-readiness standards, "and is prepared to apply their valuable military experience however and wherever they choose."
DOD and VA also are collaborating on a single integrated disability evaluation system that lets officials in both departments work together to reduce layers of bureaucracy for service members and veterans and to shorten the wait for disability compensation after separating from the military.
The departments also have undertaken a major initiative in the area of electronic health records for a seamless transition between DOD and VA health care systems, targeted for completion by 2017.
"This is not easy," Panetta said, explaining that the plan is to complete this process in San Antonio and Hampton Roads, Va., and then to expand it to every other hospital.
"If we can achieve this, it would be a very significant achievement that I think could be a model not only for the hospitals that we run, but for hospitals in the private sector as well," the secretary added.
DOD and VA also collaborate on mental and behavioral health, including improving the ability to identify and treat post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. This includes a review across the services of reports of problems with modifying diagnoses for post-traumatic stress in the military disability evaluation system. The secretary said he anticipates the review, led by Conaton, will take 18 months.
The departments also are working together in suicide prevention, including promoting cultures of help-seeking, improving access to mental and behavioral health care, emphasizing mental fitness, and working with other agencies to better understand the issue of suicide.
"One of the things that I'm trying to stress," Panetta told the panel, "is that we have got to improve the ability of leadership within the military to see these issues, to see them coming and to do something to try to prevent it from happening."
Panetta noted that he is a former congressman who has spent more than 40 years in government. "I am well aware that too often the very best intentions ... for caring for our veterans can get trapped in bureaucratic infighting," he said. "It gets trapped by conflicting rules and regulations, [and] it gets trapped by frustrating levels of responsibility."
This, he said, cannot be an excuse for failing to deal with these issues.
"It should be a challenge for both the VA and DOD, for the Congress and for the administration to try to meet that challenge together," he said. "Our warriors are trained not to fail on the battlefield. We must be committed not to fail them on the home front."
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 25, 2012 - The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments are building an integrated military and veteran support system that is fundamentally different and far more robust than in the past, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told a congressional panel today.
Panetta addressed a relatively rare joint hearing of the House Armed Services and Veterans Affairs committees to discuss assistance for service members as they return to civilian life. Joining him was VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki.
"This hearing comes at a very important time for our nation and for collaboration between our two departments," Panetta told the panel.
A new generation of service members and veterans is coming home today, he said. "They have fought and died to protect this country, and we need to fight to protect them," he added.
The two departments are working more closely together, Panetta said. "But frankly," he added, "we have much more to do to try to reach a level of cooperation to better meet the needs of those who have served our nation in uniform, especially our wounded warriors."
Returning service members and veterans deserve a seamless support system, the secretary said, "so they can put their lives back together, pursue their goals, give back to their communities, and strengthen our nation in new ways."
Such an effort takes tremendous commitment on the part of all Americans, he said, describing collaboration between the two departments led by a joint committee co-chaired by Erin C. Conaton, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, and W. Scott Gould, deputy VA secretary.
DOD and VA also are enhancing collaboration across five priority areas, Panetta told the panel.
One effort is called the Transition GPS Program, announced July 23 by President Barack Obama.
"At the Department of Defense, our goal is to provide a comprehensive transition assistance program that prepares those who are leaving the service for the next step, whether that is pursuing additional education, whether it's trying to find a job in the public sector or the private sector, or whether it's starting [a new] business," Panetta said.
The transition program, he added, will ensure that every service member develops an individual transition plan, meets new career-readiness standards, "and is prepared to apply their valuable military experience however and wherever they choose."
DOD and VA also are collaborating on a single integrated disability evaluation system that lets officials in both departments work together to reduce layers of bureaucracy for service members and veterans and to shorten the wait for disability compensation after separating from the military.
The departments also have undertaken a major initiative in the area of electronic health records for a seamless transition between DOD and VA health care systems, targeted for completion by 2017.
"This is not easy," Panetta said, explaining that the plan is to complete this process in San Antonio and Hampton Roads, Va., and then to expand it to every other hospital.
"If we can achieve this, it would be a very significant achievement that I think could be a model not only for the hospitals that we run, but for hospitals in the private sector as well," the secretary added.
DOD and VA also collaborate on mental and behavioral health, including improving the ability to identify and treat post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. This includes a review across the services of reports of problems with modifying diagnoses for post-traumatic stress in the military disability evaluation system. The secretary said he anticipates the review, led by Conaton, will take 18 months.
The departments also are working together in suicide prevention, including promoting cultures of help-seeking, improving access to mental and behavioral health care, emphasizing mental fitness, and working with other agencies to better understand the issue of suicide.
"One of the things that I'm trying to stress," Panetta told the panel, "is that we have got to improve the ability of leadership within the military to see these issues, to see them coming and to do something to try to prevent it from happening."
Panetta noted that he is a former congressman who has spent more than 40 years in government. "I am well aware that too often the very best intentions ... for caring for our veterans can get trapped in bureaucratic infighting," he said. "It gets trapped by conflicting rules and regulations, [and] it gets trapped by frustrating levels of responsibility."
This, he said, cannot be an excuse for failing to deal with these issues.
"It should be a challenge for both the VA and DOD, for the Congress and for the administration to try to meet that challenge together," he said. "Our warriors are trained not to fail on the battlefield. We must be committed not to fail them on the home front."
Sunday, May 27, 2012
IMPROVEMENTS IN VA DOD PROGRAMS CONTINUE
FROM: AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Improvements Continue in Joint DOD, VA Program
By Claudette Roulo
WASHINGTON, May 24, 2012 - Progress continues on a streamlined system to improve care for ill and injured service members and veterans, senior Defense Department and Veterans Affairs officials told Capitol Hill legislators yesterday.
Jo Ann Rooney, acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, and John R. Gingrich, chief of staff for the Department of Veterans Affairs, made the comments in testimony before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.
Expectations for what happens after a service member becomes ill or is injured have shifted fundamentally over the past 20 years, Rooney said.
In 2007, this shift, combined with public and congressional concern following accounts of inadequate conditions, resulted in the development of the Integrated Disability Evaluation System, or IDES, intended to be "a more service member-centric, seamless and transparent disability program," she added.
The system was designed to streamline the transition of care of wounded, ill and injured service members from the DOD to the VA, or, if they are found fit, to quickly return them to their units, Gingrich said.
"Service members receive a single set of physical disability examinations conducted according to VA examination protocols and disability ratings prepared by VA," Rooney said. The DOD and the VA share the results and ratings, eliminating redundant requirements and divergent ratings for the same disability.
The singular focus on transition of care has shifted, however, and now includes improving and defining the abilities of service members as part of a commitment to making them whole and providing opportunities to remain in military service, Rooney said.
"More so than at any time in our nation's history, those who separate from military service are greeted by more comprehensive mental and physical care, by greater opportunity for education and jobs and by a deeper societal commitment to ensuring their welfare," she added.
Gingrich said two main problems have been found -- access to information and reducing the movement of paper files. To that end, a series of enhancements to the VA's electronic document handling systems will reduce overall processing time by improving work flow and performance management, he said.
The system has reduced the wait time for initial disability payments from an average of 240 days in 2007 to 50 days in March 2012, Rooney said.
In addition, the services are in the midst of ongoing hiring efforts to better manage the current caseload and in anticipation of future spikes in IDES participation, she said.
Gingrich said the existing caseload exceeds what was expected.
"As demand has increased we have adjusted to meet the service member's needs," he said. "In January 2012, VA completed 1,254 proposed disability ratings and in April 2012 VA completed 2,363 proposed disability ratings."
"That is an 88 percent increase in monthly performance, which allowed for a reduction of more than 5,500 of the backlogged claims," Gingrich added.
Rooney and Gingrich stressed their departments' continuing commitment to the partnership and to supporting ill, injured and wounded service members.
"The [DOD] has positioned itself to implement improvements and continue progress in providing support to our service members, veterans, and their families while supporting recovery, rehabilitation and re-integration," Rooney said.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
DEPLETED URANIUM, SHRAPNEL AND WAR VETERANS
FROM: AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Dr. Jose Centeno, director of the Joint Pathology Center's Biophysical Toxicology and Depleted Uranium/Embedded Metal Fragment Laboratories, demonstrates the variety of shrapnel pieces removed from service members and veterans. DOD photo by Terri Moon Cronk
Laboratory Analyzes Shrapnel to Look for Uranium
By Terri Moon Cronk
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md., April 19, 2012 - Military doctors here are examining shrapnel taken from service members and veterans, looking for depleted uranium and other metals.
Biophysical Toxicology and Depleted Uranium/Embedded Metal Fragment Laboratories branch is analyzing the embedded fragments and providing second opinions at military and Veterans Affairs medical centers to treat those who had retained shrapnel.
"Our goal is to improve the care of wounded warriors," said Army Col. (Dr.) Thomas Baker, interim director of the Joint Pathology Center, the umbrella organization for the lab.
"We advise [doctors] how to follow up and what treatment is needed" to mitigate the potential effects of uranium and other metals, he said.
The lab analyzes all combat-associated metal fragments taken from DOD personnel that might pose a long-term health risk, such as depleted uranium, which can contribute to kidney damage over time, Baker explained. The lab also develops laboratory capabilities in metal toxicology to support the Defense Department, The Pathology Center and VA and Army programs that require exposure assessment to depleted uranium, embedded fragment analysis and analysis of certain metal alloys, officials said.
The only one of its kind in the United States, Baker said, the lab keeps a registry of the fragments for future re-evaluation. The register now includes 600 specimens.
The lab also has the only diagnostic equipment in the nation that can detect where the uranium originates in the body, noted Dr. Jose Centeno, the lab's director.
A wide range of materials are packed in improvised explosive devices, the doctors said.
The metal fragments and alloys the labs analyze comprise common metals and alloys of steel, aluminum, copper and brass. Depleted uranium is contained in some fragments, the doctors said, noting that shrapnel specimens are tested in triplicate for accuracy.
Concerns about tainted fragments began in 1993 following the Gulf War, when evidence arose of kidney damage from uranium, the doctors said.
For 18 years, 75 volunteers have participated in a study as part of the depleted uranium program, Baker said. All but one, an Iraq War veteran, served in the Gulf War, said Centeno, a physical chemist with a background in the toxicology of metals.
While many service members and veterans have retained fragments because of high risks removing them would pose, Baker said, some alloys such as depleted uranium are not safe to leave in the body. Because of that potential risk, DOD and VA have comprehensive programs to reach troops and veterans for testing, he added.
Baker said service members and veterans who carry shrapnel but haven't sought medical care should seek advice from a doctor or call the Baltimore VA Medical Center, which works with the laboratories here.
"Anybody with an embedded fragment who hasn't been followed up or hasn't seen a physician should [do so] ... and talk to them to discuss their risks," he said.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
THREE YEARS SINCE VIRTUAL LIFETIME ELECTRONIC RECORDS ANNOUNCEMENT
Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record Reaches 3rd Anniversary
It has been three years since President Obama announced the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER) on April 9, 2009. VLER is a multi-faceted business and technology initiative that includes a portfolio of health, benefits, personnel, and administrative information sharing capabilities. It provides Veterans, Service members, their families, care-givers, and service providers with a single source of information for health and benefits in a way that is secure and is authorized by the Veteran or Service member. Access to electronic records and information is essential to modern health care delivery and the paperless administration of benefits. Standardized and secure exchange of information allows for unprecedented, seamless delivery of both health care and benefits for our nation’s Veterans and Service members.
As explained by President Obama, “When a member of the armed forces separates from the military, he or she will no longer have to walk paperwork from a [Defense Department] duty station to a local VA health center. Their electronic records will transition along with them and remain with them forever.”
More than 1.3 million Veterans and Service members use the VLEReBenefits portal to manage their Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI), obtain GI Bill Certificates of Eligibility, and access more than 40 capabilities made available via eBenefits.va.gov, with new capabilities being added to the eBenefits portal on a quarterly basis.
Implemented “Blue Button,” providing online self-service downloads for on-demand access to personal health information to 800k active users.
More than 2.5 million Veteran and Service member medical records have been shared via the VLER Bidirectional Health Information Exchange (BHIE) and Clinical Data Repository/Health Data Repository (CHDR) projects.
Tens of thousands of Veterans and Service members are already taking advantage of DoD and VA participation in the nationwide health information network being piloted at 12 sites across the country.
VLER has also impacted thousands of disabled Service members, including our most severely wounded, ill, and injured by automating information management and sharing between DoD and VA in support of the Federal Recovery Coordinator and Integrated Disability Evaluation System.
When VLER is fully implemented, all information needed to quickly and accurately provide services and benefits to our Veterans and Service members will be exchanged electronically and proactively, putting the right information in front of the right people at the right time for them to take action.
Check out the VLER home page for more information.
Joe Paiva is the executive director of the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER). He’s also a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
VA WORKS ON PLEDGE TO END VETERAN HOMELESSNESS
FROM AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
VA Makes Progress on Pledge to End Veteran Homelessness
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 3, 2012 - The Veterans Affairs Department is making progress on its pledge to end homelessness among veterans, with a focus on getting all homeless veterans off the streets by 2015, VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki told American Forces Press Service.
Shinseki joined President Barack Obama in announcing the plan in November 2009, proclaiming that no veteran should ever have to be living on the streets.
VA is working toward that goal, Shinseki told Congress last month, reporting that the number of homeless veterans on a given night dropped from 76,300 in 2010 to about 67,500 in 2011. The next goal, he said, is to drive those numbers down to 35,000 by the end of fiscal 2013, and ultimately, to zero.
As Shinseki set out to transform VA after arriving in 2009, he made the homeless issue a top priority in getting to the bottom of what he viewed as an institutional problem.
"Homelessness among veterans was a demonstration to me that we didn't have all our programs knitted together," he said. "As good as we thought we were doing in health care and other benefits, ... we had people who were slipping through the gaps in our programs -- most visibly, the homeless."
Getting homeless veterans off the streets, particularly within such a tight timeline, would be the driving force in creating positive change throughout VA, he explained.
"If you say you are going to end homelessness, then you have to be good at everything else," he said. "If you declare to end it, you have to figure out all the pieces that contribute to it so you can begin solving the pieces in order for the whole to be solved."
That, he said, requires making sure VA is addressing the root causes behind homelessness.
It means more than simply getting veterans into school; it means making sure they graduate, he explained. It's not just sending them for vocational training; it's ensuring they finish the training and are postured to land a job.
"That's how you beat homelessness," Shinseki said. "It's not the front door. It's the back door. What did they gain out of the program?"
To support this effort, VA's budget request for fiscal 2013 includes nearly $1.4 billion for programs designed to prevent or end homelessness among veterans. This represents a 33 percent increase, or $333 million, over the 2012 funding level.
The additional funding will provide grants and technical assistance to community nonprofit organizations to maintain veterans and their families in current housing or get them quickly into new housing. It also will provide grants and per diem payments for community-based organizations offering transitional housing to 32,000 veterans.
Shinseki also plans to hire 200 coordinators to help homeless veterans with disability claims, housing problems, job and vocational opportunities and problems with the courts.
Since announcing his homeless initiative, Shinseki said, he's come to understand that dealing with homelessness is really a two-part challenge.
It's one thing to get homeless veterans physically off the streets in what he calls the "rescue" part of the challenge. Shinseki said he feels confident that this part of the mission to be completed by 2015, as promised.
But the less visible and more challenging part of the problem, he said, is addressing a population that's at risk of becoming homeless. These, Shinseki explained, are veterans who are "one paycheck, one mortgage payment, one more missed utility bill away from being evicted."
"We never see that. But if we are going to truly end homelessness, we have to have a better picture of [that]... and go into prevention mode," Shinseki said. "Otherwise, you will never be able to solve this."
So while he expects the rescue mission to wrap up in 2015, Shinseki said, he'll be able to dedicate more resources toward an ongoing prevention effort.
"If you don't stop this faucet, you never end homelessness," he said.
Monday, March 12, 2012
VA SAYS UNEMPLOYMENT DOWN AMONG VETERANS
The following excerpt is from the Veterans Affairs website:
Vet Unemployment Down, But Work Still RemainsMarch 9, 2012 by Alex Horton
The month of February brought some good news: The unemployment rate for Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan era dropped to 7.6 percent, down from nearly twice that last year. In a watershed moment, the Veteran unemployment rate has dipped below the general population, which is at 8.3 percent:
Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that more veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan era than ever before are working in the civilian sector, up nearly 220,000 since the end of 2011. Today, nearly 1.9 million of those veterans hold private sector jobs, a number expected to rise as more troops leave the military in coming years.
For all [generations of] veterans, the unemployment rate dropped to 7 percent in February, the lowest that mark has been since December 2008. Almost all of the increase in veteran employment came from the new jobs for post-9/11 veterans.
the numbers come at a time of an economic upswing, so it’s not a big surprise to see more Vets finding jobs alongside civilians. The concern of many has been that Veterans may be disadvantaged in the job hunt, which is something we’ve covered before. The numbers show a promising reverse of that idea, at least for the moment.
Of course, unemployment numbers can carry statistical errors, and Veterans make up a small pool of respondents to polls, which can make broad predictions difficult. As the Army Times reported early today, anomalies are possible. However, the numbers have dropped consistently since December, not just this month.
Good news sometimes comes with a caveat, and for Veteran unemployment, it’s this: Even if the number is accurate, it’s still too high. We have highly trained, motivated, and disciplined folks rotating out of the military, ready for the next challenge, only to land in the unemployment line.
VA has committed to continue increasing Veteran employment in our own workforce, and employs over 100,000 Veterans today. VA has also put on hiring fairs for Vets to find both private and public sector jobs and hosts an annual conference for Veteran business owners, The White House has tackled the issue with its plan for aVeterans Job Corps and many promising initiatives, such as tax breaks for companies that hire Veterans. The White House Joining Forces initiative, led by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, has challenged and mobilized the private sector to increase Veteran hiring. But we still have a long way to go, and these promising signs are no reason to let up on the message that Veterans are good for business, or that the issue is no longer a big deal. Veterans deserve a meaningful career after service, and it’s incumbent on anyone who can help to make that a reality.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
VETERANS HOME IN ALABAMA GETS $350,000
The following excerpt is from the Veterans Affairs website:
“VA Awards Nearly $350,000 to Alabama Veterans Home
February 27, 2012
Alexander City Facility Targeted for Federal Grant
WASHINGTON – To ensure the Alabama Veterans home in Alexander City remains a comfortable and safe residence for Veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs is awarding nearly $350,000 for improvements to the kitchen at the state-run facility.
“Our federal-state partnership helps provide comfortable and safe housing in a caring community for Alabama Veterans who have served their country,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.
VA’s grant will cover 65 percent of the project’s cost, which carries a $535,000 price tag.
Last year, VA spent nearly $2.5 billion in Alabama to serve the state’s 406,000 Veterans. VA operates major medical centers in Birmingham, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa and Tuskegee, with outpatient clinics and Vet Centers across the state, plus three national cemeteries.
For more information about the Alabama Veterans homes in Alexander City, Huntsville and Bay Minette, and related state services for Veterans, visitwww.va.state.al.us/homes.htm.”
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