Coaching into Care
Veterans Groups Urge Trump to Keep Obama’s V.A. Secretary
Quilt commemorates female WW II veteran's service
Beleaguered VA fails to implement many recommendations
Congress passes gutted veterans reform bill – H.R. 6416
VA grants full practice authority to Advance Practice
Registered Nurses
Life and Death of a Marine
PVA Executive Director Corrects the Record on Support for
VA Secretary in the Trump Administration
PVA Applauds VA for Granting Full Practice Authority to
Advance Practice Registered Nurses
Veterans Gain Better Access to Care
Pearl Harbor survivors share what they witnessed and
experienced
The Wait We Carry:
U.S. Veterans Share Their Experiences With V.A. Services
The Children of Agent Orange
Are You a Vietnam Veteran? Help Us Investigate the Impact
of Agent Orange
Fireside Chat with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Bob
McDonald
Some Veterans Suspect Key Senator Holding Up VA Secretary
Selection
Vietnam Veterans of America will welcome and is prepared
to work with whomever President-elect Trump chooses as Secretary of Veterans
Affairs.
New Regulation Decreases Cost of Outpatient Medication
Copay for Most Veterans
2017 In Memory Weekend
In Memory Honor Roll
In Memory
Chapel of Four Chaplains Newsletter
VA OIG Data Dumps 39 Reports On Senior Official
Corruption
VA Settlement: Agency Rehired Bad Boss It Paid $85k To
Quit
Congress Passes Major Veterans Bill during week ending
12/16/16 - H.R. 6416, the Jeff Miller and
Richard Blumenthal Veterans
Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016, which expands eligibility
for grave marker medallions to be issued by VA to include those veterans who
died before November 1990; provides for researching how the health of children
of veterans exposed to toxic substances is impacted; and changes that make
uniform the definition of homelessness. Additional legislation to require VA to
pilot a self-scheduling program, to authorize VA to partner with
non-governmental agencies to finance VA facilities, and to pay back money
withheld from veterans discharged after January 17, 1991 who received severance
pay also cleared Congress and awaits the president’s signature. This
concludes the 114th Congress. The VFW looks forward to working with the 115th
Congress to ensure the VFW’s 2017 Priority Goals are accomplished. To
view the VFW’s 2017 Priority Goals, visit:
Military Update: Costs Kill Big Veteran Gains;
Reserve Retirees Win Veteran Status
National Defense Authorization Act
Clears Congress during week ending 12/16/16: provides $618.7 billion and a 2.1
percent pay raise for the military. The
bill also includes requiring DOD to formulate a process by which veterans who
received Less-Than-Honorable discharges due to misconduct resulting from the
effects of Post-traumatic stress disorder, Military sexual trauma (MST) and
Traumatic brain injury are given a fair shake when appealing for discharge
upgrade; calculating the military retirement owed to a former spouse based on
the rank at time of divorce instead of at time of retirement; and improved
reporting and treatment of service members who are victims of MST. For more info, see:
Pentagon announced during the week ending 12/16/16, that
there will be a 2.4 percent increase to the Basic Allowance for Housing it pays
service members. The average increase will be $41 per month, which is also
dependent on the rank of the service member and whether they have dependents.
While not all regions will see an increase, there will be no decrease for those
living in a region that does not get an increase. Further, this marks the third
of a five-year plan that will increase the amount of burden that the service
member would be responsible for when paying for housing. In an attempt to
reduce personnel costs –– something directly caused by sequestration –– the
average service members will have to pay three percent of housing costs
out-of-pocket in a design which will increase to 5 percent by fiscal year 2019.
The VFW continues to be strongly opposed to this plan as part of our larger
opposition to sequestration. For more information on the BAH rate increase, go
to: http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/news.cfm?ID=73
SECAF Holds Facebook Town Hall on Dec. 12 to discuss
concerns expressed during the October Air Force Spouse and Family Forum. Topics
included the hiring of additional family support coordinators; an increase in
respite care hours allowed under the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP);
quarterly EFMP-related webcasts starting Jan 12; an increase in months of leave
without pay available to spouses during moves; the expansion of parental leave
per the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act; and additional steps being
taken to address other childcare and spouse employment challenges. Read more
at: http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/1027513/secaf-shares-developments-with-spouse-and-family-programs-at-townhall.aspx
WWI Centennial Commission was created by Congress to
commemorate America’s significant role during the “war to end all wars,” as
well as the subsequent rebuilding of war-torn Europe afterwards. Approximately
4.7 million American men and women served during World War I, with 2 million
deploying “over there.” Sadly, 116,516 paid the ultimate price. The commission
is engaging with communities across the nation, partnering with the History
Channel and the Smithsonian museums, and designing a new National World War I
Memorial in Washington, D.C. The VFW is fully supportive of commission
initiatives, which include naming Quartermaster General Debra Anderson as a
commissioner, identifying those Posts that are named after fallen WWI soldiers,
sailors, airmen and Marines, publicizing America’s contributions in the VFW
magazine, and supporting the 100 Cities/100 Memorials matching grant challenge.
Learn more at:
MIA Update: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
announced the identification of remains of 12 Americans who had been missing in
action from World War II and Korea. Returning home for burial with full
military honors are:
-- Navy Seaman 2nd Class Floyd F. Clifford was assigned
to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii,
when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Clifford was one of
429 crewmen killed in the attack. Interment services are pending. Read more at:
http://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Recent-News-Stories/Article/1030547/sailor-missing-from-world-war-ii-identified-clifford/
.
-- Navy Fireman 3rd Class Kenneth L. Holm was assigned to
the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii,
when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Holm was one of 429
crewmen killed in the attack. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Recent-News-Stories/Article/1030832/sailor-missing-from-world-war-ii-identified-holm/
.
-- Navy Seaman 1st Class Harold W. Roesch was assigned to
the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii,
when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Roesch was one of 429
crewmen killed in the attack. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Recent-News-Stories/Article/1030550/sailor-missing-from-world-war-ii-identified-roesch/
.
-- Navy Yeoman 3rd Class Edmund T. Ryan was assigned to
the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii,
when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Ryan was one of 429
crewmen killed in the attack. Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Recent-News-Stories/Article/1026982/sailor-missing-from-world-war-ii-identified-ryan/
.
-- Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Byron H. Nelson was a nose
gunner aboard an American B-24G Liberator bomber with the 721st Bomb Squadron,
450th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force. During a bombing run near Varese, Italy, on
April 25, 1944, Nelson’s aircraft and two others were separated from the
formation due to dense clouds and later attacked by German fighters. Of the 10
crewmen, six parachuted from the aircraft and escaped capture, two parachuted
and were captured by German forces, and two perished in the crash. Nelson was
reported to be one of the two who perished. Interment services are pending.
Read more at:
-- Army Air Forces Capt. Albert L. Schlegel, of
Cleveland, Ohio, disappeared Aug. 28, 1944, while piloting his P-51D Mustang on
a ground strafing mission near Strasbourg, France. In his final communication,
the fighter “ace” radioed he’d been hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire and would
need to bail out. Interment services are pending. Read more at:
-- Army Cpl. Gerald I. Shepler was the lead scout on a reconnaissance
patrol for Company K, 3rd Battalion, 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 7th
Infantry Division, near Hajoyang-ni, North Korea, when his patrol was ambushed
by enemy forces. Shepler was unaccounted for after the mission, and the U.S.
Army declared him deceased on Nov. 29, 1950. Interment services are pending.
Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Recent-News-Stories/Article/1027031/soldier-missing-from-korean-war-identified-shepler/
.
-- Army Sgt. Homer R. Abney was a member of Company A,
1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, when his unit was
engaged in heavy fighting with Chinese forces on the road from Kunu-ri to
Sunch’on, North Korea — later named “The Gauntlet.” After several days of
fighting, his regiment declared Abney missing on Nov. 30, 1950. Interment
services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Recent-News-Stories/Article/1027019/soldier-missing-from-korean-war-identified-abney/
.
-- Army Cpl. James T. Mainhart served with Company I,
31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, part of the 31st Regimental
Combat Team deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. The RCT was
attacked by an overwhelming number of Chinese forces in late November, 1950.
Mainhart was among 1,300 members of the RCT killed or captured in enemy
territory. He was reported missing as of Nov. 30, 1950. Interment services are
pending. Read more at:
-- Army Cpl. Edward Pool was reported missing in action
on Nov. 30, 1950, while serving with 31st Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry
Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. His unit was part of the 31st Regimental
Combat Team deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. Pool could
not be accounted for after several days of intense fighting. Interment services
are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Recent-News-Stories/Article/1027047/soldier-missing-from-korean-war-identified-pool/
.
-- Army Cpl. Jules Hauterman was a medic with the Medical
Platoon, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, attached
to the 31st Regimental Combat Team deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir in
North Korea. The RCT was attacked by an overwhelming number of Chinese forces
in late November, 1950. Mainhart was among 1,300 members of the RCT killed or
captured in enemy territory. He was reported missing as of Dec 2, 1950.
Interment services are pending. Read more at: http://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/Recent-News-Stories/Article/1030834/soldier-missing-from-korean-war-identified-hauterman/
.
-- Army Cpl. George A. Perreault was part of Support
Force 21, assigned to Headquarters Battery, 15th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd
Infantry Division, near the Central Corridor in South Korea. While supporting
Korean-led attacks on Chinese forces, they were caught in a massive Chinese
counterattack on Feb. 11, 1951. Perreault was declared missing on Feb. 13,
1951. Interment services are pending. Read more at:
VA Hires AI Firm Run By ‘Hall Of Shame’ Former NASCAR
Owner
Former Army doctor plans a health care focus for House
Veterans' Affairs Committee
Bills aimed at veterans' obstacles to healthcare
Veterans still struggle to get health care
http://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2016/12/10/veterans-still-struggle-get-health-care/95168100/
Report: VA hospital left body in shower room for 9 hours
Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs News
Releases
This Week at VA #7: Kayla Williams – Army Veteran,
Director of Center for Women Veterans
Donald Trump Considers Moving VA Toward Privatization
VA discloses ratings of its 146 medical centers
Atlanta VA Medical Center
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