VFW Washington Weekly

Army Chief Questioned on PTSD Diagnoses During Budget Hearing
During a routine Defense Appropriations hearing this week, Senate VA Committee Chairman Patty Murray (D-WA) questioned Army Secretary John McHugh on the handling of PTSD cases by the forensic psychiatry unit at Madigan Army Medical Center on Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Murray's home state. Murray asked why more than 40 percent of the service members who walked in the door with a PTSD diagnosis at Madigan had their diagnosis either changed or overturned entirely. The forensic psychiatry unit at Madigan is currently under investigation for failure to properly diagnose and treat the invisible wounds of war. Information dated back to 2007 has shown that hundreds of cases are under investigation for changing mental health diagnoses based on the cost of providing care and benefits to service members. The Army is currently reevaluating nearly 300 service members and veterans who have had their PTSD diagnoses changed by that unit since 2007. To read Stars & Stripes coverage of the hearing, click here. 

VA Funding Update
The House Appropriations' Subcommittee on Military Construction and VA discussed the FY 2013 VA budget. The legislation is still in draft form but committee members discussed funding for medical care, compensation and pension and weighed in on education, vocational rehabilitation and employment assistance for veterans. Committee members also raised concerns about the disability claims backlog, the amount of time it takes to process a claim and high unemployment rates among young veterans. Secretary Shinseki provided testimony for VA. View the recorded webcast of the hearing. 

VFW Action Sparks Legislation to Help Student-Veterans
This week, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced the "GI Education Equity Act of 2012," a bipartisan bill to help ensure student-veterans have access to quality educational counseling before tapping into their G.I. Bill benefits, and a clear method of recourse should student-veterans feel they have become victims of fraud, waste or abuse. The bill reflects the two main tenets of a letter VFW sent to House, Senate and Obama Administration leadership, calling for improved consumer education and recourse mechanisms for student-veterans, and signed by a diverse coalition of veterans' education stakeholders. Learn more about the bill.

Stop Loss Pay Extended
Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay (RSLSP) has been extended to Oct. 21, 2012. The Office of Enlisted Personnel Management believes many qualified individuals have not applied for the pay and hopes that the extension will allow those eligible more time to apply under the program guidelines. RSLSP was established to compensate for the hardships military members encountered when their service was involuntarily extended under Stop Loss authority between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2009. Eligible members or their beneficiaries may submit a claim to their respective military service in order to receive the benefit of $500 for each full or partial month served in a Stop Loss status. To apply for the pay, or for more information on RSLSP, including submission requirements and service-specific links, click here.

North Korean MIA Operations Suspended
The U.S. has suspended efforts to find remains of U.S. service members lost during the Korean War due to North Korean threats to launch a ballistic missile. The announcement came less than two months after it was announced that MIA recovery operations would resume after a seven-year absence. An estimated 5,300 of almost 8,000 American MIAs from the Korean War are missing in North Korea. Read more. 

Field Report: VFW Helps Colorado Veterans' Forum Develop Solutions
Last year, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) put together a state veterans' forum, comprised of veterans' advocates and leaders across the state in an effort to better serve Colorado's veterans. In January, a forum subcommittee, chaired by VFW Post 1 Commander Izzy Abbass, came together to address a series of veterans' issues under the title "Better Serving Those Who Have Served." To learn more about the subcommittee and its priorities for serving Colorado's veterans, click here. To submit your Field Reports for consideration on the VFW's Capitol Hill blog, simply fill out our online form, or send photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org.

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Sean P Eagan

Former Chairman American Cold War Veterans

Life Member Veterans of Foreign Wars
716 720-4000

HVAC Chairman Miller House POW/MIA Ceremony

Veteran and Military Advocates Testify Before Joint Veterans’ Affairs Committee

 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today and yesterday, during joint hearings with members of the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees, the Committees heard testimony from numerous veterans' organizations on their legislative priorities for 2012. The organizations represented included the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs, the Non-Commissioned Officers Association, the Retired Enlisted Association, the Wounded Warrior Project, Vietnam Veterans of America, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Air Force Sergeants Association, the Blinded Veterans Association, AMVETS, Gold Star Wives, the Fleet Reserve Association, the Military Officers Association of America, the Jewish War Veterans, the National Guard Association of the United States, and the American Ex-Prisoners of War.

 

Representatives from the organizations cited several topics of concern during the hearing, to include the Post-9/11 GI Bill, veteran unemployment rates mental health care for veterans, sequestration, the disability claims backlog, and burial and memorial benefits.

 

The subject of sequestration was of the greatest concern, with witnesses voicing their approval for the actions taken by both Committees to avoid cuts to veterans' healthcare. John Rowan, National President of the Vietnam Veterans of America, said, "We want to commend and thank you for your efforts on behalf of our nation's veterans. We know you have a difficult job, one that is made even more difficult in this time of fiscal austerity as you wrestle with tough budgetary considerations. We understand and empathize with the pressures that you face. And we want you to know that we fully support Chairman Miller's bill that would protect the Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA, from any sequestration that might be forced to commence on January 2nd, 2013."

 

Also, at today's hearing, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, in a dedication ceremony, revealed an empty chair draped with the POW/MIA flag that will permanently sit in the Committee's hearing room to recognize, honor, and remember the more than 83,000 Americans still unaccounted for from wars and conflicts in which the United States has been involved. During the ceremony, the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Vice Commander Charles Susino of the American Ex-Prisoners of War.

 

Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, noted the importance of maintaining a strong relationship with the veteran community, stating, "While every one of your organizations has a unique set of legislative priorities, you also share a common goal, one that we on these Committees share with you: providing nothing short of the best for our veterans who have returned home and those who will be returning home in the future."

 

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Sean P Eagan

Former Chairman American Cold War Veterans

Life Member Veterans of Foreign Wars
716 720-4000

Obama to Visit DMZ During South Korean Trip

Obama to Visit DMZ During Korean Trip

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 21, 2012 - President Barack Obama will visit the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea and meet with U.S. troops as part of his visit to the South Korean capital of Seoul next week.

Obama will arrive in the country March 25 to participate in the Nuclear Security Summit hosted by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

The visit has a certain symbolism, said White House officials speaking on background. "The president is the commander in chief, and the U.S. has 28,500 troops in South Korea," an official said. "So it is logical and important to him to have the opportunity to visit with some of them on the front line and to say thank you for their service."

An official noted that the visit coincides with the two-year anniversary of North Korea's sinking of the South Korean naval vessel Cheonan, which killed 46 sailors.

"That incident and the cooperation between the U.S. and [South Korea] that followed is a special example of the solidarity and the cooperation between two treaty allies," the official said. "The DMZ is the front line of democracy in the Korean peninsula, and it's the symbol of the U.S. and the [South Korean] resolve, as well as solidarity."

During the talks, Obama will continue to push for nations to secure all vulnerable nuclear materials from terrorists, officials said. He also will discuss nonproliferation, including the challenges posed by North Korea and Iran. Obama also will emphasize that U.S. efforts on behalf of nuclear security and safety also are part of a commitment to peaceful nuclear energy as an important part of U.S. energy policy and energy around the world, an official said.

In addition to extended meetings with South Korean allies, the president will use the occasion to hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan and China, officials said.

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Sean P Eagan

Former Chairman American Cold War Veterans

Life Member Veterans of Foreign Wars
716 720-4000

The Military Wallet - Veterans Employment News & Job Tips Newsletter

Veterans Employment Numbers Are Up  Is There a Government Program to Help You Find Employment? CNN recently reported that the jobless rate for veterans has dropped over the last few months. According to CNN, "The jobless rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans has fallen to 7.6%, well below the overall U.S. unemployment rate of 8.3%, and nearly five percentage points below the 12.5% rate for veterans a year ago."  It is great to see these improvements in the employment rates, but we know there is a long way to go to help improve overall veterans employment rates. The government agrees, and recently created the Veterans Jobs Corps Initiative, which provides government funds to hire veterans in the public sector, and the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, which expands GI Bill benefits for veterans age 35-60. We have covered these programs in the past, but they are worth highlighting again, particularly as the economy continues to improve. Hopefully one of these programs will help you find work if you are job searching. Click to Learn About the Veterans Jobs Corps Initiative Click to Learn About the GI Bill for Unemployed Veterans

Your Military to Civilian Transition Starts with Your Resume  Writing the Ultimate Post-Military Resume We've been working hard to create resources to help veterans improve their employability.  One of the most important parts of applying for a job is your resume, and we've put together some excellent resources to help you write the ultimate post-military resume. We have two resources at our sister site, Cash Money Life, which cover how to write both a traditional resume, and how to create a digital or video resume. Combined, these resources are over 6,000 words and show multiple tips and examples, and free places you can create an online resume to help you find a job. We also recently featured another article about creating a post-military resume on The Military Wallet. It gives examples of how to translate your military service into civilian terms, and other great tips that can help you land an interview and hopefully, a job. Click for 34 Resume Writing Tips and Examples Click to Learn How to Write a Post-Military Resume Your Ticket to a College Education  Private Military Scholarships One of the best ways to improve your employability is to get a degree or certification. College is very expensive, even if you are attending while using education benefits such as The Montgomery GI Bill, or the new Post-9/11 GI Bill. Thankfully there are some private military scholarships to help you pay your way through school.  In this article we cover some major private military scholarships and what you need to know to apply for them.   Click to Learn more about Private Military Scholarships VA Loans VA Loan Rates Near All-Time Lows My wife and I recently refinanced our home with a VA Streamline Refinance - saving us almost $100 a month on our mortgage payment. As you know, the VA Loan is one of the most valuable benefits for military members and veterans. Now is a great time to take advantage of low interest rates if you are considering buying a home or refinancing your current VA Loan. Many lenders are offering rates at or below 4.0% interest. Check VA Loan Rates

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Sean P Eagan

Former Chairman American Cold War Veterans

Life Member Veterans of Foreign Wars
716 720-4000

Schumer Demands Meeting with Top VA Officials to Map Out Plan for WNY Veterans' Cemetery

By WKBW News

March 20, 2012 Updated Mar 20, 2012 at 12:44 PM EDT

(WKBW release) New York Senator Charles E. Schumer on Tuesday called on the Department of Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to organize a high level meeting between Schumer and Veterans Affairs officials in Washington D.C. to craft an immediate plan to finalize the establishment of a veterans cemetery in Western New York, a project that the senator has long fought for, and one Schumer says has been delayed for too long due to a lack of focus and execution.

According to a news release from Schumer's office:

Schumer's push to iron out a concrete timeline follows reports in early March 2012 that the VA had not found a viable cemetery site among those being considered over the previous year in Western New York. At that time, Schumer called on the Department to put forward a strict and expedited timeline to ensure that the veterans cemetery avoids further delay.

The March 2nd announcement, in which  the VA announced it will conduct yet a third site solicitation to canvas for new potential sites, delays the timeline for this critical project by another 12 to 15 months for due diligence and acquisition, all without any assurance of success. This announcement reverses progress made in March 2011, when the VA announced their plans to visit six potential veterans cemetery sites in Western New York, followed by the determination to further evaluate at least two of the sites for its "due diligence" phase. Given this additional and avoidable setback, Schumer demanded that high level VA officials meet with him and make this veterans cemetery in Western New York a priority, as it is for the hundreds of thousands of veterans from Rochester to Buffalo. The continued failure to acquire the necessary land for the cemetery, delays the design and building phase that will ultimately lead to a suitable resting place for Western New York veterans.

"We are done with the delays and the do-overs; Western New York veterans have earned a cemetery and the VA needs to step up to the plate and spell out in precise detail how – and when – we are going to make this happen," said Schumer, the long-time champion of this effort. "Constructing a veterans cemetery in Western New York has been at the top of the priority list for hundreds of thousands of veterans and their advocates for years, yet this critical project has been met with Veteran Affairs' delays, restarts and excuses time and time again. At this point, enough is enough, and I am calling on Secretary Shinseki to organize a high-level meeting and get everyone on board so that we can cut through the bureaucratic red tape and find the long-awaited burial ground that Western New York's brave heroes so greatly deserve. The VA's announcement for a third site solicitation earlier this month indicates that they are back to the drawing board more than a year and a half later, and this is absolutely unacceptable. I am urging Secretary Shinseki to help iron out a concrete plan, with a strict timeline, so that this project can not only avoid further delays but actually be expedited."

In Schumer's letter urging VA Secretary Shinseki to organize a high level meeting to outline a concrete plan for the veterans cemetery, he reiterated his grave concern with the Department's recent timeline for selecting a Western New York veteran's cemetery site. There are approximately 200,000 veterans in Western New York, including those living in the Rochester region and those veterans who live more than 75 miles from the nearest available National Cemetery.  VA regulations requires that a new National Cemetery be established when a cemetery would serve 80,000 or more veterans within a 75 mile area.

The VA's March 2nd announcement of a third site solicitation comes a year after a March 2011 announcement in which the VA outlined the firm schedule for site selection that Schumer had strongly lobbied for. In late March, the VA visited six potential locations, and the officials assessed which sites best fit the VA's criteria, which included factors such as the site's topography, access to highways, proximity to wetlands, and the impact of neighboring facilities. After this assessment was completed, the VA ranked and scored each site as part of its evaluation process, and the VA narrowed the field of candidate sites to the top few and  proceeded with a more detailed due diligence analysis.  At that time, the VA indicated that it would then be on track to acquire the property by the end of this year or the Spring of 2012.  However, the March 2nd announcement that the VA now believes none of these sites will be viable and it plans to restart the entire site search will add 12 to 15 months to what has already been a protracted timeline.
 
Veterans Affairs began seeking a cemetery site in August 2010, with the effort focused within a 50 mile diameter area which included parts of Erie County, Orleans County, Niagara County and Genesee county. In January 2011, the VA announced that they were starting over and had moved the area under consideration to the east and would center it in Genesee County. A year later, the recent news that yet a third site solicitation will be conducted by the VA pushes that timeline back another 12-15 months.

Schumer has long argued that it is critical for the veterans cemetery location to be decided on and for building to begin immediately.  Half of New York Veterans are 65 years of age or older, and now is the time to start planning for the future of those veterans, and ensuring that they are treated with the honor they deserve.  Schumer has heard from local veterans groups that veterans in Western New York desperately want to be buried in a national shrine, but don't want to force their families to travel long distances to visit, potentially at great hardship to do so. Today, there are more than 22 million veterans who are eligible for the honor of burial in a National Cemetery. Veterans with discharges other than dishonorable, their spouses and dependent children may be eligible for burial in a VA national cemetery. Those who die on active duty may also be buried in a national cemetery.

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Sean P Eagan

Former Chairman American Cold War Veterans

Life Member Veterans of Foreign Wars
716 720-4000