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RAO Bulletin Update
15 April 2008
 

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THIS BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES


== GI Bill [19] ----------------- (H.R.5684 & H.R.5740)
== Tricare Supplemental Ins [03] ----------- (New Law Clarification)
== FVE Scholarships ---------------------------- (Fall 08 Applications)
== Reserve Retirement Age [13] ----- (Pay Formula Expansion Bill)
== Depleted Uranium [05] --------- (Advocates Protest NY Inaction)
== Tricare Provider Availability [01] ---------- (2007 Survey Results)
== VA Hiring [02] --------------------------- (Obstacles)
== VA Hiring [03] -------------------------------- (New Office Created)
== Senior Moments ----------------------------------- (Dementia Alert?)
== Veterans Compensation Equity Bill ----- (10% Disability Rating)
== Government Credit Card Abuse -------------- (VA/DoD/DHS/ ++)
== ID Card Numbers [02] ----------------------------- (SSN Phase Out)
== GDCH Data Breach] ------------------------------ (71,000  Records)
== IRS Data Breach [02] --------------------------- (IG Report Results)
== SGLI/VGLI [08] ------------------------------ (Premium Reduction)
== Military Funeral Disorderly Conduct [09] -------- (Parent’s Suit)
== Military Award/Service Claims [01] --------------- (Gulfport MS)
== Military Award/Service Claims [02] ------------ (NY Conviction)
== Oregon Dependent Tuition Waiver -------------------- (Survivors)
== VA Home Loan [09] -------------- (125% Guarantee Legislation)
== VA Women Vet Programs ------------------------------- (Overview)
== Fisher House Expansion [02] ------------- (New Chicago Facility)
== VA Lawsuit (Lack of Care) [03] ----------------------- (PTSD Vets)
== Armed Services Blood Program ----------- (Tattoo Policy change)
== Tricare User Fee [25] --------------- (Vet Increase Support Varies)
== VDBC vs. PCARWW ------------ (Recommendation Differences)
== Philippine Tourist Visa [01] ------------------------ (VIMS Change)
== Vet Cemetery Florida [06] ---------------- (New Cemetery Named)
== Vet Cemetery Alabama [01] -------------- (New Cemetery Named)
== VA Veteran Support [03] ----------------- (Memorial Affairs Stats)
== Vietnam Census Stats ---------------------------- (Various)
== Vietnam Common Myths  ----------------------------------- (Actual)
== Korean War Veterans Memorial ------------------------- (Overview)
== Windows Vista [03] ------------------------- (Class Action Lawsuit)
== Vietnam Memorial Wall [02] ------ (Traveling Half-scale Replica)
== Migraines --------------------------------------- (Cause & Symptoms)
== Veteran Legislation Status 30 March  08 -------- (Where we Stand)


GI BILL UPDATE 19:   In APR representatives Harry Mitchell (D-AZ) and
 Bobby Scott (D-VA) introduced a sweeping GI Bill reform package with the
 “Post 9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act” (H.R.5740). This is the
 new companion bill to the "Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007"
 ( S22) introduced by Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) 4 JAN 07. The house bill
 would:
• Reimburse the cost of a veteran's education up to the highest
 in-state cost at public colleges or universities and establish a housing
 allowance based on DoD's geographic housing allowance. Each veteran would
 get an individualized benefit based on school cost and location.
• Create a partnership with private colleges or universities. Private
 schools would be invited to pay half the difference between what the new
 GI Bill pays and the cost of the private college. The government would
 pick up the other half.
• Reservists called to active duty on "contingency operation" orders
 would accrue entitlement to the new GI Bill in proportion to the number
 of 90-day tours served, up to a maximum of 36 months.
•  Officers commissioned from a service academy or ROTC scholarship
 program (who currently are denied GI Bill coverage) would be entitled to
 the benefits if they agreed to extend their service commitments.

     Earlier, House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee Chairwoman Stephanie
 Herseth-Sandlin (D-SD) and Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) sponsored
 their own plan to upgrade GI Bill benefits, H.R.5684. This bill would
 raise GI Bill payment rates to $1,450 from the current rate $1,101
 monthly rate -- a total of $52,200 for 36 months of full-time study. The
 bill would offer a $500 per month housing stipend for full-time study and
 $250 for half-time study. Under this proposal, a veteran who applies
 for other federal financial aid would not be required to report as
 income the value of MGIB benefits and could even use the benefit to repay
 prior federal student loans. However, H.R.5684 would not address the
 "accrual" issue for reservists called up for multiple tours of active duty.
 

     H.R. 5740 already has garnered 182 bipartisan cosponsors in just a
 few days.  Both bills would extend the post-service usage period from
 10 to 15 years. The major difference between the two proposals is that
 H.R. 5684 would pay a single monthly rate ($1450) under current MGIB
 rules to all veterans and pay a set stipend for living expenses.
 H.R.5740, on the other hand, would tailor benefits to each veteran's program,
 including housing costs. Both bills face the daunting challenge of
 overcoming congressional budgeting requirements to pay for the increased
 benefits with offsetting budget cuts or higher taxes. According to Hill
 sources, lawmakers are considering bypassing those rules by using the
 Iraq War Emergency Supplemental funding mechanism to jumpstart the cost of
 a new GI Bill. [Source: MOAA Leg Up 11 Apr 08 ++]


TRICARE SUPPLEMENTAL INSURANCE UPDATE 03:   On 28 MAR DoD published a
 proposed regulation establishing rules on what employers can and can't
 do for employees who choose to use Tricare rather than
 employer-sponsored health plan(s). This regulation will clarify a law change that took
 effect in January which bars employers from offering Tricare-specific
 incentives for employees to drop employer health coverage and use Tricare
 instead.  Congress' intent in passing the law was to stop employers
 from consciously seeking to shift their health care costs to the Defense
 Department. It was in reaction to the discovery that some airlines,
 defense contractors, and state governments had sent letters to
 Tricare-eligible employees offering them special incentives to do that, including
 offering to pay for their Tricare supplement policies. The new law bars
 such practices. However, the law's specific language did not
 explicitly address other common situations, such as employers who offer only
 cafeteria plans with cash payments that employees can use to purchase
 coverage tailored to their needs. It also did not address employers who
 offer a flat cash payment to any employee who uses some other coverage,
 such as federal employee health coverage, a spouse's coverage, or
 Tricare. In the absence of a regulation clarifying the law, some employers
 simply stopped offering Tricare supplemental policies, arbitrarily
 excluded military retirees from cafeteria plans, or refused to extend the same
 cash payments to Tricare beneficiaries that they offer to other
 employees who use some alternative coverage. The new draft regulation
 clarifies that cafeteria plans are not excluded under the law and that cash
 payments offered by employers to those who use other coverage are
 permissible for Tricare-eligibles as long as equal payments are made to all
 who use alternative coverage (not just Tricare). The regulation is
 expected to take effect by mid-summer after a brief public comment period.
  [Source: MOAA Leg Up 11 Apr 08 ++]


FVE SCHOLARSHIPS:   Currently the maximum educational benefit available
 to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan under the GI Bill is just $1,101
 per month, or $39,636 over four years. Those veterans who served combat
 tours with the National Guard or Reserves are eligible for even less -
 typically just $440 per month. In contrast, the College Board reports
 that the average four-year public college costs more than $65,000 for an
 in-state student, while a private university costs upward of $133,000.
  To help bridge that gap additional assistance can be applied for
  through  the Fund for Veterans' Education (FVE). This fund  provides
 higher education scholarships to veterans of all branches of the United
 States Armed Forces who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Founded in
 2007, the FVE will provide scholarships for undergraduate study during the
 2008 and 2009 academic years. Scholarships will be awarded, based on
 need, to veterans from all fifty states and the District of Columbia who
 are pursuing undergraduate degrees at four-year colleges and
 universities, two-year community colleges, and a range of technical and
 vocational schools.  The FVE is a program of The Kisco Foundation, Inc. an
 independent, not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization. The Fund's revenue is
 derived entirely from grants and gifts from foundations, corporations, and
 individuals. All gifts are tax deductible. The Fund for Veterans
 Education will award up to $3.5 million in 2008-09 in undergraduate
 scholarships for veterans returning From Iraq and Afghanistan .  Applications
 are available beginning 1 APR for the fall 2008 term.  The next
 application deadline is 15 JUN 08.  The awards, which may be renewed for the
 following academic year, are intended to cover financial need not met with
 need-based grants and military education benefits.   For more
 information and to apply refer to http://www.veteransfund.org/apply.php.
  [Source: NAUS Weekly Update 11 Apr 08 ++]


RESERVE RETIREMENT AGE UPDATE 13:   A bipartisan group of 10 senators
 moved 9 APR to greatly expand a new reserve retirement pay formula to
 provide credit toward earlier retirement checks for any time spent
 mobilized since 911. A new law took effect in January that allows reservists,
 who now must wait until age 60 to draw military retirement pay, to get
 payments 90 days earlier for every 90 days of continuous mobilization.
 But credit is given only for days spent on active duty as of the date
 the bill became law. The lack of retroactive credit in the new law,
 included in the 2008 Defense Authorization Act that was signed on 28 JAN,
 prompted complaints from a host of military and veterans groups,
 including the major National Guard and reserve associations. Sens. John Kerry
 (D-MA) and Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) are the chief sponsors of the new
 bill. Cosponsors include Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN); Hillary Rodham
 Clinton (D-NY); Norm Coleman (R-MN); Susan  (R-ME);; Johnny Isakson
 (R-GA); Blanche Lincoln (D-AR); Mark Pryor (D-AR); and Pat Roberts (R-KS).
 Chambliss was the chief sponsor of last year’s reserve retirement
 proposal, passed by the Senate, that would have been retroactive to 2001. The
 effective date was changed in negotiations with the House as a
 money-saving move. Chambliss said the 2001 effective date makes more sense
 because that is when the role of the National Guard and reserve components
 “fundamentally changed.” The bill is called the National Guard and
 Reserve Retired Pay Equity Act. It was referred to the Senate Armed
 Services Committee, which will hold a hearing next week on pay and benefits
 issues. Congressional aides, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said
 there is little doubt the Senate will pass the bill. The big obstacle
 remains the House of Representatives, which operates under tougher
 budgetary rules that would require lawmakers to pinpoint a source of
 funding for the retroactive benefits. Such a funding source has not yet been
 identified, Chambliss aides said. [Source: NavyTimes Rick Maze article
 9 Apr 08 ++]


DEPLETED URANIUM UPDATE 05:   It's been 16 months since New York
  lawmakers approved a plan to help veterans get tested for war-related
 toxins, including radioactive particles from tank-killing depleted uranium
 shells used in the Persian Gulf. But with just two members of the
 11-person panel that's supposed to oversee the effort actually appointed,
 testing has yet to start. Joe Franklin, vice chairman of the National
 Disabled Veteran Business Council and other advocates on 8 APR called for a
 number of measures to help veterans, including the stalled effort to
 test for toxins. According to the legislation, the Assembly speaker and
 Senate majority leader each appoint two members to the panel, while the
 minority leaders each appoint one and the governor names five. So far,
 Speaker Sheldon Silver and Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno have made
 one appointment each, with Bruno naming SUNY researcher David Carpenter
 and Silver putting Phillip Landrigan of Mount Sinai medical center on
 the board. But without the other nine members, little if anything has
 been done. And there seems to be little communication among lawmakers, the
 governor's office and government agencies that would be working with
 the new task force. One advocate said she thought the lack of action by
 the governor's office may be the result of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer's
 battles with Bruno last summer over a travel records scandal, followed
 by Spitzer's sudden resignation last month in a prostitution scandal.
 Depleted uranium, used in the first Gulf War, has a high density that
 allows it to penetrate tank armor. But when it explodes or catches fire,
 the uranium is released as microscopic particles, which can be inhaled
 or ingested. Since the particles are radioactive, some fear anyone
 exposed to them could contract cancer years later. Activists draw parallels
 to the problems that arose from Agent Orange, a defoliant which used
 during the Vietnam War and linked to illnesses among some veterans
 exposed to it. "This whole scenario is playing out much like Agent Orange,"
 said Assemblyman Dan Burling, R-Warsaw, and a Vietnam veteran. [Source:
 Capitol Bureau Rick Karlin article 9 Apr 08 ++]


TRICARE PROVIDER AVAILABILITY UPDATE 01:  According to the DoD Survey
 of Civilian Physician Acceptance of Tricare Standard, findings show that
 in fiscal 2007, almost 93% of responding physicians in 53 hospital
 service areas were aware of the Tricare program, with 84% of physicians in
 those 53 HSAs accepting new Tricare Standard patients.  Overall this
 indicates the number of providers in the program is increasing. The 2007
 survey was the final installment of a three-year national effort to
 measure awareness of Tricare and to determine the number of physicians
 who accept new Tricare Standard patients. DOD officials randomly surveyed
 physicians in 20 states in both FYs 2005 and 2006. The 10 remaining
 states and Washington, D.C., were surveyed in FY 2007. Physicians in
 local HSAs also were surveyed each year. Approximately 40,000 physicians
 from a variety of medical specialties were randomly picked.  The
 aggregate results show that civilian provider awareness and acceptance is
 generally high, but may vary depending on location. In addition, the survey
 revealed a need for increasing both Tricare awareness and acceptance
 among psychiatrists, a specialty critical in meeting the behavioral
 health needs of veterans of the war on terrorism. Specifically, the
 three-year findings across all states and HSAs show:
• Approximately 87% of all physicians surveyed are aware of the Tricare
 program.
• About 81% of physicians that accept new patients also accept new
 Tricare Standard patients.
• Of those accepting new Tricare Standard patients, almost 91%  do so
 for all patients, rather than on a case-by-case basis.
• Reimbursement rates were among the most commonly cited reasons for
 not accepting Tricare Standard.

Army Maj. Gen. Elder Granger, deputy director of the Tricare Management
 Activity (TMA) said, "In some locations, access to Tricare Standard
 providers remains a major concern for family members and retirees. Some
 doctors limit the number of Tricare patients they see or refuse to see
 them altogether. This leads to fewer choices for beneficiaries. While
 active duty service members receive the bulk of their medical care at one
 of the more than 500 military treatment facilities, family members,
 National Guard and Reserve members, and retirees often rely on civilian
 physicians for their health care needs.  The survey findings exceeded
 TMA’s expectations.  The surveys  provide TMA with a reliable measurement
 as to our effectiveness in expanding access to Tricare providers and
 the challenges of getting more doctors on board. Congress has given
 additional guidance to continue the survey process through 2011.  States
 showing a need to increase acceptance and awareness of Tricare include
 Alaska, Maryland, Colorado, Hawaii, Oklahoma, New York, New Jersey and
 Texas. Hospital service areas with lower than average Tricare acceptance
 include Washington DC; Raleigh NC; Seattle & Olympia WA;
 Lihue/Kealakekua/Wailuku HI; Dallas TX; and Falls Church VA. Tricare officials, with
 support from their managed care support contractors, are working to
 overcome these challenges.

     TMA has an outreach program that reaches out to state officials,
 medical associations and
individual physicians to educate them and appeal to their sense of
 patriotism in accepting Tricare. One positive result of the program  is
 that  the Oregon legislature approved incentives including a one-time tax
 credit for new providers in the Tricare network, plus an additional
 annual credit for treating patients enrolled in Tricare. Since 2004,
 Oregon's Tricare provider network has increased by 35%. In addition, the
 governors of 20 western states have supported TMA’s efforts to encourage
 more health care providers to accept new Tricare patients. Their
 combined efforts led to an overall increase in western region Tricare network
 doctors from approximately 80,000 in 2004 to more than 125,000 today.
  Overall, there are presently more than 220,000 men and women Tricare
 providers. [Source:  Air Force Link article 9 Apr 08 ++]


VA HIRING UPDATE 02:   Pay systems pose significant challenges to the
 Veterans Affairs Department's efforts to hire enough doctors and nurses
 to meet the growing health care needs of veterans, said lawmakers and
 witnesses at a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing on 9 APR.
 Committee chairman Daniel Akaka (D-HI) daid,  "A simple truth of VA health
 care is that its providers are the real backbone of the system. If the
 providers are not present, or are there but unhappy in their jobs, it
 is unlikely that veterans will receive the quality care they need and
 deserve." A number of witnesses pointed to the growing vacancy rate of
 certified registered nurse anesthetists as an indication of the
 challenge's magnitude. The Government Accountability Office reported in DEC07
 that in fiscal 2005, the vacancy rate for CRNAs in VA was 13%, and 74%
  of chief anesthesiologists said they had trouble recruiting CRNAs in
 2005 and 2006. Of those chief anesthesiologists surveyed, 79% said
 salaries for department CRNAs were lower than salaries at other hospitals.
 Half of CRNAs were older than 51, and the average certified registered
 nurse anesthetist working at VA was seven years closer to retirement
 eligibility than those working outside the system, the agency found. Of the
 43 medical facilities GAO examined, 15 reported CRNA vacancy rates of
 40%  or higher. GAO found that those vacancies were affecting the
 department's ability to deliver health care services. Of the
 anesthesiologists surveyed, 54% said they temporarily closed operating rooms due to
 CRNA shortages, and 72% said those vacancies caused them to delay elective
 surgeries.

     Sheila Cullen, medical director of the San Francisco VA Medical
 Center, said the problem wasn't simply that salaries in the VA system
 were lower, but that the pay system itself limited the center's ability to
 provide nurses with opportunities to advance up the salary ladder.
 "Current law only allows the General Schedule salary chart to be extended
 out an additional 18 steps," Cullen said. "Since most of these
 employees are hired in difficult-to-recruit clinical specialties, their salary
 is often set at the higher end of the pay range. This limits their
 opportunity for future step increases." Marjorie Kanof, GAO's managing
 director for health care, said VA didn't always have strong private sector
 salary data to use for comparison and to set pay levels. She cited one
 facility where planners resorted to using salary data from the Web site
 Hotjobs.com to make pay decisions. Even the qualities that made VA an
 attractive employer, such as its mission to care for wounded veterans
 and the ability to do groundbreaking research in its labs, were
 undermined by structural limitations that undercut nurses' pay or work hours,
 said one witness. "Unlike clinicians at most academic medical centers,
 VA clinicians may not fund a portion of their salaries through research
 grant support," said Jennifer Strauss, a health scientist at the Center
 for Health Services Research at the Durham VA Medical Center in North
 Carolina. "[VA clinicians] typically must donate their time, often
 performing research duties early in the morning or very late into the night
 after a long day of seeing patients."

     Lawmakers said the pressures VA faced reflected larger challenges
 in the U.S. health care system. Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), said his
 experiences visiting VA health care facilities had convinced him that health
 care payment and service delivery systems were not effectively
 integrated, preventing patients from seeking care at the facilities of their
 choice and forcing health care systems to subcontract services from each
 other. North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr said focusing only
 on the VA system ignored the pressure that other hospitals and health
 care centers encountered as they competed for the same specialists. "VA
 has hired nearly 3,800 mental health workers since 2005, and may add an
 additional 500 in the near future," said Burr. "What impact does this
 have on the supply of mental health workers in the community both now
 and long-term? We need to be prepared to take a comprehensive view of
 addressing the problems." Problems with VA services in rural communities
 reflect and amplify a larger crisis in rural healthcare. "Some of what
 bothers me about what's going on right now in veterans' health care is
 that veterans who live in rural areas don't live as long," said Sen.
 Jon Tester (D-MT). "It's not a VA-exclusive problem. Every hospital in
 the state of Montana has a hard time recruiting and keeping people."
  [Source: GOVExec.com Alyssa Rosenberg article 9 Apr 08++]


VA HIRING UPDATE 03:   Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake
 announced creation of a Veterans Employment Coordination Service
 (VECS) to oversee the Department’s program to recruit new veterans into the
 VA workforce, especially recently disabled combat veterans.  The new
 office will work with military transition programs, veterans service
 organizations and other VA programs to promote careers in the VA workforce.
  The program will also work with VA managers and human resource
 offices to ensure supervisors are aware of programs for hiring veterans.
  Efforts to assist severely injured veterans have already begun with the
 Department’s participation in local career fairs targeting veterans of
 the Global War on Terror.  In NOV 07 VA announced plans to hire 10
 full-time regional veterans employment coordinators who provide hands-on
 assistance to veterans interested in careers at the Department.  The new
 office will oversee the regional coordinators.  About 31% of VA’s 260,000
 employees are veterans, and nearly 8% are service-connected disabled
 veterans.  VA ranks first among non-Defense agencies in the hiring of
 disabled veterans and is second only to the Department of Defense in the
 overall number of veterans on the workforce.  Last fiscal year, VA
 hired more than 9,000 veterans. [Source: Alexander VA News Channel  5 Chris
 Blalock article 10 Apr 08 ++]


SENIOR MOMENTS:   All of us have “senior moments” at one time or
 another. Perhaps you forgot where you placed your car keys, or you returned
 from the grocery store only to realize you forgot to purchase milk.
 These small “brain glitches” are normal at any age and become more frequent
 with age. But how can you tell if your loved one is crossing the line
 from normal forgetfulness to true dementia?  The key to recognizing
 early warning signs of dementia is to be aware of the pattern,
 consistency, and type of forgetfulness displayed by those you re concerned about.
 If these senior moments  are increasing in frequency and affecting
 their ability to carry out day-to-day functions, you have cause to be
 concerned. Ask a health care provider to evaluate your parent if you spot
 any of the following telltale signs:
• Repeating the same conversation each time you talk
• Forgetting to take medications or taking extra pills because of
 forgetfulness
• Paying bills late or missing payments
• Getting lost while driving familiar routes
• Difficulty balancing thee checkbook
• Unexplained purchases (including large quantities or unusual items)
• Unexplained weight loss (perhaps because of forgetting to eat)
• Change in appearance (wearing the same outfit everyday, an unkempt
 appearance)

An evaluation will rule out any physical cause for behavioral and
 mental changes. Physical causes can include infection, low vitamin B or iron
 levels, depression, strokes, and seizures. A doctor also can give a
 presumptive diagnosis of dementia based on a physical exam, laboratory
 tests, a CT scan or MRI of the brain, and a mini mental exam (a set of
 questions and simple tests for cognitive function). A definitive
 diagnosis is more difficult, because brain structures affected by dementia are
 not always indicated on a scan. In addition, there are many forms of
 dementia:

• Alzheimer’s disease. This is the most widely recognized form of
 dementia and is characterized by the formation of plaques and tangling of
 nerve fibers in the brain. The decline that occurs as the condition
 progresses follows a distinct pattern, referred to as stages. Each stage
 marks a specific decline in memory and brain function.
• Vascular or multi-infarct. This form is caused by “mini-strokes,”
 which disrupt the blood flow to specific parts of the brain, rendering
 them useless. This condition might present itself more subtly than
 Alzheimer’s and doesn’t always follow prescribed stages.
• Lewy-body. Signs of dementia and Parkinson’s disease characterize
 this disease. In addition to the cognitive and memory problems, Lewy-body
 patients often have trouble maintaining balance and experience a
 shuffling gait, tremors, and stiffness of the arms and legs.
• Mixed dementia. This is a combination of Alzheimer’s and vascular
 dementia.
• Alcohol or drug-induced dementia. This form of brain damage often is
 seen in younger people, generally as a direct result of alcoholism or
 drug use.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for dementia. Treatment focuses on
 slowing the progressive nature of this disease. Your health care provider
 can tell you if one of the currently available drugs (such as Aricept,
 Exelon, Namenda, and Razadyne) is right for your loved one. Medications
 to treat dementia-associated depression, anxiety, and behavioral issues
 (agitation, paranoia, and delusions) also might be prescribed if
 appropriate. Dementia is not a diagnosis to wish on anyone, but erroneously
 attributing its warning signs to normal aging or senility can rob loved
 ones of years of improved function and quality of life. Early
 diagnosis and treatment are essential.  For additional info on the subject
 refer to the Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org and/or the Alzheimer’s
 Education and Referral Center www.alzheimers.org websites.  [Source: MOAA
 News Exchange Nanette Lavoie-Vaughan article  21 Mar  08 ++]


VETERANS COMPENSATION EQUITY BILL:   U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka
 (D-HI), Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, introduced the
 Veterans' Compensation Equity Act of 2008 bill S. 2825 on 7 APR to provide a
 minimum compensation level for veterans whose service-connected injuries
 require continuous medication or adaptive devices, such as hearing
 aids.  Akaka said, "Today, veterans who suffer a service-connected injury
 that requires continual medication or adaptive devices, like hearing
 aids, may not receive any disability compensation payments.  It is
 important that all of these veterans be compensated in a fair and equitable
 manner.  Veterans with similar disabilities should receive similar
 benefits." The Veterans' Compensation Equity Act of 2008 would ensure a
 minimum 10% disability rating for all veterans whose service-connected
 disability requires continuous treatment.  The provision is in line with a
 recommendation made by leading veterans service organizations in the
 Independent Budget.  [Source: Federal Report 8 Apr 08 ++]


GOVERNMENT CREDIT CARD ABUSE:  A report by the Government
 Accountability Office (GAO) examined spending controls across the federal government
 following reports of credit-card abuse at departments including
 Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs. The review of card spending
 at more than a dozen departments from 2005 to 2006 found that nearly
 41% of roughly $14 billion in credit-card purchases, whether legitimate
 or questionable, did not follow procedure - either because they were not
 properly authorized or they had not been signed for by an independent
 third party as called for in federal rules to deter fraud. For
 purchases over $2,500, nearly half  (i.e. 48%) were unauthorized or improperly
 received. Out of a sample of purchases totaling $2.7 million, the
 government could not account for hundreds of laptop computers, iPods and
 digital cameras worth more than $1.8 million. In one case, the U.S. Army
 could not say what happened to computer items making up 16 server
 configurations, each of which cost nearly $100,000. Agencies often could not
 provide the required paperwork to justify questionable purchases.
 Investigators also found that federal employees sometimes double-billed or
 improperly expensed lavish meals and Internet dating for many months
 without question from supervisors; the charges were often noticed only
 after auditors or whistle-blowers raised questions.

   "Breakdowns in internal controls over the use of purchase cards
 leave the government highly vulnerable to fraud, waste and abuse,"
 investigators wrote, calling the government wide failure rate in enforcing
 controls "unacceptably high." "This audit demonstrates that continued
 vigilance over purchase card use is necessary," the 57-page report stated.
 The report calls for the General Services Administration (GSA) and
 Office of Management and Budget (OMB, both of which help administer the
 government's credit-card program, to set guidance to improve accounting for
 purchased items, particularly Palm Pilots, iPods and other electronic
 equipment that could be easily stolen. OMB and GSA were also urged to
 tighten controls over convenience checks, which are a part of the
 credit-card program, and to remind federal employees that they will be held
 responsible for any items if the purchases are later deemed improper. In
 response, both OMB and GSA agreed with portions of the report. But GSA
 administrator Lurita Doan noted the vast majority of federal employees
 use their cards properly and that many oversight measures already are
 in place. She acknowledged there is room for improvement but added that
 by using purchase cards the federal government saves about $1.8
 billion in administrative costs each year.

     The GAO study comes amid increasing scrutiny of purchase cards,
 which are used by 300,000 federal employees and are directly payable by
 the U.S. government. The AP reported Sunday that VA employees last year
 racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in government credit-card
 bills at casino and luxury hotels, movie theaters and high-end retailers
 such as Sharper Image. Government auditors have been investigating
 these and similar charges, citing past spending abuses. In the report
 released 8 APR, investigators did not seek to determine the extent of fraud
 or waste at each agency. They cited numerous cases of questionable
 spending, which they said represented what could be found government-wide,
 including the VA. Among the expenditures cited in the report:

• An Agriculture Department employee fraudulently wrote 180 convenience
 checks for more than $642,000 to a live-in boyfriend over a six-year
 period. The money was used for gambling, car and mortgage payments,
 dinners and retail purchases that went unnoticed until USDA's inspector
 general received a tip from a whistle-blower. The employee, who pleaded
 guilty to embezzlement and tax fraud charges, was sentenced last year to
 21 months in prison and ordered to repay the money.
• U.S. Postal Service workers separately billed more than $14,000 to
 government credit cards for Internet dating services and a dinner at a
 Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Orlando FL 81 people at a cost of $160 each
 for steaks and crab. The dinner bill also included more than 200
 appetizers and more than $3,000 worth of wine and brand-name liquor such as
 Courvoisier, Belvedere and Johnny Walker Gold. In the Internet dating
 case, a postmaster charged $1,100 over 15 months for two online services,
 including the Ashley Madison Agency. The expenses went unnoticed for
 more than a year even though he was under internal investigation for
 viewing pornography on a government computer. The postmaster was eventually
 told to repay the Internet charges but faced no disciplinary action.
• At the Pentagon, four employees purchased $77,700 in clothing and
 accessories at high-end clothing and sporting goods stores. The spending
 included more than $45,000 at Brooks Brothers and similar stores for
 tailor-made suits - $7,000 of which were purchased a week before
 Christmas. The credit-card holders said the items were for service members
 working at U.S. embassies with civilian attire. Pentagon rules allow
 purchases of civilian clothing when performing official duty, but generally
 only up to $860 per person.
•  Justice Department and FBI employees charged $11,000 at a Ritz
 Carlton hotel for coffee and "light" refreshments for 50 to 70 attendees for
 four days, averaging about $50 per person. Seventy percent of the
 total conference cost of $15,000 was for the food and beverages, while
 audiovisual and other support services totaled only about $4,000, or 30% of
 the charges. It was not clear what action, if any, that Justice took
 in light of the conference expenses, which GAO deemed excessive.
• At the State Department, one credit-card holder bought $360 worth of
 women's lingerie at Seduccion Boutique for use during jungle training
 by trainees of a drug enforcement program in Ecuador. One State
 Department official later agreed that the charge was questionable and stated
 that he would not have approved the purchase had he known about it.
[Source:  Associated Press Writer Hope Yen article 9 Apr 08 ++]


ID CARD NUMBERS UPDATE 02:   On 2 APR a senior DoD official said as a
 means of combating identity theft, the Defense Department will issue
 identification cards without full Social Security numbers printed onto
 them.  Mary Dixon, director of the Defense Manpower Data Center based in
 Arlington VA told Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service
 reporters, “The Defense Department cares about protecting personal
 information as well as increasing database security,  identity theft is a very
 real problem today. Criminals who pilfer SSN-bearing identity cards
 can virtually assume someone’s identity through a few computer keystrokes
 and clicks of a mouse.” Tricare, the military services’ health
 maintenance organization, already has removed Social Security numbers from its
 members’ identification cards, Dixon said.  Plans are to remove the
 Social Security numbers from identification cards issued to military
 family members by the end of this year, Dixon said, noting that those cards
 still would display the sponsors’ SSN, for now. Between 2009 and 2010,
 all department-issued identification cards will feature only the last
 four digits of a holder’s Social Security number. About 3.4 million
 people now have department-issued common access cards.  Around two-thirds
 of those card holders are military members, and some civilians who
 deploy overseas, who have full Social Security numbers printed onto the
 back of their CACs. Dixon pointed out that modern information technology
 precludes the need to have full social security numbers printed onto
 employee and family member ID cards.  Today, all of our (computer) systems
 can ‘talk’ to each other, so we don’t necessarily need to know all of
 that information printed on your card,.  New identification cards will
 be issued as they reach their expiration dates, Dixon said. [Source:
 AFPS Gerry J. Gilmore article 3 Apr 08 ++]


GDCH DATA BREACH:   The state Department of Community Health (GDCH)
 said it has notified state and federal agencies that a Florida company
 mistakenly put the private records of up to 71,000 Georgians on the
 Internet for several days.  The records were made available on the Internet
 by WellCare Health Plans Inc. of Tampa FL and some may have been viewed
 by unauthorized people, company officials said. The problem was caused
 by human error, the GDCH said. The department informed the federal
 Department of Health and Human Services and its Office of Civil Rights; the
 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid; the Governor's Office of Consumer
 Affairs; and the Georgia Attorney General's office about the data breach
 on 9 APR. Any exposure of private health information is a potential
 violation of HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
 Act. GDCH said the families whose data may have been accessed are
 members of the federal Medicaid health program for the poor, and the
 federal-state PeachCare for Kids program for children of the working poor. More
 than 453,000 Georgians are enrolled with WellCare, a care management
 organization that has contracts with the state to provide services.
 CGDCH  spokeswoman Lisa Marie Shekell said, "It's important for people to
 understand that they need to take steps to protect themselves against
 identity theft. They should be reviewing all credit card information,
 review other financial account information and watch their accounts for
 activity that may not be theirs, and then contact that bank or credit
 card company to make them aware of that activity. People should call
 1(888) 505-1189 (WellCare of Georgia for further guidance or concerns).” The
 state is investigating how long the information was exposed. The
 department also said it has required WellCare to provide all affected
 Georgia families with information in English and Spanish and all affected
 people will be given free credit monitoring services for a year. [Source:
 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 10 Apr 08 ++]


IRS DATA BREACH UPDATE 02:  Treasury watchdogs said 7 APR that poor
 controls over IRS computers could allow a disgruntled employee, agency
 contractor or outside hacker to steal taxpayers' confidential information.
 Indeed, a hacker might even "gain full control of the IRS network,"
 said a report from the office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax
 Administration. Investigators did not cite any specific cases of
 wrongdoing within the IRS, which processes some 137 million tax returns. But
 they suggested a lack of review means someone could get sensitive
 information and no one would ever know. The report comes amid increasing
 scrutiny of the IRS and the problems posed both by security concerns within
 the system and identity theft threats from outside. The independent
 IRS Oversight Board, in a report issued last month, outlined some $32
 million in spending it said was needed to enhance the tax agency's
 security. "Disrupting IRS returns processing and stealing sensitive
 information could wreak havoc on the economy and financial markets," it said.
 Separately, IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman will testify before Congress
 on 10 APR about scams in which people are fooled into revealing their
 Social Security numbers and other confidential information by e-mails
 and phone calls purported to be coming from the IRS. The tax agency said
 last month that taxpayers this year had already forwarded to the agency
 33,000 'phishing' scam e-mails reflecting more than 1,500 different
 schemes. Inside the IRS, the  inspector general report found:

• The thousands of routers and data switches that connect networks and
 direct computer traffic among the tax agency's offices. It suggested
 that "an unscrupulous person could divert data traffic through a
 third-party system on its way to the intended destination."
• The IRS had authorized 374 accounts for employees and contractors
 that could be used to perform system administration duties. Of those, 141
 either had expired authorizations or had never been properly
 authorized. There was particular concern that 27 of the 55 employees and
 contractor who apparently had not been authorized had accessed routers and
 switches to change security configurations.
• System administrations circumvented authentication controls by
 setting up 34 unauthorized accounts that appeared to be shared-use accounts.
 During the fiscal 2007, some 4.4 million of the 5.2 million accesses to
 the control system were made by these 34 user accounts.
• IRS is not adequately reviewing the "audit trail" logs that could
 help identify questionable activity. As a result, malicious persons could
 exploit vulnerabilities in the routers and switches to gain
 unauthorized access to sensitive information and disrupt computer operations with
 little chance of detection.

The IRS, in response, agreed to most of the report's recommendations
 for tightening controls. It said it would lock employee use accounts
 after 45 days of inactivity and remove those accounts after 90 days without
 use. It also said it would ensure that no unauthorized or unnecessary
 shared accounts exist in the control system. The report follows a study
 by the congressional Government Accountability Office in January
 prodding the tax agency to fix dozens of information security weaknesses
 that left taxpayer records vulnerable to tampering or disclosure.
 Then-acting IRS Commissioner Linda Stiff responded at the time that the agency
 recognized "there is significant work to be accomplished to address our
 information security deficiencies and we are taking aggressive steps
 to correct previously reported weaknesses."

     There have been several widely publicized information-security
 incidents concerning government agencies other than the IRS. Perhaps the
 biggest was two years ago when a computer hard drive containing millions
 of names, Social Security numbers and birth dates was stolen from a
 Veterans Affairs employee's home in Maryland. The hard drive was later
 recovered. Less than two months ago, a laptop computer containing medical
 records on 2,500 patients enrolled in a National Institutes of Health
 study was stolen from a researcher's car. And last month, Secretary of
 State Condoleezza Rice apologized to presidential candidates Hillary
 Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain after it was discovered that
 workers had snooped into their passport records.

     Editors Note:   The IG and GAO have repeatedly issued similar
 reports on government agencies warning of  weaknesses in our nation’s Data
 security systems.  The public has no control over protecting themselves
 from Identity theft occurring in these agencies and little recourse in
 recouping losses that could result from unauthorized release of their
 personal data/financial records. If the government cannot guarantee
 protection imagine the weaknesses that exist in your banking and credit
 institution’s security systems.  Readers who have not yet obtained
 identity theft insurance are advised to do so.  A number of companies
 providing this coverage can be found on the internet.  One, “Lifelock” offers
 a 25% discount to the military community. 
[Source: USA Today AP Jim Abrams article 7 Apr 08 ++


SGLI/VGLI UPDATE 08:  Veterans and military personnel with life
 insurance policies managed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will see
 a reduction in their premiums as a result improved investment earnings
 and a reduction in non-combat claims. The premium cuts affect military
 personnel covered by Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) and
 veterans covered by the Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI). On 1 JUL
 08 the premiums for basic SGLI will be 6.5 cents per month for $1,000
 of coverage, down from 7 cents per month for $1,000.  This translates
 into a 7% savings.  Servicemembers with the maximum $400,000 of coverage
 will see their monthly premium reduced from $28 to $26.  Servicemembers
 are also covered against severe traumatic injury for an additional
 dollar each month. The reduction in SGLI premiums is made possible by
 lower, non-combat-related claims and increases in investment earnings.  VA
 officials believe this premium reduction will help maintain the nearly
 universal participation in the program.

     VGLI provides renewable term policies for people after their
 discharges from the military.  Veterans pay premiums according to their age
 for this coverage. On 1 JUL 08 VGLI premium rates will be reduced for
 veterans aged 30 to 64, who make up 85% of those insured under the
 program.  Premium rates for those under age 30 are already competitive.
 Premium reductions, ranging from 4% to 12%, are a result of fewer claims
 being received.  The reductions will ensure that VGLI remains highly
 competitive with similar insurance offered by commercial insurers.
 Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake said  the premium reductions
 should result in increased program participation and retention.  With
 increased enrollment, the department may be able to reduce rates in the
 future.  More than 2.4 million people currently participate in the
 VA-managed SGLI program, with another 433,000 in VGLI.  To obtain more
 information about the SGLI and VGLI premium reductions or to view a table
 with the new VGLI rates, visit the VA insurance Web site at
 www.insurance.va.gov, or call the Office of Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance at
 1(800) 419-1473. [VA News Release 6 Apr 08 ++]


MILITARY FUNERAL DISORDERLY CONDUCT UPDATE 09:  A federal judge in
 Maryland on 3 APR ordered liens on the Westboro Baptist Church building and
 the Phelps-Chartered Law office. If the case presided over by U.S.
 District Court Judge Richard D. Bennett is upheld by an appeals court, the
 church, at 3701 S.W. 12th, and the office building, at 1414 S.W.
 Topeka Blvd., could be obtained by the court and sold, with the proceeds
 being applied toward $5 million in damages Bennett imposed on church
 members for picketing a military funeral. A lien is a legal hold on
 property, making it collateral against money owed to a person or entity. It can
 keep the owner from selling the property or transferring title to the
 property. The $5 million penalty is the result of a lawsuit filed
 against three of the church's principals by Albert Snyder, the father of
 Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder, whose funeral was picketed by church
 members. The senior Snyder contended the picketing caused emotional
 distress and invasion of privacy.
     Westboro Baptist members regularly picket funerals of members of
 the U.S. armed forces, contending the deaths are God's punishment for
 the country's support of homosexuals. One of Snyder's attorneys, Sean
 Summers, of York PA said that based on financial information supplied
 during a hearing on the case, paying the $5 million penalty likely would
 force the church and the three named officials of the church to file for
 bankruptcy. However, even bankruptcy wouldn't let them out from under
 the $2.1 million punitive damages part of the judge's order. They would
 still be obligated for that amount under federal bankruptcy rules. A
 jury awarded Snyder compensatory damage of $2.9 million and punitive
 damage of $8 million. But the judge on 4 FEB reduced the punitive damage to
 $2.1 million, for a total judgment of $5 million. In addition, the
 judge required Shirley Phelps-Roper to post a $125,000 bond and Rebekah
 Phelps-Davis to post a $100,000 bond by 5 MAY or he will rescind a stay
 ordered by the court to prevent confiscation of their property.
 Phelps-Roper, an attorney, called that meaningless. She said the only property
 she and Phelps-Davis own are their homes and courts are forbidden from
 confiscating a person's home. "I have nothing at risk," she said.
 
    In February, Bennett ordered Phelps-Roper, Phelps-Davis and their
 father, Pastor Fred W. Phelps Sr., to provide detailed financial
 information about their interests. The records showed the church property to
 be worth $442,800 and the law office building to be worth $233,000.
 Summers said the lien could be placed on the law office building because it
 is owned by Phelps Sr. "He (the judge) looked at my tax returns and
 saw that we give money to the church, and he didn't like that,"
 Phelps-Roper said. She said there has been a lot of misinformation about the
 church and the Phelps family being wealthy. She said there was even a
 rumor that her father owned a "summer home." She said that came from a
 humorous answering machine message that said, "This is the Phelps family
 summer home — some are home and some are not."  [Source:  The
 Capital-Journal Mike Hall article 4 Apr 08 ++]


MILITARY AWARD/SERVICE MISREPRESENTATION UPDATE 01: 
1.) Federal officials arrested a Gulfport man 1 APR for allegedly
 making false claims about serving in Vietnam and receiving a Purple Heart.
 Frank Thayer, 59, is the third area man in a week to be arrested and
 charged with lying about military service and honors. In an affidavit,
 Thayer admitted to Veterans Affairs special investigators that in spite of
 owning a Purple Heart medal with ribbon, a Bronze Star with ribbon, an
 Army ring, commander's pilot wings, seemingly official documents and
 clothing bearing Purple Heart patches, he had never served in the
 military nor received any medals. He said he bought the medals at a military
 surplus store. Thayer admitted creating a motivational DVD celebrating
 his service that he sold to civic organizations. He told a former
 girlfriend all his military papers were destroyed by Katrina. Thayer was
 released on $25,000 unsecured bond. He faces multiple charges, and could
 receive up to 6 months in prison and fines of $5,000 per violation, said
 Morgan.
2.) A man who went to prison for impersonating an Army captain after
 the 2002 Interstate 40 bridge collapse is heading back to prison. A
 federal jury in Muskogee found that William James Clark violated the terms
 of his probation by calling the Russian Embassy and claiming to be part
 of a covert military operation to assassinate President Vladimir Putin.
 U.S. District Judge James Payne sentenced Clark last week to 21 more
 months in prison. In MAY 02, Clark spent nearly three days pretending to
 be an Army captain in charge of the recovery effort after the I-40
 bridge collapse at Webbers Falls, Okla. He was sentenced to nearly six
 years in prison and was released from a halfway house last September.
[Source: Sun Herald Megha Satyanarayana article 2 Apr 08 ++]
 

MILITARY AWARD/SERVICE MISREPRESENTATION UPDATE 02:   A Vietnam veteran
 who acknowledged wearing military medals he never earned has been
 sentenced to 100 hours of community service. Louis McGuinn told a Manhattan
 judge 2 APR that he now realizes what he did was wrong. McGuinn said
 the result has been “tremendous hardship” for him and his family and
 friends. McGuinn admitted in December he wore a Purple Heart, the Silver
 Star and the Distinguished Service Cross, among other medals he didn’t
 deserve. He also claimed to be a retired lieutenant colonel, though he
 was discharged from the Army as a private in 1968. The Queens man was
 prosecuted under the Stolen Valor Act of 2005 (S.1998), which took effect
 in January 2007. The Act applies to fraudulent claims surrounding the
 receipt of the Medal of Honor, the distinguished-service cross, the
 Navy cross, the Air Force cross, the Purple Heart, and other decorations
 and medals awarded by the President or the Armed Forces of the United
 States that such claims will damage the reputation and meaning of such
 decorations and medals.  It says that whoever falsely represents himself
 or herself, verbally or in writing, to have been awarded any decoration
 or medal authorized by Congress for the Armed Forces of the United
 States, any of the service medals or badges awarded to the members of such
 forces, the ribbon, button, or rosette of any such badge, decoration,
 or medal, or any colorable imitation of such item shall under title 18
 United States Code be fined, imprisoned not more than six months, or
 both.  In the case of the distinguished-service cross, Navy cross, Air
 Force cross, Silver Star, Purple Heart or any replacement or duplicate
 medal for such medal as authorized by law, imprisonment shall not be more
 than one year.  [Source: ArmyTimes AP article 3 Apr 08 &
 http://thomas.loc.gov  ++]


OREGON DEPENDENT TUITION WAIVER:   On 31 MAR 08  Oregon dependents of
 U.S. veterans killed or disabled since Sept. 11, 2001, in connection
 with military duty became eligible for a full tuition waiver to attend any
 of the state's seven public universities.  The waiver applies to all
 spouses who have not remarried and all children 23 and younger,
 including adopted children or stepchildren. In their recent session the Oregon
 legislature approved the free tuition benefit.  It is available to the
 children or spouses of military service men and women who died in
 active duty, who became 100%  disabled or who died as a result of a
 disability resulting from active duty after Sept. 11, 2001. The university
 system has determined that about 18 dependents are now eligible for the
 tuition offer, but that number will grow as children age and the war
 continues. The dependents must be residents of Oregon.  They are eligible
 for free tuition to cover four years of full-time attendance to earn a
 bachelor's degree or two years of full-time attendance to earn a master's
 degree. Applicants need to fill out a form called "OUS Veterans'
 Dependent Tuition Waiver Application."  They can still submit the
 applications now to the veteran's affairs clerk on each campus for spring term.
  In the future, however, they will be expected to file no later than 14
 days before the term begins. All seven universities in the Oregon
 University System will offer the tuition waiver. For more information check
 under "featured documents" at the Oregon Universities website
 www.ous.edu. [Source:  NAUS Weekly Update 4 Apr 08 ++]


VA HOME LOAN UPDATE 09:    The Economic Stimulus Package signed by the
 President last month also increased loan limits for federal home loan
 programs, including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA. VA Home Loans,
 however, were not included. Congress has introduced legislation to fix the
 problem. H.R. 5561 and S. 2768 would extend the home loan guarantee to
 125% of metropolitan medium home prices (about $730,000 in the highest
 cost areas) through 31 DEC 11. The fix would enable veterans to utilize
 their VA benefit to purchase homes of higher value while the housing
 market remains unpredictable. For more information on the legislation,
 type the bill number in the search box at: http://thomas.loc.gov/.
  [Source:  VFW Washington Weekly 4 APR 08 ++]


VA WOMEN VET PROGRAMS:   Recognizing the valor, service and sacrifice
 of America’s 1.7 million women veterans, the Department of Veterans
 Affairs (VA) has created a comprehensive array of benefits and programs.
 Women veterans are entitled to the same benefits and medical care as
 their male counterparts, including health care, disability compensation,
 education assistance, work-study allowance, vocational rehabilitation,
 employment and counseling services, insurance, home loan benefits,
 nursing home care, survivor benefits, and various burial benefits.  VA also
 has a multitude of services and programs to respond to the unique needs
 of women veterans. VA offers comprehensive them , high-quality primary
 health care services including Pap smears, mammography, and general
 reproductive health care. Along with these services, VA’s mental health
 care for women includes substance abuse counseling, evaluation and
 treatment of military sexual trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
 (PTSD). VA has several specific initiatives for 2008 including:
•  Enhancing skills of primary care providers who treat women veterans;
•  Examining other women’s health issues, including cardiac care,
 breast cancer, and colorectal cancer in women;
•  Focusing on family issues and avoiding birth defects through
 enhanced pharmacy practices for women veterans of child bearing age.

     Women veterans are the fastest growing segment of the veteran
 population second only to elderly veterans. Approximately 1.7 million women
 veterans comprise 7% of the total veteran population. Approximately
 255,000 women use VA health care services. Today, over 200,000 are
 serving in the Armed Forces. With the increasing number of women, VA
 estimates by 2020 women veterans will comprise 10% of the veteran population.
  There is a women veterans program manager at every VA medical center, a
 women’s liaison at every community based outpatient clinic and a women
 veterans coordinator at every VA regional office. VA is reaching out
 to women veterans who are experiencing problems related to sexual trauma
 or harassment while in the military. All veterans, men and women, may
 receive free counseling, disability compensation, and related services
 for sexual trauma incurred in the military. In addition, there are
 programs for women veterans who are homeless or are victims of domestic
 violence.  There is a Military Sexual Trauma (MST) point of contact for
 psychotherapy at every VA medical center. Extensive enhancements of the
 MST program have taken place over the past two years, including training
 of providers in the most current effective treatments for PTSD and
 sexual trauma. In addition, VA has sites for combat PTSD in women and is
 examining how best to address complex combat and MST issues.

     In addition to the services provided at each VA medical center,
 the Department also operates fifty Women’s Health Centers, within medical
 centers, that serve as specific locations for women veterans to
 receive care. These centers develop new and enhanced programs for women; some
 also conduct research on medical and psychosocial issues. Through its
 Center for Women Veterans and the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on
 Women Veterans, VA is continually looking into new and innovative ways to
 provide improved benefits and services to women veterans.  The Fourth
 National Summit on Women Veterans Issues will be held from 20-22 JUN in
 Washington D.C. The Summit will offer attendees an opportunity to
 enhance future progress on women veterans issues, with sessions specifically
 for the Reserve and National Guard, information on military sexual
 trauma and readjustment issues, after the military veteran resources and
 many more programs and exhibits.  Legislation to improve care, services
 and outreach to women veterans was introduced at a press conference 2
 APR held by Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA), Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX),
 Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). The bill will address
 the unique needs of female veterans by authorizing programs to improve
 care for Military Sexual Trauma, expand women veteran coordinator
 positions at VA, and increase research on barriers to care. Women currently
 make up 14% of the total force, and it is estimated that the number of
 female veterans entering the VA system will double in the next five
 years.

     For more information on the Fourth National Summit on Women
 Veterans Issues refer to www.va.gov/womenvet. For more information about VA
 benefits and services, veterans may contact their local VA regional
 office, medical center, or vet center. For questions concerning VA benefits
 call 1(800) 827-1000, for questions concerning VA health care call
 1-877-222-8387 or go to our website at http://www.va. gov.  [Source: VA
 News Release 27 Mar 08 ++]     
 

FISHER HOUSE EXPANSION UPDATE 02:   Safe, comfortable and affordable
 housing for families of veterans being treated by the Department of
 Veterans Affairs (VA) in Chicago is moving closer to reality as VA refines
 its plans for a new Fisher House.  The new Fisher House will be built on
 the grounds of Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in suburban Chicago .  The
 Fisher House is 100 % handicapped accessible and will have 21 bedrooms
 or suites and several common use areas.  Fisher Houses are built
 through public donations and contributions from the Fisher House Foundation.
  VA assumes responsibility for operating costs of the finished homes.
 In addition to the Chicago facility, VA and the Fisher Foundation also
 announced new Fisher Houses at VA medical centers in St. Louis MO,
 Minneapolis MN, and Washington . Currently, VA has Fisher Houses in Albany
 NY; Bay Pines FL, Cincinnati OH; Denver CO; Houston TX; Minneapolis MN;
 Palo Alto CA; West Palm Beach and Tampa FL.  Fisher Houses are under
 construction at VA facilities in Los Angeles CA, Seattle WA, Dallas TX,
 and Richmond VA.   Another Fisher House is planned for VA in Boston MA.
 For more information, visit the Fisher House Foundation Website
 www.fisherhouse.org  [Source: VA News Release 31 Mar 08 ++]


VA LAWSUIT (LACK OF CARE) UPDATE 03:  Veterans for Common Sense is
 suing the Department of Veterans Affairs because, the group says, VA is so
 thoroughly bogged down with a backlog of 600,000 benefits claims that
 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder are
 not receiving the care they need. The trial begins 21 APR in U.S.
 District Court for the Northern District of California. The lawsuit, which
 names VA Secretary Dr. James Peake as defendant, — is a class action filed
 by a large group of veterans who allege “a system-wide breakdown” in
 the way the government treats veterans with PTSD. They say several
 suicidal veterans have unsuccessfully sought VA mental health care.
 Representatives from veterans service organizations, VA and mental health
 experts are expected to testify. According to Gordon Erspamer, an attorney
 representing the veterans pro bono, the lawsuit challenges a backlog in
 handling claims, “appellate delays of five to 10 years” for disability
 ratings, waiting lists and the “inadequacy of VA care for PTSD.” The
 suit asks for immediate medical help, as well as screening for suicidal
 thoughts, for troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
 
    At a House Veterans Affairs health subcommittee hearing 1 APR, Ira
 Katz, VA’s deputy chief patient care services officer for mental
 health, said 60,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have received a preliminary
 diagnosis of PTSD. In the past two and a half years, he said, VA has
 hired 3,800 new mental health workers. In February, VA announced plans
 to open 23 new vet centers and establish mental health counseling by
 phone. However, several service members have slipped through the cracks,
 often tragically. In one case, former Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Bailey
 killed himself while in VA’s residential substance abuse program. His
 father, Tony Bailey, testified that his son didn’t see a psychiatrist
 while he was in the program, even though he had been diagnosed with PTSD.
 Another veteran, former Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan Schulze, tried to
 check himself into mental health care because he said he was suicidal, but
 VA representatives told him they’d have to put him on a waiting list.
 He also killed himself. The waiting lists themselves have gained
 notoriety. Though Peake has said waiting times have been shortened, he said
 at a hearing in February that VA still needs to work that issue. Peake
 told the House Veterans' Affairs Committee at a 7 FEB hearing, “In April
 2006, there were over 250,000 unique patients waiting more than 30
 days for their desired appointment date for health-care services; that’s
 not acceptable. As of 1 JAN 08, we had reduced the waiting list to just
 over 69,000. Our budget request for 2009 provides the resources
 necessary ... to virtually eliminate the waiting list by the end of next
 year.”  [Source: Air Force Times Kelly Kennedy article 3 Apr 08 ++]


ARMED SERVICES BLOOD PROGRAM:   Blood and blood products are used for
 patients of all ages for many reasons – from those undergoing cancer
 treatments to those with battlefield injuries. Military members depend on
 blood donors every day and rely on the he Armed Services Blood Program
 (ASBP) to fulfill these needs. To schedule a donation appointment or to
 contact your local blood donor center visit the ASBP website
 http://www.militaryblood.dod.mil. Donors can select a location from
 more than 20 ASBP blood donor centers (BDCs) on the website’s drop down
 menu, or click on their location on a map. The nearest donor center will
 appear, as well as scheduled blood drives for the next two months. If
 an online appointment is available you will be able to select the blood
 drive and sign up to give blood on any of the dates listed. If a blood
 drive does not appear after choosing a donor center, the drive dates
 have passed and new dates will be added as drives are scheduled.  Many
 centers conduct mobile blood drives at nearby installations.  ASBP has
 implemented a new policy regarding tattoos on 30 NOV 07 that may allow
 more donors to give blood to the military. This new policy allows donors
 with new tattoos to give blood again after just one week, instead of
 the previous one-year deferral period, provided the tattoo was acquired
 in a state-regulated tattoo parlor. A total of 20 states regulate tattoo
 facilities and donors are encouraged to contact their nearest military
 blood donor center for more details.

     In addition to whole blood donation, some BDCs offer platelet
 apheresis donation. Apheresis takes longer than whole blood donation;
 however, one apheresis donation provides as many platelets as six to ten
 whole blood donations. In addition, donors can give platelets more
 frequently than the 56 days required between whole blood donations. Most
 healthy adults are eligible to give blood. However, there are some reasons a
 person may be deferred from donating — temporarily indefinitely, or
 permanently. Deferral criteria have been established for the protection
 of those donating and those receiving transfusions in accordance with
 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines, AABB standards, and
 Department of Defense (DoD) policies. A temporary deferral should not
 discourage donors from coming back. Donors are always needed.  In general,
 to donate blood you should:
• Weigh at least 110 pounds
• Be at least 17 years of age
• Have been feeling well for at least three days
• Be well hydrated
• Have eaten something prior to donating
• Conform to  travel  and medical restrictions listed at
 www.militaryblood.dod.mil/Donors/can_i_donate.aspx
[Source: ASBP website Apr 08 ++]


TRICARE USER FEE UPDATE 25:   Faced with a rising tab for Tricare,
 military health insurance, Pentagon officials are angling to raise
 out-of-pocket costs for retirees in the 2009 federal budget. Under fire in a
 congressional hearing, Assistant Defense Secretary Ward Casscells said
 advocates “I’ve spoken with” would accept gradual out-of-pocket increases
 to help the military keep costs down. “They know that at some point,
 this will eat into theater care or force readiness.” Legislative
 Director Rick Jones of the National Association for the Uniformed Services
 (NAUS) said many — but not all — veterans organizations have broken ranks
 on the heated issue of ratcheting up Tricare costs for retirees.
 However, NAUS hasn’t budged on its stand against fee increases. Military
 retirees already sacrificed for their country and shouldn’t be asked to
 give more out of their own pockets. It is a cost of our service,” Jones
 said. The National Military and Veterans Alliance is writing Congress to
 combat misperceptions the organization supports raising fees, Jones
 said. Proposals on the table double or triple what retirees younger than
 65 pay. “It’s sort of like, ‘Here’s your benefit. Here’s your bill.
 Thank you for your service,’ ” he said. The veterans alliance is an
 umbrella organization made up of 31 military and veterans service
 organizations with 2.5 million members altogether. But the Reserve Officers
 Association (ROA) legislative director Capt. Marshall Hanson worries the DoD
 might find the present program too expensive to sustain. “On a practical
 side, if the benefit goes away, that’s going to cost retirees more in
 the long run than trying to adjust to paying a fair share for a program
 that has a good basis for increases,” he said.

     Casscells testified before a subcommittee of the House Armed
 Services Committee retirees don’t want fee increases making up for 12 years
 of flat fees, But they’ll accept increases tied to the cost of living.
 Dr. Gail Wilensky, co-chairwoman of  the DoD Task Force on the Future
 of Military Health Care testified before the Subcommittee on Military
 Personnel that they have recommended raising out-of-pocket costs for
 health care on retirees younger than 65 and for prescription drugs. The
 changes would phase in over four years.  The task force doesn’t recommend
 increases for active-duty members and their families. She said, “We
 mostly focused on under-65 retirees. Most work and have access to
 employer-sponsored health care plans”.  U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry, a member of
 the House Armed Services, noted that the administration has aimed to
 raise retirees’ Tricare fees before. “My guess is that nothing much will
 change this year” Congress squashed Bush’s 2008 proposal to save an
 estimated $1.9 billion from increasing Tricare fees. His plan called for
 aligning Tricare out-of-pocket costs for military retirees younger than
 65 years with private health insurance. The moratorium on Tricare fee
 increases ends in October. [Source: Times Record News Trish Choate
 article 31 Mar 08 ++]


VDBC vs. PCARWW:   Congress created the Veterans Disability Benefits
 Commission (VDBC) in 2004 to review, among other things, whether
 disability compensation benefits were “appropriate”.  The VDBC began meeting in
 MAY 05.  Over the next 30 months it held 55 days of hearings, listened
 to hundreds of witnesses, interview over 20,000 veterans and
 survivors, surveyed thousands more VA and veteran service organization
 employees, commissioned two Institute of Medicine studies and the Center for
 Naval Analysis to conduct original research in a number of pertinent
 areas.  In OCT 07 it made 113 recommendations, the bulk of which pertain to
 compensation benefits. The VDBC recommendations continue one law for
 all veterans.  It recommended keeping the most basic concepts while
 encouraging the methodical and deliberate review and modification to correct
 known problems.

     In early 2007 the President created the President’s Commission on
 Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors (PCARWW), headed by
 retired Senator Bob Dole and former Secretary of Health and Human Services
 Donna Shalala (Dole/Shalala), to make recommendations for the correction
 of problems reported at the Army medical facility at Walter Reed.  In
 JUL 07 after approximately four months of study, the Dole/Shalala
 Commission made a number of recommendations addressing treatment of combat
 injured service members.  In addition, it recommended the total
 elimination of the current compensation program administered by VA and
 substitutes an undefined, untried and unsubstantiated program in its place. It
 would institute a new program for new veterans, dividing the veteran
 community into different groups, old and young, combat and non-combat.
  This reinstitutes a concept repudiated by Congress over 30 years ago
 which would pay veterans with identical disabilities different
 compensation.
 
   The most striking differences between the two set of recommendations
 are these:
1.) Disabilities: VDBC - No change to current policy that disabilities
 arising coincident with service, whether from combat or otherwise,
 should be compensated the same. PCARWW - Would create different benefits
 for disabilities acquired during combat.  Non-combat disabilities would
 be paid less.
2.) Length of Payment: VDBC - Once service connection is granted,
 payments would continue unless the disability improved. PCARWW -
 Compensation would be delayed while new veterans received a new transition
 benefit.  Compensation would continue only until “retirement age” to be
 replaced by Social Security.
3.) Tax Liability: VDBC - Tax free (current policy). PCARWW -
 Compensation subject to FICA tax.
4.) Review Examinations: VDBC - No change from current policy which
 allows VA to decide when to order a review examination.  Currently, only
 ordered when improvement is possible. PCARWW - Require review
 examinations of all disabilities every 3 years.
5.) Quality of Life Payments: VDBC - After research, award additional
 payments if disability causes impairment of quality of life. PCARWW -
 Same, plus: quality of life payments are only available to combat-related
 injuries.
6.) Schedule of Rating Disabilities: VDBC - Create a permanent Advisory
 Committee independent of VA to oversee the revision of VA rating
 schedule.  This was based on an Institute of Medicine Study.  PCARWW -
 Replace rating schedule with new, undefined, schedule created in 6 months by
 VA.
7.) Individual Unemployability (IU): VDBC - Update the rating schedule
 to ensure that disabilities that are severe enough to preclude
 employment are evaluated 100%.  This would lessen the number of grants of IU
 but not eliminate it. PCARWW - Eliminate IU.
[Source: NVS Weekly Update 2 Apr 08 ++]


PHILIPPINE TOURIST VISA UPDATE 01:  The Philippine Bureau of
 Immigration (BI) Commissioner has issued an official Memorandum advising
 departing foreign tourists with expired Philippine tourist visas that they may
 no longer update their visas at the airport. BI stated that all
 requests for tourist visa extensions filed at any international port of
 entry/exit shall immediately be referred to the Visa Extension Section of the
 BI Main Office (Magallanes Drive, Intramuros, Manila) or concerned
 subport/field office for appropriate action. The Embassy encourages
 Americans to keep their visas updated to avoid unnecessary inconvenience.
 Details on the new procedure can be found on the Philippine Bureau of
 Immigration’s website: www.immigration.gov.ph. [Source: ACS Newsletter 20
 Mar 08]


VET CEMETERY FLORIDA UPDATE 06:  Jacksonville VA National Cemetery will
 be the name of the 569-acre burial site to be built north of
 Jacksonville International Airport and about five miles from Interstate 295. The
 first 50-acre phase of the cemetery, which will eventually hold
 189,000 veterans from the northeastern Florida and southeastern Georgia area,
 will begin this summer  and is expected to be completed by the end of
 the year. Initial construction will prepare a small burial area to
 ensure that veteran burials can take place before all phase one facilities
 are completed. In addition to burial areas, the $1.25 million phase one
 will consist of approximately 50 acres, including roadways, an
 entrance area, an administration and public information center, a maintenance
 complex with buildings, a maintenance yard and parking, a flag assembly
 area, a memorial walkway and committal service shelters.  Other
 infrastructure improvements will include grading, drainage, fencing,
 planting, an irrigation system and utilities. Interment areas will include
 traditional full-casket gravesites, pre-placed crypts, in-ground cremated
 burial sites and a columbarium for cremated remains.  Veterans whose
 discharges are other than dishonorable, their spouses and dependent
 children may be buried in a national cemetery, regardless of where they live.
  No advance reservations are made.  Other burial benefits for eligible
 veterans include a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate
 and a government headstone or marker, even if they are not buried in a
 national cemetery. Information on VA burial benefits can be obtained from
 national cemetery offices, from a VA Web site at www.cem.va.gov or by
 calling VA regional offices toll-free at 1 (800) 827-1000.  Information
 about the Jacksonville VA National Cemetery is available by calling
 the cemetery director at (904) 358-3510.  [Source: Jacksonville Business
 Journal  1 Apr 08 ++]


VET CEMETERY ALABAMA UPDATE 01:   The Department of Veterans Affairs
 (VA) has named the national cemetery to be built near Birmingham the
 “Alabama VA National Cemetery.” The new national cemetery will be located
 in the town of Montevallo , approximately five miles west of Interstate
 65 and adjacent to American Village, a museum that teaches history and
 citizenship through re-creation of colonial life.  The cemetery will be
 built on land acquired from private owners and will serve
 approximately 200,000 veterans in the region who are not currently provided burial
 space by a nearby national or state veterans cemetery.  VA expects to
 begin construction of the first phase of the cemetery this summer.  In
 SEP 07, the Department awarded a $1.3 million contract to Civil
 Consultants Inc. of Birmingham to design the cemetery.  When complete, the
 first phase will consist of approximately 45 acres, and facilities needed
 to provide burials for approximately 10 years.  The first-phase
 interment areas will provide 9,100 full-casket gravesites, 3,100 in-ground
 cremation sites and approximately 2,700 columbarium niches for cremation
 remains.  The cemetery will also include an administrative and public
 information center, an electronic gravesite locator and public restrooms,
 a maintenance facility, an entrance area, a flag assembly area, a
 memorial walkway and two committal shelters for funeral services.
  Infrastructure will include roadways, landscaping, utilities and irrigation.

    VA has two other national cemeteries in Alabama for which records
 of internment can be viewed at
 http://www.interment.net/data/us/al/russell/ftmitnat/index.htm:
• The Fort Mitchell National Cemetery, 553 Highway 165, Seale, AL 36875
 Tel: (334) 855-4731  This cemetery of 279.8 acres officially opened in
 1987 and presently has space available to accommodate casketed and
 cremated remains.  In late 1980s, the old post cemetery at Fort Mitchell
 was officially identified as the location for a national cemetery in
 Federal Region IV, to serve veterans residing in North Carolina, South
 Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi.
• The Mobile National Cemetery, 1202 Virginia Street, Mobile, AL 36604
  located within the grounds of Magnolia Cemetery encompasses 5.2
 acres. For information contact: Barrancas National Cemetery (850) 453-4108.
  This cemetery  presently buries only eligible family members and
 cremated remains.

Veterans with a discharge other than dishonorable, their spouses, and
 dependent children are eligible for burial in a national cemetery.
  Other burial benefits for eligible veterans include a burial flag, a
 Presidential Memorial Certificate and a government headstone or marker – even
 if they are not buried in a national cemetery. Information on VA
 burial benefits can be obtained from national cemetery offices, from the
 Internet at http://www.cem.va.gov  or by calling VA regional offices at
 1-800-827-1000. Information about the new national cemetery is available
 by calling the cemetery at (205) 665-9039 or 1(866) 547-5078. [Source:
 VA News Release 31 Mar 08 ++]


VA VETERAN SUPPORT UPDATE 03:    The National Cemetery Administration
 (NCA) honors veterans with final resting places in national shrines and
 with lasting tributes that commemorate their service to our Nation. In
 support of the nation’s veteran community the Department of Veteran
 Affairs (DVA) reported the following Memorial Affairs statistics as of FEB
 08: 

•  NCA maintains more than 2.8 million gravesites at 125 cemeteries in
 39 states and Puerto Rico, as well as in 33 soldier’s lots and monument
 sites.
• The nation’s 125th national cemetery, South Florida VA National
 Cemetery, began operation in April 2007. VA is planning six additional
 cemeteries to serve the areas of Bakersfield, CA; Birmingham, AL; Columbia,
 SC; Jacksonville, FL; Sarasota, FL; and Southeastern PA.
• Of the 125 national cemeteries in operation, 65 are open to all
 interments; 21 can accommodate cremated remains and family members of those
 already interred; and 39 are closed to new interments but accommodate
 family members in occupied gravesites.
• Annual interments in VA national cemeteries have increased from
 36,400 in 1973, when VA took responsibility for national cemeteries, to
 101,200 in 2007, including dependents. More than 67,500 veterans were laid
 to rest in a VA national cemetery in 2007.
• Since 1973, NCA has provided nearly 9.9 million headstones and
 markers. In 2007, NCA furnished more than 361,000 headstones and markers.
• In 2007, NCA provided more than 423,000 Presidential Memorial
 Certificates to the loved ones of deceased veterans.
• Since 1980, the State Cemetery Grants Program has obligated more than
 $312 million to 36 states, plus Guam and Saipan, for the
 establishment, expansion or improvement of 69 state veterans cemeteries. In fiscal
 year 2007, VA supported state veterans cemeteries by providing more than
 22,000 interments.
• VA estimates that more than 686,000 veterans died in 2007. About 13%
 of veterans choose to be buried in VA national and state cemeteries.
• In 2007, volunteers donated approximately 366,000 hours at national
 cemeteries and more than 8.1 million people visited them.
[Source:  VA Fact sheet Feb 08 ++]


VIETNAM CENSUS STATS:   Some interesting Census Stats and “Been There”
 Wanabees:

~ 1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of AUG
 95 census figures.
~ In the AUG 95 census 9,492,958 Americans falsely claimed to have
 served in-country.
~ As of the August, 2000 Census, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran
 population estimate is: 1,002,511. If this loss of  711,000 between ‘95
 and ’00 is accurate it equates to 390 deaths per day.
~ During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to
 have served in-country is: 13,853,027. By this census, four out of
 five who claim to be Vietnam vets are not.
~ The Department of Defense Vietnam War Service Index officially
 provided by The War Library originally reported with errors that 2,709,918
 U.S. military personnel as having served in-country. Corrections and
 confirmations to this errored index resulted in the addition of 358 U.S.
 military personnel confirmed to have served in Vietnam but not originally
 listed by the Department of Defense. (All names are currently on file
 and accessible 24/7/365).
~ Atrocities:  Americans who deliberately killed civilians received
 prison sentences while Communists who did so received commendations. From
 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725
 Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. The death squads focused on leaders at
 the village level and on anyone who improved the lives of the peasants
 such as medical personnel, social workers, and school teachers per the
 Nixon Presidential Papers.
[Source: NM e-Veterans News 9 Jan 06 - Research accredited to Capt.
 Marshal Hanson, U.S.N.R (Ret.) & Statistical Source Capt. Scott Beaton]


VIETNAM COMMON MYTHS: 
Myth: Common Belief is that most Vietnam veterans were drafted.
Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the
 men who served in WW II were drafted. Approximately 70% of those killed
 in Vietnam were volunteers.

Myth: The media have reported that suicides among Vietnam veterans
 range from 50,000 to 100,000 - 6 to 11 times the non-Vietnam veteran
 population.
Fact: Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. The CDC
 Vietnam Experience Study Mortality Assessment showed that during the
 first 5 years after discharge, deaths from suicide were 1.7 times more
 likely among Vietnam veterans than non-Vietnam veterans. After that
 initial post-service period the rate of suicides is less. 

Myth: Common belief is that a disproportionate number of blacks were
 killed in the Vietnam War.
Fact: 86% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were
 black, 1.2% were other races. Black fatality figures were proportional to
 the number of blacks in the U.S. population at the time and slightly
 lower than the proportion of blacks in the Army at the close of the war.
 

Myth: Common belief is that the war was fought largely by the poor and
 uneducated.
Fact: Servicemen who went to Vietnam from well-to-do areas had a
 slightly elevated risk of dying because they were more likely to be pilots or
 infantry officers.  Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our
 nation had ever sent into combat. 79% had a high school education or
 better.

Myth: The Common belief in the U.S. is that the domino theory was
 proved false.
Fact: The domino theory was accurate. The ASEAN (Association of
 Southeast Asian Nations) countries, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia,
 Singapore and Thailand stayed free of Communism because of the U.S. commitment
 to Vietnam. The Indonesians threw the Soviets out in 1966 because of
 America’s commitment in Vietnam. Without that commitment, Communism would
 have swept all the way to the Malacca Straits that is south of
 Singapore and of great strategic importance to the free world.  The Vietnam
 War was the turning point for Communism.

Myth: The common belief is that the fighting in Vietnam was not as
 intense as in World War II.
Fact: The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II
 saw about 40 days of combat in four years. The average infantryman in
 Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility
 of the helicopter. One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam
 was a casualty. 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7
 million who served. Although the percent that died is similar to other wars,
 amputations or crippling wounds were 300% higher than in World War II
 ....75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled. MEDEVAC helicopters
 flew nearly 500,000 missions. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted
 (nearly half were American). The average time lapse between wounding to
 hospitalization was less than one hour. As a result, less than one percent
 of all Americans wounded, who survived the first 24 hours, died.

Myth: Kim Phuc, the little nine year old Vietnamese girl running naked
 from the napalm strike near Trang Bang on 8 June 1972 was burned by
 Americans bombing Trang Bang.
Fact: No American had involvement in this incident near Trang Bang that
 burned Phan Thi Kim Phuc. The planes doing the bombing near the
 village were VNAF (Vietnam Air Force) and were being flown by Vietnamese
 pilots in support of South Vietnamese troops on the ground. The Vietnamese
 pilot who dropped the napalm in error is currently living in the United
 States. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture, was
 Vietnamese. The incident in the photo took place on the second day of a
 three day battle between the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) who occupied
 the village of Trang Bang and the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam)
 who were trying to force the NVA out of the village. Reports in the
 news media that an American commander ordered the air strike are
 incorrect. There were no Americans involved in any capacity. The Commanding
 General of TRAC at that time said Americans had nothing to do with
 controlling VNAF.

Myth: The United States lost the war in Vietnam.
Fact: The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. The American
 military did not lose a battle of any consequence. From a military
 standpoint, it was almost an unprecedented performance. General Westmoreland
 said the war was a major military defeat for the VC and NVA. The
 United States did not lose the war in Vietnam, the South Vietnamese did.
[Source: NM e-Veterans News 9 Jan 06 - Research accredited to Capt.
 Marshal Hanson, U.S.N.R (Ret.) & Statistical Source Capt. Scott Beaton]


KOREAN WAR VETERANS MEMORIAL:   The Korean War Veterans Memorial was
 authorized by Public Law 99-572 on Oct. 28, 1986 "…to honor members of
 the United States Armed Forces who served in the Korean War, particularly
 those who were killed in action, are still missing inaction, or were
 held as prisoners of war." The site is located on French Drive, SW
 adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial directly across the reflecting pool from
 the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It is open daily 0800
 till midnight closing on Xmas day.  There is no charge for admission.
  There are 19 approximately 7’3" tall, heroic scale statues depicting 14
 Army, 3 Marines, 1 Navy, and 1 Air Force personnel. They represent an
 ethnic cross section of America with 12 Caucasian, 3 African American, 2
 Hispanic, 1 Oriental, 1 Indian (Native American). The juniper bushes
 are meant to be symbolic of the rough terrain encountered in Korea, and
 the granite stripes of the obstacles overcome in war. The Marines in
 column have the helmet chin straps fastened and helmet covers. Three of
 the Army statues are wearing paratrooper boots and all equipment is
 authentic from the Korean War era. Three of the statues are in the woods,
 so if you are at the flagpole looking through the troops, you can't tell
 how many there are, and could be legions emerging from the woods. The
 statues are made of stainless steel, a reflective material that when
 seen in bright sunlight causes the figures to come to life. The blowing
 ponchos give motion to the column, so you can feel them walking up the
 hill with the cold winter wind at their backs, talking to one another.
 At nighttime the fronts of the statues are illuminated with a special
 white light; the finer details of the sculpture are clearly seen and the
 ghosts appear.

     The Mural Wall located on site consists of 41 panels extending 164
 feet. Over 15,000 photographs of the Korean War were obtained from the
 National Archives to create the mural. The photographs were enhanced
 by computer to develop a uniform lighting effect and size, and to create
 a mural with over 2,400 images. The mural depicts Army, Navy, Marine
 Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard personnel and their equipment. The
 etchings are arranged to give a wavy appearance in harmony with the layout
 of the statues. The reflective quality of the Academy Black Granite
 creates the image of a total 38 statues, symbolic of the 38th Parallel and
 the 38 months of the war. When viewed from afar, it also creates the
 appearance of the mountain ranges of Korea. To the south of the Memorial
 are three beds of Rose of Sharon hibiscus plants. This plant is the
 national flower of South Korea.  Visitors can walk out into a Pool of
 Remembrance area on a peninsula symbolic of Republic of Korea, which is a
 peninsula. The pool honors the dead, the missing the POW's and the
 wounded from the U.S. and UN Forces whose statistics are engraved in stone.
  Names of all nations involved in the conflict are engraved on the
 curb stone along the north entrance. The Honor Roll contains all
 verifiable names of those on active duty who were killed in action, still listed
 as missing in action, and captured as prisoners of war in the Korean
 War.  Located on site are, Restrooms, Concessions, and a Bookstore for
 use by visitors.  For additional info refer to
 http://www.nps.gov/kwvm/home.htm.

     A largely museum-like War Memorial of Korea opened in Seoul Korea
 in 1994.  It houses six exhibition rooms displaying over 13,000 items
 under different themes, including an outside exhibition area consisting
 of numerous military equipment. Visitors will experience the spirit of
 national defense of Koreans throughout the War Memorial, which was
 designed with advice from war experts. Located on the old site of Army
 Headquarters, the War Memorial of Korea accommodates four aboveground
 floors and two underground floors in the main building, which stands on an
 area of about 20,000 square meters. On the green area around the
 memorial, loudspeaker emissions to foster patriotic spirit can be heard. In
 cloistered left and right galleries flanking the facade of the main
 building are rows of black marble monuments inscribed with the names of
 those who died during the Korean and Vietnam Wars and of policemen who died
 on duty. The plaza in the museum compound has an artificial waterfall,
 and around it are widespread rest areas so that visitors can picnic
 while enjoying the pleasant landscape. In the center of the plaza stands
 the Statue of Brothers, the elder a South Korean soldier and the
 younger a North Korean soldier, which symbolizes the situation of Korea’s
 division.  A Combat Experience Room provides a special opportunity for
 visitors to vividly experience life and death situations in night combat
 which soldiers went through during the Korean War. The special
 audiovisual effects, lighting, vibration, and even gunpowder odor make visitors
 feel as if they are right on the battlefield.  For additional info
 refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Memorial_(Seoul) [Source: Various
 Apr 08 ++]


WINDOWS VISTA UPDATE 03:   In a blow to Microsoft Corp., a federal
 judge on 18 FEB granted class-action status to a lawsuit alleging that
 Microsoft unjustly enriched itself by promoting PCs as "Windows Vista
 Capable" even when they could only run a bare-bones version of the operating
 system, called "Vista Home Basic."  The slogan was emblazoned on PCs
 during the 2006 holiday shopping season as part of a campaign by
 Microsoft to maintain sales of Windows XP computers after the launch of
 Windows Vista was delayed. At a hearing two weeks ago, lawyers for Microsoft
 argued that because each consumer who bought a computer touted as
 "Windows Vista Capable" had different information at the time of purchase,
 the lawsuit should not be granted class-action status, while plaintiffs'
 lawyers said that all individuals who bought "Windows Vista Capable"
 PCs were united in that "each person in our class did not get what they
 paid for." In her ruling, Judge Marsha Pechman granted class-action
 status, stating that "common issues predominate. These common issues ...
 are whether Vista Home Basic, in truth, can fairly be called 'Vista' and
 whether Microsoft's 'Windows Vista Capable' marketing campaign
 inflated demand market-wide for 'Windows Vista Capable' PCs," she wrote.

     At the same time, though, Pechman narrowed the basis on which
 plaintiffs could move forward with their claims. For instance, she said
 that the plaintiffs could not pursue a class-action lawsuit on the basis
 that consumers had been deceived because "an individualized analysis is
 necessary to determine what role Microsoft's 'Windows Vista Capable'
 marketing program played in each class members' purchasing decision."
 However, it was appropriate for plaintiffs to argue as a class that
 Microsoft had artificially inflated demand -- and prices -- for computers
 only capable of running Vista Home Basic by marketing them as "Windows
 Vista Capable." Pechman also said that the two consumers currently named
 as plaintiffs in the case could not also represent buyers who
 participated in a related Microsoft program called "Express Upgrade," which gave
 consumers the right to free or low-priced upgrades to Windows Vista
 after it came out.  Microsoft spokesman Jack Evans said in a statement,
 "We are currently reviewing the court's ruling. We believe the facts will
 show that Microsoft offered different versions of Windows Vista,
 including Windows Vista Home Basic, to meet the varied needs of our
 customers purchasing computers at different price points." During the hearing
  Jeffrey Tilden, another plaintiff attorney, quoted extensively from
 internal Microsoft e-mails that appeared to show that employees within
 Microsoft had misgivings about the "Windows Vista Capable" campaign.
 [Source: Seattle PI Joseph Tartakoff & odd Bishop article 23 Feb 08 ++] 


VIETNAM MEMORIAL WALL UPDATE 02:   On Veterans Day 1996, the Vietnam
 Veterans Memorial Fund unveiled a half-scale replica of the Vietnam
 Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., designed to travel to communities
 throughout the United States. Bringing The Wall Home to communities
 throughout our country allows the souls enshrined on the Memorial to exist,
 once more, among family and friends in the peace and comfort of familiar
 surroundings. The traveling exhibit, known as The Wall That Heals,
 allows the many thousands of veterans who have been unable to cope with
 the prospect of "facing The Wall" to find the strength and courage to do
 so within their own communities, thus allowing the healing process to
 begin.  The Wall That Heals also features a Traveling Museum and
 Information Center providing a comprehensive educational component to enrich
 and complete visitors' experiences. The Museum chronicles the Vietnam
 War era and the unique healing power of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,
 while the Information Center serves as a venue for people to learn about
 friends and loved ones lost in the war. Since its dedication, it has
 visited more than 250 cities and towns throughout the nation, spreading
 the Memorial's healing legacy to millions. In addition to its U.S. tour
 stops, the exhibition made its first-ever international journey in
 April 1999 to the Four Provinces of Ireland to honor the Irish-born
 casualties of the Vietnam War and the Irish-Americans who served. It has also
 traveled to Canada.  Refer to http://www.vvmf.org/index.cfm?SectionID=3
 for the 2008 tour schedule. For more information or to learn how to
 bring The Wall That Heals to your community, contact the Vietnam Veterans
 Memorial Fund at (202) 393-0090 or via email at vvmf@vvmf.org.
  [Source:  www.vvmf.org Mar 08 ++]


MIGRAINES:   Perhaps the most troublesome headaches are migraines.
 About one in 10 people (more women than men)  has had a migraine headache.
 Most people have their first migraine between 15 and 45 years of age,
 and most migraine sufferers have a close relative who also has them.
 Migraine headaches are caused by changes in blood vessels in the brain.
 The vessels can dilate and put pressure on nerves, which causes pounding
 pain. Although very debilitating when they occur, migraine headaches
 generally do not signify a more serious medical problem. Perhaps
 one-fifth of migraine sufferers have “classic” migraines with a warning sign,
 or aura, that precedes the headache. Auras might be caused by a
 temporary constriction of a blood vessel in the brain. Common auras include
 seeing stars or zigzag lines, tunnel vision, or a blind spot, and can
 typically last 20 minutes to an hour or until the headache begins. About
 75% of migraines are “common” migraines, which don’t have an aura and
 usually are characterized by a pounding, severe, one-sided headache.
 Nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light can occur with a migraine. There
 might be numbness or tingling in the face, neck, or upper extremities.
 The headache can last a few hours to a day or two. The day after the
 headache ends a migraine sufferer still can feel fatigued, tired, and
 mentally exhausted. There also can be residual neck pain.

     Migraines occur less frequently if you can identify and avoid
 triggers. Common triggers include bright lights; loud noise; physical or
 emotional stress; lack of sleep; skipping meals; caffeine, alcohol, or
 nicotine; and hormonal changes. Some foods are triggers, including
 fermented foods such as soy sauce, aged cheese, and red wine;
 nitrate-containing foods such as bacon, corned beef, hot dogs, and salami; foods
 containing MSG; and other foods, including chocolate and nuts. Going to a
 quiet, dimly lit room during a migraine can help. Drinking fluids is
 important to keep from being dehydrated. Biofeedback is often a useful tool
 in treating migraines, and some patients find self-hypnosis valuable.
     If you have migraines as often as once a week, preventive
 medication, taken daily, may be prescribed. If your migraine headaches are less
 frequent, medication can be taken at the first sign of a headache (or
 aura). The medication can be injected (by the patient) or taken in the
 form of a nasal spray, rectal suppository, or fast-acting oral
 preparation. The goal is to provide treatment as soon as possible and to ward
 off a more serious headache. Migraine medications have various side
 effects, especially for patients with heart disease or other health
 problems. Some medications affect the vascular system, while others are strong
 painkillers (which can become habit-forming if taken too frequently).
 Always work closely with the physician prescribing your medication. For
 more information, visit www.headaches.org  [Source: MOAA Magazine Ask
 the Doctor Nov 05]


VETERAN LEGISLATION STATUS 13 APRIL 08:   For a listing of
 Congressional bills of interest to the veteran community that have been introduced
 in the 110th Congress refer to the Bulletin’s House & Senate
 attachments.  By clicking on the bill number indicated you can access the actual
 legislative language of the bill and see if your representative has
 signed on as a cosponsor. Support of these bills through cosponsorship by
 other legislators is critical if they are ever going to move through
 the legislative process for a floor vote to become law.  A good
 indication on that likelihood is the number of cosponsors who have signed onto
 the bill. A cosponsor is a member of Congress who has joined one or more
 other members in his/her chamber (i.e. House or Senate) to sponsor a
 bill or amendment. The member who introduces the bill is considered the
 sponsor.  Members subsequently signing on are called cosponsors. Any
 number of members may cosponsor a bill in the House or Senate. At
 http://thomas.loc.gov you can also review a copy of each bill’s
 content, determine its current status, the committee it has been assigned to,
 and if your legislator is a sponsor or cosponsor of it.  To determine
 what bills, amendments your representative has sponsored, cosponsored,
 or dropped sponsorship on refer to
 http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d110/sponlst.html.  The key to increasing
 cosponsorship on veteran related bills and subsequent passage into law is
 letting our representatives know of veteran’s feelings on issues.  At
 the end of some listed bills is a web link that can be used to do that.
 Otherwise, you can locate on http://thomas.loc.gov who your
 representative is and his/her phone number, mailing address, or email/website to
 communicate with a message or letter of your own making.  Refer to
 http://www.thecapitol.net/FAQ/cong_schedule.html for future times that
 you can access your representatives on their home turf.  [Source: RAO
 Bulletin Attachment 14 Mar  08 ++] 


HAVE YOU HEARD:  A thief broke into the local police station and stole
 all the toilets and urinals, leaving no clues. A spokesperson was
 quoted as saying, 'We have absolutely nothing to go on.'


Lt. James “EMO” Tichacek, USN (Ret)
Director, Retiree Assistance Office, U.S. Embassy Warden & IRS VITA
 Baguio City RP
PSC 517 Box RCB, FPO AP 96517
Tel: (951) 238-1246 in U.S. or Cell: 0915-361-3503 in the Philippines.
Email: raoemo@sbcglobal.net Web:
 http://post_119_gulfport_ms.tripod.com/rao1.html
AL/AMVETS/DAV/FRA/NAUS/NCOA/MOAA/USDR/VFW/VVA/CG33/DD890/AD37 member
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