RAO Bulletin Update
1 July 2007
THIS BULLETIN UPDATE CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES:
-- Tricare Uniform Formulary [20] ------ (More DoD Proposals)
-- VA Data Breach [34] ----------------------- ($20 Million Budgeted)
-- VA Data Breach [35] -------------------------------- (VA IG Report)
-- Veterans Pride Initiative [01] ------------- (Wear Your Medals)
-- TMOP [07] --------------------------------------- (OTC Option)
-- VA Duty to Veterans Families] ------------- (Ongoing Suit)
-- VA Mileage Reimbursement [01] --------- (250% Increase)
-- Filipino Vet Inequities [02] ------- (S.0057 Passes Committee)
-- Tricare Anesthetic Coverage Expansion ----------- (Dental)
-- SSA COLA 2008 ------------------------------- (1.4% Forecast)
-- Reserve E-Mail System ----------------------- (Old System Replaced)
-- Reserve Retirement Age [11] --------------- (Window Dressing)
-- VA Category 8 Care [03] ----------------------- (S.1233 Impact)
-- Changing Military Records ----------- (Request Within 3 years)
-- Changing Military Records [01] ----- (Application Procedure)
-- Changing Military Records [02] ----------------- (Board Action)
-- Communicating With Congress [02] ------------ (800 Numbers)
-- PTSD [15] ----------------------------- (Pathway Home Program)
-- AO Compensation [Non-Vietnam] [03] ---- (SC Presumption)
-- NATO Air Force Medals --------- (Mission Involvement Awards)
-- VA Category 8 Care [02] ---------- (1.8 Million Vets Uninsured)
-- Computer Security ----------------------- (Spyware Elimination)
-- USFSPA Lawsuit [13] --------------- (Supreme Court Rejection)
-- VA Spinal Cord Injury Services ------ (New Milwaukee Facility)
-- Overseas NSO Document Request ---------- (Philippine Records)
-- TAPS ------------------------------------------ (Survivor Support)
-- Selective Service System (Draft) [04] --- (Surviving Children)
-- VA Homeless Vets [04] ----------------------- (On the Rise)
-- Vet Cemetery Florida [06] ------------- (HR 2642 Passes House)
-- SBA Vet Issues [04] -------------------- (HR 2366 Passes House)
-- VA Budget 2008 [06] ------------ (Senate Committee Approved)
-- VA Project HERO ----------------------- (Vet Groups Opposed)
-- Veteran Disinterment ----------------------- (Family Decision)
-- Credit Card Penalties ---------- (Congressional Hearing Impact)
-- Environmental Certificate Tng Program ---- (OIF/OEF/ONE Vets)
-- DoD Mental Health TF [04] ------------------ (Task Force Results)
-- Wounded Warrior Assistance [01] ----- (SASC Approves S.1606)
-- COLA 2008 [05] ----------------------- (0.8% above April's)
-- VDBC [18] ------------- (Disability Compensation Disparity)
-- Digital Camera Basics ------------------------- (How to Use)
-- Prostrate Problems [03] ------------------ (New Blood Test)
-- Texas Tuition Waiver Denials ----------- (Immigrant Vets)
-- Veteran Legislation Status 30 JUN 07 -------- (Where We Stand)
Editors Note: Attached is a listing of veteran legislation with
current cosponsor status that has been introduced in the 110th Congress.
To
see any of these bills passed into law representatives need input from
their veteran constituents to instruct them on how to vote.
.
TRICARE UNIFORM FORMULARY UPDATE 20: On 21 JUN, the DoD Beneficiary
Advisory Panel (BAP) met to review DoD proposals to move certain
cholesterol, prostate, and blood pressure medications to the third tier,
or $22
copay level. They also re-reviewed some acid reflux drugs that were
originally evaluated in 2005. Proposals included:
- To move cholesterol drugs Tricor, Antara, Omacor, and Welchol to the
third tier. Six cholesterol medications will remain on the formulary at
$3 or $9 copays. In order to persuade beneficiaries to use Triglide,
a low-cost brand-name drug, DoD is proposing to lower the $9 copay to
$3.
- To move prostate drug Avodart to the third tier, leaving the generic
Proscar on the formulary for $3.
- Re-evaluating certain acid reflux medications that were originally
reviewed in FEB 05. At the time, they moved multiple drugs,
including
Nexium, to $22, based on their relative high cost. Now, DoD has
gotten a
reduced price on Nexium and proposes to reduce its copay all the way
down to $3, even though it's not a generic drug. However, DoD is
proposing to put a "prior-authorization" requirement for this class of
drugs,
requiring beneficiaries to try either Nexium or Prilosec before being
authorized to use other drugs in the same class. Current
prescriptions
for the other acid reflux drugs would be grandfathered at $22. But
future prescriptions wouldn't be covered for those drugs, even for the $22
copay, unless Tricare approves a doctor's statement that there's a
medical necessity to prescribe them (e.g., because Prilosec and Nexium
aren't effective or have adverse effects for the patient).
- To move hypertension and chronic heart failure drugs Avapro,
Avalide, Benicar, and Diovan to the third tier. This would leave
Atacand,
Cozaar, Hyzaar, and Micardis on the formulary at the lower copay.
MOAA's CDR John Class (USN-Ret), a member of the BAP
convened to
comment on the proposed changes, took the opportunity to reiterate
concerns that beneficiaries using the affected drugs aren't being given
adequate notification about either the copayment change or about which
medications are still available for the lower copay. Since DoD doesn't
notify beneficiaries at all, and doesn't allow military associations time
to print the notices in their magazines, most beneficiaries do not find
out about the changes until their pharmacist starts charging them $22
instead of the $9. Without an education program, they usually just
grind their teeth and pay the $22, without being made aware of lower-cost
alternatives. This insensitive process causes both the beneficiary
and
the government to pay far more than they need to since because the
intended purpose of the copay increase (i.e. to cause beneficiaries
to
choose lower-cost medications) is unlikely to be realized. The
beneficiary panel's concerns will be submitted to Dr. S. Ward Casscells,
the new
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs), for final decision.
For more information on these and other drugs, refer to the Tricare
pharmacy web site www.tricare.mil/pharmacy/#. [Source: MOAA Leg Up
29 Jun
07++]
.
VA DATA BREACH UPDATE 34: The Veterans Affairs Department has set
aside more than $20 million to respond to its latest data breach. The
department does not expect to spend the full $20 million, but designated
that much because the breach potentially puts the identities of nearly a
million physicians and VA patients at risk, said Bob Howard, the
department's chief information officer. Howard spoke at The E-Gov
Institute's
Government Health IT Conference and Exhibition in Washington. "We have
no evidence that [information is at risk]. None whatsoever, but we
don't take the chance," Howard said. "The attitude of the VA right now is
if we think we've put anybody's information at risk, then we need to
step up to the plate and try to remedy that." The breach occurred in
January, when a hard drive went missing from a Birmingham AL VA medical
research facility. The drive contained highly sensitive information on
nearly all U.S. physicians and medical data for more than a half million
VA patients. Any physician who billed Medicaid and Medicare through 2004
could be affected.
The hard drive has not been recovered. The VA estimates
that about
half of the 1.3 million doctors whose information was on the hard
drive, and 254,000 veterans, are potentially at risk. This group was
notified by mail at the end of May. The letters noted that VA is providing
credit monitoring services through a General Services Administration
blanket purchase agreement from the multiple award schedules program. The
credit monitoring funds will come out of the VA's fiscal 2007 cyber
security budget, but Congress included an extra $15 million in the
recently
passed emergency supplemental bill for funding the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan (H.R. 2206). Because the January data breach occurred in a
medical research facility, the technology office tried to get health
care-related funds reprogrammed to cover the credit monitoring, Howard
noted, but the effort was unsuccessful. Investigators are still trying to
locate the hard drive and the FBI has offered a $25,000 reward for
information leading to its return. [Source: GOVEXEC.com Daniel
Pulliam
article 14 Jan 07 ++]
.
VA DATA BREACH UPDATE 35: The VA Inspector Generals internal report
on the Alabama VA hospital that lost sensitive data on more than 1.5
million people in January reported their investigation found:
- The hospital had repeatedly failed to follow privacy regulations
leading up to the incident.
- The employee directly responsible for the data initially lied to
investigators and deleted files from his computer in an effort to hide the
magnitude of the problem.
- The vast majority of the data, including Social Security numbers and
private health information, was not protected by passwords or computer
encryption. It could be used to commit Medicare billing fraud or
identity theft, the report said, and
- The employee should never have had much of it in the first place.
The report found a dysfunctional management structure that led to an
overall breakdown of Managers failed to provide hands-on oversight,
improperly used non-VA e-mail and selected an insecure office location
without properly considering data security, it said. Although VA policy
calls for protecting data through a computer scrambling process called
encryption, the managers decided instead to lock the external drives in
safes. But employees often left the drives outside the safes or took them
offsite and there was no system for monitoring who accessed the safe,
the report said. The criminal investigation into the drives
disappearance remains open, and the inspector general reported finding no
evidence of identity theft related to the information thus far.
The report, released 29 JUN, recommends administrative
action
against several employees, including the staffer, the managers of the
program where he worked and the head of the Birmingham VA Medical Center.
VA officials in Birmingham referred questions regarding the report to
the national office, which did not respond to phone calls Friday
afternoon. In a written response to the report, the department did not
dispute
the findings, management oversight, controls, and accountability at
the research site where the drive disappeared. The security breach
occurred on Jan 22, when employees discovered an external computer hard
drive missing from a satellite office that conducts specialty research on
health care. Because the employee responsible for the drive initially
lied about how much information was on it, the VA initially reported
publicly that fewer than 50,000 people were affected. But investigators
later determined that the drive contained information for more than
250,000 veterans and about 1.3 million medical providers across the
country.
The VA, which didnt finish sending notifications until May 22, has
since offered free credit monitoring to nearly 900,000 people whose Social
Security numbers appear to have been compromised. The report marks the
latest in a series of critical assessments of VA data-security
practices. The agency has come under scrutiny for more than a year over a
series of lapses, including the theft last spring of data on 26.5 million
veterans from an employees home in Maryland. [Source:
Associated
Press Ben Evans article
29 Jun 07++]
.
VETERANS PRIDE INITIATIVE UPDATE 01: Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim
Nicholson is urging all veterans across the country to pin on their
military medals this Independence Day, July 4, to show their patriotism
and pride in their service. Nicholson said, We want to inspire the
American people to recognize and honor the military service of their
fellow
citizens, and to engender a greater sense of pride and satisfaction on
the part of the veterans for what they did for our country. This
initiative shines a bright light on millions of our fellow citizens who
answered the needs of our nation both in peace and in war. Nicholson
encourages the 24 million living Americans who have served in the armed
forces to display their medals on the Fourth of July by pinning them on
their civilian clothing over their left breast. Nicholson first urged
veterans to wear their military decorations last Veterans Day under a
program called Veterans Pride Initiative. The Initiative asks veterans
to
wear their medals on Independence Day, Memorial Day and Veterans Day,
and when attending other patriotic events. Major U.S. veterans
organizations have endorsed the initiative. For additional information
about
the initiative refer to
http://www.va.gov/veteranspride/, where veterans
can also learn how to replace lost medals or confirm the decorations
to which they are entitled. [Source: VA Press Release 29 Jun
07 ++]
TMOP UPDATE 07: A two-year test authorized by the 2007 National
Defense Authorization Act now allows Tricare beneficiaries to substitute
over-the-counter (OTC) versions of certain prescription drugs without a
copayment. For now, the test includes the Tricare Mail Order
Pharmacy
(TMOP) only. Plans call for expansion to retail network pharmacies once
program details are ironed out. The drugs included in this test
initially are among the most widely prescribed those treating
gastro-intestinal disorders, said Army MG Elder Granger, Deputy Director,
Tricare
Management Activity. Known as proton pump inhibitors, this class
of
medications includes the prescription drugs Nexium, Prevacid, Aciphex,
Protonix, Zegerid and Prilosec. Under the test, beneficiaries receiving a
prescription proton pump inhibitor are eligible to receive Prilosec
OTC, the only proton pump inhibitor available over the counter. The
Department of Defense Pharmacy and Therapeutic Committee found there is no
significant clinical difference between Prilosec OTC and its
prescription-only counterparts. By requesting that their doctors
prescribe the
OTC version, beneficiaries can save money on their copay, and there is
the additional potential to save the government money as well, said
Granger. OTCs are generally less expensiveby as much as 400% in
some
cases.
Once the OTC test
works its way to retail pharmacies,
beneficiaries should not expect to walk into any drug store and get OTC
products at no charge at the register, caution Tricare officials.
Beneficiaries will still have to get a prescription from their doctor for
the
OTC drugs. Beneficiaries already taking the selected prescription proton
pump inhibitors through the mail order pharmacy will get a letter
telling them about the new program whenever they order medications that
qualify them to participate in the OTC test project. Tricare encourages
beneficiaries who havent used the mail order pharmacy in the past, but
are taking medications included in the test, to get information on how to
sign up at
http://www.tricare.mil/pharmacy/tmop.cfm. Through the mail
order program, initially beneficiaries can get up to a 90-day supply
and have it delivered right to their mailbox. Medication classes
under
consideration for future testing include topical anti-fungals and
non-sedating antihistamines. [Source: Tricare News Release 29 Jun 07 ++]
VA DUTY TO VETERANS FAMILIES: Army veteran Arvid Brown, while serving
in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, was bitten by
sand flies and contracted the parasitic disease Leishmaniasis. Sand fly
bites are the most common vector by which this infectious disease is
transmitted to humans. Upon discharge from active duty, Mr. Brown of Flint
was treated at Michigan VA hospitals for service related symptoms on
over 50 visits. The VA never looked for Leishmaniasis as a cause of his
symptoms, ignoring his service and medical history. He was finally
diagnosed by a private physician in Michigan with Leishmaniasis in 1998.
His wife was infected with Leishmaniasis because no one ever diagnosed
Browns and told him of the infectious nature of this disease and its
ability to be transmitted by sexual activity. Mrs. Brown gave birth to two
children both of whom were infected with Leishmaniasis in the womb. As
she struggled to care for her husband and look after two young
children with cerebral palsy, her own health rapidly deteriorated. She
died at
home of cancer
His wife and children sued the VA under the Federal
Torts Claim
Act in SEP 04 because they were infected with Leishmaniasis. The
Government sought to have the case dismissed claiming that the VA owed no
duty
to the Veterans family. The family claimed that VA doctors committed
malpractice in not diagnosing Leishmaniasis and failing to warn the
wife that the disease could be transmitted to her and the children. Judge
John Corbett OMeara of the United States District Court, Eastern
District of Michigan, denied the Governments Motion for Judgment on the
Pleadings which claimed that the Government owed no duty to the family of
a Veteran in an Order dated 18 JUN 07. The Court, relying on Michigan
law, concluded that VA doctors do owe family members a duty to warn of
risk when patients present with symptoms of a disease that is well known
to be contagious. A duty of reasonable care may arise on the part of
the Government. The case against the VA will continue and the parties
have agreed to try the issues of liability in the fall of 2007.
[Source:
Detroit News Paul Egan article 19 Jun 07 ++]
VA MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT UPDATE 01: The VA Committee approved a Sen.
Jon Tester [D-MT] proposal to increase the mileage reimbursement rate
for disabled vets who have to travel for VA health care. Previous
attempts to increase the travel reimbursement rate never passed the VA
Committee. Testers plan calls for increasing the VAs travel
reimbursement
rate by more than 250%, from 11-cents to 28 ½ cents per mile. The
measure also allows the VA to increase that rate to 48 ½ cents per mile in
the future. Its the first rate increase in 30 years. The VA
Committee
also approved a plan by a bipartisan trio of senators, including
Tester, to create a $6 million grant program to give more transportation
options to vets who live in rural areas. It also gives the VA
authority to
create pilot projects aimed at expanding health care in rural areas.
Testers health care improvements are included in S.1233, a
comprehensive veterans health care improvement bill. The bill now
goes to the
full Senate for consideration. [Source: Jon Tester Press
Release 27 Jun
07 ++]
FILIPINO VET INEQUITIES UPDATE 02: The Senate Committee on Veterans'
Affairs on 27 JUN approved legislation authored by U.S. Senator Daniel.
K. Inouye that corrects a wrongful action committed against Filipino
veterans of World War II, and provides them with fair and equitable
treatment. Under Senator Inouye's provisions that are part of the
Veterans'
Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007, Filipino veterans of World War II
would be officially restored to full veterans status, making them eligible
for VA benefits and healthcare services that had been denied to them.
Here are the highlights of the Filipino equity provisions:
- Restores full veterans status to Filipino veterans of World War II
who lost this status under the Rescission Acts of 1946. This ends a
long-standing injustice, and fulfills our nation's promises to those who
served.
- Pays Filipino veterans of World War II who suffer from disabilities
incurred or aggravated by military service with service-connected
compensation at the full rate, regardless of where they live.
- Permits Filipino veterans of World War II and survivors residing in
the United States to receive pensions and death pensions paid at the
same rate and under the same conditions as U.S. veterans.
- Provides Filipino veterans of World War II residing outside of the
United States a special pension and death pension paid at a lower flat
rate which does not require documentation of income, assets, and medical
expenses.
The legislation has Filipino veterans and survivors residing outside of
the United States being paid at a lower rate because pension benefits
are not paid for disabilities related to military service. They are
paid to help improve the quality of life for wartime veterans and
survivors with very low incomes. Also, virtually all elderly Filipino
veterans
of World War II are expected to have income and assets - which if
counted under U.S. rules - would make them eligible for pensions.
Therefore, by establishing a special pension program that is simpler and
less
costly to administer, these veterans will not have their income and
assets counted or medical expenses deducted in determining eligibility for
the flat rate pension. Another reason for the lower flat rate for
Filipino veterans and survivors living outside of the United States: the
wartime pension program requires monitoring and verification of income,
assets, and medical expenses of pensioners. Income is verified in
the
United States through data matches with the Social Security
Administration and the Internal Revenue Service. These kinds of
systems are not
available in the Philippines. The bill S.0057 now advances to the Senate
floor for debate and vote. [Source: Senator Daniel Inouye Press Release
29 Jun 07 ++]
TRICARE ANESTHETIC COVERAGE EXPANSION: Tricare will implement coverage
for anesthesia services and associated costs for dental treatment for
beneficiaries with developmental, mental or physical disabilities, and
children age 5 or under beginning 1 JUL 07. Additionally, Tricare
encourages beneficiaries who received these services between 17 OCY 06 and
1 JUL 07 to contact their Tricare regional contractor for help with
reimbursement. Tricare will do all that is possible to ensure that
beneficiaries receive the appropriate payment for these services received
since 17 OCT 06 said Army Maj. Gen. Elder Granger, Tricares Deputy
Director. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2007 legislated the
change, and Tricare revised the regional contracts to expand coverage for
the services. The services require preauthorization through the
regional Tricare contractors. The change in statute does
not provide
coverage for the actual dental care services. Coverage for dental
care
services is available through the Tricare Dental Program and the Tricare
Retiree Dental Program. Tricare reminds beneficiaries that to avoid
costly and extensive dental procedures requiring anesthesia, children
should
start seeing a dentist by the time their first tooth appears or by
their first birthday; this helps to prevent tooth decay and other oral
diseases. Decay is the single most common chronic childhood dental
diseaseand its completely preventable, Granger said. [Source:
Tricare
News Release 2 Jun 07 ++]
SSA COLA 2008: The annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2008
may be one of the lowest in the history of the program. This gloomy
outlook is from the 2007 Social Security Trustees report dted 23 APR07
that
recently forecast the COLA in 2008 would be just 1.4%. For a senior
with an average monthly benefit of $1044 in 2007 that's boost of just
$14.60 per month next year. The increase in Medicare Part B
premiums,
however, could take a substantial chunk, if not all of that. But
government experts seem unable to say just how much Part B premiums will
be in
2008. Part B premiums pose such a problem, that Congress was told
the
estimates supplied in the 2007 Medicare Trustees report are
substantially understated. Under more realistic alternate
projections based on
pending legislative changes, Medicare actuaries say that monthly Part B
premiums will increase at least $7.90, from $93.50 to about $101.40 in
2008 for seniors with incomes under $80,000. Actual inflation and
legislation changes that Congress makes prior to the announcement of the
2008 COLA and Part B premium later in the fall will affect the final
amounts.
To help seniors better keep pace with rising costs, two
bills,
both called "The Consumer Price Index For Elderly Consumers Act," have
recently been introduced. Representative Charles Gonzalez (D-TX-20)
introduced H.R.1953 with Representative Robert Wexler (D-FL-19) as an
original co-sponsor. In addition Representative Peter DeFazio
(D-OR-04)
introduced H.R. 2032. Both bills would tie Social Security COLA
increases
to the CPI for Elderly Consumers (CPI-E) that tracks the spending
patterns of older Americans. By doing so, seniors would see much needed
relief in their monthly checks. For example, a senior who retired
with an
average benefit of $460 in 1984 would have received an additional
$10,289 in benefits over the past 23 years had the government used the
CPI-E
to calculate the COLA. Although the difference in COLAs is modest at
first, the effect is cumulative and grows over time. Today the
senior
who retired in 1984 with a benefit of $460 receives about $910 per
month. Had the government used the CPI-E however, that person would
receive a monthly check that's $97 higher. [Source: TSCL Newsletter
Jun 07
++]
RESERVE E-MAIL SYSTEM: The Navy Reserve has brought a new e-mail
system online that organizers hope will make it easier to communicate with
reservists in the fleet. Lt. Adam Bashaw, spokesman for the Navy
Reserve, said the new system allows reservists or anyone else with an
interest
in the workings of the Navy Reserve to access daily messages, media
stories about the Navy Reserve or read other items of interest.
Subscribers can also opt out of any category that does not interest them
(something that the current Navy Reserve e-mail system does not allow) and
can
end their subscription whenever they wish. The system became
operational 22 Jun 07. Navy Reserve officials hope that as many as 20,000
people
will sign up, Bashaw said. An older Navy Reserve e-mail system has
about 8,000 subscribers. Such a system is especially important for
reservists because many are deployed around the world, and many of those
are
not in daily contact with their commands, he said. The new system should
improve such communications during emergencies since it also has an
emergency distribution list, which enables Navy Reserve officials to
quickly reach reservists. Text messaging was often the most effective way
for the Navy Reserve Forces Command to communicate with its sailors in
2005 after Hurricane Katrina hit the New Orleans area, where the command
is based. Subscription to the e-mail system is voluntary, but the
Navy Reserve wants as many members as it can get to sign up. People
interested in subscribing should visit
https://listserv.navyreserve.navy.mil.
[Source: NavyTimes Chris Amos article 27 Jun 07 ++]
RESERVE RETIREMENT AGE UPDATE 11: A Senate proposal to provide early
reserve retirement benefits is mostly window dressing, according to a
report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The plan
approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee as part of its version of
the 2008 defense authorization bill would allow reservists to earn
retired pay earlier that age 60, when payments now start, for serving on
active duty. Specifically, the plan would allow reservists who are called
to active duty for at least 90 days to receive their retired pay three
months earlier for every three months of service. Only time served
after the bill becomes law would count. In a report released 24 JUN, the
CBO estimated the provision would have an insignificant effect on the
defense budget, costing as little as $35 million over the next five
years. The report said, Relatively few reservists would be able to
take
advantage of this provision in the near future. As most reservists stop
active participation in the reserves well before their 60th birthday,
few reservists nearing retirement over the next decade will have served
on active duty during that decade. Despite the small impact, the
provision whose chief sponsor is Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) has the
backing of the Military Coalition, an umbrella group of more than 30
military-related organizations. Michael Cline of the Enlisted
Association of
the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS) said, It starts
something. We are hoping for an amendment on the Senate floor that would,
at least, make the benefit retroactive to cover service since Sept. 11,
2001. Senator Chambliss may be trying, but what he has done has not
made most associations very happy, said one military association
executive, who asked to not be identified. Right now, this bill says to
the
600,000 or so National Guard and reserve members called up since 9/11
that their service doesnt count. Senator Chambliss is also the author
of S.0648, The National Guard and Reserve Modernization Act. That
bill
introduced 15 FEB 07 has only gained 12 cosponsors in the Senate which
further supports the concept of the issue being window dressing.
[Source: NavyTimes Rick Maze article 27 Jun 07 ++]
VA CATEGORY 8 CARE UPDATE 03: U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI),
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, announced 27 JUN
the Committees passage of a key provision of S. 1233, the Traumatic
Brain Injury and Other Health Programs Enhancement Act of 2007, that would
allow Priority 8 veterans back into the VA health care system. The
legislation would not modify the enrollment management provisions
contained in the 1996 law that opened the VA system up to all veterans,
but
would merely permit the enrollment of Priority 8 veterans during Fiscal
Year 2008 by rescinding the VA regulation that originally banned them.
Priority 8 veterans are middle-income veterans with no service-connected
disabilities. For VAs state-by-state geographical means test
thresholds that determine Priority 8 status, go to:
http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/Library/pubs/GMTIncomeThresholds/
Chairman Akaka said, The prohibition on Priority 8 veterans
severely affects veterans in states like Hawaii, where the cost of living
is
one of this countrys highest. On average, a veteran making only
$36,400 a year in Hawaii has been cut out of the VA system. This is
an
especially unjust policy when our Nation is at war
It has long been the
position of my Democratic colleagues and I that veterans should have
access to VA health care services. According to VAs own estimates,
as many
as 1.5 million veterans have been denied care since enrollment was
closed in 2003. We have fought hard to see that these veterans who
have
served their country honorably get the care they deserve
In fact, many
of these veterans will bring their own private insurance with them, and
will continue to pay copayments for their care. They can essentially
contribute to the VA health care system as a whole. S. 1233 will now
move to the full Senate for consideration. [Source: VA Press Release
27
Jun 07 ++]
CHANGING MILITARY RECORDS: If you feel there is an error or an
injustice in your military personnel records you can apply to your
service's
Board for the Correction of Military Records whether you are active
duty, separated, or retired,. Any person with military records, or his or
her heirs or legal representative, may apply to the appropriate
service's Board. The Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard have separate
boards. The
Navy operates the Board for both Navy personnel and members of the
United States Marine Corps. Title 10, United States Code, Section 1552, is
the law governing correction of military records. This statute
authorizes the Secretary of the service concerned to correct any military
record when "necessary to correct an error or injustice." The purpose of
this statute was to relieve the Congress from consideration of private
bills to correct errors or injustices in military records. The
statute
provides for the service secretaries to act through a board of appointed
civilians in considering applications for correction of military
records. Implementing regulations for each service are:
- AFI 36-2603, Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records,
implements the statute within the Air Force.
- Army Regulation 15-185 implements the statute within the Army.
- The Code of Federal Regulations; Title 33, Part 52;2. implements the
statute within the Coast Guard.
- The Navy and Marine Corps implements the statute through The Navy,
Code of Federal Regulations; Title 32, Part 723.
You should exhaust other administrative remedies before appealing to
your service's board. For example, you should first submit a performance
report appeal to the appropriate appeal agency before appealing to your
service's military records correction board.. An appeal requesting
upgrade of discharge should normally be submitted to the service's
Discharge Review Board under Department of Defense Directive (DoDD)
1332.28,
Discharge Review Board (DRB) Procedures and Standards. The board will
return your application if you have not first sought relief through the
appropriate administrative process. You should submit your request
within 3 years after you discover, or reasonably could have discovered,
the
error or injustice. The boards review the merits of untimely
applications. If found to be meritorious, the timeliness is waived in the
interest of justice. You should not assume, however, that a waiver will be
granted. [Source: About.com: US Military Rod Powers article 25 Jun 07 ++]
CHANGING MILITARY RECORDS UPDATE 01: To apply for a change to your
military records use a DD Form 149, Application for Correction of
Military Record Section 1552 for submission to your services Board for
the
Correction of Military Records. You should complete the form very
carefully by typing or printing the requested information. Attach copies
of
statements or records that are relevant to your case. Make sure you sign
item 16 of the form. Mail the completed form to the appropriate
address on the back side of the form. The Board will correct your military
records only if you can prove that you are the victim of error or
injustice. You do this by providing evidence, such as signed statements
from
you and other witnesses or copies of records that support your case. It
is not enough to provide the names of witnesses. The Board will not
contact your witnesses to obtain statements. You should contact your
witnesses to get their signed statements with your request. Your own
statement is important. Begin in item 9 of the DD Form 149 and continue in
item 17, if necessary. You may also put your statement on plain paper and
attach it to the form. Limit your statement to not more than 25 pages.
Explain what happened and why it is an error or injustice in simple,
direct terms.
Normally, the best evidence is statements from persons
who have
direct knowledge or involvement. For example, statements from persons in
your rating chain if you are contesting a performance report. Or a
statement from the person who counseled you if you are alleging that
person
miscounseled you. Character references from community leaders and
others who know you are helpful if you are requesting clemency based on
post-service activities and accomplishments. This is only a general rule,
however. You must decide what evidence will best support your case. It
may take you some time to gather statements and records to support your
request. You may wish to delay submission of your application until
information gathering is complete. You should, however, submit your
request within the 3-year time limit.
With few exceptions, all personnel records generated by
the
military may be corrected by the Board. The Board cannot, however, change
the
verdict of a courts-martial imposed after 4 MAY 50. In these cases,
the Boards authority is limited to changing the sentence received on the
basis of clemency. The Board will mail you a copy of the applicable
service regulation at your request. Most applicants represent themselves.
If your request is complex, you may want someone to represent you:
Many veteran service organizations have staff members who will represent
you in applying to the Board. You can obtain a list of these
organizations by writing to the Board (see addresses on reverse side of DD
Form
149). You may also hire a lawyer to represent you at your own expense.
You should name your representative on DD Form 149, item 7. The Executive
Director of the Board must approve any representative other than a
veteran service organization staff member or a lawyer.
If you name a representative, the Board will
normally deal with
your representative rather than directly with you. Advice and guidance
are available from many sources. Military Personnel specialists can
advise you on personnel issues. Veteran service organizations will advise
you even though you decide to represent yourself. You may discuss your
case with a Board staff member, or you may write to the Board, and a
staff member will respond to your questions. You may request a personal
appearance before the Board by checking the appropriate box on DD Form
149, item 6. The Board will decide whether a personal appearance is
necessary to decide your case. Travel expenses are your responsibility.
The
Board grants very few personal appearances, so you should try to fully
present your case in writing. If your request for a personal appearance
is granted, the Board will provide you with the necessary details.
Upon receipt of your application by the Board one or
more offices
within your military service (JAG, hospital, personnel, etc.) will
prepare an advisory opinion on your case. The advisory opinion will
be
sent to with your case file. If the advisory opinion recommends denial of
your request, the Board will send it to you for comment. Remember that
the advisory opinion is only a recommendation. The Board will make the
decision on your case. The Board will ask for your comments on the
advisory opinion within 30 days. You may request an additional 30 days if
you need it. Reasonable requests are normally granted. It may be
unnecessary for you to comment on the advisory opinion. If you have
nothing
further to say, dont bother to respond. Failure to comment on an
advisory opinion does not mean you agree. Nor will it prevent a full and
fair
consideration of your application. [Source: About.com: US Military Rod
Powers article 25 Jun 07 ++]
CHANGING MILITARY RECORDS UPDATE 02: Each Service Secretary appoints
high-level civilian employees who work for the military service
concerned to serve on the Board for the Correction of Military Records.
Service is normally an additional duty for those appointed. Usually about
47
people serve on the Board. Members are randomly assigned to
three-member panels for consideration of cases. Cases are randomly
assigned to
panels. Board staff members research issues and provide technical advice
to the panel members. They do not take sides or recommend a decision to
the panel. Panel members receive a copy of the case for study before
they meet. They normally discuss your case in closed session before
voting. Their decision is based on the evidence in the case file. The
majority rules, but a dissenting member may submit a minority opinion for
consideration by the Service Secretary or his/her designee. Following the
vote on your case, the panel Chairperson signs a record of proceedings.
The record of proceedings will explain the reasons for the decision on
your case. The Service Secretary concerned has the final authority to
accept or reject a recommendation of the Board. In most cases, it is
accepted. When the BOC completes your case, the decision is mailed to
you. If relief is granted, your records will be corrected and
finance
personnel will review your case to see if you are due any monetary
benefits. The Board is the highest level of administrative appeal and
provides
the final military decision. If your case is denied, your next step is
to request reconsideration or file a suit in the court system. If you
request reconsideration the Board will reconsider your case only if you
provide newly discovered relevant evidence that was not reasonably
available when you filed your original application. The evidence may
pertain to the timeliness of your application or to its merits. You should
submit your request for reconsideration within a reasonable time after
you discover the new evidence. Re-argument of the same evidence will not
get your case reconsidered. [Source: About.com: US Military Rod Powers
article 25 Jun 07 ++]
COMMUNICATING WITH CONGRESS UPDATE 02: Calling your congressional
representative in Washington D.C. is easier than you think. Congress
and
the AMA have provided the following no charge numbers for constituents
to talk to their elected officials offices located in the Capital
Building:
1-866-272-6622 Capital Operator Direct
1-800-833-6354 AMA Grass Roots Hotline - follow prompts
1-800-828-0498 Capital Operator Direct
1-800-833-6354 AMA Grass Roots Hotline follow prompts
1-866-340-9281 Capital Operator Direct
1-866-220-0044 Capital Operator Direct
1. When the capitol operator answers, tell her which Senate or House
office you want.
2. When the office answers, tell the staffer that you are a
constituent and that you want your Senator/Representative to vote for or
against
whichever bill you are concerned about or what other issue you have.
For a listing of all bills refer to
http://thomas.loc.gov.
3. Provide additional information requested by the staffer
4. Be polite and courteous, remember the staffer is simply the
"messenger".
[Source: MRGRG Harry Riley msg 25 Jun 07 ++]
PTSD UPDATE 15: Veterans returning from combat zones in Afghanistan
and Iraq can soon opt to take part in a new post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) treatment program at the Veterans Home of California at
Yountville. A $5.6 million private grant provided by will cover the
fundamental costs of the program an enterprise of San Franciscos Tides
Center
supervised by the California Department of Veterans Affairs and keep
it up and running for three years, according to a press release from
the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Called The Pathway
Home, the program will counsel and treat veterans facing a range of
mental
health issues including post-traumatic stress disorder. The program
will offer assistance from a host of professionals, including PTSD
counselors, doctors, nurses, family therapists, physical therapists and
dietitians. Steve Schilling, special representative for the Vets Home,
said
the program will cost approximately $1.25 million annually, adding that
Fred Gusman of the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System will
direct the enterprise. The program, to be launched in AUG 07, will be
held at Madison Hall on Vets Home grounds and can accommodate up to 40
people at a time. Marcella McCormack, administrator of the Vets Home,
said veterans will reside at the Vets Home for treatment from 30 to 120
days and then return to their communities. After the completion of
treatment, she said, veterans will keep in close contact with program
counselors. The Veterans Home of California located at 180 California
Drive
can be contacted by mail or phone at: P.O. Box 1200, Yountville,
California 94599 Tel: (707) 944-4541 Fax: (707) 944-4542. [Source:
Napa
Valley Register Natalie Hoffman article 21 Jun 07 ++]
AO COMPENSATION [NON-VIETNAM] UPDATE 03: As required by law, the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hereby gives notice that the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs, under authority of the Veterans Education and
Benefits Expansion Act of 2001, Public Law 107-103, Section 201(d), has
determined that a presumption of service connection is not warranted (i.e.
for conflicts other than Vietnam) based on exposure to herbicides
used
in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam Era for the following
health outcomes: Hepatobiliary cancers; oral, nasal, and pharyngeal
cancer; bone and joint cancer; skin cancers (melanoma, basal, and squamous
cell); breast cancer; female reproductive cancer (cervix, uterus, and
ovary); testicular cancer; urinary bladder cancer; renal cancer;
leukemia (other than chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)); abnormal sperm
characteristics and infertility; spontaneous abortion; neonatal or infant
death and stillbirth in offspring of exposed individuals; low birth
weight in offspring of exposed individuals; neurobehavioral disorders
(cognitive and neuropsychiatric); movement disorders including Parkinsons
disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); chronic peripheral
nervous system disorders; respiratory disorders; gastrointestinal,
metabolic, and digestive disorders (changes in liver enzymes, lipid
abnormalities, ulcers); immune system disorders (immune suppression,
autoimmunity);
circulatory disorders; amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis;
endometriosis; effects on thyroid homeostasis; gastrointestinal tumors
(esophagus, stomach, pancreas, colon, rectum; brain tumors; and any other
condition for which the Secretary has not specifically determined a
presumption of service connection is warranted.
The Secretarys determinations regarding individual
diseases are
based on all available evidence in a 2004 report of the National Academy
of Sciences (NAS) and prior NAS reports. This notice generally states
specific information only with respect to significant additional
studies that were first reviewed by NAS in its 2004 report. Information
regarding additional relevant studies is stated in VAs prior notices
following earlier NAS reports, are not repeated here. NAS reviewed
scientific
and medical articles published since the publication of its first
report as an integral part of the process that resulted in Veterans and
Agent Orange: Update 2004. The comprehensive review and evaluation of
the available literature that NAS conducted in conjunction with its
report has permitted VA to identify all conditions for which the current
body of knowledge supports a finding of an association with herbicide
exposure. Accordingly, the Secretary has determined that there is no
positive association between exposure to herbicides and any other
condition
for which he has not specifically determined that a presumption of
service connection is warranted. For further information contact: Rhonda
F.
Ford, Consultant, Regulations Staff, Compensation and Pension Service,
Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810
Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20420, (202) 273-7210. [Source:
Gordon H. Mansfield, Deputy Secretary of VA notice 5 Jun 07 ++]
NATO AIR FORCE MEDALS: Air Force military members and civilians who
have served 30 consecutive or accumulated days in any of four NATO
operations may be eligible for a NATO medal. The missions are Operation
Eagle Assist in the United States between 12 OCT 01, and 16 MAY 02;
Operation Active Endeavor in the Mediterranean Sea that began 26 OCT 01;
the
International Security Force (ISAF) mission in the Balkans, which began
1 JAN 03, including Bosnia-Herzegovina, the former Republic of
Yugoslavia (including Kosovo), Croatia, Macedonia and Albania; and the
ISAF
mission in Afghanistan which began 1 JUN 03. The duty must be listed on a
Combined Joint Statement of Requirements, and the individual must have
a source document such as a NATO certificate, according to the Air
Force Personnel Center. The 30-day requirement will be waived for
individuals who were wounded or injured during the operation and had to be
evacuated. [Source: Armed Forces News 22 Jun 07 ++]
VA CATEGORY 8 CARE UPDATE 02: A new study has found about 1.8 million
U.S. veterans under age 65 lack even basic health insurance or access to
care at Veterans Affairs hospitals. The ranks of uninsured veterans
have increased by 290,000 since 2000, said Stephanie J. Woolhandler, the
Harvard Medical School professor who presented her findings yesterday
before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. About 12.7% of
non-elderly veteransor one in eightlacked health coverage in 2004, the
most
recent year for which figures are available, she said, up from 9.9% in
2000. Veterans 65 and older are eligible for Medicare. About 45 million
Americans, or 15% of the population, were uninsured in 2005, the Census
Bureau reports. Woolhandlers findings are based on data from two
national surveysthe Current Population Survey administered by the Census
Bureau and the National Health Interview Survey administered by the
Department of Health and Human Services. Veterans who said they had
neither
health insurance nor veterans or military health care were counted as
uninsured.
Woolhandler is a well-known advocate of guaranteeing
access to
health care for all Americans through a government-run national health
insurance program. Republican lawmakers seized on that association to
question whether she was trying to advance that goal with her study.
Woolhandler said the data are sound. She has firsthand experience with the
issue as well, she said, because as a physician she has seen uninsured
veterans with untreated high blood pressure, diabetes and other
conditions. The focus of the hearing was whether to open VA hospitals
doors to
so-called Priority 8 veterans, who have no service-connected
disabilities and whose earnings generally are above 80% of the median
income
where they live. Doing so would add significantly to VAs caseload and
costsestimates range from $366 million to $3.3 billion annuallyand some
veterans groups and lawmakers are concerned that it would make it harder
for veterans with serious service-related health problems to get
timely care. Only about half of the 1.8 million uninsured veterans are
classified Priority 8, Woolhandler said. The rest may technically be
eligible for some VA care but live too far from its facilities for it to
be a
real option, she said.
Rep. Steve Buyer (R- IN), the committees ranking
Republican,
said, Veterans Affairs should focus on its core constituent (i.e.
veterans
with service-related health problems, the indigent and those with
catastrophic disabilities). Some say the government is obliged to provide
essentially free health care for life to anyone who served even a year
or two. I intend to protect the core constituency first. But Rep. Bob
Filner (D-CA.), the committees chairman, said taking care of veterans
is a continuing cost of war. All veterans should have access to their
health-care system, he said. This is rationing health care to
veterans, those who have served our nation. And I think its unacceptable
for
a nation of our wealth and our ability. [Source: Washington
Post
Christopher Lee article 21 Jun 07 ++]
COMPUTER SECURITY: Spyware, which is a software program that installs
itself (without your knowledge) on your computer. After its installed,
the software collects information about you, and when youre online it
sends the information to the spyware programs owner. Most spyware
fits into one of two categories: Surveillance or Advertising.
Surveillance spyware scans documents on your computer and can capture
your
keystrokes as you type. It can spy on forms youre filling out on a Web
site
(such as your login password or your credit card number) and the text
you enter in a chat window. Government and detective agencies have been
known to use this type of software, as have jealous spouses. Advertising
spyware is software that is installed when youre installing other
software (usually software you download from the Internet) or that is
installed in the background while youre visiting a Web site. Its common
for advertising spyware to be included (without your being told) when
you install software thats advertised as No charge, if you dont mind
seeing advertisements when you use it.
One of the most pervasive distributors of spyware is software
you
download to take advantage of peer to peer file exchanges (for music
and video). Advertising spyware logs information about your computer and
about you. The information includes passwords, your Web browsing
habits, your online buying habits, and so on.cBoth types of spyware can
also
install viruses and worms on your computer. Many of them change your
browser settings (such as your home page), and your efforts to correct
the changes are temporary; the spyware changes them again. One of the
annoying features of spyware is its connection to pop-up ads. Using the
information it has collected about you, the spyware initiates pop-up ads
whenever you connect to a Web site. The spyware software producer
receives income whenever you respond to one of these pop-up ads, so the
theory is the more the better. After a while, using the Internet
becomes almost impossible because of the barrage of pop-ups. Regardless of
your Internet Explorer controls for your children, the pop-ups often
contain pornography.
Obviously, the best way to avoid spywar intrusion is
not to
install software from the internet or use peer to peer file exchanges.
If it
should be inadvertently installed in your computer the only way to
remove it is to use software designed for that purpose. The following
programs are well regarded by computer professionals to accomplish this:
- Spybot S&D (for Search & Destroy)
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/.
(No charge but donations
requested)
- Ad-Aware from Lavasoft
http://www.lavasoftusa.com. (No charge to $40
dependent on program desired)
- Spysweeper
http://www.spam-blockers.com/spy-sweeper.html. ($30 to
$40 dependent on program desired)
- Windows Defender
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=435BFCE7-DA2B-4A6A-AFA4-F7F14E605A0D&displaylang=en
(will not support WIN2000). No charge.
[Source: MRGRG Don Harribine msg 20 Jun 07 ++]
USFSPA LAWSUIT UPDATE 13: Twenty-six years after Congress accepted its
invitation in the case of McCarty v. McCarty to spell out divorce
courts limits for dividing veterans retired pay, the Supreme Court
declined on 18 JUN 07, to review a challenge from divorced veterans that
the
resulting statute entitled the Uniform Services Former Spouses
Protection Act (USFSPA) is unconstitutional. Tired of unsuccessful
legislative
efforts against the statute a group of divorced veterans formed the
USFSPA Litigation Support Group (ULSG) to challenge the law in court.
Forty-eight divorced veterans (both men and women) affected by the law who
served in the militarys major branches signed onto the lawsuit filed
in 2004 in the U.S. District Court in Alexandria VA, under the title
Adkins, et al. v.Rumsfeld, which later was renamed Adkins v.Gates, to
reflect the replacement of the Secretary of Defense. The lawsuit
worked
its way from the federal trial court to the U.S. Court of Appeals in
Richmond, with both courts refusing to grant relief against the USFSPA but
also acknowledging that the law is not airtight against attacks by
future litigants. The divorced veterans then petitioned the U.S.
Supreme
Court to review the USFSPAs constitutionality. On 18 JUN, the
Supreme
Court declined the review petition without comment.
The USFSPA, enacted in 1982, does not give spouses a
right to a
specific amount of money in a divorce settlement. The decision whether to
award part of retirement pay, and the amount, is up to state courts,
and the amounts vary widely. Most pensions, including those of police
officers and federal employees, and other occupations, are subject to
division in divorce cases. A number of changes to the law have been made
in the favor of former spouses, and service members need some additional
protections. The ULSG contends that Congress may have meant well in
enacting the USFSPA, but that the law has resulted in harsh consequences
to divorced veterans, many of them unanticipated and unintended. In
this litigation, the divorced veterans asserted that among the laws
failings is that it does not even exempt veterans who joined the military
before the law was ever passed. The litigants assert that this amounts
to an unconstitutionally retroactive application of the law and
unconstitutional taking of property, seeing that the law was passed only
after
the Supreme Court said that veterans retirement pay could not be
divided in divorce court.
After the divorced veterans petitioned the Supreme
Court to review
USFSPAs constitutionality, the GI-Janes and American Retirees
Association veterans groups filed friend of the court briefs supporting
the
veterans petition. Signing onto the American Retirees Associations
brief were the Air Force Sergeants Association, the Fleet Reserve
Association, the National Association for Uniformed Services, and the
Retired
Enlisted Association. The divorced veterans lead attorney, Jonathan L.
Katz said: The Supreme Courts decision not to review the case does not
reflect the Courts view on the statutes Constitutionality or flaws.
The Court, having just nine justices and a mountain of annual review
petitions, accepts only one to two percent of petitions for review. We
look forward to future court challenges against this unjust law. ULSG
officer Jack Crutchfield said: The USFSPA is unconstitutional, and this
court challenge needed to be brought. Our legal team brought to light
the serious flaws in this law. Thousands of divorced men and women who
proudly served their country are victims of this unjust law and feel its
profound financial harm daily; the law needs to be stricken.
The Supreme Court judgment mirrors a long line of
previous
decisions that have upheld Congress' right to legislate changes in
military
benefits. In the past, various groups have sued the government over
laws
that changed military retired pay adjustment methodology, deducted VA
disability compensation from military retired pay, reduced Survivor
Benefit Plan annuities, and charged military retirees fees for medical
care. In each of those cases, the Supreme Court ultimately ruled (or
refused to return a lower court ruling) that Congress was within its
authority to legislate the changes, and that if there are inequities in
the
laws, the way to resolve those inequities is through further legislative
action. For further information, contact: ULSG, LLC PO Box 270337
Tampa, FL 33688-0337 email:
members@ulsg.org or
http://www.ulsg.org.
[Source: USFSPA Litigation Support Group News Release 20 Feb 07 ++]
VA SPINAL CORD INJURY SERVICES: In a ground-breaking ceremony 19 JUN
for a new facility for spinal cord injuries, Secretary of Veterans
Affairs Jim Nicholson committed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to
expand programs and open new facilities for seriously disabled veterans
with spinal cord injuries. The new center at the Milwaukee VA Medical
Center is a $32.5 million building and will open by 2010 to replace an
existing converted ward in the hospital. It comes on the heels of another
ground-breaking by Nicholson just a month ago for a new $20 million
spinal cord injury center attached to the VA medical center in
Minneapolis .VA is a leader in spinal cord injury health care research and
rehabilitation, providing a coordinated lifelong continuum of services for
eligible veterans with spinal cord injuries of all ages. VA's expertise
in this area ranges from emergency care and surgical stabilization to
rehabilitation, preventive care, and long-term care. The department's
investment in spinal cord injury research is yielding practical medical
applications such as reducing pressure ulcers and increasing the use of
annual influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations. VA research on spinal
cord injuries is exploring new frontiers such as nerve regeneration,
activity-based therapies that target recovery of standing and walking
skills and developing prosthetics that have a direct connection to the
nervous system.
Last year, VA spent nearly $19 million on 186 research
projects
relating to central nervous system injury and associated disorders.
Responding to the needs of the latest generation of combat veterans, VA
has
developed a network of polytrauma rehabilitation centers that bring
together specialists in spinal cord injury and other experts into
multidisciplinary teams that aid injured troops with other severe
disabilities
such as traumatic brain injury, amputation, blindness, and complex
orthopedic injuries, auditory disorders and mental health concerns. About
80% of veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders are at least 50
years of age. However, many of the approximately 450 newly injured
veterans and active-duty members who received rehabilitation at VAs
spinal
cord injury centers last year are young adults. Treatment and
technology have improved so that veterans with spinal cord injuries have
increasingly longer life expectancies. Maintaining health, preventive
medicine and early treatment of new conditions are important parts of VAs
lifelong care. Last year, VA provided a full range of care to nearly
26,000 veterans with spinal cord injuries and diseases. VA's specialized
services are delivered through 135 primary care teams or support clinics
for spinal cord injuries at VA medical centers and through 23 regional
spinal cord injury centers. [Source: VA Press Release 19 Jun 07 ++]
OVERSEAS NSO DOCUMENT REQUEST: A person outside the Philippines can
make a request by letter are online at
https://www.ecensus.com.ph/Secure/frmIndex.asp
to the National
Statistics Office [NSO] for a certified copy of any document. The
fee for
forwarding documents is $20 per document in accordance with payment
options
noted on the website. Credit card payment on line is possible. There
is no cancellation or refund policy. The e-Census website also contains
a number of frequently asked questions that cover most situations.
Additional questions can be answered by the Civil Registry Operations
Division at
L.Hufana@mail.census.gov.ph. In the initial letter or online
request the following information must be supplied to allow NSO to locate
the document:
Birth: Complete name of the child (first, middle, last), Complete name
of the father, Complete maiden name of the mother, Date of birth
(month, day, year), Place of birth (city/municipality, province), Whether
or
not registered late, If registered late, state the year when it was
registered, Complete name and address of the requesting party,
Relationship to the child, Number of copies needed, and Purpose of the
certification.
Death: Complete name of the deceased person, Date of death, Place of
death, Complete name and address of the requesting party, Number of
copies needed, and for what purpose the certification shall be used
Marriage: Complete name of the husband, Complete name of the wife, Date
and place of marriage, Complete name and address of the requesting
party, Number of copies needed, and Purpose for the certification
Adoption:
1. Information about the child prior to adoption to include: Complete
name of the child, Complete name of the father, Complete maiden name of
the mother, Date and place of birth,
2. Information after adoption to include: Amended name of the child,
Complete name of the adopting father, his occupation, religion and age
at the time of adoption, Complete name of the adopting mother, her
occupation, religion, and age at the time of adoption, Date when adoption
decree was issued, Date when adoption decree became final and executory,
Name of the court and the judge that issued the decree, Complete name
and address of the requesting party, Number of copies needed, and
Purpose for the certification
Legitimation: Complete name of the child, father, and mother, Date and
place of birth, Date and place of marriage of parents, Date when the
affidavit of legitimation was executed, Date when the affidavit of
legitimation was registered, Complete name and address of the requesting
party, Number of copies needed and Purpose for the certification
Dissolution of Marriage: Complete name of the husband, Complete maiden
name of the wife, Date of marriage, Place of marriage,
Name of the court and the judge that issued the decree dissolving the
marriage or declaring marriage void,
Address of the court, Date when the decision was issued, Date when the
decision became final and executory, Date when the decision was
recorded in the civil register, Complete name and address of the
requesting
party, and Purpose for the certification
No Record of Marriage: Complete name of the person, Complete name of
the father, Complete maiden name of the mother, Date of birth, Place of
birth, Complete name and address of the requesting party, Number or
copies needed, and Purpose for the certification
Others: For certifications other than those described in this page,
please specify the nature or contents of the certification.
Send your letter request to Republic of the
Philippines, Office of
the Civil Registrar General, National Statistics Office, PO Box 779
Manila Philippines or EDSA corner Times St., West Triangle, Quezon City
1104. Requests made through conventional postal service system are
processed upon the receipt of payment. Online request should be submitted
via
https://www.ecensus.com.ph/Secure/frmIndex.asp. [Source: Philippine
NSO www.census.gov.ph Jun 07 ++]
TAPS: Each year, hundreds of American families face the tragedy of the
death of a loved one serving in the Armed Forces. The families left
behind include loving parents, siblings and young spouses and school age
children. In many cases, these families must move immediately away from
their friends and support systems and rebuild a life that was once
devoted to military service but is now focused on just surviving their
traumatic loss. These families can turn to TAPS for the support that they
deserve when they have, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, laid so
costly a sacrifice on the altar of freedom The Tragedy Assistance Program
for Survivors, Inc., is a one of a kind non-profit Veteran Service
Organization offering hope, healing, comfort and care to thousands of
American armed forces families facing the death of a loved one each year.
Services available are: counseling referral, crisis information,
caseworker assistance, and online resources. TAPS receives no
government
funding. Through the DoD and VA, all families faced with a death of
one
serving in the Armed Forces should be receiving information about TAPS and
other military survivor programs. For more info refet to
http://www.taps.org or
write/call the Tragedy Assistance Program for
Survivors, Inc. (TAPS) National Headquarters, 910 17th Street, NW
Suite
800, Washington, DC 20006 Tel: (202) 588- 8277. For general tnfo
send
an email to
info@taps.org. [Source: Military Report 28 May 07 ++]
SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM (DRAFT) UPDATE 04: Contrary to popular
belief, only sons, the last son to carry the family name, and sole
surviving sons must register for the draft, they can be drafted, and they
can serve in combat. However, they may be entitled to a peacetime
deferment if there is a military death in the immediate family.
Provisions
regarding the survivors of veterans were written into Selective Service
law after World War II. Details have varied over the years, but the
basic premise remains the same; where a family member has been lost as a
result of military service, the remaining family members should be
protected insofar as possible. It is important to keep in mind that the
provisions are directly related to service-connected deaths. The mere fact
that a man is the only child or only son does not qualify him for
consideration - he must be the survivor of one who died as a result of
military service.
The present law provides a peacetime exemption for
anyone whose
parent or sibling was killed in action, died in line of duty, or died
later as a result of disease or injury incurred in line of duty while
serving in the armed forces of the United States. Also included are
those
whose parent or sibling is in a captured or missing status as a result
of service in the armed forces during any period of time. This is known
as the surviving son or brother provision. A man does not have to be
the only surviving son in order to qualify; if there are four sons in
a family and one dies in the line of duty, the remaining three would
qualify for surviving son or brother status under the present law. The
surviving son or brother provision is applicable only in peacetime. It
does not apply in time of war or national emergency declared by the
Congress.
The original law, passed in 1948, exempted the sole surviving
son
of a family where one or more sons or daughters died as a result of
military service. No restriction existed at that time to limit the
exemption to peacetime. The provision was intended to protect families
which
had lost a member in World War II.
In 1964, recognizing that sons of World War II veterans were reaching
draft age, Congress changed the law to include the sole surviving son of
a family where the father, or one or more sons or daughters, died as a
result of military service. At this time the peacetime-only
restriction was also added to the law. A further change was made in 1971,
expanding the exemption to any son, not necessarily the sole surviving
son, of
a family where the father, brother or sister died as a result of
military service. This provision was recently expanded to include mothers.
In addition to peace-time draft deferment, the Department of Defense
authorizes discharges for any son or daughter in a family in which the
father or mother or one or more sons or daughters:
- Have been killed in action or have died when serving in the U.S.
Armed Forces from wounds, accident, or disease.
- Are in a captured or missing-in-action status.
- Have a permanent 100% Service-related disability (including 100%
mental disability), as determined by the Veterans Administration or one
of
the Military Services, and are not gainfully employed because of the
disability.
Under the provisions of DOD Directive 1315.15, this is a voluntary
separation procedure which must be initiated by the service member. It
does
not apply during times of War or National Emergency declared by
Congress. It also does not apply to commissioned officers or warrant
officers
unless they were involuntarily drafted into the Armed Forces (as there
is currently no draft going on, that means commissioned officers and
warrant officers cannot be released from service under this provision).
Additionally, service members who enlist, reenlist, or voluntarily
extends his or her active duty period after having been notified of the
family casualty on which the surviving status is based shall be considered
as having waived his or her rights for separation as a surviving son
or daughter. A member who has waived his or her right to a separation as
a surviving son or daughter may request reinstatement of that status
at any time. However, a request for reinstatement shall not be granted
automatically, but shall be considered on the merits of the individual
case. [Source: About.com: U.S. Military Rod Powers article 15 Jun 07
++]
VA HOMELESS VETS UPDATE 04: A recently completed Congressional
Research Service (CRS) report on homeless veterans says the wars in Iraq
and
Afghanistan have contributed to a sharp rise in the number of homeless
military veterans. The report shows:
- Female veterans were as much as four times more likely to become
homeless than non-veteran women.
- Male veterans nearly twice as likely to become homeless than
non-veterans.
- The largest group of homeless vets comes from those who enlisted
after Vietnam.
- Although experiences in combat and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder are
contributing factors to homelessness, studies have found no unique
association between combat-related PTSD and homelessness.
- Since Vietnam, most veterans do not normally become homeless within
the first 10 years of separation. (Note: This is contradictory to a
DEC
06 Iraq Veteran Project study prepared by the Swords to Plowshares
veterans advocacy group which said that troops whove served in Iraq and
Afghanistan are becoming homeless sooner than their predecessors -
seeking housing services within months after returning from Iraq.)
- There are currently five federal programs specifically designed to
assist homeless veterans, these programs will require about $270 million
in 2007, and future costs are on the rise. (Note: This leaves many
veterans advocates concerned that the current VA budget and
infrastructure
will not be able to respond to the needs of an ever-increasing number
of homeless and at risk veterans in the coming years.)
According to the Iraq Veteran Project report, the VA has created a list
of factors that can help prevent homelessness, including employment
assistance, transition assistance, rehabilitation, medical care,
commensurate employment, compensation award and work therapy. Congress is
taking notice. In APR 07 Sen. Obama introduced legislation dubbed
the
Homes for Heroes Act, which would establish grant and voucher programs
to
encourage development of affordable housing targeted for veterans. In
addition, Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) has introduced a bill that would
institute a program in which the VA and DoD would work together to
identify
returning members of the armed services who are at risk of
homelessness. On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), has
said,
The number of homeless on any given night is too high and we are
working hard on Capitol Hill to turn those numbers around. In response to
congressional pressure, the Pentagon recently partnered with several
federal agencies to create an online portal called Turbo TAP designed to
help veterans get the information, counseling, and access to the
services they need to ensure a successful transition from military to
civilian life. [Source: Military.com Terry Howell article 18 Jun 07 ++]
VET CEMETERY FLORIDA UPDATE 06: On 15 JUN the U.S. House approved
$27.8 million in federal funding to construct a national veterans cemetery
in Sarasota County Florida. The funding is included in the Fiscal
Year 2008 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act
(H.R. 2642), which provides a necessary increase in federal funding to
meet the needs of our nations military and honor our commitment to our
veterans. The Sarasota National Veterans Cemetery is currently in
the
design phase. It will be located on 295 acres of land purchased in
April by the Veterans Administration. Construction is planned for
May
2008 with the first burials anticipated in OCT 08, with the entire first
phase of the project expected to be complete in 2011. The 60 acre
site
will provide 25,700 casket and cremation burials. The entire
property
is expected to provide burial capacity beyond the year 2050. The
cemetery funding in this bill will help ensure that the nearly 400,000
area
veterans can be placed to rest close to home and with the honor and
dignity the deserve. [Source: Rep. Vern Buchanan Press Release 20 Jun 07
++]
SBA VET ISSUES UPDATE 04: Congressman Vern Buchanans (R-FL-13) bill
to help veterans make the transition from military life to the business
world was approved unanimously 18 JUN by the U.S. House. The SBA
Veterans Programs Act of 2007 (H.R. 2366), introduced by Buchanan last
month, requires the SBA to increase its outreach to veterans and
authorizes federal funding for grants and services to help veterans start,
manage, or grow a small business. The SBA veterans programs bill
authorizes small business grants between $75,000 and $250,000 each,
provides
online counseling and distance learning for veterans and members of the
Armed Forces, increases coordination among organizations that assist
veterans, and creates a marketing campaign to promote awareness regarding
SBA programs for veterans. The bill also requires the SBA to
increase
the number of Veterans Business Outreach Centers, which provide
business training, counseling, technical assistance, and mentoring by at
least
four over the next two years and to establish a Women Veterans
Business Training Resource Program to compile and disseminate information
on
resources available to women veterans for business training.
Finally,
the bill requires an independent study to identify gaps in the
availability of outreach centers. Buchanans bill was cosponsored by
19
bipartisan Members of Congress, including House Small Business Committee
Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) and Ranking Member Steve Chabot (R-OH).
Buchanan is a member of the House Small Business Committee, and a member
of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. The measure now goes to
the Senate for consideration. [Source: Buchanan Press Release 19 Jun
07
++]
VA BUDGET 2008 UPDATE 06: The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for
Military Construction and VA Funding approved their version of the
fiscal year 2008 funding bill 14 JUN. The legislation will provide more
than
$87.5 billion to fund the VA. This includes $44.4 billion for
mandatory veterans benefits and a record $43 billion in discretionary
spending
which is $6.5 billion above last years funding level. Included in the
bill:
- $3.6 billion for medical administration.
- $4.1 billion for medical facilities.
- $500 million for medical and prosthetic research.
- $29 billion for Medical Care, with money set aside for polytrauma
care, mental health services, and specialized treatment for TBI and PTSD.
- $1.3 billion for the Veterans Benefits Administration to allow for
the hiring of more than 500 new disability claims processors to tackle
the backlog of compensation claims.
- $1 billion above the Presidents request for minor construction and
nonrecurring maintenance of VA hospitals and facilities to avoid the
same type of deterioration as at Walter Reed.
The bill is before the full Senate Appropriations Committee, and if
cleared there, would move to the full Senate for a vote. If approved, the
Senate bill would then need to be matched up with the version moving
through the House to resolve differences before presenting it to the
President for his signature. The House version has similar funding levels.
[Source: VFW WA Weekly 18 Jun 07 ++]
VA PROJECT HERO: Project HERO is a demonstration project that is being
piloted in selected Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) to
maximize the care VA provides directly and better manage Fee care. The
project has the potential to reduce VA contract costs while improving
access, accountability, care coordination, patient satisfaction and
clinical quality. The ultimate goal of Project HERO is to ensure all care
delivered by VA - whether through VA providers or community partners - is
of the same quality and consistency for all veterans. Under this
program The Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) can give private HMOs and
other health networks access to a multibillion-dollar market for
veterans care that the companies hope, and veterans fear, could open a
new
era of outsourcing. The nations major veterans organizations have
fought a fierce but behind-the-scenes battle since a pilot program began
to
take shape in FEB 06. At an industry day gathering, VA invited
executives from dozens of private health networks to bid for contracts
giving
the government discounts in exchange for a potential bonanza. Some
executives say they are aggressively pursuing that business and more.
Despite its flaws, the VA health care system is widely
regarded as
among the best in the nation. A nearly united front of veterans groups
argues that the pilot project is a step toward privatizing work now
done at VA hospitals and clinics. Nevertheless, the DVA expects to award
five-year contracts next month that could put hundreds of thousands of
procedures under HMOs. The contracts will cover four multistate DVA
administrative regions that include the veterans haven of Florida, 11
other mostly rural states and portions of another 12. The project
underscores wartime strains on the VA health care system despite huge
hikes in
the departments budget since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began.
Some in Congress have chafed at the spending and support alternatives.
Veterans complain about long waits for appointments and other problems
they want fixed internally. Private health providers see the VAs
shortcomings and growing patient load as a business opportunity. The VA
spends an estimated $2 billion to $2.5 billion a year nationwide on care
outside its hospitals and clinics. That is mostly in cases where the VA
lacks equipment, is up against backlogs or does not have a presence in
rural areas.
Project HERO, short for Healthcare Effectiveness
through Resource
Optimization, would allow spending on many outsourced procedures to
rise by up to twice last years amounts. Veterans say that means the
department plans to greatly expand its use of private care at the expense
of
equipment, staff and other needs inside the VA. VA officials in charge
of the project declined several requests for interviews and to provide
data supplied to private companies for use in bids due last month.
Some companies clearly see a long-term opportunity that could be expanded
nationally. Health care giant Humana Inc., for example, formed a new
unit, Humana Veterans Healthcare Services, in FEB to pursue Project HERO
and other potential outsourcing opportunities at the VA. The House and
Senate appropriations committees in late 2005, required a program of
this sort in a little-noticed paragraph of a report accompanying the
fiscal 2006 spending bill. GOP lawmakers at the time were concerned about
rapid increases in VA funding. The intent of the 2005 order was to
better manage spending outside the VA system and achieve savings through
contracts rather than simply paying fees. Veterans groups have advocated a
program to accomplish that, but they say the VA has expanded this
project far beyond better management of current outsourcing.
When the department released its initial proposal last
summer,
veterans groups were stunned. The plan would have allowed spending on
procedures in the contracts to rise up to fivefold across the board and
would have allowed the project to spill outside the four multistate
regions designated as official demonstration zones. Veterans shelled the
plan
until the VA tabled it a month later. In January, the DVA issued a
scaled-back proposal, which has since been amended several times but fails
to satisfy veterans groups.. The VA asserts in available materials
that Project HERO will remain limited to services the government system
cannot provide. Veterans groups say the guts of the proposal suggest
otherwise.
The House appropriations committee, which proposed this program,
predicted it could save $400 million a year. People involved in the
project,
including corporate executives, said they have no sense of the savings
or the ultimate government spending on private work because details of
how Project HERO will be administered are unclear. We see a potential
for a lot of care going out to these contractors, swallowing up,
getting their foot in the door and getting whatever they can, said Joy
Ilem,
a lobbyist for Disabled American Veterans. For more info on Project
HERO refer to
http://www.va.gov/hac/hero. [Source: Sarasota
Herald-Tribune Cory Reiss article 18 Jun 07 ++]
VETERAN DISINTERMENT: Picking up and moving a deceased family member
is something most people do not think about. The vast majority of
families consider the final resting place to be final. The decision
is made
when a persons desire to have his/her loved one nearby overcomes any
desire to leave a grave undisturbed. Funeral and cemetery directors say
the scenarios are complicated and endless. National veterans
cemeteries charge nothing for any services they provide for disinterment.
The
disinterred get a new gravesite, a free headstone and are even entitled
to another volunteer honor guard service when the new grave is sealed.
However, the family is responsible for the arrangements and cost of
the movement from one gravesite to another. The veteran cemetery
personnel dig down to the casket. When they stop digging that is where a
funeral home comes in. A funeral director has to be present while a vault
company extracts either the casket or the vault it is encased in. The
vault company loads it into a hearse or van or, if the entire vault is
moved, onto a flatbed and drives it to the new resting place. It
unloads
it into the new grave and seals it, again under the eye of a funeral
director. This can cost $2500 and up dependent on where and how far the
new gravesite is located. The funeral director will normally take
care
of any permits required. Veterans Affairs does not keep track of how
much it costs them to disinter, officials said. But it can be
time-consuming, especially in sandy Florida where it can take up to six
hours to
unbury a casket if the soil does not hold tight. Sandra Beckley, who
runs the new national cemetery in Georgia and the future director of
the Florida Sarasota cemetery when it opens in the fall of 2008 said,
Whether it takes a couple of hours or a half-day to re-dig a grave, the
agency considers it a service veterans are entitled to. Burial at a VA
cemetery is a benefit for the veteran and his honorable service, and if
the family wishes to do a disinterment, it is their right. [Source:
Tampa Tribune Gretchen Parker article 17 Jun 07 ++]
CREDIT CARD PENALTIES: Congress has held hearings twice this year to
grill credit card executives on their fees and billing practices and
the added heat on plastic providers may leave you with more cold cash.
Following are some changes that have been implemented since those
hearings:
- Citigroup has dropped the "universal default" penalty on all its
cards. This clause allows card issuers to boost interest rates to as much
as 35% if a cardholder is late paying any other, unrelated billsuch as
a mortgageeven if the customer has never been late with a credit card
payment. To see if your card carries a universal default penalty,
contact your card issuer.
- Citigroup also announced it would cease its "any time for any reason"
interest rate increases. An any time policy gives a card issuer carte
blanche to boost interest rates without an explanationeven for
customers who have met all payment and deadline terms. The company is
reserving the right to raise rates and fees on existing accounts only if
cardholders pay late, exceed the credit limit or if their payment check
bounces.
- Chase Visa is switching its cards to daily average balance to
calculate interest and abandoning two-cycle billing. The change will
reduce
finance charges for anyone who chooses not to pay off a new purchase in
full.
[Source: AARP Bulletin Jun 07 ++]
ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATE TRAINING PROGRAM: Returning military
veterans can pursue a career in environmental restoration/conservation,
receive a monthly stipend of $1,000, and use other education benefits such
as their GI bill and Washingtons veteran tuition waivers, under a new
program being co-sponsored by the Washington State Department of
Veterans Affairs. The ten-month program will be located at Renton
Technical
College and Green River Community College as part of the Veterans
Conservation Corps (VCC), with classes beginning in SEP 07. The program
will
be a mix of classroom work and on the job training on projects in King
County. The requirements for enrollment in the program include:
- A returning veteran from Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring
Freedom/Operation Noble Eagle.
- An interest in learning skills towards environmental
restoration/conservation inclusive of: Erosion and sediment control
techniques; stream
restoration; GPS/GIS/Surveying; Heavy equipment operation
around
environmentally sensitive areas; Permitting, project management,
small
business contracting with natural resource agencies, storm-water
mitigation, etc.
- A willingness to work and learn intensely for 10 months/40 hours a
week.
- An ability to get to school every day at Renton. (Funding may be
available to assist qualified veterans with relocation expenses.).
- An interest in transitioning from a military mission to a personal
mission of working to protect the environment and the future of our
region.
Assistance may be available for veterans with housing transitions, when
necessary, and the program will also provide other support services to
ensure that the veteran is getting help in all areas of their life.
The VCC also plans to assist with job placement during and after the
program is completed. The veterans will be working and learning with each
other most of the time, rather than mixed in the general college
community. Arrangements for screening and enrollment can be made by
contacting
Mark Fischer or Mark Seery at (360) 725-2224 or
markf@dva.wa.gov or
marks@dva.wa.gov.
For more information on veterans programs in
Washington state, refer to www.dva.wa.gov. [Source:
Washington DVA News
Release 14 Jun 07 ++]
DOD MENTAL HEALTH TF UPDATE 04: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
received the Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health results and
forwarded them to the Congress on 14 JUN. The department will have six
months to develop and implement a corrective action plan. Dr. S. Ward
Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs said, This
report points to significant shortfalls in achieving goals and taking
care of our service members and their families. We will continue to
address the need for mental health care in order to reinforce our
commitment to providing the best care in the world to our service members
and
their families who deserve no less. Significant findings include:
- Mental health care stigma remains pervasive and is a significant
barrier to care.
- Mental health professionals are not sufficiently accessible to
service members and their families.
- There are significant gaps in the continuum of care for psychological
health.
- The military system does not have enough resources, funding or
personnel to adequately support the psychological health of service
members
and their families in peace and during conflict.
Implementation of recommendations and remedies to support our service
members has already begun, to include:
- Military services have established dozens of deployment health
clinics around the country.
- Mental health providers have been embedded in line units in Iraq and
Afghanistan to perform initial treatment for combat stress and post
-traumatic stress disorder.
- Service members are receiving additional mental health training to
de-stigmatize when they need to reach out for help.
- The services are currently proactively exploring options to
adequately resource their mental health care providers.
The Task Force on Mental Health was congressionally directed and
organized in JUN 06 to assess and recommend actions for improving the
efficacy of mental health services provided to service members and their
families. It includes seven DoD members and seven non-DoD members. The
report can be viewed on the health affairs Web site at
http://www.ha.osd.mil/dhb/mhtf/MHTF-Report-Final.pdf
. [Source: DoD
News Release 15 Jun 07 ++]
WOUNDED WARRIOR ASSISTANCE UPDATE 01: The Senate Armed Services
Committee, chaired by Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), took a major step on 14 JUN
by
unanimously approving S.1606, the "Dignified Treatment of Wounded
Warriors Act." This comprehensive package of initiatives proposed by
Levin
and 29 bipartisan co-sponsors would address the problems highlighted
in media articles and subsequent government studies concerning problems
faced by outpatients at Walter Reed and other military and VA
facilities. Sen. John Warner (R-VA) emphasized the need for a
balanced
perspective on Walter Reed, saying the new legislation in no way reflects
negatively upon military medical professionals who work so hard to deliver
quality care. Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), who chairs the Veterans
Affairs
Committee, said the legislation is important to provide a truly
seamless transition for wounded warriors. Members of the committee offered
30
amendments, of which 29 were approved. Among many other changes, the
bill would require:
- Development of a comprehensive DoD/VA policy by January on the care,
management, and transition needs for members with combat-related
injuries.
- Enhanced care for medically retired servicemembers and certain
caregiver family members for combat-injured personnel in military or VA
hospitals.
- A comprehensive DoD/VA plan for prevention, diagnosis, mitigation,
and treatment of traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress
syndrome, to include cognitive screening before and after deployment.
- A DoD/VA Interagency Program Office to develop and implement a joint
electronic medical record.
- Additional recruitment and enhanced hiring authority to address the
shortfall of mental health and other health professionals.
- Revision of the military disability evaluation system, to include use
of VA standards to make disability determinations, accounting for all
medical conditions that render a member unfit for duty, review of the
services' recent disability separation determinations, and increased
severance pay for certain disability separates.
- Upgrades for facilities housing military patients.
- Development of a handbook for wounded warriors containing a
comprehensive description of compensation and other benefits
[Source: MOAA Leg Up 15 Jun 07 ++]
COLA 2008 UPDATE 05: The Bureau of Labor and Statistics announced the
MAY 07 consumer price index, which is used to calculate the annual cost
of living adjustment for military retired pay and annuities. The CPI
had its sixth straight increase for FY2007 - 0.8% above April's value.
The CPI now stands at 2.3% above its starting point at the beginning of
the fiscal year in October 2006. [Source: MOAA Leg Up 15 Jun
07 ++]
VDBC UPDATE 18: A Center for Naval Analysis (CNA) study sparked some
controversy at the 8 JUN meeting of the Veterans Disability Benefits
Commission when CNA analysts told the Commission that VA disability
compensation amounts are too low for younger severely disabled vets, but
may
be too high for those disabled later in life. To put these comments in
perspective, the CNA study was looking at how well VA disability
benefits succeeded in replacing lost earnings for disabled vets compared
to
non-disabled vets. The analysis highlighted that those who become
severely disabled at younger ages face an additional financial penalty
because their earning careers are cut short, whereas those afflicted by
severe disabilities later in life have had an opportunity to accumulate
larger savings from military and post-service earnings. That means
the
earnings disparity with non-disabled vets is less for older people than
younger people. If you look at the overall average, CNA said, VA
disability payments just about make up the earnings differential.
But when you
break it out by age, there are significant differences. While there
was general acknowledgment of the particular inequity faced by younger
disabled members, some commissioners reacted sharply to the idea that
those disabled at later ages are overpaid. The bottom line is that
replacing lost earnings is a major element in that equation, but not the
only
one. A perennial source of contention is the extent to which VA
compensation also should recognize decreased quality of life (pain,
suffering, loss of body function, etc.). CNA analysts said they
found little
evidence that that factor has played a major role in establishing VA
disability payment rates. [Source: MOAA Leg Up 15 Jun 07 ++]
DIGITAL CAMERA BASICS: Digital camera use can be severely hindered if
you dont understand some of the workings of the digital camera. So
here are a few simple things you need to know about digital cameras to
help maintain your photo shooting:
Shutter Lag: This can result in missing a shot because something
moved. It is the pause between pressing the shutter and the onset of the
actual exposure or picture taking. Many digital cameras have a noticeable
shutter lag because they auto-focus after you press the shutter button.
With most digital cameras you can get the picture you want without the
lag by pressing the shutter button half-way down as you set up the
picture. This will lock in the focus, and, when you press the shutter
button down fully, the shutter lag time will be greatly lessened.
LCD Screens: Using the LCD screen is one of the biggest battery drains.
If your digital camera has a viewfinder, as most do, you can use it
instead of the LCD to frame your picture to conserve battery power. Using
the viewfinder also has two other advantages it will help reduce
shutter lag, and it is easier to use in bright sunlight.
Memory Cards: There are a few important things to remember about using
memory cards.
- Dont remove the memory card while the camera is processing a photo.
- Working with a very low battery can corrupt all the pictures on your
memory card, so be sure to keep those batteries charged.
- If you use a card reader to transfer the pictures to the computer,
move or copy the pictures to the computer before you try to edit or
delete them. Deleting a photo directly from a memory card can corrupt the
card.
Digital Zoom: Digital zoom is an electronic zooming of the image. It
can cause a noticeable degradation of the image. In fact, it is added to
digital cameras today only because it is much cheaper than optical zoom
and makes the camera sound more powerful. If you want to make sure
your photos are crisp and clear when you zoom in, use only the optical
zoom. If your camera has digital zoom, see the instructions that came with
your camera to find out how to turn it off.
Naming Pictures: Some cameras name all of the images in sequence from
the same starting point. So when you move a set of pictures to the
computer the next images are given the same numerical names as the
previous
set of pictures. Many a user has moved the second set to the computer
and inadvertently overwritten some precious memories from the first set
of pictures. Be sure to learn how your camera names the pictures, and
also be sure to give your photos more meaningful names once you get them
onto your computer.
JPEG Format: Most cameras take pictures using a JPEG format (also shown
as JPG). This is a compressed format. Each time you change and save a
JPEG the photo is recompressed and you lose some of the details
(clarity) of the photo. Although the degradation is not noticeable until
the
photo is resaved many times, it is always best to save a copy of the
original photo before you start editing and changing the photo.
[Source: AARP Webletter by Sandy Berger 21 OCT 05]
PROSTRATE PROBLEMS UPDATE 03: The traditional two-step approach of PSA
testing and digital rectal examination has helped doctors identify
prostate tumors early, while the cancers can still be cured. But PSA
testing, like many disease-screening procedures, misses some cases of
cancer and in other cases erroneously highlights noncancerous conditions.
In
the first clinical study of a new blood protein associated with
prostate cancer, researchers have found that the marker, called EPCA or
early
prostate cancer antigen, can successfully detect prostate cancer in
its earliest stages. At the same time, the marker successfully avoids the
problem of false positive results that plagues prostate-specific
antigen (PSA) testing. Initial study results appeared in the 15 MAY
05
issue of Cancer Research. Robert H. Getzenberg, Ph.D., professor of
urology
and director of research at the James Buchanan Brady Urological
Institute at Johns Hopkins is heading the study. Getzenberg said,
This new
blood test, when coupled with PSA screening, may help reduce the number
of both unnecessary biopsies and undetected prostate tumors. In
addition to being highly sensitive to prostate cancer, the EPCA test is
also
very specific to it, meaning that other cancers and benign prostate
conditions are not detected, thus boosting doctors confidence that a
positive EPCA test is really a sign of prostate cancer. Once this test is
refined and approved for general use, it will have an impact on the
detection and treatment of prostate cancer.
Every year about 1.6 million men with high PSA levels
have
biopsies for which about 80% turn out to be cancer-free. An updated report
on
the test in the Prostrate Cancer Winter 2007 noted in tests of more
than 600 men, even in men where PSA has failed, EPCA-2 is almost 100%
specific for prostate cancer, and picks up greater than 90% of the
prostate
cancer patients. Also, EPCA-2 does not appear to be elevated in
conditions like BPH and prostatitis. And, EPCA-2 can detect the presence
of
prostate cancer in men with normal PSA levels. EPCA-2 may even be able
to distinguish the deadliest cancers, which quickly develop the ability
to spread beyond the prostate, from those that are less aggressive.
More tests are needed, and EPCA-2 will soon be studied in a large,
multicenter trial, with the goal of obtaining FDA approval for its use.
[Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine articles 2007 ++]
TEXAS TUITION WAIVER DENIALS: Two Texas veterans are challenging in a
federal lawsuit a state policy barring them from receiving college
tuition waivers because they were legal residents but not yet U.S.
citizens
when they entered the service. The two are honorably discharged
veterans who served in the Gulf War and have since become U.S. citizens.
The
case focuses on the veterans exclusion from the Texas Hazlewood Act,
a benefit that exempts those who were legal residents of Texas at the
time they entered the military from paying tuition and some fees at
state colleges. Both plaintiffs are college graduates who have exhausted
the money from their GI bill. One, wants to obtain a masters degree in
education from West Texas A&M in Canyon and the other wants to seek a
Ph.D. in finance from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Typically,
someone in their position could depend on the Hazlewood Act to continue
their education. But the application for the Hazlewood waiver asks
whether the applicant was a U.S. citizen upon entering the military. If
the answer is no, the application instructs the person not to continue
the process. Their attorney, Carlos Becerra contends the application
requirement deters many veterans who otherwise would have applied for the
Hazlewood exemption. [Source: Associated Press Anabelle Garay article
28 Jun 07 ++]
VETERAN LEGISLATION STATUS 30 JUN 07: On 28 JUN, the House and Senate
adjourned for their Independence Day recess until noon 9 JUL. Prior
to
adjournment the Senate reached a unanimous-consent agreement to resume
consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1585) on 9
JUL, following morning business.
For a listing of Congressional bills of interest to the
veteran
community that have been introduced in the 110th Congress refer to the
Bulletin attachment. By clicking on the bill number 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 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,
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 is letting our representatives know
of veterans 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. [Source: RAO Bulletin Attachment 30 Jun
07
++]
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: (760) 839-9003 when in U.S. & Cell: 0915-361-3503 when in
Philippines.
Email:
raoemo@sbcglobal.net (Primary) &
raoemo@mozcom.com (Alternate)
Web:
http://post_119_gulfport_ms.tripod.com/rao1.html
AL/AMVETS/DAV/FRA/NAUS/NCOA/MOAA/USDR/VFW/VVA/CG33/DD890/AD37 member
BULLETIN SUBSCRIPTION NOTES:
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