No Federal Reports because of weather conditions but two days of VA News are attached thanks to Kevin Secor at VA!
Prayers and blessings to you all and to our Troops and their loved ones everywhere.
1. Vets Praise Murtha. In continuing coverage, the WJAC-TV Johnstown, PA (2/9) website noted that veterans at the Veterans Affairs hospital "in Altoona say Rep. John Murtha helped them when no one else could." The lawmaker "died Monday...after suffering complications from gallbladder surgery." WJAC pointed out that one of its reporters asked about Murtha while visiting "vets during the VA's National Salute to Veteran Patients," a program that was started 18 years ago "to increase community awareness of the VA's role in providing comprehensive medical care to the nation's veterans."
Navy Doctors Reviewing Murtha's Surgery. The New York Daily News (2/10, Sisk, 588K) reports, "Navy doctors Tuesday were reviewing the seemingly routine gall bladder surgery on 77-year-old" Murtha, "who died of complications Monday. 'Navy medicine has in place a detailed process for oversight on standards of care,' said a spokeswoman for the Bethesda Naval Medical Center, where Murtha's surgery was performed on Jan. 28." The Daily News points out that Murtha "was the first Vietnam vet in Congress."
2. Advocates Hope To Raise TBI Standards Of Care. According to the KGET-TV Bakersfield, CA (2/9) website, traumatic brain injury (TBI) "advocates are on a mission to raise the bar on the standards of care. Advocates say it's time victims of 'this silent epidemic' be given a voice." KGET added, "The wife of former marine John Kerchner says it took her five years to persuade the Veterans Administration to approve coverage for her husband's rehabilitative care" at the Centre for Neuro Skills in Bakersfield.
3. VA Debuts Open Government Web Page. Federal Computer Week (2/10, Lipowicz, 90K) notes that on Tuesday, the Veterans Affairs Department was scheduled to debut VA.gov/Open, "its new Web page that highlights ongoing VA open government initiatives to improve transparency and public engagement." The page "includes a link to a new VA dashboard application that shows the status of the VA Office of Information Technology projects." Federal Computer Week adds, "The projects with the worst records are VistA Imaging and Deployment Toolkit, with four failed indicators each."
4. VHA Initiative Seeks Ideas On How To Use IT To Improve Health Care. In continuing coverage, the eighth item in the "Morning Federal Newscast" on the Federal News Radio (2/9) website said the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) "turns again to both employees and contractors for ideas. This time," Federal Computer Week "reports, the topic is how to improve health care services using IT and electronic health records." The "Innovation Initiative will accept ideas through February 21."
Bob Brewin also notes the initiative in his "What's Brewin'" blog for NextGov (2/10), although he does not say it is for contractors as well as employees. He does approve of the initiative, however, writing, "Wow, what a concept. A management that believes its employees -- not contractors -- have the inside track on how to improve things."
5. VA Officials Finalize Veteran-Owned Small Business Requirements. The Federal Computer Week (2/10, Weigelt, 90K) reports, "Veterans Affairs Department officials have finalized the eligibility requirements for businesses to get a verified status" as a veteran-owned small business (VOSB), "which entitles them to compete for certain set-aside contracts." Under a "rule published in the Feb. 8 Federal Register," officials "from the Center for Veterans Enterprise, an office in the VA's Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, have the authority to verify any information given by a business as part of the application process to become a recognized VOSB." Federal Computer Week adds, "The Government Accountability Office has revealed numerous attempts to scam the government out of money by posing as a fake small business."
VA Rep To Participate In Program For Business-Minded Vets. The Salem (MA) Gazette (2/10) reports, "The Enterprise Center at Salem State College and the office of Rep. John F. Tierney, 6th Congressional District, will present a free program for military veterans, 'From Military Service to Entrepreneur: A Panel Discussion and Forum for Veterans Interested in Growing or Starting a Business,'" on Monday, February 22nd "at the Enterprise Center, 121 Loring Ave., Salem." The Gazette notes that Jerry Pinsky, the director of Supported Self Employment at the Bedford Veterans Affairs Medical Center, will participate in the panel discussion.
6. Duckworth Seen As "Favorite" For Illinois Lt. Governor. In continuing coverage, the Chicagoist (2/10, Gilmer) reports, "With Scott Lee Cohen now out of the race for Lt. Governor" of Illinois, the "question remains: who will replace him? Speculation is already focusing" on US Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs Tammy Duckworth, who "is apparently a favorite with Gov. Pat Quinn."
The WBBM-AM Chicago, IL (2/9) website and "The Fix", a Washington Post (2/10, Cillizza, 684K) blog, publish similar stories, while Chicago Sun-Times (2/10, 292K) columnist Michael Sneed reports, "Although Duckworth is at the top of Quinn's original wish list, he will defer to the choice of the Dem State Central Committee led by state party chief Mike Madigan."
7. Desert Storm Vet To Oversee Montana VA. The Helena (MT) Independent Record (2/10, Kidston, 14K) notes that on Tuesday, the Veterans Affairs Montana Healthcare System "announced the appointment of a new director, replacing former director Joe Underkofler, who retired in October after 37 years with the VA. Robin Korogi, a Desert Storm veteran, will oversee the Montana VA and its 1,000 employees." The Montana VA "also plans to break ground on a 24-bed impatient mental-health facility at Fort Harrison next week." A later version of the Record (2/10, Kidston) story says Korogi "becomes the first woman to lead the Montana VA." The AP (2/10) and the websites for KPAX-TV Missoula, MT (2/9) and KULR-TV Billings, MT (2/9, Bray) also cover this story.
8. Resolution Would Encourage VA To Help Utah Build Additional Vets Home. The AP (2/10) reports, "A House committee will consider a resolution that would urge the federal government to support a new nursing home for Utah's veterans. House Resolution 9 would encourage the US Department of Veterans Affairs to help Utah with efforts to build an additional home." The AP notes that the Utah VA "currently runs a full-time facility in Salt Lake City and a partially operational one in Ogden."
9. Families Battling To Reopen Vets Home Pharmacy In Louisiana. The Shreveport (LA) Times (2/10, Prime) reports, "Families of veterans at the Northwest Louisiana War Veterans Home in Bossier City are battling to reopen a pharmacy closed there in recent weeks as part of a state drive to lower costs and economize. The families won a small victory in recent days as the state Department of Veterans Affairs chose to retain the home's full-time physician, Dr. Roy Fleniken." However, the families "believe Fleniken, who will have to monitor contracted physicians at the other homes, and who still will lose physicians assistants and the pharmacist who by law was the only person able to dispense medications, may be stretched too thin."
10. Massachusetts Town Votes To Merge Veteran Services. The Boston Globe (2/9, Castello, 325K) reported, "The Wellesley Board of Selectmen voted Monday night to regionalize the town's veterans services with three other local towns last night. The town will be petitioning the Massachusetts Department of Veteran Services to establish a regional veteran service district with Needham, Dover, and Weston." The Globe noted that Needham and Weston have also "approved the merger," while "Dover selectmen will vote on Thursday."
11. Program Collects Veterans' Abandoned Remains. On its website, WFIE-TV Evansville, IN (2/9) reported, "Veterans gathered Tuesday at the University of Louisville on a solemn mission to collect the remains of fellow service members. The Missing in America program found the cremated remains of 32 veterans...abandoned at a cemetery." The "remains will be buried this summer at the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery in Radcliff."
12. California Said To Owe Vets A "Proper Welcome Home." In an editorial, the Modesto (CA) Bee (2/9) noted that Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki recently said, "Of the more than 30,000 suicides in this country each year, fully 20 percent of them are acts by veterans." The Bee goes on to state that California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger "is right" to try and help vets by launching "Operation Welcome Home," as well as a "California Veteran Corps of volunteers to help in the transition to civilian life." The Bee concluded, "Even as California struggles through huge budget difficulties, it still owes its veterans a proper welcome home."
13. Student Art To Be Displayed At VA Hospitals In Indiana. On its website, WPTA-TV Fort Wayne, IN (2/9, Sarvay) reported, "A unique partnership between" Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) and two Veterans Affairs hospitals "is designed to ease a veteran's recovery. More than 150-pieces of art from IPFW students and faculty will be on display" at VA hospitals in Fort Wayne and Marion. After noting that one of the student artists "lost a husband in Afghanistan," WPTA said US Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) "was at Tuesday's announcement" of the displays.
14. Iraq Vet Hopes VA Will Grant Him Disability Benefits. The Coeur d'Alene (ID) Press (2/10, Cole) reports 31-year-old Kristopher King "said he has post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, and moderate traumatic brain injury, from explosions and residual sounds" of warfare and weapons in Iraq. He "believes he's a disabled combat veteran, and has been seeking disability benefits from the Veterans Benefits Administration, part" of the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The "service disability claims King has filed have been denied twice, and he's hoping this third attempt will produce a different result."
15. Kalamazoo County VA Staff "Overwhelmed" By Michigan Budget Cuts. According to the Kalamazoo (MI) Gazette (2/10, Russon), "staff at the Kalamazoo County Department of Veterans Affairs say they are becoming overwhelmed because of state funding cuts -- especially at a time when more veterans are returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq." Michigan "cut about $1 million from several veterans service organizations, including the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Affairs, in November."
16. Local Board Promises To Lease Land For VA Clinic. In continuing coverage, the Decorah (IA) Journal (2/10, Greiner, 7K) reports, "The Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors has promised to lease land for the purpose of constructing" a Veterans Affairs clinic. On Monday, the "Board unanimously voted to support the location of a community-based outpatient clinic on the Winneshiek Medical Center campus."
17. VBA One Of Three Agencies Moving To New Building In Oregon. The Daily Journal Of Commerce (2/10, Weinstein), which is based in Portland, Oregon, reports, "While the Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt building gets a green makeover, the government agencies that reside in the federal building will be moving to the soon-to-be completed First & Main. The Internal Revenue Service, Drug Enforcement Administration," and Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) "are expected to move into the new, 16-story office building at 100 S.W. Main Street by late this summer or early this fall." The VBA "leased 85,785 square feet."
18. Orlando VAMC Chosen As National Site For Medical Simulation Training. The Orlando Sentinel (2/10, Quintero, 222K) reports, "The new Orlando Veterans Administration Medical Center at Lake Nona has been selected as the national site for medical simulation training, bringing jobs and further prestige to the region's emerging 'medical city.' 'This is exciting news for Central Florida because it allows us to have a high technology model for medical simulation systems right in our own backyard,' said" US Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL), "who made the announcement Tuesday morning." According to the Sentinel, the announcement "was met with enthusiasm by officials of other Lake Nona facilities."
19. Medical Inspector Report Criticizes VA Hospital In Philadelphia. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (2/10, Roche, 170K) reports, "The staff in a surgical unit at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia was so inattentive that a patient who died in a toilet was not even discovered until his body had turned cold, according to an inspection report" from VA's Medical Inspector, which was "obtained under the federal Freedom of Information Act." The report, "dated Dec. 12, 2007, cites the poor care on the thoracic surgery unit as the reason that doctors routinely shifted major chest surgery cases to the nearby University of Pennsylvania/Presbyterian Medical Center." After noting that Dale Warman, "spokesman for the Philadelphia center," which is also "awaiting a decision by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on penalties stemming from the mistreatment of prostate cancer patients who were given incorrect and misplaced doses of radioactive" seeds, "said the problems cited in the report have been corrected," the Tribune-Review quotes US Rep. Joseph Sestak (D-PA), who said, "That those two programs were simultaneously sub-standard is...indication that the equivalent of a two-alarm fire was raging without the appropriate knowledge of Veterans Service Organizations, Congress or even the VA."
20. Lake City VAMC Hosting National Salute to Veteran Patients Week Activities. The Lake City (FL) Reporter (2/10) notes that the Lake City Veterans Affairs Medical Center "is having open-house activities Feb. 8-14 during National Salute to Veteran Patients week. 'The National Salute to Veteran Patients week gives everyone a chance to let those who have given the nation so much know that they are not forgotten,' said" Maureen Wilkes, the facility's acting associate director.
21. Mobile Health Unit Getting Results For Cincinnati VAMC. The Cincinnati Enquirer (2/10, Wilkinson, 189K) reports, "The numbers don't lie – since" the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center "put its 40-foot mobile health unit on the highways and byways of the region nine months ago, it has gotten results. Over 700 military veterans in Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana have enrolled for VA health care benefits at the mobile unit's scores of stops at community events, county fairs and VFW and American Legion Halls -- many of them veterans who had no idea they were entitled to benefits because of their service in uniform. Because of those new enrollees," the Cincinnati VAMC "and its satellite clinics around the Tristate will get nearly $2 million in new funding from the federal government next year"
22. Tomah VAMC To Begin Relocating Offices, Personnel. The La Crosse (WI) Tribune (2/10, Hubbuch) reports the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center "will begin relocating offices and personnel later this month in anticipation of a $1.6 million renovation to its main building." The project, which "will create a larger waiting room, larger exam rooms and an ambulance garage," is "one of several to be funded with about $6 million allocated by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act." The WEAU-TV La Crosse, WI (2/9) website published a similar story.
23. Eye Treatment, Surgery Centers To Be Located In Bay Pines VAMC's New Building. In a story submitted by the Bay Pines Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Seminole (FL) Beacon (2/9, Center, 28K) reported, "The Bay Pines VA Medical Center is constructing a two-story building that will house a new eye treatment center on the first floor and an ambulatory surgery center on the second floor." The Beacon, which said the new building is "expected to open in 2011," added, "Moving the eye center to the new building...will free up space in the current hospital for expansion of other departments."
24. Wilmington VAMC, Clinics It Operates Keeping Normal Business Hours. The Delmarva Daily Times (2/10), which is based in Salisbury, Maryland, reports the Wilmington Veterans Affairs Medical Center "and its Community Based Outpatient Clinics in Ventnor, Vineland, Cape May, Dover and Georgetown are operating under normal business hours. Patients will non-emergency healthcare needs are being contacted to reschedule their appointments" and arrangements "for urgent and emergent care are being made." The Cape May County (NJ) Herald (2/10, 1K) publishes a similar story.
25. Catholic Priests Part Of VA Palo Alto Health Care System's Interfaith Chaplaincy Team. Catholic San Francisco (2/3, DelVecchio) said that to "watch Capuchin Father James Stump at work is to see a Christ-centered 'ministry of presence' in action as a matter of daily routine. A chaplain at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Palo Alto, Father Stump makes his rounds with one purpose in mind: to invite sick and wounded veterans to encounter the living Christ." Father Stump "is a member of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System's interfaith chaplaincy team," which "includes three other Catholic priests: Father John Coleman, a priest of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the chief of chaplain services; Capuchin Father Richard Lopes, and Father Augustine Koilarampil, who works at the hospital system's Livermore site."
26. Veteran's Widow Frustrated By VA IG's Report. On its website, KY3-TV Springfield, MO (2/9, Saavedra) said the "Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General has now released its thoughts on what happened" with veteran Ron Hon, who committed suicide a day after telling staff at the Veterans Affairs clinic in Mount Vernon that he thought about taking his life. Hon's widow "says she hoped for vindication and consequences but her frustration continues" because, while the report found problems with how clinic staff handled the matter, it did not conclude that the problems impacted Hon's death. KY3 added, "The report made recommendations for VA medical centers, including documenting discussions about weapon possession, making sure mental health patients are seen a timely manner, and that staff plan for future mental health checkups."
27. Thank God For The VA Hospital. A letter to the editor of the Helena (MT) Independent Record (2/10) praises services provided by a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital.
28. My First Lesson - Care About Your Heart. In her debut "House Calls" column for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (2/9, 224K), Dr. Kayt Havens, director of women's health at the Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, urged readers to keep their hearts healthy by exercising, talking "with a nutritionist about eating foods that nourish," and talking "with your doctor and/or health care team."
29. VA Prodded To Give More Aid To Female Veterans. The Rome (GA) News-Tribune (2/10) publishes a story that first appeared in the Los Angeles Times (2/8, Perry, 776K).
30. Vietnam Vet, Now Docent, Finds Peace. The Riverside (CA) Press Enterprise (2/10, Soifer).
31. Today in History:
- 1258 – Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed.
- 1306 – Before the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murdered John Comyn, his leading political rival, sparking revolution in the Scottish Wars of Independence
- 1355 – The St. Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead in two days.
- 1567 – An explosion destroys the Kirk o' Field house in Edinburgh, Scotland. The second husband of Mary Queen of Scots, Lord Darnley is found strangled, in what many believe to be an assassination.
- 1763 – French and Indian War: The 1763 Treaty of Paris ends the war and France cedes Quebec to Great Britain.
- 1798 – Louis Alexandre Berthier invades Rome, proclaims a Roman Republic on February 15 and then on February 20 takes Pope Pius VI prisoner.
- 1814 – Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Champaubert
- 1840 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom marries Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
- 1846 – First Anglo-Sikh War: Battle of Sobraon – British defeat Sikhs in final battle of the war
- 1870 – The YWCA is founded (New York City).
- 1904 – The Russo-Japanese War over Korea and Manchuria begins after the Battle of Port Arthur.
- 1906 – HMS Dreadnought (1906) is launched.
- 1920 – Jozef Haller de Hallenburg performs symbolic wedding of Poland to the sea, celebrating restitution of Polish access to open sea.
- 1923 – Texas Tech University is founded as Texas Technological College in Lubbock, Texas.
- 1931 – New Delhi becomes the capital of India.
- 1933 – The New York City-based Postal Telegraph Company introduces the first singing telegram.
- 1933 – In round 13 of a boxing match at New York City's Madison Square Garden, Primo Carnera knocks out Ernie Schaaf, killing him.
- 1947 – Italy cedes most of Venezia Giulia to Yugoslavia.
- 1954 – President Dwight Eisenhower warns against United States intervention in Vietnam.
- 1962 – Captured American spy pilot Gary Powers is exchanged for captured Soviet spy Rudolf Abel.
- 1964 – Melbourne-Voyager collision: The aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne (R21) collides with the destroyer HMAS Voyager (D04) off the south coast of New South Wales, Australia.
- 1967 – The 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified.
- 1981 – A fire at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel-casino kills eight and injures 198.
- 1989 – Ron Brown is elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee becoming the first African American to lead a major American political party.
- 1996 – The IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov for the first time.
- 1998 – Voters in Maine repeal a gay rights law passed in 1997 becoming the first U.S. state to abandon that law.
- 2003 – France and Belgium break the NATO procedure of silent approval concerning the timing of protective measures for Turkey in case of a possible war with Iraq.
- 2008 – The 2008 Namdaemun fire severely damages Namdaemun, the first National Treasure of South Korea.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
VA News for Tuesday, February 9, 2010
1. Murtha, First Vietnam Combat Vet Elected To Congress, Passes Away. The AP (2/9) reports 77-year-old John Murtha US Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), "an influential critic of the Iraq War whose congressional career was shadowed by questions about his ethics, died Monday." In 1974, Murtha "became the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress," a point also noted by McClatchy (2/9, Youssef), the Wall Street Journal (2/9, Bendavid, Miller, 2.08M), The Hill (2/9, Tiron, 21K), and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (2/9, Roddy, 223K), as well as in reports aired by ABC World News (2/8, story 5, 0:25, Sawyer, 8.2M), ABC's Nightline (2/8, 12:05 a.m. ET), and the CBS Evening News (2/8, story 8, 0:30, Couric, 6.1M). NBC Nightly News (2/8, story 3, 0:45, Williams, 8.37M) also broadcast a story that noted Murtha's vet status.
In a front page obituary, the Washington Post (2/9, A1, Leonnig, Weil, 684K) reports, "The 19-term lawmaker died from complications of gallbladder surgery," while in another obituary, the New York Times (2/9, A25, Stout, 1.09M) says Murtha served "as an officer in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967," and received a "Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts...and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry." The Seattle Times (2/9, 225K) runs the same obituary.
In its obituary, the Los Angeles Times (2/9, Oliphant, 776K) notes that Murtha "was awarded two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry." The Chicago Tribune (2/9, 534K) runs the same story on Murtha's passing, which is also covered by Bloomberg News (2/9, Rowley, Arnold), USA Today (2/9, Kiely, Schouten, Kelley, 2.11M), the Washington Times (2/9, Dinan, 77K), Politico (2/9, Rogers, 25K), Town Hall (2/9, Jackson), TV Guide (2/9, Rowe), the Johnstown (PA) Tribune-Democrat (2/9, Griffith), the Somerset County (PA) Daily American (2/9, 13K), the websites for KDKA-TV Pittsburgh, PA (2/8) and KYW-AM Philadelphia, PA (2/8), and the "Political Hotsheet" blog on the CBS News (2/9, Condon) website.
Murtha Said To Have Been "Beloved" By Vets. In an op-ed on the Fox News (2/9) website, Democratic strategist Bob Beckel says Murtha "was beloved by veterans and veterans groups for his support for the Veterans Administration and VA hospitals and facilities that he put in appropriations bills over the years." Murtha, Beckel adds, opposed a later war, the one in Iraq, "out of conscience as a former warrior and as it turns out he was right." Opinions on the death of Murtha also appear in a Somerset County (PA) Daily American (2/9, 13K) story, which quotes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who called Murtha a "great patriot."
2. Officials Tell Halvorson VA Considering Joliet Location For New Facility. The Ottawa (IL) Times (2/9, 16K) reports US Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-IL) "questioned senior Department of Veterans Affairs officials Thursday in Washington and received an update that the VA is interested in moving forward in establishing a veterans health facility at Silver Cross Hospital's soon-to-be vacated Joliet location." At a "House Veterans Affairs committee hearing, Halvorson questioned Secretary of Veterans Affairs General Eric Shinseki and Acting Undersecretary for Health Dr. Gerald Cross. Cross acknowledged Halvorson's efforts to bring the facility to the attention to the VA, and noted in his testimony that though no final decision has been made, the facility is actively being considered to meet needed services expansion in the region."
3. Vets, Mental Health Personnel At West Los Angeles VA Create Strawberry Project. Nurse.com (2/9) says an "innovative new project at the West Los Angeles VA on the northern side of campus is roughly the size of a football field - but smells much better. Artist Lauren Bon and a team from the Metabolic Studio in Lose Angeles have worked" with Veterans Affairs "mental health personnel and veterans to create The Strawberry Flag project." Nurse.com adds, "According to Donna Beiter, RN, MSN, the director of the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, the...project at the VA WLA campus stimulates healing, growth and recovery."
4. VHA Asking For Health IT Ideas From Employees, Contractors. Federal Computer Week (2/9, Lipowicz, 90K) reports, "The Veterans Health Administration is asking employees and contractors to submit, rank and vote on ideas for creative new health information technologies. The Veterans Health Administration Innovation Initiative was launched Feb. 5 and will run until Feb. 21, according to a news release." Federal Computer Week notes that the "top 100 ideas" from the initiative "will be selected and their authors will be invited to submit full proposals."
5. DAV Official Suggests New VA Employees Handle Only Simple Claims. The Navy Times (2/9, Maze, 54K) reports, "Veterans could receive disability benefits faster, with fewer errors, if new Veterans Affairs Department employees worked exclusively on simple claims and experienced employees handled everything else, says" John Wilson, the assistant national legislative director for Disabled American Veterans. The suggestion from Wilson, who made his comments during an "interview and in testimony provided" to the House Veterans Affairs Committee, "comes as VA and Congress grapple with ways to handle an ever-increasing backlog of claims." The Times notes that while there is money in the "2011 budget...to hire more claims processors," US Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, is "holding out for more fundamental changes in the claims process, including the idea of automatically approving some simple claims without delay." The Federal Times (2/9, 40K) publishes the same story.
Lawmaker Highlights Money In Budget For New Claims Processors. The Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record (2/9, Goldberg, 71K) says during a "Monday afternoon press conference at the Orange County Veterans Service Agency Center," US Rep. John Hall (D-NY) noted that President Obama's 2011 budget contains money for new veterans claims processors. Hall "hopes the new claims processors will be trained and ready to work by 2013." The Times Herald-Record adds, "At the same time he's trying to reduce the claims backlog, Hall said, 'We're fighting to increase awareness' of the benefits to which veterans are entitled."
6. Study Finds Top Priorities Of Doctors, Patients Do Not Always Match. The New York Times (2/9, D6, Rabin, 1.09M) reports, "A new study that surveyed health care providers and their patients with both diabetes and high blood pressure found that most of the time they agreed on at least one or two of the three most important health problems affecting the patient. But in almost one-third of the cases, the provider's top three concerns did not include the top priority of the patient, the survey found, especially if that item was pain or depression, said Dr. Donna M. Zulman, a Veterans Affairs researcher who was lead author of the study." After noting that the study "was published online on Feb. 2 in The Journal of General Internal Medicine," the Times adds, "The findings may reflect a lack of awareness about how important it is for diabetics to control their blood pressure, Dr. Zulman said, adding that the message to patients is that they must communicate clearly and 'not assume their health care provider shares their priorities.'"
7. Quinn Said To Have Discussed Lieutenant Governor Post With Duckworth. The Chicago Tribune (2/9, Pearson, Long, 534K) notes that on Monday, "Democratic Party leaders began the delicate dance of picking a new running mate" for Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn. Sources "said Quinn has discussed with top Democrats the possibility of selecting Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran who lost a 2006 run for Congress in the western suburbs before becoming an assistant secretary" at the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Duckworth "could not be reached for comment."
8. Kentucky Governor Visits VA Hospital, Thanks Vets. On its website, WTVQ-TV Lexington, KY (2/8) said Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear "spent part of his morning" Monday at the Lexington Veterans Affairs Medical Center "in honor of National Salute To Hospitalized Veterans Week." Beshear toured the hospital and thanked the veterans for their service and sacrifice." After noting that the deputy commissioner of the Kentucky Department Of Veterans Affairs "also greeted veterans" Monday morning, WTVQ pointed out that two of their reporters "will visit veterans at the Leestown Road facility this Thursday."
9. Nevada Governor Updates Veterans Commission Appointments. The Gardnerville (NV) Record Courier (2/9, 7K) notes that Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons "recently appointed Sally Wiley of Gardnerville and reappointed Ron Gutzman of Carson City to serve two-year terms on the Nevada Veterans Services Commission," which advises the "Governor, legislature, and directors of the Nevada Office of Veterans Services regarding aid or benefits to veterans." According to the Record Courier, Gutzman is a veteran and Wiley "is a member of....Gold Star Mothers of America" and Sierra Nevada Blue Star Mothers.
10. Stolen Valor. In an editorial, the Los Angeles Times (4/9, 776K) says that when Congress passed the Stolen Valor Act in 2006, it "expanded a previous law against fraudulently wearing a service medal to include falsely representing that one had received that honor." But now, "two men -- one from California -- are challenging the constitutionality of the act. The federal courts should rule in their favor, not because their misrepresentation is innocuous – it's not -- but because criminalizing lies that aren't part of a fraud would open a loophole in the 1st Amendment's protection of free speech."
11. County Officials Hope Vets Home Will Be Built In Boulder, Montana. The Billings (MT) Gazette (2/9, Harrington) reports, "A new home for veterans is planned for southwest Montana, and Jefferson County officials think Boulder is the best place for it. After the last Legislature authorized a $30 million, 60-bed facility, representatives from several counties put together site proposals and have submitted their plans to the state Department of Administration." The Gazette adds that in the "coming months, " a committee "will meet...before making a recommendation to Gov. Brian Schweitzer on where the home should be located."
12. Montgomery VAMC To Host National Salute To Hospitalized Veterans Program. The Muskogee (OK) Phoenix (2/9, 14K) reports the Jack C. Montgomery Veterans Affairs Medical Center "invites the public to its National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans program" on Tuesday afternoon in its auditorium. The Phoenix quotes Gracie Specks, the facility's acting director, who said, "National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans gives everyone a chance to let those veterans who have given the nation so much know they are not forgotten. We want people of all ages to bring valentine cheer to our patients."
13. Bachman Helps Schoolchildren Honor Vets. The Coon Rapids (MN) Herald (2/9, 4K) notes that "at her Woodbury office" this past weekend, US Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) "read through some of the 'Valentines for Veterans' that were made by elementary school children in Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District. Bachmann's office notified schools about the 'Valentines for Veterans' project in January and facilitated the pick-up of several hundred valentines across the district last week." The "valentines will be delivered" to the St. Cloud Veterans Affairs Medical Center "on Friday, Feb. 12 as part of National Salute to hospitalized Veterans Week."
14. Lawmaker Seeks Progress Report On VA Hospital Expansion. According to the KVEW-TV Kennewick, WA (2/8, Roy) website, US Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) was "was seeking a progress report" Monday on the expansion of the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial Veterans Affairs Medical Center. KVEW added, "VA officials are expecting construction to begin" on a new outpatient facility this fall.
15. VA Hospital Emphasizing Volunteer Opportunities. The Kerrville (TX) Daily Times (2/9, Sampson, 9K) reports, "Giving back to veterans is the reason almost universally cited by volunteers" at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Kerrville. And "it's something the hospital is emphasizing this week during National Salute to Veteran Patients week. The public is invited to an open-house on Wednesday...and an orientation session for those interested in becoming volunteers will be offered" on Tuesday.
16. VA Hospital In West Virginia Offering Teleheath Services. The State Journal (2/9, Magacs) a newspaper based in Charleston, West Virginia, reports veteran Herbie Hobbs, who has numerous health problems, and his wife Shelia were traveling to the Veterans Affairs hospital in Clarksburg "at least once a week for checkups, but that's stopped since Herbie started using the VA's Care Coordination Home Telehealth system," which is "for veterans who have to visit the ER or VA" hospital, "often with heart problems, diabetes or high blood pressure." The VA hospital "also offers similar programs for those with eye, skin and mental health conditions, called Teleretnal, Telederm." The WBOY-TV Clarksburg, WV (2/8) website published the same story.
17. VA Spreading Word About Clinic In Maryland. The Hagerstown (MD) Herald-Mail (2/9, Dearth, 31K) reports officials from the US Department of Veterans Affairs "say they want area veterans to know that medical services are available at an outpatient clinic in Hagerstown. Kay Clark, a staff nurse at the
Hagerstown Veterans Clinic, said the facility at 1101 Opal Court has two doctors and offers services that include blood work, mental health treatment and a full-time pharmacist." Clark "said the VA outpatient clinic has been on Opal Court since 2001."
18. Recording Artist To Perform At Canandaigua VAMC. The Canandaigua (NY) Daily Messenger (2/9, Sherwood) reports, "Nashville recording artist Jim Worthing will perform" at the Canandaigua Veterans Affairs Medical Center on February 23rd. The "10 a.m. concert in Building 5 auditorium, 400 Fort Hill Ave., is free and open to the public."
19. Tree Containing Valentines, Thank You Notes Donated To Omaha VAMC. The Omaha (NE) World-Herald (2/9, Keenan) reports, "The 15-foot tree in the lobby" of the Omaha Veterans Affairs Medical Center is "covered in valentines and thank-you notes to our nation's warriors. The tree is the center's most visible symbol of National Salute to Veterans Week, which runs through Sunday. Chris Shipp, director of voluntary services at the Omaha VA, expects to get at least 5,000 valentines at the Omaha center before the week is out, plus a total of 12,000 at centers statewide."
20. California Students Making Valentines For Vets. The Southwest Riverside (CA) News Network (2/9, Avants) reports, "Hospitalized veterans who may not have been expecting valentines on that upcoming special day will be treated to handmade sentiments from students across Southwest Riverside." But at "David A. Brown Middle School in Lake Elsinore, social studies' teacher Michele Akkerman's students have been making Valentines for Vets for over 10 years now. This year, Akkerman collected the last of her students' valentines on Monday, and is mailing them" to Veterans Affairs facilities in Loma Linda and San Diego.
21. GSA Set To Announce New Federal Cafeteria Contracts. The Washington Post (2/9, Black, 684K) reports the General Service Administration (GSA) "will announce this week the winner of the first in a series of new federal cafeteria contracts that encourage the use of healthier food, organic and locally procured food, and advanced recycling and waste management programs." After noting that the "effort is part of an administration drive to improve the health of federal employees and direct government dollars to companies" embracing green practices, the Post says GSA already "contracts for food service at 350 cafeterias at agencies including...Veterans Affairs."
22. Pinup Poses For Veterans. The Deseret (UT) Morning News (2/9).
23. "Shoe Bandit" Suspect Led Life Of Mystery. The Wilmington (DE) News Journal (2/9, Parra) reports, "To his neighbors, Walter J. 'Butch' Rubincan is a quiet man who takes excellent care of his ranch home while working at Christiana Hospital" and a Veterans Affairs hospital. But to police in Newark, the "46-year-old is the man they say started stealing men's shoes more than 20 years ago, accumulating a stash of about 3,900 of them -- as well as photographs and loose change."
24. Boy, 5 Months, Wins College Tuition Cash. The Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger (2/9, Weber) reports five-month-old Bryson Tucker "has the first year of a four-year Mississippi university education paid. His mom, Tawana Tucker of Ridgeland," a nurse at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Jackson, "won a free year of college tuition for him in a random drawing sponsored by the Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition plan."
25. Honor Flight Adds Myrtle Beach. The State (2/9, Wilkinson), a newspaper based in Columbia, South Carolina.
26. Today in History:
- 474 – Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
- 1555 – Bishop of Gloucester John Hooper is burned at the stake.
- 1621 – Gregory XV becomes Pope, the last Pope elected by acclamation.
- 1775 – American Revolutionary War: British Parliament declares Massachusetts in rebellion.
- 1788 – The Habsburg Empire joins the Russo-Turkish War in the Russian camp.
- 1825 – After no presidential candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the United States House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams President of the United States.
- 1849 – New Roman Republic established
- 1861 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is elected the Provisional President of the Confederate States of America by the Confederate convention at Montgomery, Alabama.
- 1870 – The U.S. Weather Bureau is established.
- 1885 – The first Japanese government-approved immigrants arrive in Hawaii.
- 1889 – The United States Department of Agriculture is established as a Cabinet-level agency.
- 1895 – William G. Morgan creates a game called Mintonette, which soon comes to be referred to as volleyball.
- 1900 – The Davis Cup competition is established.
- 1904 – Russo–Japanese War: Battle of Port Arthur
- 1920 – Under the terms of the Spitsbergen Treaty, international diplomacy recognizes Norwegian sovereignty over Arctic archipelago Svalbard, and designates it as demilitarized.
- 1922 – Brazil becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.
- 1934 – The Balkan Entente is formed.
- 1942 – World War II: Top United States military leaders hold their first formal meeting to discuss American military strategy in the war.
- 1942 – Year-round Daylight saving time is re-instated in the United States as a wartime measure to help conserve energy resources.
- 1943 – World War II: Allied authorities declare Guadalcanal secure after Imperial Japan evacuates its remaining forces from the island, ending the Battle of Guadalcanal.
- 1945 – World War II: The Battle of the Atlantic – HMS Venturer sinks U-864 off the coast of Fedje, Norway, in a rare instance of submarine-to-submarine combat.
- 1950 – Second Red Scare: Senator Joseph McCarthy accuses the United States Department of State of being filled with Communists.
- 1960 – Joanne Woodward receives the first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- 1962 – Jamaica becomes independent nation within the Commonwealth of Nations.
- 1964 – The Beatles make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing before a "record-busting" audience of 73 million viewers.
- 1965 – Vietnam War: The first United States combat troops are sent to South Vietnam.
- 1969 – First test flight of the Boeing 747.
- 1971 – The 6.4 on the Richter Scale Sylmar earthquake hits the San Fernando Valley area of California.
- 1971 – Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro League player to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1971 – Apollo program: Apollo 14 returns to Earth after the third manned moon landing.
- 1973 – Biju Patnaik of the Pragati Legislature Party is elected leader of opposition in the state assembly in Orissa, India.
- 1975 – The Soyuz 17 Soviet spacecraft returns to Earth.
- 1991 – Voters in Lithuania vote for independence.
- 1994 – Vance-Owen peace plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina is announced.
- 1995 – Space Shuttle astronauts Bernard A. Harris, Jr. and Michael Foale become the first African American and first Briton, respectively, to perform spacewalks.
- 1996 – The Irish Republican Army declares the end of its 18 month ceasefire shortly followed by the explosion of a large bomb in London's Canary Wharf.
- 2001 – The American submarine USS Greeneville (SSN-772) accidentally strikes and sinks the Ehime-Maru, a Japanese training vessel operated by the Uwajima Fishery High School