VA News for Wednesday, February 24, 2010, and some other scoop

Greetings good people. Hope everyone is well.

Blessings and prayers for you and your loved ones and for our Brave Troops and their loved ones everywhere!

Best.......................Wayne

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VA News for Wednesday, February 24, 2010

1. VA Announces Expansion Of IT Program Management, Accountability System. NextGov (2/24, Brewin) reports, "The Veterans Affairs Department announced on Tuesday that it will apply a strict development program that was originally designed for only information technology projects that are severely behind schedule and over budget to all of its IT programs." NextGov notes that VA Secretary Eric Shinseki commented on the expansion of the program management and accountability system, saying, "We will end projects that don't work, streamline those that do, and focus on the responsibility we have for achieving maximum value for our veterans." The "Fedline" blog for the Federal Times (2/24, Neal, 40K) also covers this story.
Baker: Flat IT Budget Request "More Than Adequate." Federal Computer Week (2/24, Lipowicz, 90K) reports, "The Veterans Affairs Department's information technology budget may be flat in fiscal 2011, but it is more than adequate for fulfilling the VA's IT priorities, Roger Baker, the VA's chief information officer, told" the House Veterans Affairs Committee during a budget hearing on Tuesday. Federal Computer Week adds that VA is "slowing deployment of its Financial and Logistics Integrated Technology Enterprise program. 'We are being very careful on FLITE; we have slowed it down substantially,'" said Baker.

2. Shinseki Among Those Asked To Choose Official For Healthcare IT Task Force. In continuing coverage, InformationWeek (2/24, Montalbano) reports, "The Obama administration has called for a government-wide task force to coordinate efforts to implement its plans for a healthcare IT system. An Office of Management and Budget memo proposes the development of a Health Information Technology (HIT) Task Force to 'facilitate implementation of the President's HIT agenda through better coordination among Federal agencies involved.'" The memo, "which was addressed" to numerous Administration officials, including Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, "asks each of the officials who received the memo to choose a senior policy official from his or her respective group to participate in the task force."

3. Hiring to expand veterans' services: Q&A with W. Scott Gould, Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Washington Post (2/24) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/22/AR2010022204601.html

4. Committees Praised For Helping To Pass Veterans Emergency Care Fairness Act. In its second story, the "Sgt. Shaft" column in the Washington Times (2/24, Fales, 77K) praises the Veterans Affairs committees in the House and Senate for helping to pass the Veterans Emergency Care Fairness Act, which "will enable the Department of Veterans Affairs to reimburse veterans enrolled in VA health care for the remaining cost of emergency treatment if the veteran has outside insurance that only covers part of the cost." The Times notes that US Sen. Daniel Akaka, the chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, "has received correspondence from veterans who were unable to receive financial assistance under the previous rules, and plans to share their information with VA Secretary Eric Shinseki."

5.      Duckworth Says She Does Not Want To Be Considered For Lt. Governor Post. In continuing coverage, the AP (2/24) reports, "Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth doesn't want to be considered for lieutenant governor. Quinn said Duckworth told him Tuesday she will keep her job" at the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
     UPI (2/24) and the Chicago Tribune (2/24, Garcia, 534K) publish similar stories, as does the Chicago Sun-Times (2/24, Pallasch, Sweet, 292K), which says, "Quinn had been in Washington over the weekend for the National Governors Association meeting and he met with Duckworth...to talk about" the lieutenant governor position.
     The WBBM-TV Chicago, IL (2/23) website noted that a "source close" to Duckworth "said Duckworth...wants to stand by her commitment to President Barack Obama" and the VA. The WLS-TV Chicago, IL (2/23) website and the "Federal Eye" blog for the Washington Post (2/24, O'Keefe, 684K) also note Duckworth's decision. WPSD-TV Carterville, IL (2/23, 10:19 p.m. CT), WSIL-TV Carterville, IL (2/23, 10:07 p.m. CT), WMBD-TV Peoria, IL (2/23, 10:03 p.m. CT), WMAQ-TV Chicago, IL (2/23, 6:06 p.m. CT), and WEEK-TV Peoria, IL (2/23, 6:06 p.m. CT) also aired reports on this story.

6. Chief Justice "Startled" By Poor Government Performance In Veteran Appeal Cases. The National Law Journal (2/24, Coyle) notes that when US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. was listening to "oral arguments Monday in Astrue v. Ratliff, an attorney fee case under the Equal Access to Justice Act," he "found 'startling' information with which lawyers for veterans are only too familiar: In litigating with veterans, the government more often than not takes a position that is substantially unjustified." However, Bart Stichman, "co-executive director of the National Veterans Legal Services Program," said he was not surprised by the information because his organization has been complaining for years that the "quality of decision-making" at the US Court of Appeals for Veterans is "not very good."

7. VA Doctor "Not Surprised" By Study Questioning Value Of Anti-Clotting Drug Tests. HealthDay (2/24, Edelson) reports, "Tests that try to single out who will have bleeding problems when they get a clot-preventing drug such as Plavix before surgery aren't ready for regular use, a new Dutch study concludes." The conclusion of the study, published "in the Feb. 24 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association," did "not surprise" US doctors "who have studied the issue. 'For my purposes, these tests are research tools,' said Dr. Deepak Bhatt, chief of cardiology" at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, "and a member of a group" of US "cardiologists who said pretty much the same thing in a 2008 statement."

8. Colorado Lawmakers Ask VA To Support Quick Approval For New Fisher House. In continuing coverage, the Denver Post (2/24, Robles, 282K) notes that on Monday, "members of Colorado's congressional delegation sent a letter to the secretary of veterans affairs asking for support for quick approval to build a new Fisher House in Aurora, next to the new VA medical center that's set to open" at the beginning of 2014. The "goal is to have the Fisher House open at the same time."

9. Commission Votes To Allow New Orleans VA Hospital Project To Move Forward. On its website, WWL-TV New Orleans, LA (2/23, Moore) reported, "The New Orleans City Planning Commission took the first step toward giving the state and the feds the green light to build a new" Veterans Affairs hospital. On Tuesday, the commission "voted 6-1 to turn over the sections of streets inside the footprint to the state so that the project moves forward." WWL noted, however, that "opponents said they didn't get enough of a chance to speak about the plans at Tuesday's public hearing."
The New Orleans Times-Picayune (2/24, Barrow, 169K) reports, "Amid cries from residents accusing the New Orleans City Planning Commission of being a rubber stamp, commissioners voted 5-1 Tuesday to approve the eventual closure of Mid-City streets within the footprint of a planned" VA hospital. Tuesday's hearing "comes as an Orleans Parish court considers a lawsuit asserting that Mayor Ray Nagin exceeded his authority when he signed a November 2007 deal with the VA promising to give the federal government the land in 'construction ready' condition."

10. Veteran Calls For Rehab Hospital In Louisiana. In an op-ed for the Lafayette (LA) Daily Advertiser (2/24, 37K), Link Savoie, "a past state commander of the Louisiana VFW," says that as US Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has "pointed out, 'invisible wounds' of the mind are just as debilitating as physical wounds sustained on the battlefield." Savoie adds, "I would like to remind the Department of Defense that since research indicates that the larger number of long-term hospitalized soldiers are from the South," this "should justify some consideration for locating a veterans specialty rehab. hospital in the South. Louisiana should be considered for this rehab hospital due to the fact that it leads with the most wounded and amputations."

11. Indiana Vet Says He Faced Long Benefits Wait. On its website, WSBT-TV South Bend, IN (2/23, Groves) reported, "For hundreds of local veterans who return from action, the fight is often far from over. Many face a much different battle when they come home," as occurred for Iraq veteran Andy Karnes, who "says it took...a year and a half to get his disability benefits." WSBT added, "Last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs said it was working to hire and train new claims processors to speed up the benefits process." The South Bend (IN) Tribune (2/24, 68K) publishes the same story.

12. Daughter Of Pilot Who Crashed Plane Into Building Apologizes To Veteran's Family. In continuing coverage, Fox News' Studio B With Shepard Smith (2/23, 3:23 p.m. ET) broadcast that Joseph Stack's daughter "called him a hero for crashing his plane into an IRS building in Texas." But now, she is "retracting those comments and apologizing" to the family of Vietnam vet Vernon Hunter, who was killed in the crash.
Paper Praises Veteran. In a related editorial in the Austin (TX) American Statesman (2/24) said that when Stack "expressed his misguided anger by crashing his plane....into a Northwest Austin office building housing local Internal Revenue Service folks," he "linked himself in perpetuity" to Hunter, a "man he had never met." The American Statesman concluded, "We are diminished by the loss of Vernon Hunter and enriched by what he left."

13. Canada's Last Known WWI Veteran Dies. In continuing coverage, the New York Times (2/24, A25, Goldstein, 1.09M) reports 109-year-old John Babcock, "who joined the Canadian Army at 15 and ultimately became the symbol of an embattled generation as Canada's last known veteran of World War I, died Thursday at his home in Spokane, Wash." The death of Babcock, who also "served in the American Army," leaves "Frank Buckles, 109, of Charles Town, W.Va., as the last surviving American citizen to have served in an Allied military force during World War I."

14. VA Hospitals, New Mexico Differ On Medical Marijuana. On its website, KOB-TV Albuquerque, NM (2/23, Jojola) reported, "There are more than 1200 New Mexicans legally using medical marijuana under state law," and "about 25 percent of them are veterans returning from war" with post-traumatic stress disorder. But at "VA hospitals nationwide, doctors are being told not to give out prescriptions because medical marijuana is still illegal under federal law." KOB added, "A spokesperson for the VA hospital in Albuquerque says veterans who participate in the state's medical cannabis program won't be refused other treatment at the VA hospital."

15. Veteran Concerned About VA Plan To Collect Emergency GI Bill Benefits. In continuing coverage, the University Of Texas At Arlington Shorthorn (2/24, Sherrod) says veteran Robert Davis is concerned about his ability to repay emergency Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits money to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Davis, who is "not alone is his frustrations with the repayment methods" set up by VA, "said he has already contacted the office of Congressman Joe Barton, who represents the university's district, to express his concerns with the bill."

16. Veteran: New VA Clinic Operator Not Providing All Promised Services. The Watertown (NY) Daily Times (2/24, Richards, 26K) reports, "Three weeks after a new" Veterans Affairs clinic opened in Watertown, "replacing a similar clinic in West Carthage," veteran William Ryan "claims the company operating the facility is not providing all the services it promised." Ryan " said he showed up for a regular behavioral health appointment Feb. 11 at the new facility," operated by Valor Healthcare Inc., but there was no psychiatrist to treat him. After noting the VA in Syracuse awarded a contract to Valor "over Carthage Area Hospital's bid to continue providing services at its VA clinic in West Carthage," the Daily Times points out that "on Monday, Syracuse VA spokesman Gordon Sclar said a few bumps in the road are to be expected with the opening of a new facility."

17. Disabled Iraq Vet "Had A Blast" At Winter Sports Clinic. In an online version of story from its March 2010 issue, Reader's Digest (2/24, Miller, 8.16M) profiles disabled Iraq vet Heath Calhoun, one of four inspirational athletes telling their stories to the magazine. According to Calhoun, he "had a blast" learning how to use a monoski when the "Disabled American Veterans held a winter sports clinic in Aspen, Colorado."

18. Raymond G. Murphy VAMC To Host Job Fair For Nurses. The New Mexico Business Weekly (2/24) reports the US Department of Veterans Affairs, which is "seeking nurses to fill positions in Albuquerque," will "host a job fair March 3 at the Raymond G. Murphy Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Those "attending...will have an opportunity to meet with VA nurses and tour the VA facility."

19. Hefner VAMC To Black History Month Program. The Salisbury (NC) Post (2/24, 21K) reports the Hefner Veterans Affairs Medical Center "is celebrating Black History Month with a Friday program, 'The History of Black Economic Empowerment.'" The program "will be held at 1:30 p.m. in the Social Room, Building No. 6."

20. Fresno VA Nurse Helps Care For Patients In Haiti. The Fresno (CA) Bee (2/19, Anderson) noted that 61-year-old Thomas Broach, who "volunteers to go to medical disasters around the world as a member of the Veterans Affairs Disaster Emergency Medical Personnel System," was in Haiti recently, "working inside an improvised hospital on the grounds of a French school destroyed in the earthquake." The KSEE-TV Fresno, CA (2/18, Booroojian) website said that while he was in Haiti for a "nearly two week deployment," Broach "utilized his skills as the Fresno VA's chief nurse anesthetist treating patients in earthquake ravaged Port au Prince."

21. Musician To Visit VA Hospital. AOL's music blog, The Boot (2/23, Hollabaugh) said country music singer Darius Rucker will give patients at the Tennessee Valley Healthcare system's VA hospital a "treat when he visits the facility Wednesday (Feb. 24) as part of the Musicians on Call program. The non-profit organization brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients all across the country." Rucker, who is quoted by the blog, stated, "Hospitals like the VA are so incredible for recognizing this benefit and incorporating it into their treatment to break up the monotony and improve each patient's quality of life."

22. Honor Veterans By Volunteering At Area VA Facility. A letter to the editor of the Pottstown (PA) Mercury (2/23) from Gary W. Devansky, director of the Veterans Affairs hospital in Coatesville.

23. Craft Show To Showcase Talents Of Veterans. The Sioux Falls (SD) Argus Leader (2/24).

24. Washington Gives Charlie Wilson A Fond, Fitting Send-Off. In continuing coverage, the "Reliable Source" blog for the Washington Post (2/24, Roberts, Argetsinger, 684K) says Charlie Wilson, a former congressman, "loved a good party but didn't want a lot of fuss when he died, so there was no memorial service in Washington." Wilson's "one concession to pomp: The Navy veteran was laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday morning."

25. On the Hill for February 24, 2010:

The Senate continues to consider a package of tax breaks and infrastructure spending intended to create jobs.

The House is expected to pass a bill that would repeal an antitrust exemption for health insurers.

A House committee continues hearings into the Toyota recalls.

House: Convenes 10 a.m.

Subject to a rule:

HR 4626 —Repealing antitrust exemption for health insurers

Suspension of the rules:

H Con Res 38 — Difficulties of Black veterans

Postponed suspensions:

H Res 1074 — Miep Gies

H Res 944 — Religious minorities in Iraq

H Con Res 227 — Urban crimes awareness

H Res 1085 —African-American contributions

Senate: Convenes 9:30 a.m.

Roll call votes expected.

HR 2847 — Job creation package

Markups

Senate Foreign Relations marks up legislation on Haiti earthquake recovery aid ( S 2961 ), instability in Yemen ( S Res 400 ), peace efforts in Sudan ( S Res 404 ) and earthquake recovery in Haiti ( S Res 414 ); also votes on nominations. Time TBA, 419 Dirksen

House Natural Resources marks up various lands, parks and water resources bills ( HR 1078 , HR 4003 , HR 4192 , HR 1738 , HR 4252 , HR 765 , HR 1769 , HR 2788 , HR 4395 ). 10 a.m., 1324 Longworth

Senate Armed Services closed meeting to vote on military nominations. 2:30 p.m., 222 Russell

House Rules considers rules for floor debate for an intelligence authorization bill ( HR 2701 ). 3 p.m., H-313 Capitol

Hearing Highlights

Senate Budget hearing on the fiscal 2011 budget for the Transportation Department, with Secretary Ray LaHood . 9 a.m., 608 Dirksen

Senate Armed Services hearing on oversight of defense contractors. 9:30 a.m., 216 Hart

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on the fiscal 2011 budget for the Homeland Security Department, with Secretary Janet Napolitano . 9:30 a.m., 342 Dirksen

House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on fiscal 2011 spending, with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack . 10 a.m., 2359 Rayburn

House Armed Services hearing on the fiscal 2011 budget for the Navy. 10 a.m., 2118 Rayburn

House Budget hearing on the fiscal 2011 budget for the Treasury Department, with Secretary Timothy F. Geithner . 10 a.m., 210 Cannon

House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on Anthem Blue Cross premium increases. 10 a.m., 2123 Rayburn

House Financial Services hearing on the semiannual monetary policy report, with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke . 10 a.m., 2128 Rayburn

House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on fiscal 2011 spending for combat aircraft. 10:30 a.m., H-140 Capitol

Senate State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on fiscal 2011 funding for the State Department, with Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton . 10:30 a.m., 192 Dirksen

House Oversight and Government Reform hearing on Toyota vehicle recalls, with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Toyota President Akio Toyoda. 11 a.m., 2154 Rayburn

26. Today in History:

303 – Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Empire.
1387 – King Charles III of Naples and Hungary is assassinated at Buda.
1739 – Battle of Karnal: The army of Iranian ruler Nadir Shah defeats the forces of the Mughal emperor of India, Muhammad Shah.
1803 – The Supreme Court of the United States, in Marbury v. Madison, establishes the principle of judicial review.
1826 – The signing of the Treaty of Yandaboo marks the end of the First Burmese War.
1831 – The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the first removal treaty in accordance with the Indian Removal Act, is proclaimed. The Choctaws in Mississippi cede land east of the river in exchange for payment and land in the West.
1839 – William Otis receives a patent for the steam shovel.
1848 – King Louis-Philippe of France abdicates the throne.
1863 – Arizona is organized as a United States territory.
1868 – The first parade to have floats is staged at Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1868 – Andrew Johnson becomes the first President of the United States to be impeached by the United States House of Representatives. He is later acquitted in the Senate.
1875 – The SS Gothenburg hits the Great Barrier Reef and sinks off the Australian east coast, killing approximately 100, including a number of high profile civil servants and dignitaries.
1890 – Chicago is selected to host the Columbian Exposition
1893 – The American University is chartered by an act of the Congress of the United States of America.
1895 – Revolution breaks out in Baire, a town near Santiago de Cuba, beginning the second war for Cuban independence, which ended with the Spanish-American War in 1898.
1899 – Western Washington University is established.
1909 – The Hudson Motor Car Company is founded.
1917 – World War I: The U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom is given the Zimmermann Telegram, in which Germany pledges to ensure the return of New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona to Mexico if Mexico declares war on the United States.
1918 – Estonian Declaration of Independence.
1920 – The Nazi Party is founded.
1942 – Battle of Los Angeles: a UFO flying over wartime Los Angeles causes a blackout order at 2:25 a.m. and attracts a barrage of anti-aircraft fire, ultimately killing 3 civilians.
1945 – Egyptian Premier Ahmed Maher Pasha is killed in Parliament after reading a decree.
1968 – Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive is halted; South Vietnam recaptures Hu�.
1970 – National Public Radio is founded in the United States.
1971 – The All India Forward Bloc holds an emergency central committee meeting after its chairman, Hemantha Kumar Bose, is killed 3 days earlier. P.K. Mookiah Thevar is appointed as the new chairman.
1976 – Cuba : national Constitution proclaimed.
1981 – Buckingham Palace announces the engagement of The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.
1983 – A special commission of the U.S. Congress releases a report that condemns the practice of Japanese internment during World War II.
1989 – Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini offers a USD $3 million bounty for the death of The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie.
1989 – United Airlines Flight 811, bound for New Zealand from Honolulu, Hawaii, rips open during flight, sucking 9 passengers out of the business-class section.
1996 – The last occurrence of February 24 as a leap day in the European Union and for the Roman Catholic Church.
1999 – The State of Arizona executes Karl LaGrand, a German national involved in an armed robbery, in spite of Germany's legal action to attempt to save him.
1999 – A China Southern Airlines Tupolev TU-154 airliner crashes on approach to Wenzhou airport in eastern the People's Republic of China, killing 61.
2006 – Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declares Proclamation 1017 placing the country in a state of emergency in attempt to subdue a possible military coup.
2007 – Japan launches its fourth spy satellite, stepping up its ability to monitor potential threats such as North Korea.
2008 – Fidel Castro retires as the President of Cuba after nearly fifty years.

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From: Kevin Secor at VA

Sent: Wed 2/24/2010 4:21 AM

Subj: HAVE YOU HEARD?

The Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Labor re-launched a new and improved Web site for our wounded warriors this week -- the National Resource Directory (NRD). This directory (www.nationalresourcedirectory.gov) provides access to thousands of services and resources at the national, state and local levels to support recovery, rehabilitation and community reintegration. The NRD is a comprehensive online tool available nationwide for wounded, ill and injured servicemembers, Veterans and their families. The NRD includes extensive information for Veterans seeking resources on VA benefits, including disability benefits, pensions for Veterans and their families, VA health care insurance and the GI Bill. It also includes information for caregivers including how to find emotional, financial and community assistance. The site includes a specialized section on homeless assistance. The site offers information on programs and benefits designed to help homeless Veterans and servicemembers live as independently as possible. The NRD’s design and interface is simple, easy-to-navigate and intended to answer the needs of a broad audience of users within the military, Veteran and caregiver communities. Other features include a fast, accurate search engine; a “bookmark and share” capability that allows NRD users to spread the word about valuable resources on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites; and a news feature with updates on relevant information and events.

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Godspeed.................Wayne

Wayne M. Gatewood, Jr., USMC (Ret)