VA News for Thursday, February 25, 2010, and some other scoop for you great folks; to include some EBV info from Bill Elmore at SBA

Greetings people. Thursday is over and we are into another Friday....weeks come and go like days. One of these days I am going to slow down enough to smell the roses.................but then again, back to work!! :-)

Prayers and blessings for you and your loved ones and for our wonderful Troops and their loved ones everywhere.

Federal Report is attached.

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

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VA News for Thursday, February 25, 2010

1. During Texas Visit, Shinseki Discusses Goals To Improve VA. In continuing coverage, the Army News Service (2/24, Reho) noted that on Friday, more than "50 veterans gathered...to hear Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki speak about his goals to improve the quality of life for veterans at the El Paso VA Health Care System facility." During his visit, Shinseki, who "was hosted" by US Reps. Silvestre Reyes, Ciro Rodriguez, and Harry Teague, "toured the VA facility and the Fort Bliss National Cemetery, and he participated in a veterans roundtable before addressing the public on the purpose of his visit. In his speech, he addressed three specific goals targeting programs affecting the nation's veterans: reducing the growing backlog of claims, improving the quality of VA healthcare facilities and reducing homelessness among all veterans."

2.      VA Program Cited As Example Of "Relentless" IT Oversight Planned By White House. NextGov (2/25, Brewin) reports, "The White House plans 'relentless oversight' of the entire federal information technology portfolio, which will include a bottom-up review of all projects, Vivek Kundra, federal chief information officer, said at a news briefing on Wednesday." NextGov adds, "A Veterans Affairs Department program to track progress and improve management of IT projects is an example of how the administration plans to monitor the federal IT portfolio, Kundra said."
     VA Terminates 12 Failing IT Projects. Federal Computer Week (2/25, Lipowicz, 90K) reports, "The Veterans Affairs Department has terminated its Enrollment System Redesign, Pharmacy Reengineering and 10 other failing information technology projects for a projected savings of $54 million this fiscal year, officials announced" during a conference call on Wednesday. After noting that the "12 canceled IT projects were among 44" that had been "halted by VA officials in July 2009," Federal Computer Week quotes one of the officials on the conference call, White House Chief Technology Officer Vivek Kundra, as saying, "Today, under the leadership of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and CIO Roger Baker, we are taking major steps in relentless management across the IT portfolio." Government Health IT (2/25, Buxbaum) and InformationWeek (2/25, Montalbano) both publish similar stories.
     Baker: Shortage Of Experienced IT Program Managers Hampering VA. In a separate story, Federal Computer Week (2/24, Lipowicz, 90K) reported, "The conversion to paperless benefits systems and other new information technology solutions at the Veterans Affairs Department is hampered by a shortage of experienced federal IT project managers, VA Chief Information Officer Roger Baker said" on Tuesday, during a "breakfast conference sponsored by Bisnow." However, Baker "also said organization and governance at the VA are in a strong position and the VA's management and its IT division are working closely together."

Blogger Skeptical About IT Task Force Leading To More DOD Cooperation With VA On EHRs. In continuing coverage, Bob Brewin, writing in his "What's Brewin'" blog for NextGov (2/25), notes, "On Feb. 19, Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management Budget, and Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the Health and Human Services Department, sent a memo" to numerous Administration officials, including VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and Defense Department Secretary Robert Gates, "detailing the formation of a high-level task force to coordinate all federal health information technology." According to Brewin, this "all sounds ducky on paper, but since Defense has passively resisted cooperating with VA on development of compatible" electronic health records (EHRs) "as far back as the last Ice Age, I asked" Vivek Kundra, the Federal chief information officer, "how this memo and the formation of yet another task force would improve things. Kundra told me that development of a joint virtual lifetime record is backed by President Obama as well as Gates and Shinseki," but, Brewin argues, while "presidents and secretaries come and go," the "Military Health System bureaucracy outlasts -- and outfoxes -- all of them."

3. Duckworth To Be Honored By US Army Women's Foundation. The AP (2/25) reports, "Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs Tammy Duckworth will be inducted into the US Army Women's Foundation Hall of Fame." The induction ceremony is scheduled to take place "on March 17 at the foundation's second annual Army Women in Transition Symposium and Hall of Fame luncheon in Washington." KITV-TV Honolulu, HI (2/24, 10:43 p.m. HT) broadcast a similar report.
Assistant Secretary Chooses VA Over Lieutenant Governor Run. Politico (2/24, 25K) notes that on Tuesday, Duckworth "took herself out of the running for the job of lieutenant governor" of Illinois, "issuing a statement explaining: 'I made a commitment to President Obama and our nation's veterans to serve at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and I want to fulfill my promise before returning home.'"

4. Grant To Fund Expansion Of Successful Pilot Program At Tomah VAMC. The fourth "News In Brief" item for the Jackson County (WI) Chronicle (2/25) says the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center "was recently selected as one of 20 sites within the Veterans Health Administration to receive a grant for systems redesign and improvement." After noting that the "$1.3-million grant was awarded" to the hospital's Intensive Clinical Care Management (ICCM) team, the Journal says the money will be used to expand a pilot program that "was launched in...2008 at the Tomah VAMC and has demonstrated promising patient outcomes."

5. Connecticut Lawmaker Honored For Helping Veterans. The New London (CT) Day (2/24, Renczkowski) noted that Connecticut state Sen. Andrew Maynard, "D-Stonington, Senate chair of the General Assembly's Select Committee on Veterans' Affairs, was recognized Tuesday at the fourth annual Veterans Day at the Capitol for his multi-year advocacy on behalf of Connecticut's veterans."

6. Legislative Aide Concerned VA Relying Too Much On Billing Private Insurers. The Marine Corps Times (2/25, Maze) reports, "More aggressive billing of private insurers for health care received at veterans hospitals and clinics may be a way to cut costs - but it's also fraught with errors, a House subcommittee was warned Tuesday. Blake Ortner, a legislative aide with Paralyzed Veterans of America, said if Congress and the Obama administration 'are going to continue to rely on massive collections estimates and dollars actually collected to support the VA health care budget, then serious examination of how VA is achieving these numbers is necessary.'" The Times notes that the "national commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars raised similar concerns in early February when the Obama administration released its 2011 budget plan."

7. Vet Center Team Leader Says Those Returning From War Need Comprehensive Care. The Florida Times-Union (2/25, Gibbons, 132K), a newspaper based in Jacksonville, Florida, reports, "Helping veterans who return home affected by the trauma of war requires a holistic approach to help them become part of the community again, the team leader of the Jacksonville Vet Center said Wednesday." During a "lunchtime gathering," Reginald Lawrence, "laid out the approach taken by the Vet Center, part of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to a crowd composed mainly of mental health professionals looking to help those returning from war." The event "was arranged by Jacksonville Community Council Inc. as part of the organization's push to help medical personnel and the broader community work with veterans wrestling with 'the invisible wounds of war.'"

8. Former Camp Lejeune Resident's Injury Claim Allowed To Move Forward. In continuing coverage, McClatchy (2/25, Barrett) reports, "For what appears to be the first time, a former resident of Camp Lejeune, N.C., has been permitted to move ahead" with a personal injury claim "against the Marine Corps for years of water contamination that she says led to the development of her non-Hodgkin's lymphoma." The US Department of the Navy, "which includes the Marines, this week lost its bid" in Federal Court "to dismiss the case of Laura J. Jones of Iowa, who lived at Camp Lejeune from 1980 to 1983 as the spouse of a Marine officer." McClatchy adds, "The decision means the case can now move forward, said Joseph L. Anderson, a Winston-Salem, N.C., attorney who represented Jones and has heard from thousands of other potential victims at Lejeune."

9. Coalition Of New Orleans Business Groups Push For Movement On State, VA Hospitals. In continuing coverage, the New Orleans Times-Picayune (2/25, Barrow, 169K) reports, "A coalition of 10 business groups from across the New Orleans region came together" Wednesday to "urge Gov. Bobby Jindal to make his appointments to the governing board for a teaching hospital slated for Mid-City and to ask that plaintiffs drop pending lawsuits challenging the state project" and an adjacent Veterans Affairs hospital project. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, "which filed the federal suit, reacted" to the development "with a statement emphasizing that its proposed alternatives would produce the same economic benefits that business leaders cited in their press event." The WGNO-TV New Orleans, LA (2/24) website focused its coverage on the press event.

10. Vets Concerned About Use Of West LA Land Announce Intention To Sue. In continuing coverage, the San Fernando Valley (CA) Sun (2/25, Chavez) reports, "A small and highly motivated group of veterans and their supporters, some in their 60s, 70s, and 80s," recently "braved the blistery weather outside the locked gates of the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration's facility to announce their intention" to file a lawsuit over land on that facility's campus. According to the Sun, the veterans "will sue in federal court to remove non-veteran entities from the West L.A. campus and are calling for the resignation or termination of some of the top managers of the L.A. VA." The Sun notes that while the veterans have larger plans for getting a medical and rehabilitation center built on the West L.A. campus, in the "immediate future, they want to build a temporary shelter for homeless veterans on the 16 acres that is now designated as a public park and soccer field."

11. "High Tech" ID Badges Being Rolled Out At VA Hospital. In continuing coverage, the KWES-TV Odessa, TX (2/24, Ruiz) website said the Veterans Affairs hospital "in Big Spring is rolling out some new ID badges for their" employees, but these are "not your typical" identification cards. According to KWES, the "new high tech badges," which are "being funded by the VA in Washington," are "supposed to reduce identity fraud and protect personal privacy."

12. Musician Helps Nonprofit Bring Music To VA Hospital Patients. In continuing coverage, the website for Country Music Television (2/24) said musician Darius Rucker "visited the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System's Veterans Affairs" hospital "in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Wednesday on behalf of Musicians on Call, a nonprofit organization which brings music to hospital patients." The website noted that Rucker, who "will also perform at the Hard Rock Caf� in Nashville on March 3 to raise money for the organization," said, "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."

13. Don't Believe Everything You Hear! The Marlin (TX) Democrat (2/25) reports, "Rumors of a possible 'stop work' on refurbishing of the old Marlin" Veterans Affairs hospital "for use by the new owners, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice," was premature. The plans for the vacant "building in Marlin to be a prison hospital are still on 'go' even though some of the funds designated for the facility may be diverted to cover a state budget shortage."

14. County Announces Transportation Changes For Thursday. In a story that notes local schedule changes made in anticipation of a "weather forecast for significant snow and hazardous daytime driving conditions," the Burlington County Times (2/25, Camilli), a newspaper based in Willingboro, New Jersey, says that on Thursday, "Veterans Transportation Service....will operate on a limited basis." Veterans with appointments at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Philadelphia "have been notified to reschedule those appointments. Veterans Transportation operates Tuesday-Friday."

15. Huber Heights Woman Keeps Promise, Becomes US Citizen. The Dayton (OH) Daily News (2/25, Zezzo) reports, "It's a long haul from the tsunami-scarred shores of Thailand to the steps of the United States Courthouse in Dayton, but Pratoon Mims has made it in grand style," fulfilling a promise to her late husband, veteran Christopher Mims, to become an American citizen. The News adds, "After becoming a citizen, the first place she headed to was the Veterans Cemetery in Dayton to practice a ritual she often repeats: placing a yellow rose" on her husband's grave.

16. Veterans Invited To Opportunity Conference. The Shoshone (ID) News Press (2/25).

17. Man Walking Across America For Disabled Veterans. The KOSA-TV Odessa, TX (2/24, Sherman) website.

18. Brain Injuries -- The Silent Epidemic.The Salon.com (2/25, De Yoanna, Benjamin) website.

19. 'Ewa Beach Soldier Killed By Explosive. The Honolulu Advertiser (2/25, Cole, 130K).

20. GI Back From Haiti Stricken With Rare Infection. The WPTV-TV West Palm Beach, FL (2/24, Garner) website.

21. Local Honor Flight For WWII Vets Set For Nov. 10. The Myrtle Beach (SC) Sun News (2/25, 49K).

22. Local Collectors Help With 'Shutter Island.' The Hooksett (NH) Banner (2/25, O'Brien) reports, "World War II vehicles owned by two New Hampshire collectors got a lot of time in front of the camera during the filming of 'Shutter Island,' the Martin Scorsese-directed thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio that premiered Friday, Feb. 19."

23. US War Dogs Monument To Honor Military Canines. Kansas City InfoZine (2/25, Hiner).

24. Western Springs Prosthetist Helps Rebuild Lives. The Doings La Grange (2/25, Burrows), a newspaper based in LaGrange, Illinois.

25. On the Hill for February 25, 2010:

Top lawmakers will meet with President Obama for much of the day at a bipartisan summit on health care.

The House is expected to vote on an intelligence authorization bill and a bill to extend provisions of the counterterrorism law known as the Patriot Act.

The House is also expected to pass a draft bill to extend several expiring programs, which may include unemployment and health care benefits, highway programs, and preventing Medicare pay cuts for physicians, among other provisions.

The Senate continues to consider a bill that contains travel promotion language, as well as provisions regarding the Capitol Police.

House: Convenes 10 a.m.

Subject to a rule:

HR 2701 — Intelligence authorization

HR 3961 — Counterterrorism law extension

Under suspension of the rules:

Draft — Extending various programs

Postponed suspensions:

H Con Res 227 — Urban crimes awareness

H Con Res 238 — Black veterans

Senate: Convenes 10 a.m.

Roll call votes possible after 4 p.m.

HR 1299 — Travel promotion and Capitol Police

Markups

House Rules considers rules for floor debate of a measure to reauthorize counterterrorism law ( HR 3961 ). 10 a.m., H-313 Capitol

Senate Judiciary marks up bills on cocaine sentencing disparities ( S 1789 ), law enforcement officers carrying concealed weapons ( S 1132 ), criminal justice grants ( S 2772 ), witness protection grants ( HR 1741 ), medical bankruptcy ( S 1624 ), hate crimes against the homeless ( S 1765 ) and maltreated infants ( S 1554 ); also votes on nominations, including Dawn Johnsen to be an assistant attorney general. 10 a.m., 226 Dirksen

Hearing Highlights

Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs hearing on the semiannual monetary policy report, with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke . 9 a.m., 538 Dirksen

Senate Armed Services hearing on the fiscal 2011 budget for the Navy. 9:30 a.m., G-50 Dirksen

House Foreign Affairs hearing on the fiscal 2011 budget for the State Department, with Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton . 9:30 a.m., 2172 Rayburn

House Budget hearing on the fiscal 2011 budget for the Education Department, with Secretary Arne Duncan . 10 a.m., 210 Cannon

House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on fiscal 2011 funding for the Homeland Security Department, with Secretary Janet Napolitano . 10 a.m., 2359 Rayburn

House State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on fiscal 2011 funding for the State Department, with Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton . 1 p.m., 2359 Rayburn

House Financial Services hearing on executive pay in the financial industry. 2 p.m., 2128 Rayburn

House Homeland Security hearing on the fiscal 2011 budget for the Homeland Security Department, with Secretary Janet Napolitano . 2 p.m., 311 Cannon

House Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on fiscal 2011 funding for the EPA, with EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson . 2 p.m., B-308 Rayburn

26. Today in History:

1793 – George Washington holds the first Cabinet meeting as President of the United States.
1797 – Colonel William Tate and his force of 1000-1500 soldiers surrender after the Last Invasion of Britain.
1836 – Samuel Colt receives an American patent for the Colt revolver.
1870 – Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, is sworn into the United States Senate, becoming the first African American ever to sit in the U.S. Congress.
1901 – J.P. Morgan incorporates the United States Steel Corporation.
1919 – Oregon places a 1 cent per U.S. gallon tax on gasoline, becoming the first U.S. state to levy a gasoline tax.
1925 – Glacier Bay National Monument (now Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve) is established in Alaska.
1925 – Diplomatic relations between Japan and the Soviet Union are established.
1928 – Charles Jenkins Laboratories of Washington, D.C. becomes the first holder of a television license from the Federal Radio Commission.
1932 – Adolf Hitler obtains German citizenship by naturalization, which allows him to run in the 1932 election for Reichspr�sident.
1933 – The USS Ranger (CV-4) is launched. It is the first US Navy ship to be built solely as an aircraft carrier.
1941 – February Strike: In occupied Amsterdam, a general strike is declared in response to increasing anti-Jewish measures instituted by the Nazis.
1945 – World War II: Turkey declares war on Germany.
1947 – State of Prussia ceases to exist.
1948 – The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia takes control of government in Czechoslovakia and the period of the Third Republic ends.
1951 – The first Pan American Games are held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1954 – Gamal Abdul Nasser is made premier of Egypt.
1971 – The first unit of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, first commercial nuclear power station in Canada, goes online.
1980 – The Suriname government is overthrown by a military coup which is initiated with the bombing of the police station from an army ship of the coast of the nation's capital; Paramaribo
1986 – People Power Revolution: President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines flees the nation after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the first Filipino woman president.
1991 – Gulf War: An Iraqi Scud missile hits an American military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia killing 28 U.S. Army Reservists from Pennsylvania.
1992 – Khojaly massacre: about 613 civilians are killed by Armenian armed forces during the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan
1994 – Mosque of Abraham massacre: In the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron, Dr. Baruch Kappel Goldstein opens fire with an automatic rifle, killing 29 Palestinian worshippers and injuring 125 more before being subdued and beaten to death by survivors. Subsequent rioting kills 26 more Palestinians and 9 Israelis.
2009 – BDR massacre in Pilkhana, Dhaka, Bangladesh. 74 People are being killed, including more than 50 Army officials, by Bangladeshi Border Guards inside its headquarters.

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From: Bill Elmore at OVBD, SBA (See attached EBV Newsletter folks...It is GOOD stuff!) :-) Thanks Bill

Sent: Thu 2/25/2010 9:51 AM

“Dear Friends of EBV,

Veteran interest in EBV is growing. We currently have over 30 applications just for the FSU program and anticipate many more over the next month. With our capacity limited to 25 (or less depending on our fundraising efforts), the selection process will be arduous.

In an effort to increase our visibility and outreach nationally, attached you will find the national program's inaugural Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veteran's with Disabilities newsletter. This new publication will be issued four times a year, and is designed to keep you informed about developments in the program and share with you some of the great success stories of our EBV graduates.

Please feel free to share this newsletter with anyone who may be interested in learning more about our program and our commitment to those who have given so much in the service of our country.

Thanks for your continued support,”

FYI-This is from the FSU EBV program that is part of the Syracuse Consortium of Schools providing high end entrepreneurship training to service-connected disabled vets. OVBD is privileged to be a partner in this program. Bill Elmore

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From: Kevin Secor at VA

Sent: Thu 2/25/2010 4:29 AM

Subj: HAVE YOU HEARD?

In May 2000, a computer worm nicknamed the Love Bug arrived in the email boxes of tens of millions of computer users. With the eye-catching subject line, “I LOVE YOU,” the bogus email contained a malicious attachment named LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.VBS. Upon opening the attachment, the worm used the user’s email address to send a copy of itself to everyone in the user’s address book and also made a number of nasty changes to the user's system. The social engineering scheme caused an estimated $5.5 billion in damages. Social engineering occurs when an outsider attempts to acquire sensitive information or inappropriate access by fooling individuals into believing that he or she is trustworthy. Follow these tips to avoid becoming a victim of a social engineering scam:

-- Never click on an attachment without first scanning for viruses

-- Be suspicious of unsolicited emails asking about employees or other internal information

-- Only provide passwords, personal or information if you are certain of the person’s authority to have it

-- Don’t respond to email solicitations for personal, financial, or medical information without verifying the identity of the requestor

-- Click on hyperlinks in emails only if you know for sure the message is authentic or the source is known

-- Notice the URL of a Web site; malicious sites may look identical to the real site, but the URL may use a variation in spelling or different domain (e.g., .com vs. .net)

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From: Kevin Secor at VA

Sent: Thu 2/25/2010 4:39 AM

Subject: CALL OUT FOR VETERANS DAY NATIONAL POSTER NOMINATIONS

Do you have an idea for a national Veterans Day poster? If so, the Veterans Day National Committee wants to hear from you. The committee is seeking submissions for the 2010 national Veterans Day poster. The poster is distributed to VA and military installations around the world. It also graces the cover of the official program booklet for the Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. A selection committee will convene in May 2010 to review submissions and select a finalist. The final poster must be 18x24” at 300 dots per inch, but please scale down submissions to 9x12” and submit electronic versions as jpg images or PDF files via e-mail to vetsday@va.gov

Alternatively, send copies of artwork or a CD with artwork files to: Department of Veterans Affairs (002C), 810 Vermont Ave., NW, Washington, D.C., 20420. Please do not send originals. The deadline for submissions is May 1, 2010. To view Veterans Day posters from previous years, please visit http://www.va.gov/vetsday and click on “Poster Gallery”. Submissions should include sufficient information to demonstrate that the image is the work of the artist and is not copyrighted material (i.e. photos and concepts). The committee may select a particular submission but ask the artist to make modifications to the original design. Additional changes may be required prior to printing.

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Godspeed,

Wayne