FW: VFW Action Corps Weekly, April 25, 2014

Thank You

Robert Serge

VVA 17 Member

Blog Master

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember 

---

Subject: VFW Action Corps Weekly, April 25, 2014

VFW Action Corps Weekly April 25, 2014 In This Issue: 1. VFW Calls Phoenix VA System a Failure 2. DOD Releases 2012 Suicide Event Report 3. Delays Continue to Plaque Colorado VAMC 4. White House Announces New Employment Center 5. SVA Reaches One Thousand Campuses 6. Air Force Update 1. VFW Calls Phoenix VA System a Failure: After reports that at least 40 veterans have died while awaiting care in the Phoenix VA Healthcare System, VFW National Commander Bill Thien said there is zero trust in leadership's ability to lead, much less to properly care for America's heroes. Phoenix allegedly kept two sets of waiting lists, only one of which is official and used to report average patient appointment waiting times to Washington. The VA requires its medical facilities to provide care to patients typically within 14 to 30 days, depending on the availability and specialty required. According to CNN's report, the alleged secret waiting list tracks real appointment waiting times, which span far beyond 14 to 30 days; precious time seriously ill patients cannot afford. "If the allegations of veterans dying as a result of this internal process are true, then the individuals responsible should be prosecuted criminally to the fullest extent of the law," said Thien. "The Secretary of Veterans Affairs needs to fire them all, then let the lawyers sort it out." Read more at http://www.vfw.org/News-and-Events/Articles/2014-Articles/PHOENIX-VA-MEDICAL-SYSTEM-IS-FAILING-VETERANS/. 2. DOD Releases 2012 Suicide Event Report: Today the Department of Defense (DOD) released its latest summary of fatal and nonfatal suicide events that occurred in 2012. The data shows that 319 service members who were on active duty, this includes reserve and Guard members on active duty orders, committed suicide in 2012, and that 203 members of the Guard and reserve who were not on active duty orders also committed suicide over the same time period. The report also indicated that those at greatest risk for suicide are males age 17-24, who are married and at the pay grade of E1 to E4. In the report you can find factors that appear to be associated with suicide, like legal and financial issues and failed relationships. The statistic that may surprise readers the most is that only 13.5 percent of service members who committed suicide had a military combat history. DOD also noted it is changing the way they report suicide by standardizing practices across the services which previously had responsibility for summarizing and releasing their own statistics. The new procedure will help align suicide rates consistent with those used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, allowing for better comparisons across the services and against a U.S. population adjusted for demographics similar to those of the military. To learn more about the report, click here: http://www.t2.health.mil/programs/dodser To learn more on identifying suicidal behaviors check out http://veteranscrisisline.net/ If you or someone you know is at risk for suicide please reach out to military and veteran crisis line at 1 (800) 273-8255 press 1, or you feel like you just need someone to talk to reach out to vets4warriors at http://www.vets4warriors.com/ . These resources are available to active duty military, veterans and their family members. 3. Delays Continue to Plaque Colorado VAMC: This week, the House VA Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation held a hearing in Denver to discuss ongoing construction delays at the Aurora VA Medical Center. VFW Department of Colorado Commander, Kirk Rosa offered his views on the now 10-year-old project. Commander Rosa acknowledged that although VA has taken steps to improve its construction process like establishing a Construction Review Council to oversee performance, planning and budgeting, more must be done. VA needs to standardize recommendations made by both the Construction Review Council and Government Accounting Office. Subcommittee Chairman, Mike Coffman (R-CO) introduced H.R. 3593, the "VA Construction Assistance Act of 2013," which will codify those recommendations. VFW supports the legislation and believes that it will save time and critical funds needed to efficiently and effectively build and complete major construction projects. To view Commander Rosa's testimony and the recorded webcast of the hearing visit the House VA website here: http://veterans.house.gov/hearing/construction-conundrums-a-review-of-continued-delays-and-cost-overruns-at-the-replacement 4. White House Announces New Employment Center: To mark the anniversary of the Administration's Joining Forces Initiative, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden announced the launch of an integrated employment tool to connect veterans and service members with employers, and help provide a source for translating military skills into the civilian workforce. The Veterans Employment Center, which is housed on VA's eBenefits website, is the result of an interagency effort to improve, simplify and consolidate the current array of employment resources for veterans and their spouses. Agencies including VA, the Departments of Defense, Labor, Education, and the Office of Personnel Management worked with employers to design and develop the site and incorporate features of existing online employment tools within government. The new site will offer resources like public and private job opportunities, a resume-builder, military skills translator and details on career and training tools together in one place. At the rollout ceremonies this week, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki applauded the new center saying, "The online Veterans Employment Center is the single, federal source for veterans looking for new career opportunities, service members transitioning to the civilian workforce, and spouses and beneficiaries looking to connect with job opportunities." For a tutorial video on how to use the Veterans Employment Center: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWfhI-eSoWk. For more about the Veterans Employment Center, visit the VA's eBenefits site at: https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs 5. SVA Reaches One Thousand Campuses: On Wednesday, Student Veterans of America (SVA) announced that they now have over one thousand chapters on campuses across the United States. " We're thrilled to be reaching our goal of establishing over 1,000 chapter two years ahead of anticipation. We feel this is a testament to the tide of veterans who are seeking higher education, and see the power and value of being involved with an SVA chapter," said SVA's President and CEO, D. Wayne Robinson. Since 2008, the VFW has partnered with SVA on several initiatives designed to ensure student-veterans are provided the necessary support needed to access their education benefits and succeed in their chosen field of study. For more about SVA or to find a chapter near you, click here: http://studentveterans.org/what-we-do.html 6. Air Force Update: The VFW was at the National Press Club this week to hear Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh describe how reduced budgets and the looming threat of sequestration is impacting his service. The service's FY 2015 budget is $20 billion, or one-fifth less than what was programmed just two years ago, which is forcing the service to make very tough decisions---like eliminating the entire A-10 fleet---in order to maintain its other requirements that only the Air Force can deliver to combatant commanders, such as global airlift, refueling and strike capabilities, air superiority, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Watch his presentation at http://press.org/news-multimedia/videos/npc-luncheon-gen-mark-welsh-us-air-force-chief-staff. To sign up new veterans' advocates, click here: http://capwiz.com/vfw/mlm/signup.htm. As always, we want to share your advocacy stories on the VFW Capitol Hill blog. To share your stories either fill out our online form by clicking here, http://www.vfw.org/Forms/Capitol-Hill-Blog-Submissions/, or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org.

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FW: Your April 25 Action Corps Weekly

Thank You

Robert Serge

VVA 17 Member

Blog Master

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember 

Subject: Your April 25 Action Corps Weekly

April 25, 2014 Post on Facebook The VFW Calls Phoenix VA System a Failure After reports that at least 40 veterans have died while awaiting care in the Phoenix VA Healthcare System, VFW National Commander Bill Thien said there is zero trust in leadership's ability to lead, much less to properly care for America's heroes. Phoenix allegedly kept two sets of waiting lists, only one of which is official and used to report average patient appointment waiting times to Washington. The VA requires its medical facilities to provide care to patients typically within 14 to 30 days, depending on the availability and specialty required. According to CNN's report, the alleged secret waiting list tracks real appointment waiting times, which span far beyond 14 to 30 days; precious time seriously ill patients cannot afford. "If the allegations of veterans dying as a result of this internal process are true, then the individuals responsible should be prosecuted criminally to the fullest extent of the law," said Thien. "The Secretary of Veterans Affairs needs to fire them all, then let the lawyers sort it out." Read more. DOD Releases 2012 Suicide Event ReportToday, the Department of Defense (DOD) released its latest summary of fatal and nonfatal suicide events that occurred in 2012. The data shows that 319 service members who were on active duty, including reserve and Guard members on active duty orders, committed suicide in 2012, and that 203 members of the Guard and reserve who were not on active duty orders also committed suicide over the same time period. The report also indicated that those at greatest risk for suicide are males, age 17-24, who are married and at the pay grade of E1 to E4. In the report, you can find factors that appear to be associated with suicide, like legal and financial issues and failed relationships. The statistic that may surprise readers the most is that only 13.5 percent of service members who committed suicide had a military combat history. DOD also noted it is changing the way they report suicide by standardizing practices across the services which previously had responsibility for summarizing and releasing their own statistics. The new procedure will help align suicide rates consistent with those used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, allowing for better comparisons across the services and against a U.S. population adjusted for demographics similar to those of the military. Learn more about the report. Learn more on identifying suicidal behaviors. If you or someone you know is at risk for suicide, please reach out to military and veteran crisis line at 1 (800) 273-8255 and press 1. If you feel like you just need someone to talk to, reach out to vets4warriors. These resources are available to active duty military, veterans and their family members. Delays Continue to Plaque Colorado VAMCThis week, the House VA Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation held a hearing in Denver to discuss ongoing construction delays at the Aurora VA Medical Center. VFW Department of Colorado Commander Kirk Rosa offered his views on the now 10-year-old project. Commander Rosa acknowledged that although VA has taken steps to improve its construction process, like establishing a Construction Review Council to oversee performance, planning and budgeting, more must be done. VA needs to standardize recommendations made by both the Construction Review Council and Government Accounting Office. Subcommittee Chairman, Mike Coffman (R-CO) introduced H.R. 3593, the VA Construction Assistance Act of 2013, which will codify those recommendations. The VFW supports the legislation and believes that it will save time and critical funds needed to efficiently and effectively build and complete major construction projects. To view Commander Rosa's testimony and the recorded webcast of the hearing, visit the House VA website. White House Announces New Employment CenterTo mark the anniversary of the Administration's Joining Forces Initiative, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden announced the launch of an integrated employment tool to connect veterans and service members with employers and help provide a source for translating military skills into the civilian workforce. The Veterans Employment Center, which is housed on VA's eBenefits website, is the result of an interagency effort to improve, simplify and consolidate the current array of employment resources for veterans and their spouses. Agencies, including VA, the Departments of Defense, Labor, Education, and the Office of Personnel Management, worked with employers to design and develop the site and incorporate features of existing online employment tools within government. The new site will offer resources like public and private job opportunities, a resume-builder, military skills translator, and details on career and training tools together in one place. At the rollout ceremonies this week, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki applauded the new center saying, "The online Veterans Employment Center is the single, federal source for veterans looking for new career opportunities, service members transitioning to the civilian workforce, and spouses and beneficiaries looking to connect with job opportunities." Watch a tutorial video on how to use the Veterans Employment Center. For more about the Veterans Employment Center, visit the VA's eBenefits site. SVA Reaches One Thousand Campuses On Wednesday, Student Veterans of America (SVA) announced that they now have over one-thousand chapters on campuses across the United States. "We're thrilled to be reaching our goal of establishing over 1,000 chapters two years ahead of anticipation. We feel this is a testament to the tide of veterans who are seeking higher education and see the power and value of being involved with an SVA chapter," said SVA's President and CEO, D. Wayne Robinson. Since 2008, the VFW has partnered with SVA on several initiatives designed to ensure student-veterans are provided the necessary support needed to access their education benefits and succeed in their chosen field of study. For more about SVA or to find a chapter near you, click here. Air Force UpdateThe VFW was at the National Press Club this week to hear Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh describe how reduced budgets and the looming threat of sequestration is impacting his service. The service's FY 2015 budget is $20 billion, or one-fifth less than what was programmed just two years ago, which is forcing the service to make very tough decisions—like eliminating the entire A-10 fleet—in order to maintain its other requirements that only the Air Force can deliver to combatant commanders, such as global airlift, refueling and strike capabilities, air superiority, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Watch his presentation. Sign up new veterans' advocates. As always, we want to share your advocacy stories on the VFW Capitol Hill blog. To share your stories, fill out our online form or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org. Was this Action Corps Weekly forwarded to you by a friend? Sign up to get your own free issue each week. — Find a Post | Contribute | About Us | Contact Us Unsubscribe | Tell A Friend © 2001 - 2014. All rights reserved. Veterans of Foreign Wars | 406 West 34th Street | Kansas City, MO 64111 Having difficulty seeing the images in this message? View it online.

Fw: VFW Washington Weekly, March 21, 2014

Sent from Windows Mail

From: Teresa Morris
Sent: ‎Friday‎, ‎March‎ ‎21‎, ‎2014 ‎1‎:‎22‎ ‎PM
To: Robert Serge

VFW WASHINGTON WEEKLY March 21, 2014 In This Issue: 1. VFW to Testify on Veterans Bills 2. Armed Services Committees to Discuss Personnel Issues 3. Compensation Commission to Meet in California 4. Veterans' Unemployment Drops in 2013 5. ALS Housing Grant Update 6. Seeking Purple Heart Recipients 7. Memorial Day Concert Seeks WWII Vets 8. Two Korean War MIA Recovered 1. VFW to Testify on Veterans Bills: The VFW will be testifying next week before all four House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittees on an array of pending bills spanning issues like civilian/military licensing and credentialing gaps, vocational rehabilitation, education and employment, PTSD treatments, improvements in MST care and legislation on construction procedures and enhanced leasing at VA medical centers. To watch any of the hearings live, visit the House VA Committee website and click on the specific hearing for the webcast at: http://veterans.house.gov/. Check back next week for complete coverage of all four hearings on the VFW blog at http://thevfw.blogspot.com/. 2. Armed Services Committees to Discuss Personnel Issues: Both Senate and House Armed Services Committees are scheduled to discuss military personnel issues within the proposed FY 2015 Defense Budget. Subcommittee members will hear from witnesses from DOD and the military service organization community. Sequestration and the ongoing devastating effect it continues to have on DOD looks to be one of the key items discussed. Other personnel issues include pay, commissary benefits, housing allowances, TRICARE, and the military retirement system. Check back here for our Action Alert on Sequestration and more on both Armed Services personnel hearings next week. 3. Compensation Commission to Meet in California: The Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission will be holding two town hall meetings in Southern California next week. All service personnel, veterans, military retirees and their families are encouraged to attend because the Commission is charged with examining how the troops are compensated while in uniform, in retirement, and as veterans, and their reach includes those programs operated by the VA and Department of Labor. The meeting dates and locations are: * March 25, from 7-9 p.m. at the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa Conference Center, 5480 Grand Pacific Drive, Carlsbad, CA 92008 * March 26, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hilton San Diego, Harbor Island, 1960 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego, CA 92101 Among the compensation and Quality of Life programs under review are the 20-year retirement system; military pay and the tax-exempt status of allowances; concurrent receipt of retiree and disability pay; the GI Bills; military healthcare costs and eligibility; military exchanges, commissaries and schools; and transition and employment assistance programs, among many others. The VFW has met several times with the Commission and testified before them in November. We remain wary of their overall intent, but are appreciative of the continued two-way conversation. The Commission is required to issue their report to the White House in February 2015. More information on the two town hall meetings is on the Commission website at http://www.mcrmc.gov/. 4. Veterans' Unemployment Drops in 2013: This week the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its employment report of veterans for 2013. According to BLS, unemployment among all veterans in 2013 was 6.6 percent -- nearly one percentage point lower than the national average. Unemployment among Post-9/11 era veterans also dropped to 9 percent, but remains significantly higher than civilian unemployment. To the VFW, this means that employment initiatives like the VOW to Hire Heroes Act have produced results, but gaps remain in services for younger Post-9/11 era veterans and female veterans. For VFW's full analysis of the BLS report, click here: http://thevfw.blogspot.com/2014/03/new-employment-figures-for-veterans.html 5. ALS Housing Grant Update: The VA has announced that veterans and active duty military personnel with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, will now be automatically eligible for almost $68,000 in VA Specially Adapted Housing grants to help pay for the costs of building, buying or adapting a home to accommodate service-connected disabilities. Studies have shown that veterans and military members are nearly twice as likely to develop ALS as those who haven't served. Learn more at http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2530. 6. Seeking Purple Heart Recipients: Close to 2 million Purple Hearts have been awarded to since the medal was created in 1932, but the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor only has the names of 193,000 recipients in its database. If you or a loved one received a Purple Heart, make sure to add your names to the Hall of Honor, along with photos and narratives of when, where and how the medal was earned. For more information or to submit, go to http://thepurpleheart.com/. 7. Memorial Day Concert Seeks WWII Vets: On May 25, 2014, Gary Sinese and Joe Mantegna will return to host the Memorial Day Concert on the Mall, along with Gen. Colin Powell. This year Capital Concerts, the producer of the event, is seeking World War II veterans to help commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, and the 10th anniversary of the National WWII Memorial. Some veterans could be interviewed on videotape and then honored on stage. Interested WWII veterans should contact Celia Straus, writer of the concert, at Celia.straus@gmail.com. More information about the Memorial Day Concert is at www.pbs.org/memorialdayconcert/features/. 8. Two Korean War MIA Recovered: The Defense POW/MIA Office announced the identification of two soldiers who had been missing in action since the Korean War. Identified are: * Pfc. James R. Holmes, Company K, 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, was lost Dec. 1, 1950, in North Korea. He was accounted for on Jan. 14 and will be buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery in May. * Cpl. Cristobal Romo, Company L, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, was lost Dec. 12, 1950, in North Korea. He was accounted for on Jan. 13 and is scheduled to be buried tomorrow with full military honors in Riverside, Calif. As always, we want to share your advocacy stories on the VFW Capitol Hill blog. To share your stories either fill out our online form by clicking here, http://www.vfw.org/Forms/Capitol-Hill-Blog-Submissions/, or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org. To sign up new veterans' advocates to receive the Washington Weekly every Friday, click here: http://capwiz.com/vfw/mlm/signup.htm.

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FW: VFW Washington Weekly, April 11, 2014

Thank You

Member
Robert serge

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember

---

Subject: VFW Washington Weekly, April 11, 2014
To: rserge@live.com
From: tmorris@vfw.org
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2014 15:01:45 -0400

VFW WASHINGTON WEEKLY April 11, 2014 In This Issue: 1. House Armed Services Talks Beneficiary Proposals 2. Committee Asks VA for Explanation on Healthcare Delays/Deaths 3. VFW Joins Capitol Seminar on Rural Veterans 4. Veterans Crisis Line 5. Congress on Two Week Recess-Time to Schedule a Visit 6. Volunteers Needed for Reading of Names 7. Three MIAs Recovered 8. VFW Action Corps Rebranding 1. House Armed Services Talks Beneficiary Proposals: On Wednesday, the VFW provided written testimony to the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel regarding FY 2015 budget proposals that may reduce health care and benefits for active duty, retirees and their families. In our testimony we reminded committee members that we are a nation still at war with obligations that put our service men and women at risk. Reducing compensation, health care or other benefits on the backs of those who served and their families should not be part of any proposal within DOD. The committee heard from two witnesses from The Military Coalition, Mike Hayden, Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) and Rick Jones, National Association for Uniformed Services (NAUS). Both discussed the long-term consequences many of the DOD proposals will have on service members and their families. Committee members all agreed that they would like to wait for recommendations from the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission before agreeing to any changes or reductions in benefits. For the VFW's testimony, http://www.vfw.org/VFW-in-DC/Congressional-Testimony/"Beneficiary-and-Advocacy-Overview-of-FY15-President's-Budget"/ To watch the recorded hearing, visit the HASC at : http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=B4939547-34E4-442E-A728-E303A9E11E88&ContentType_id=14F995B9-DFA5-407A-9D35-56CC7152A7ED&Group_id=64562e79-731a-4ac6-aab0-7bd8d1b7e890 2. Committee Asks VA for Explanation on Healthcare Delays/Deaths: This week, the House VA Committee held its third hearing focused on patient safety and preventable deaths within VA medical facilities. The line of questioning focused on the 23 deaths that were the result of delays in treatment at VA and the unresponsiveness to requests for more information from the committee. Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-FL) opened the hearing with harsh words for VA noting his frustration with the lack of information provided the committee. Other committee members also raised serious concerns about the lack of accountability for the deaths that occurred as a result of delays in care. GAO and VA Inspector General Representatives stated that VA has responded to their recommendations and have taken steps to improve its medical appointment wait times and scheduling oversight to ensure quality health care is provided to veterans. To watch the recorded hearing or to read submitted testimony by witnesses, click here: http://veterans.house.gov/hearing/a-continued-assessment-of-delays-in-va-medical-care-and-preventable-veteran-deaths 3. VFW Joins Capitol Seminar on Rural Veterans: On Tuesday, your VFW was on hand at the U.S. Capitol for a seminar hosted by The Home Depot Foundation and the Housing Assistance Council to discuss the unique challenges faced by rural veterans and present HAC's new report on housing rural veterans in America, entitled "From Service to Shelter." The council's report qualitatively studied the unique characteristics of rural veterans and the challenges in delivering services to meet their needs. The seminar also featured two panels to discuss federal resources for rural veterans and examples of local programs that have helped satisfy the needs of the community, as well as members of the House and Senate who discussed ways they were working to better serve rural veterans. For more details about the seminar and the report on rural veterans, click here: http://thevfw.blogspot.com/2014/04/vfw-joins-capitol-seminar-on-rural.html 4. Veterans Crisis Line: The Department of Veterans Affairs relies on groups and individuals to spread the word about the Veterans Crisis Line, a free, confidential resource for veterans, service members and their loved ones. If someone you know shows signs of crisis, encourage him or her to call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, or chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat or text 838255 for support. There are other simple actions to take to help veterans access the care they earned and deserve. Help spread the word, because it matters. Learn more at http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/. 5. Congress on Two Week Recess-Time to Schedule a Visit: Congress headed home to their district offices for a two-week recess today. During the extended recess, we urge all of our advocates to attend a town hall meeting or schedule an appointment with your member of Congress. To find information on your members schedule, and how to schedule a meeting or invite them to speak at your Post, sign-up for their newsletters, and see what bills they support, visit the House website and type in your zip code at, http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ When you meet with your member of Congress, be prepared to discuss critical veterans and military quality of life issues. Ask them what they plan to do about Sequestration. Initiate a conversation about other key issues like advance appropriations for all VA programs, in-state tuition for student-veterans, protecting military quality-of-life programs and working to expand veterans' caregiver benefits. An in depth look at these issues can all be found in our Advocacy in Action booklet here: http://www.vfw.org/uploadedFiles/VFW.org/VFW_in_DC/OnTheHill%20cover_2014%20WEB.pdf , and also as part of our 2014 priority goals, here: http://www.vfw.org/uploadedFiles/VFW.org/VFW_in_DC/2014%20Priority%20Goals%20brochure%20final%20pdf.pdf 6. Volunteers Needed for Reading of Names: Volunteers are being sought to help with a first-ever Reading of the Names of Iraq and Afghanistan war dead over the Memorial Day weekend in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and supported by the VFW and many others, the names will be read aloud chronologically beginning at 9 a.m., May 24, on the east knoll of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and continue until almost 6 p.m. Those interested in volunteering can register at 8 a.m., Monday, April 14 at www.vvmf.org/rotn. Each volunteer will read 15 names. Said VFW National Commander Bill Thien, "The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is proud to support the Reading of the Names initiative because it remembers those who fell, and it reconfirms to their families and comrades-in-arms that service, sacrifice and patriotism will never be forgotten." 7. Three MIAs Recovered: The Defense POW/MIA Office recently announced the identification of remains belonging to three American servicemen who had been missing in action since World War II and the Korean War. Recovered are: * Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Louis L. Longman, 26, of Clinton, Iowa, who was buried April 12, in Rock Island, Ill. On April 16, 1944, Longman was piloting a P-38J Lightning aircraft that didn't return to base after a bomber escort mission against enemy targets on New Guinea. * Army Pfc. Arthur Richardson, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, was lost on Jan. 1, 1951, in South Korea. He will be buried with full military honors at a location yet to be determined. * Marine Corps Cpl. William S. Blasdel, Company H, 3rd Battalion, 11th Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was lost Oct. 28, 1953, in North Korea. He will be buried with full military honors this spring in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. 8. VFW Action Corps Rebranding: Next week, you will see some changes to the VFW Action Corps, including a new look to this newsletter and a new look to the VFW Action Corps web page on www.vfw.org. For more than a decade the VFW Washington Weekly has served as the centerpiece of the VFW's grassroots advocacy, bringing you consistent weekly updates on the work of the VFW Washington Office, as well as timely Action Alerts through which you could contact your legislators to support critical veterans' initiatives. In an effort to spread the word to more VFW members and inspire more advocates to join our grassroots effort, next week we will unveil the VFW Action Corps Weekly as part of a new branding initiative for the VFW Action Corps. Over the last year, we heard confusion from some of our advocates who did not understand that receiving the Washington Weekly and joining the VFW Action Corps were one in the same. By rebranding our advocacy effort simply as the VFW Action Corps, we're eliminating that confusion, and delivering more tools to our grassroots advocates to make a difference. The first outreach initiative for the new VFW Action Corps will be in next week's VFW Membership Dispatch, explaining our grassroots advocacy mission and encouraging more VFW members to join the effort. The VFW Action Corps Weekly will be in the same easy-to-read format, but you will see a new title in your inbox next week. So be on the look-out for the new look of the VFW Action Corps, including next week's VFW Action Corps Weekly.! **Congratulations to the following VFW Departments who have reached more than a 100% increase in advocates to join our Action Corps team -- Alaska, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Wisconsin -- Keep up the good work! To sign up new veterans' advocates, click here: http://capwiz.com/vfw/mlm/signup.htm. As always, we want to share your advocacy stories on the VFW Capitol Hill blog. To share your stories either fill out our online form by clicking here, http://www.vfw.org/Forms/Capitol-Hill-Blog-Submissions/, or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org.

If you no longer wish to receive e-mail from us, please click here.

FW: Your April 11 Washington Weekly

Thank You

Robert Serge

Member

Blog Master

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember 

---

Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2014 16:21:14 -0500
From: friendsoffreedom@vfw.org
To: rserge1@outlook.com
Subject: Your April 11 Washington Weekly

April 11, 2014 Post on Facebook House Armed Services Talks Beneficiary Proposals On Wednesday, the VFW provided written testimony to the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel regarding FY 2015 budget proposals that may reduce healthcare and benefits for active duty, retirees and their families. In our testimony, we reminded committee members that we are a nation still at war with obligations that put our service men and women at risk. Reducing compensation, healthcare or other benefits on the backs of those who served and their families should not be part of any proposal within DOD. The committee heard from two witnesses from The Military Coalition: Mike Hayden, Military Officers Association of America, and Rick Jones, National Association for Uniformed Services. Both discussed the long-term consequences many of the DOD proposals will have on service members and their families. Committee members all agreed that they would like to wait for recommendations from the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission before agreeing to any changes or reductions in benefits. Read the VFW's testimony. Watch the recorded hearing. Committee Asks VA for Explanation on Healthcare Delays/DeathsThis week, the House VA Committee held its third hearing focused on patient safety and preventable deaths within VA medical facilities. The line of questioning focused on the 23 deaths that were the result of delays in treatment at VA and the unresponsiveness to requests for more information from the committee. Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-FL) opened the hearing with harsh words for VA, noting his frustration with the lack of information provided to the committee. Other committee members also raised serious concerns about the lack of accountability for the deaths that occurred as a result of delays in care. GAO and VA Inspector General Representatives stated that VA has responded to their recommendations and have taken steps to improve its medical appointment wait times and scheduling oversight to ensure quality healthcare is provided to veterans. To watch the recorded hearing or to read submitted testimony by witnesses, click here. The VFW Joins Capitol Seminar on Rural VeteransOn Tuesday, the VFW was on hand at the U.S. Capitol for a seminar hosted by The Home Depot Foundation and the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) to discuss the unique challenges faced by rural veterans and present HAC's new report on housing rural veterans in America, entitled "From Service to Shelter." The Council's report qualitatively studied the unique characteristics of rural veterans and the challenges in delivering services to meet their needs. The seminar also featured two panels to discuss federal resources for rural veterans and examples of local programs that have helped satisfy the needs of the community, as well as members of the House and Senate who discussed ways they were working to better serve rural veterans. For more details about the seminar and the report on rural veterans, click here. Veterans Crisis LineThe Department of Veterans Affairs relies on groups and individuals to spread the word about the Veterans Crisis Line, a free, confidential resource for veterans, service members and their loved ones. If someone you know shows signs of crisis, encourage him or her to call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, or chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat or text 838255 for support. There are other simple actions to take to help veterans access the care they earned and deserve. Help spread the word, because it matters. Learn more. Congress on Two Week Recess-Time to Schedule a Visit Congress headed home to their district offices for a two-week recess today. During the extended recess, we urge all of our advocates to attend a town hall meeting or schedule an appointment with your member of Congress. To find information on your member's schedule and how to schedule a meeting or invite them to speak at your Post, sign up for their newsletters, and see what bills they support, visit the House website and type in your zip code. When you meet with your member of Congress, be prepared to discuss critical veterans and military quality-of-life issues. Ask them what they plan to do about Sequestration. Initiate a conversation about other key issues like advance appropriations for all VA programs, in-state tuition for student-veterans, protecting military quality-of-life programs and working to expand veterans' caregiver benefits. An in-depth look at these issues can be found in our Advocacy in Action booklet and as part of our 2014 Priority Goals.  Volunteers Needed for Reading of NamesVolunteers are being sought to help with a first-ever Reading of the Names of Iraq and Afghanistan war dead over the Memorial Day weekend in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and supported by the VFW and many others, the names will be read aloud chronologically beginning at 9 a.m., May 24, on the east knoll of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and continue until almost 6 p.m. Those interested in volunteering can register starting at 8 a.m., Monday, April 14, at www.vvmf.org/rotn. Each volunteer will read 15 names. As VFW National Commander Bill Thien said, "The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is proud to support the Reading of the Names initiative because it remembers those who fell, and it reconfirms to their families and comrades-in-arms that service, sacrifice and patriotism will never be forgotten." VFW Action Corps RebrandingNext week, you will see some changes to the VFW Action Corps, including a new look to this newsletter and a new look to the VFW Action Corps web page on www.vfw.org. For more than a decade, the VFW Washington Weekly has served as the centerpiece of the VFW's grassroots advocacy, bringing you consistent weekly updates on the work of the VFW Washington Office, as well as timely Action Alerts through which you could contact your legislators to support critical veterans' initiatives. In an effort to spread the word to more VFW members and inspire more advocates to join our grassroots effort, next week, we will unveil the VFW Action Corps Weekly as part of a new branding initiative for the VFW Action Corps. Over the last year, we heard confusion from some of our advocates who did not understand that receiving the Washington Weekly and joining the VFW Action Corps were one in the same. By rebranding our advocacy effort simply as the VFW Action Corps, we're eliminating that confusion and delivering more tools to our grassroots advocates to make a difference. The first outreach initiative for the new VFW Action Corps will be in next week's VFW Membership Dispatch, explaining our grassroots advocacy mission and encouraging more VFW members to join the effort. The VFW Action Corps Weekly will be in the same easy-to-read format, but you will see a new title in your inbox next week. So be on the look-out for the new look of the VFW Action Corps, including next week's VFW Action Corps Weekly! Three MIAs RecoveredThe Defense POW/MIA Office recently announced the identification of remains belonging to three American servicemen who had been missing in action since World War II and the Korean War. Recovered are: Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Louis L. Longman, 26, of Clinton, Iowa, who was buried April 12, in Rock Island, Ill. On April 16, 1944, Longman was piloting a P-38J Lightning aircraft that didn't return to base after a bomber escort mission against enemy targets on New Guinea. Army Pfc. Arthur Richardson, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, was lost on Jan. 1, 1951, in South Korea. He will be buried with full military honors at a location yet to be determined. Marine Corps Cpl. William S. Blasdel, Company H, 3rd Battalion, 11th Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was lost Oct. 28, 1953, in North Korea. He will be buried with full military honors this spring in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. **Congratulations to the VFW Departments who have reached more than a 100% increase in advocates to join our Action Corps team—Alaska, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Wisconsin. Keep up the good work! Sign up new veterans' advocates. As always, we want to share your advocacy stories on the VFW Capitol Hill blog. To share your stories, fill out our online form or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org. Was this Washington Weekly forwarded to you by a friend? Sign up to get your own free issue each week. — Find a Post | Contribute | About Us | Contact Us Unsubscribe | Tell A Friend © 2001 - 2014. All rights reserved. Veterans of Foreign Wars | 406 West 34th Street | Kansas City, MO 64111 Having difficulty seeing the images in this message? View it online.

FW: Your April 4 Washington Weekly

Thank You

Robert Serge

Blog Master

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember 

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Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2014 16:19:47 -0500

Subject: Your April 4 Washington Weekly

April 4, 2014 Post on Facebook Fort Hood Shooting "Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and their loved ones and the entire Fort Hood family after yet another senseless and tragic shooting," said VFW National Commander Bill Thien, after a soldier shot and killed three and wounded 16 others before turning the weapon on himself Wednesday afternoon. "We may never know why this soldier did what he did, but if for mental health reasons, it's important in the days ahead that our nation's military and political leaders don't use the medical community as their scapegoat. The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs provide some of the nation's very best mental healthcare, but providing that care first takes someone to voluntarily seek it." The Chief also offered the mentorship of VFW members to everyone serving in uniform. "We are not trained mental health professionals, but as fellow comrades-in-arms who have been to war and returned, we can relate." Read his statement. VA Appropriations Clears SubcommitteeYesterday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Constructions and Veterans Affairs cleared their draft funding bill for FY 2015. The bill matches the Administration's budget proposal for VA which is significantly below what the Independent Budget (IB) called for to meet the healthcare and benefit needs of veterans. Among the critical concerns for VFW and its IB partners are the serious underfunding of construction, IT and medical services accounts to include Advance Appropriations for FY 2016. Total funding calls for $71.5 billion in discretionary funds for VA and military construction accounts. The full Appropriations Committee will take up the legislation next week. Read the House Appropriations press release. For complete IB funding levels, click here. VA Health Subcommittee Discusses FDA SafeguardsThis week, the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health discussed safeguards used when identifying recalled tissue products at VA medical facilities. The safety of products used to repair skin, restore broken bones or improve function and feeling from other wounds was the topic of a recent GAO report. The report, released on Wednesday, identified concerns with the completeness and accuracy of VHA's inventory and their ability to accurately identify all recalled products within medical inventories. VA Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health and Administrative Operations, Philip Matkovsky, testified that VA can significantly improve how they track inventory of tissue and other biological implants and have established a work team to identify improvements and is expected to complete its review and recommendations toward the end of FY 2014. For more information about the hearing, click here. House Discusses VA Responses to CongressThis week the House Veterans' Affairs Committee hosted a hearing to address long wait times for VA to respond to Congressional requests. VA Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson was the only witness before the committee, outlining his plan to improve communication between his agency and Congress. Gibson had to answer difficult questions from the committee, which is concerned that the average inquiry to VA takes 143 days to receive a response. Learn more about the hearing and view it in its entirety. **A special thanks to the VFW Departments that have almost doubled the number of Action Corps members in their states. Since the 2013 National Convention, the Departments of Arizona, California, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington have grown the most. Work to be the first Department to double their number of advocates. District elections and Department Conventions are great opportunities to enlist more Action Corps members, but don't stop there. When you return to your Post, take a sign-up sheet, and then mail it to us. All we need is a name, email and zip code to start. Having a strong grassroots voice, letting your member of Congress know the views of the VFW is critical in enacting pro-veteran/pro-military personnel legislation. Need more information, send an email to vfwac@vfw.org or call Teresa Morris at 202-608-8363. Sign up new veterans' advocates. As always, we want to share your advocacy stories on the VFW Capitol Hill blog. To share your stories, fill out our online form or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org. Was this Washington Weekly forwarded to you by a friend? Sign up to get your own free issue each week. — Find a Post | Contribute | About Us | Contact Us Unsubscribe | Tell A Friend © 2001 - 2014. All rights reserved. Veterans of Foreign Wars | 406 West 34th Street | Kansas City, MO 64111 Having difficulty seeing the images in this message? View it online.

FW: VFW Washington Weekly, April 4, 2014

Thank You

Member
Robert serge

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember

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Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2014 15:36:58 -0400

VFW WASHINGTON WEEKLY April 4, 2014 In This Issue: 1. Fort Hood Shooting 2. VA Appropriations Clears Subcommittee 3. VA Health Subcommittee Discusses FDA Safeguards 4. House Discusses VA Responses to Congress 1. Fort Hood Shooting: "Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and their loved ones and the entire Fort Hood family after yet another senseless and tragic shooting," said VFW National Commander Bill Thien, after a soldier shot and killed three and wounded 16 others before turning the weapon on himself Wednesday afternoon. "We may never know why this soldier did what he did, but if for mental health reasons, it's important in the days ahead that our nation's military and political leaders don't use the medical community as their scapegoat. The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs provide some of the nation's very best mental healthcare, but providing that care first takes someone to voluntarily seek it." The Chief also offered the mentorship of VFW members to everyone serving in uniform. "We are not trained mental health professionals, but as fellow comrades-in-arms who have been to war and returned, we can relate." Read his statement at http://www.vfw.org/News-and-Events/Articles/2014-Articles/VFW-Statement-on-Fort-Hood-Shooting/ 2. VA Appropriations Clears Subcommittee: Yesterday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Constructions and Veterans Affairs cleared their draft funding bill for FY 2015. The bill matches the Administration's budget proposal for VA which is significantly below what the Independent Budget (IB) called for to meet the health care and benefit needs of veterans. Among the critical concerns for VFW and its IB partners are the serious underfunding of construction, IT and medical services accounts to include Advance Appropriations for FY 2016. Total funding calls for $71.5 billion in discretionary funds for VA and military construction accounts. The full Appropriations Committee will take up the legislation next week. For the House Appropriations press release click here: http://appropriations.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=374940 For complete IB funding levels, click here: http://www.independentbudget.org/ 3. VA Health Subcommittee Discusses FDA Safeguards: This week, the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health discussed safeguards used when identifying recalled tissue products at VA medical facilities. The safety of products used to repair skin, restore broken bones or improve function and feeling from other wounds was the topic of a recent GAO report. The report, released on Wednesday, identified concerns with the completeness and accuracy of VHA's inventory and their ability to accurately identify all recalled products within medical inventories. VA Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health and Administrative Operations Philip Matkovsky, testified that VA can significantly improve how they track inventory of tissue and other biological implants and have established a work team to identify improvements and is expected to complete its review and recommendations toward the end of FY 2014. For more information about the hearing, click here: http://veterans.house.gov/hearing/va-human-tissue-poor-practice-and-lack-of-tracking-endangers-veterans 4. House Discusses VA Responses to Congress: This week the House Veterans' Affairs Committee hosted a hearing to address long wait times for VA to respond to Congressional requests. VA Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson was the only witness before the committee, outlining his plan to improve communication between his agency and Congress. Gibson had to answer difficult questions from the committee, which is concerned that the average inquiry to VA takes 143 days to receive a response. To learn more about the hearing and to view it in its entirety, click here: http://thevfw.blogspot.com/2014/04/house-discusses-vas-response-time-to.html A special thanks to the VFW Departments that have almost doubled the number of Action Corps members in their states. Since the 2013 National Convention, the Departments of Arizona, California, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington have grown the most. Work to be the first Department to double their number of advocates. District elections and Department Conventions are great opportunities to enlist more Action Corps members, but don't stop there. When you return to your Post, take a sign-up sheet, and then mail it to us. All we need is a name, email and zip code to start. Having a strong grassroots voice, letting your member of Congress know the views of the VFW is critical in enacting pro-veteran/pro-military personnel legislation. Need more information, send an email to vfwac@vfw.org or call Teresa Morris at 202-608-8363. To sign up new veterans' advocates, click here: http://capwiz.com/vfw/mlm/signup.htm. As always, we want to share your advocacy stories on the VFW Capitol Hill blog. To share your stories either fill out our online form by clicking here, http://www.vfw.org/Forms/Capitol-Hill-Blog-Submissions/, or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org.

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