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 | April 25, 2014 |
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.
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