Veterans of Foreign Wars | 406 West 34th Street | Kansas City, MO 64111
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September 12, 2014
In This Issue:
1. VFW to Update Congressional Charter 2. VFW Arrives in DC -- Calls on Congress to End Sequestration/Improve VA 3. Senate Clears COLA 4. Senate Discusses VA IG Report on Phoenix 5. House VA Committee Clears Vets Bills 6. VA Appeals Metrics and Backlog Debated 7. Credentialing Effort Helps Troops Enter Private Sector 8. Five MIAs Recovered 1. VFW to Update Congressional Charter: The VFW is asking members of the House and Senate to support passage of legislation that will update its congressional charter. H.R. 5441 and S. 2782 will make two small, but significant changes in the wording of the charter - replacing the word "men" with "veterans" and the word "widows" with "surviving spouses." VFW National Commander John W. Stroud said, "We're changing it because being an eligible veteran is what's important to our great organization, not one's gender, and changing widows to surviving spouses is more representative of today's military. I salute every delegate for their support of Resolution 301, and thank the Senate and House VA Committee chairmen for their sponsorships." To Take Action and send an email urging support of the bills, click here: http://capwiz.com/vfw/issues/alert/?alertid=63312326 2. VFW Arrives in DC -- Calls on Congress to End Sequestration/Improve VA: VFW Legislative Committee Members from around the country will be in DC next week to meet with legislators. They will discuss ending Sequestration as a top priority, and deliver a report to Congress on the state of VA health care, entitled "Hurry Up and Wait." The report analyzes the past four months of VFW outreach efforts and includes specific recommendations to improve the state of VA health care. Read report here. Other critical issues include providing proper funding for implementing the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability provisions and protecting DOD programs from budget cuts. More details will be released next week. To read the entire report and our press release on the upcoming legislative conference, click here: http://www.vfw.org/News-and-Events/Articles/2014-Articles/Ending-Sequestration-Again-Tops-VFW-Legislative-Agenda/ 3. Senate Clears COLA: Late yesterday, the Senate passed S. 2258, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2014. The bill provides an increase in veterans' disability compensation and DIC for surviving spouses and children. The increase is tied to the social security and CPI index which has yet to be determined, but any increase will be effective December 1, 2014. The bill now awaits final action in the House. 4. Senate Discusses VA IG Report on Phoenix: Early this week, the Senate VA Committee heard testimony from VA leaders regarding the final report into allegations of lengthy wait times and scheduling manipulation at the Phoenix Medical facilities. In his first appearance before the committee, VA Secretary Robert McDonald said that "VA had acted to address many of the report's recommendations, and that demand outstripped supply for medical services contributing to an environment that encouraged violations." Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC) both asked about the hiring of health care providers and what is needed to meet the demand for care. The final report did not conclusively link wait times to any veterans' death, but uncovered lapses in follow-up, coordination, quality and continuity of care. The VFW will continue to monitor all aspects of the reform bill. To view the recorded webcast from the hearing, click here: http://www.veterans.senate.gov/hearings/the-state-of-va-health-care09092014 5. House VA Committee Clears Vets Bills: On Wednesday, the House Veterans Affairs' Committee approved six bills designed to improve the lives of veterans and their families. Among the bills is a measure that would permit the VA secretary to recoup bonuses and performance awards tied to misconduct, lengthy wait times and patient deaths at VA facilities. Some of the other bills that cleared the Committee include: * HR 4399 -- Authorizes a change in SES performance metrics to better reflect quality of care. * HR 4276 -- Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Care Improvement Act of 2014 allows TBI assisted living pilots to include community based living centers. * HR 4971 -- Requires VA to conduct a veterans' satisfaction survey. The bill also included the Classified Veterans Act and the Veterans Access to Speedy Review Act. * HR 4862 -- Authorizes VA to meet with special advisory committees to make recommendations on how to improve health care delivery. * HR 3594 -- Requires VA to work with the Army Corps of Engineers on all major construction projects. * HR 5404 -- Reauthorizes many critical existing VA programs that were set to expire. The bills now move to the House floor for debate. 6. VA Appeals Metrics and Backlog Debated: This week, the House VA Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing to discuss metrics and mismanagement at the Board of Veterans Appeals. According to witness testimony, there are over 300,000 appeals in the system, with over 280,000 of those languishing at VA regional offices. The VFW, alongside its VSO partners (American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Vietnam Veterans of America and Paralyzed Veterans of America) are developing new initiatives that could help streamline the appeals process for at least some veterans. The new proposal -- the fully developed appeals or FDA program -- is designed to eliminate further development and delays at regional offices when veterans believe that no additional evidence would help their claims. Further, it would allow quicker decisions at the BVA in most cases. The VSOs and VA expect to finish working on this proposal in the next 60 days so that Congress can consider legislation early next year. To view the recorded hearing, click here: http://veterans.house.gov/hearing/cases-languish-and-data-manipulated-at-the-board-of-veterans%E2%80%99-appeals 7. Credentialing Effort Helps Troops Enter Private Sector: A change to Title 10 is helping transitioning service members acquire civilian credentials for technical professions, so they can move more quickly into the private sector. The 2012 change by Congress gives the Defense Department the authority to let separating service members have job-skills training programs, internships or apprenticeships as part of their duty assignments. "It's a pretty significant change in Defense Department authorities," said DOD Director of Force Readiness and Training Frank DiGiovanni, "and meant to assist in transition. It's not only for career fields the service members are in, but for any kind of training. Several programs now are leveraging that new authority." Pentagon officials say there are many military career fields where, with just a little bit of gap training, someone can step right into a civilian job, such as allied trade specialists, truck drivers, medical, supply, automotive mechanics, aircraft mechanics, information technology and manufacturing. Read more at http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123070&source=GovDelivery. 8. Five MIAs Recovered: The Defense POW/MIA Office announced the identification of remains belonging to five American servicemen who had been missing-in-action from World War II and Korea. All will be buried with full military honors at a location yet to be determined. Returning home are: * Army Air Forces 1st Lt. William Cook and Sgt. Eric M. Honeywell, 599th Bombardment Squadron, 397th Bombardment Group, lost Dec. 23, 1944, over Germany. He will be buried with full military honors at a location yet to be determined. * Army Pfc. Richard N. Bean, Company D, 1st Battalion, 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division, lost June 15, 1944, in Saipan. He will be buried with full military honors at a location yet to be determined. * Army Sgt. Lee H. Manning, Medical Company, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, lost Dec. 1, 1950, in North Korea. He will be buried with full military honors at a location yet to be determined. * Army Pfc. Arthur Richardson, 28, of Fall River, Mass., lost in January 1951 in South Korea. Richardson, a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, will be buried Sept. 18 in Arlington National Cemetery. 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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September 12, 2014
In This Issue:
1. VFW to Update Congressional Charter 2. VFW Arrives in DC -- Calls on Congress to End Sequestration/Improve VA 3. Senate Clears COLA 4. Senate Discusses VA IG Report on Phoenix 5. House VA Committee Clears Vets Bills 6. VA Appeals Metrics and Backlog Debated 7. Credentialing Effort Helps Troops Enter Private Sector 8. Five MIAs Recovered 1. VFW to Update Congressional Charter: The VFW is asking members of the House and Senate to support passage of legislation that will update its congressional charter. H.R. 5441 and S. 2782 will make two small, but significant changes in the wording of the charter - replacing the word "men" with "veterans" and the word "widows" with "surviving spouses." VFW National Commander John W. Stroud said, "We're changing it because being an eligible veteran is what's important to our great organization, not one's gender, and changing widows to surviving spouses is more representative of today's military. I salute every delegate for their support of Resolution 301, and thank the Senate and House VA Committee chairmen for their sponsorships." To Take Action and send an email urging support of the bills, click here: http://capwiz.com/vfw/issues/alert/?alertid=63312326 2. VFW Arrives in DC -- Calls on Congress to End Sequestration/Improve VA: VFW Legislative Committee Members from around the country will be in DC next week to meet with legislators. They will discuss ending Sequestration as a top priority, and deliver a report to Congress on the state of VA health care, entitled "Hurry Up and Wait." The report analyzes the past four months of VFW outreach efforts and includes specific recommendations to improve the state of VA health care. Read report here. Other critical issues include providing proper funding for implementing the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability provisions and protecting DOD programs from budget cuts. More details will be released next week. To read the entire report and our press release on the upcoming legislative conference, click here: http://www.vfw.org/News-and-Events/Articles/2014-Articles/Ending-Sequestration-Again-Tops-VFW-Legislative-Agenda/ 3. Senate Clears COLA: Late yesterday, the Senate passed S. 2258, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2014. The bill provides an increase in veterans' disability compensation and DIC for surviving spouses and children. The increase is tied to the social security and CPI index which has yet to be determined, but any increase will be effective December 1, 2014. The bill now awaits final action in the House. 4. Senate Discusses VA IG Report on Phoenix: Early this week, the Senate VA Committee heard testimony from VA leaders regarding the final report into allegations of lengthy wait times and scheduling manipulation at the Phoenix Medical facilities. In his first appearance before the committee, VA Secretary Robert McDonald said that "VA had acted to address many of the report's recommendations, and that demand outstripped supply for medical services contributing to an environment that encouraged violations." Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC) both asked about the hiring of health care providers and what is needed to meet the demand for care. The final report did not conclusively link wait times to any veterans' death, but uncovered lapses in follow-up, coordination, quality and continuity of care. The VFW will continue to monitor all aspects of the reform bill. To view the recorded webcast from the hearing, click here: http://www.veterans.senate.gov/hearings/the-state-of-va-health-care09092014 5. House VA Committee Clears Vets Bills: On Wednesday, the House Veterans Affairs' Committee approved six bills designed to improve the lives of veterans and their families. Among the bills is a measure that would permit the VA secretary to recoup bonuses and performance awards tied to misconduct, lengthy wait times and patient deaths at VA facilities. Some of the other bills that cleared the Committee include: * HR 4399 -- Authorizes a change in SES performance metrics to better reflect quality of care. * HR 4276 -- Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Care Improvement Act of 2014 allows TBI assisted living pilots to include community based living centers. * HR 4971 -- Requires VA to conduct a veterans' satisfaction survey. The bill also included the Classified Veterans Act and the Veterans Access to Speedy Review Act. * HR 4862 -- Authorizes VA to meet with special advisory committees to make recommendations on how to improve health care delivery. * HR 3594 -- Requires VA to work with the Army Corps of Engineers on all major construction projects. * HR 5404 -- Reauthorizes many critical existing VA programs that were set to expire. The bills now move to the House floor for debate. 6. VA Appeals Metrics and Backlog Debated: This week, the House VA Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing to discuss metrics and mismanagement at the Board of Veterans Appeals. According to witness testimony, there are over 300,000 appeals in the system, with over 280,000 of those languishing at VA regional offices. The VFW, alongside its VSO partners (American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Vietnam Veterans of America and Paralyzed Veterans of America) are developing new initiatives that could help streamline the appeals process for at least some veterans. The new proposal -- the fully developed appeals or FDA program -- is designed to eliminate further development and delays at regional offices when veterans believe that no additional evidence would help their claims. Further, it would allow quicker decisions at the BVA in most cases. The VSOs and VA expect to finish working on this proposal in the next 60 days so that Congress can consider legislation early next year. To view the recorded hearing, click here: http://veterans.house.gov/hearing/cases-languish-and-data-manipulated-at-the-board-of-veterans%E2%80%99-appeals 7. Credentialing Effort Helps Troops Enter Private Sector: A change to Title 10 is helping transitioning service members acquire civilian credentials for technical professions, so they can move more quickly into the private sector. The 2012 change by Congress gives the Defense Department the authority to let separating service members have job-skills training programs, internships or apprenticeships as part of their duty assignments. "It's a pretty significant change in Defense Department authorities," said DOD Director of Force Readiness and Training Frank DiGiovanni, "and meant to assist in transition. It's not only for career fields the service members are in, but for any kind of training. Several programs now are leveraging that new authority." Pentagon officials say there are many military career fields where, with just a little bit of gap training, someone can step right into a civilian job, such as allied trade specialists, truck drivers, medical, supply, automotive mechanics, aircraft mechanics, information technology and manufacturing. Read more at http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123070&source=GovDelivery. 8. Five MIAs Recovered: The Defense POW/MIA Office announced the identification of remains belonging to five American servicemen who had been missing-in-action from World War II and Korea. All will be buried with full military honors at a location yet to be determined. Returning home are: * Army Air Forces 1st Lt. William Cook and Sgt. Eric M. Honeywell, 599th Bombardment Squadron, 397th Bombardment Group, lost Dec. 23, 1944, over Germany. He will be buried with full military honors at a location yet to be determined. * Army Pfc. Richard N. Bean, Company D, 1st Battalion, 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division, lost June 15, 1944, in Saipan. He will be buried with full military honors at a location yet to be determined. * Army Sgt. Lee H. Manning, Medical Company, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, lost Dec. 1, 1950, in North Korea. He will be buried with full military honors at a location yet to be determined. * Army Pfc. Arthur Richardson, 28, of Fall River, Mass., lost in January 1951 in South Korea. Richardson, a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, will be buried Sept. 18 in Arlington National Cemetery. 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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September 5, 2014
In This Issue: 1. VFW Hosts USAFE Commander 2. SECDEF Talks About Sequestration 3. VFW Applauds New Discharge Upgrade Decision 4. Congress Returns to Busy Fall Schedule 5. Upcoming VA Committee Hearings 6. September is Suicide Prevention Month 7. VA Rural Community Pilot Program Participants 8. Seven WWII Servicemen Identified 1. VFW Hosts USAFE Commander: The VFW Washington Office hosted the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe to a VSO/MSO roundtable yesterday. Gen. Frank Gorenc said his greatest challenge is the uncertainty that reduced budgets and the looming sequester in FY 2016 is having on his ability to properly train, provide and assist his European NATO partners and the U.S. Combatant Commands. His concerns echo those of other American commanders that VFW Junior Vice Commander-in-Chief Brian Duffy met on a fact-finding trip to Europe last month. Ending sequestration --- which Congress created and only Congress can eliminate --- will top the VFW's Fall Legislative Conference agenda in Washington, Sept. 15-17. The sequester began in the second half of FY 2013, and in order to meet the mandatory reductions without impacting combat operations in Afghanistan, the military was forced to slash flying, sailing and troop training hours, plus to furlough their civilian workforce. Regarding Air Force training, the general said it took three months to recover for every one month of sequestration. 2. SECDEF Talks About Sequestration: On Wednesday at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said sequestration will continue to negatively affect our national security unless it is reversed. He said training, maintenance and contracts are key to national security, but under sequestration, mandatory cuts in these areas critically limit our nation's ability to maintain its technological edge, as well as impacts weapons systems development, and more. Watch a video excerpt of his remarks at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91-jmgFo0QQ. 3. VFW Applauds New Discharge Upgrade Decision: The Defense Department announced a new decision this week that will enable Vietnam veterans and others to request upgrades to their less-than-honorable military discharges due to an extenuating factor not known or recognized at the time of their separation: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. "This decision will not be a blanket approval for every upgrade request, but it does open an avenue for those veterans who may have been diagnosed with PTSD years after separation to submit new evidence and hopefully correct an injustice from the past," said VFW National Commander John Stroud in a release. Read DOD's supplemental guidance at http://www.defense.gov/news/OSD009883-14.pdf. 4. Congress Returns to Busy Fall Schedule: Congress returns to Washington next week with very little time to get important legislation and appropriations passed. With Oct. 1 signaling the beginning of a new fiscal year, and November elections just weeks afterwards, your VFW will be closely monitoring a number of critical issues, to include the National Defense Authorization Act, and the Military Construction and VA Appropriations bill. Other items on the agenda that must get completed are the COLA increase for VA disability and pension, improvements to caregiver benefits and extending existing programs set to expire on Sept. 30. For a list of current bills and votes, visit our grassroots advocacy website at http://capwiz.com/vfw/issues/bills/. 5. Upcoming VA Committee Hearings: The House and Senate VA Committees are gearing up for a packed two weeks of hearings and mark-ups to close out FY 2014. * As reported last week, the Senate VA Committee will hold a hearing to discuss the recent VA IG report regarding allegations of patient deaths at the Phoenix VA Medical Center. New VA Secretary Robert McDonald is scheduled to testify at the hearing, which will begin at 10 a.m. (EST)., Sept. 9. Watch the live webcast at http://www.veterans.senate.gov/hearings/the-state-of-va-health-care09092014. * The House Veterans' Affairs Committee will mark up pending legislation on Wednesday, September 10, at 9:30 a.m. (EST) and hold an Oversight and Investigation hearing regarding the Board of Veterans Appeals at 1:00 p.m. (EST) the same day. For more on those hearings, or to watch the live webcast, click here: http://veterans.house.gov/ Check back here for updates and details on all the hearings next week. 6. September is Suicide Prevention Month: Yesterday, VA announced a new suicide prevention month campaign. "The Power of 1" is a joint VA/DOD effort to reinforce the impact that just one person, one conversation or one act can have on the life of a veteran or service member in crisis. To learn more about the campaign, the Veterans Crisis Line or to find a local VA suicide prevention coordinator, visit VeteransCrisisLine.net. For more information about VA mental health resources, visit http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/ 7. VA Rural Community Pilot Program Participants: The VA announced its selection of locations for a pilot program to assist veterans and their families transitioning from military service to civilian life in rural or underserved communities. The Rural Veterans Coordination Pilot is a two-year program designed to aid in the adjustment to civilian life in one or more of the following areas: increasing coordination of health care and benefits; increasing availability of high quality medical and mental health services; and providing assistance and outreach to families of transitioning service members and veterans. The awards grant up to $2 million to five locations in rural areas across the U.S. For more information and the five selected sites, got to http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2617. 8. Seven WWII Servicemen Identified: The Defense POW/MIA Office recently announced the identification of remains belonging to seven American servicemen who had been missing in action since World War II. Identified are: * Army Air Forces 1st Lts. William D. Bernier, Bryant E. Poulsen and Herbert V. Young Jr., Tech. Sgt. Charles L. Johnston and Sgt. Charles A. Gardner, were lost April 10, 1944, in Papua New Guinea. They were assigned to the 321st Bombardment Squadron, 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Army Air Forces. They will be buried with full military honors on a date yet to be determined. * Army Pfc. Bernard Gavrin, was lost fighting on Saipan on June 15, 1944. He was assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. He will be buried with full military honors on Sept. 12 at Arlington National Cemetery. Read more at http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=16914&source=GovDelivery. * Marine Corps Pvt. Robert J. McConachie, was lost fighting on Okinawa on June 15, 1945. He was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines Division. He will be buried with full military honors on a date yet to be determined. 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. |
Veterans of Foreign Wars | 406 West 34th Street | Kansas City, MO 64111
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