Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 3-16-09

Today’s Local News for Veterans 

1. Pennsylvania Veterans Say Tattered Flags At Cemeteries Are Disrespectful.
2. New VA Budget To Extend Health Care Eligibility To Thousands Of Veterans.  
3. Florida Purple Heart Members Push For Better Services.
4. National Veterans Wheelchair Games Gold Medalist Honored On Cheerios Box.  
5. Charity Builds New House For Wisconsin Disabled Veteran.  
6. Veterans Agent Applauded For Bolstering Transport Services For Veterans Hospitals.  
7. TV Show Builds New House For Wisconsin Veteran With Gulf War Syndrome.
8. Missouri Town Seeing Large Jump In Demand For Veterans Health Care.  
9. Funding Difficulties Derail Plan To Share Abilities Between New Orleans Hospitals.  
10. Fayetteville Medical Students To Stop Using Veterans Hospital For Classes.

---

HAVE YOU HEARD?
Happy Birthday VA! At 2 p.m. today (EDT) Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki joins employees at VA Central Office and those across the country tuned to the VA Knowledge Network in celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Yesterday, Secretary Shinseki commemorated the date the Department of Veterans Affairs Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-527) took effect and elevated VA to Cabinet status, March 15, 1989, by joining dignitaries in a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. A tape of today’s VA Central Office celebration will be rebroadcast throughout coming weeks 

---

 

1.      Pennsylvania Veterans Say Tattered Flags At Cemeteries Are Disrespectful.   The Morning Call (3/16, Isherwood) of Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, reports, "It’s a small but significant sign of respect that veterans have long bestowed on each other — the placing of the American flag on the graves of those who have served. But it turns to disrespect, veterans say, when dirty and wind-whipped flags are left torn and tattered on the grave," according to local American Legion veterans. They have asked county authorities "to do a better job of honoring its military veterans by replacing the flags more than once a year." Tom Dye, county director of Veterans Affairs said that "changing the roughly 32,000 flags twice during the year would cost the county an additional $53,000."

2.      New VA Budget To Extend Health Care Eligibility To Thousands Of Veterans.   In his Providence Journal (3/16) column entitled "Veterans’ Journal," George Reilly writes, "The proposed budget President Obama recently submitted to Congress calls for the Department of Veterans Affairs to extend health care eligibility to an additional half-million veterans over the next five years. VA’s budget would rise by $15 billion, to $113 billion, for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. And VA would increase by $25 billion over baseline during the next five years." The expansion would add "more than 500,000 veterans who have been excluded from VA medical care benefits since 2003. Quality and timely care for lower-income and service-disabled veterans who rely on VA care would also be assured, allowing disabled military retirees for the first time to keep their full VA disability compensation along with their retirement pay."

3.      Florida Purple Heart Members Push For Better Services.   The Daytona Beach News-Journal (3/15, Parente) reports that local members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart have joined other "members from almost every state, seeking support from legislators nationwide for funding the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System. They lobbied legislators to find ways to improve processing of VA claims." Members also asked congressmen "for help with homeless veterans, and addressed disability, veterans’ benefit and retirement issues." The News-Journal adds that PTSD "and other conditions facing thousands of veterans returning from ongoing conflicts were among the issues."

4.      National Veterans Wheelchair Games Gold Medalist Honored On Cheerios Box.   The Modesto Bee (3/16) reports, "Joe Velasquez of Turlock has won a lot of honors as a Navy veteran, a wheelchair athlete and a man who inspires others. He’s just claimed another award, perhaps the most unusual — he’s pictured on a cereal box." Turlock is "one of 12 gold medalists from the 2008 National Veterans Wheelchair Games chosen to be pictured on select boxes of Cheerios. The photo shows him playing pool; he competes in several sports and swimming has been his specialty." This summer, "Velasquez will compete in the 2009 Veterans Administration National Wheelchair Games in Spokane, Wash. At the 2007 event, he not only collected five gold medals but also was selected for the ‘Spirit of the Games’ award."

5.      Charity Builds New House For Wisconsin Disabled Veteran.   The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (3/16) reports that Sun Prairie, Wisconsin resident and disabled veteran Chuck Isaacson, "29, and his wife, Brenda, moved into their Sun Prairie house built through Homes for Our Troops. The Massachusetts-based nonprofit group has built 37 homes across the nation – Isaacson’s is the first in Wisconsin – and has another 15 under construction, said spokeswoman Vicki Thomas." Isaacson was paralyzed in an accident in Afghanistan. The house was build to be wheelchair-accessible, and has donated appliances. The nonprofit group works "with the Veterans Administration to choose from applications submitted by wounded veterans. Then the organization meets with the service member, determines the person’s needs, asks where the person wants to live, finds a local builder willing to donate time, obtains building permits, buys land and arranges for donated labor and materials."

6.      Veterans Agent Applauded For Bolstering Transport Services For Veterans Hospitals.   In an editorial, the Fall River (RI) Herald News (3/16) writes, "Thumbs up to Fall River Veterans Agent Manny DePonte, who has been able to bolster transportation services for veterans despite the loss of Council on Aging drivers. DePonte has secured two donated vans and volunteer drivers from Disabled American Veterans in Providence to provide transportation to Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Providence and Brockton Veterans Administration Hospital." Through his partnership with a "volunteer agency, DaPonte has found a way to save the city money while maintaining — and even increasing — services to residents. Such public-private partnerships are key to providing needed services while the recession forces government cutbacks."

7.      TV Show Builds New House For Wisconsin Veteran With Gulf War Syndrome.   The Greenville (NC) Daily Reflector (3/15, Grizzard) reports, "A veteran and his family are experiencing a hero’s welcome years after he returned from war." Jamesville resident Jeff Cooper, "a veteran who uses a wheelchair due to Gulf War Syndrome, multiple sclerosis and immune disorders, was selected as one of the Emmy-award winning [ABC TV show "Extreme Makeover: Home Editions"] ‘Heroes’ for season six." The Reflector reports that "Martin County Manager Russell Overman said local volunteers along with many from outside the area teamed up to make the home a reality." The episode is scheduled to air May 3rd.

8.      Missouri Town Seeing Large Jump In Demand For Veterans Health Care.   The St. Joseph (MO) News-Press (3/16, White) reports, "The Department of Veterans Affairs finds that if it offers health care service in St. Joseph, more and more veterans will participate. There’s an increasing demand for services in St. Joseph," according to Jim Gleisberg, "a spokesman for the VA’s Eastern Kansas Health Care System," who added that "patient visits exploded to 7,754 last year," an increase of 100% over four years. Local posts of the VFW and the American Legion "deserve credit for getting the word out, Mr. Gleisberg said. About 30 percent of the 8,700 veterans living in the four corners are registered, he said."

9.      Funding Difficulties Derail Plan To Share Abilities Between New Orleans Hospitals.   The New Orleans Times-Picayune (3/16) reports, "Building a new state hospital alongside a planned US Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in lower Mid-City won’t produce the initial level of savings once touted by the Louisiana State University System, according to the school’s top health officer." School officer "Dr. Fred Cerise said the primary reason is that a lack of clear financing has put LSU behind its original schedule, while federal money is lined up for the Veterans Affairs hospital slated to open in 2012, negating plans for sharing some equipment and facilities."

10.    Fayetteville Medical Students To Stop Using Veterans Hospital For Classes.   The Fayetteville Observer (3/15) reports, "The expansion of Methodist University’s physician assistant program became a reality last week, when the university received $476,000 from the federal government to build two new medical buildings on its Ramsey Street campus." Methodist students currently attend "human anatomy labs at Fayetteville’s Veterans Administration Hospital, but the contract expires at the end of 2009 because the VA needs the extra space," according to a Methodist spokeswoman.

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=5345