Veteran Veritas

The following story was televised on ABC News Channel 7 in Arlington, Va. The technology that has been developed to objectify the unseen and frequently undiagnosed injuries of war; head injuries and post traumatic stress are going to tax the disability system to the maximum. Is this not the irony of 21st Century war? The cost of the aftermath of war may soon become so onerous that we can no longer afford to wage it!

And to think of how frequently the syndrome and symptoms of head injuries have occurred in the veteran population since the Civil War, which would have been the advent of huge blast injuries. So for 150 years we have had vets out there compromised in executive functioning and both they and the health professionals never knew what was up.

When grampa was on the front porch acting a little dink dauy and maybe drinking too much whiskey. The chances are real high that he was just clocked in the trenches of France in WWl.

Head Injuries have now become the signature wound of the War on Terrorism. Oddly this was the prevalent injury in WWll and Korea. In Vietnam it was small weapons fire and booby traps.

Is it not spooky that primitive warriors always find a way to enter combat with stronger Armies, both in weaponry and financing? Is there ever going to be an end to this insanity? Notice this is not a political question. It is the same one that the Generals have to deal with, because they have to replace these soldiers in the bush. So we got a bloody numbers game going on—-exactly like the days of William Westmoreland. Except this time the soldier survives to live a war of homeland disability. Isn’t this like a terrorist memo sent home?

One thing I have never understood is why we now state that PTSD was once defined as, “shell shock.” That is not really very accurate, because shell shock is its own baby as is PTSD. I know, I have experienced both.

The good news is that VA knows this and we now have some of best care in the world for our returning combatants. Tucson VA has is ranked as one of the best in the nation and its poly-trauma unit personnel are the unsung heroes of the day.

ABC NEWS STORY

Washington – Powerful scans are letting doctors watch just how the brain changes in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and concussion-like brain injuries – signature damage of the Iraq (web | news) and Afghanistan wars. It’s work that one day may allow far easier diagnosis for patients – civilian or military – who today struggle to get help for these largely invisible disorders. For now it brings a powerful message: Problems too often shrugged off as “just in your head” in fact do have physical signs, now that scientists are learning where and how to look for them.

“There’s something different in your brain,” explains Dr. Jasmeet Pannu Hayes of Boston University, who is helping to lead that research at the Veterans Affairs’ National Center for PTSD. “Just putting a real physical marker there, saying that this is a real thing,” encourages more people to seek care.

Up to one in five U.S. veterans from the long-running combat in Iraq and Afghanistan is thought to have symptoms of PTSD. An equal number are believed to have suffered traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs – most that don’t involve open wounds but hidden damage caused by explosion’s pressure wave.
ABC 7 Talkback:
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Many of those TBIs are considered similar to a concussion, but because symptoms may not be apparent immediately, many soldiers are exposed multiple times, despite evidence from the sports world that damage can add up, especially if there’s little time between assaults.

“My brain has been rattled,” is how a recently retired Marine whom Hayes identifies only as Sgt. N described the 50 to 60 explosions he estimates he felt while part of an ordnance disposal unit.

Hayes studied the man in a new way, tracking how water flows through tiny, celery stalk-like nerve fibers in his brain – and found otherwise undetectable evidence that those fibers were damaged in a brain region that explained his memory problems and confusion.

It’s a noninvasive technique called “diffusion tensor imaging” that merely adds a little time to a standard MRI scan. Water molecules constantly move, bumping into each other and then bouncing away. Measuring the direction and speed of that diffusion in nerve fibers can tell if the fibers are intact or damaged. Those fibers are sort of a highway along which the brain’s cells communicate. The bigger the gaps, the more interrupted the brain’s work becomes.

“Sgt. N’s brain is very different,” Hayes told a military medical meeting last week. “His connective tissue has been largely compromised.”

There’s a remarkable overlap of symptoms between those brain injuries and PTSD, says Dr. James Kelly, a University of Colorado neurologist tapped to lead the military’s new National Intrepid Center of Excellence. It will open next year in Bethesda, Md., to treat both conditions.

Yes, headaches are a hallmark of TBI while the classic PTSD symptoms are flashbacks and nightmares. But both tend to cause memory and attention problems, anxiety, irritability, depression and insomnia. That means the two disorders share brain regions.

And Hayes can measure how some of those regions go awry in the vicious cycle that is PTSD, where patients feel like they’re reliving a trauma instead of understanding that it’s just a memory.

What happens? A brain processing system that includes the amygdala – the fear hot spot – becomes overactive. Other regions important for attention and memory, regions that usually moderate our response to fear, are tamped down.

“The good news is this neural signal is not permanent. It can change with treatment,” Hayes says.

Her lab performed MRI scans while patients either tried to suppress their negative memories, or followed PTSD therapy and changed how they thought about their trauma. That fear-processing region quickly cooled down when people followed the PTSD therapy.

It’s work that has implications far beyond the military: About a quarter of a million Americans will develop PTSD at some point in their lives. Anyone can develop it after a terrifying experience, from a car accident or hurricane to rape or child abuse.

More research is needed for the scans to be used in diagnosing either PTSD or a TBI. But some are getting close – like another MRI-based test that can spot lingering traces of iron left over from bleeding, thus signaling a healed TBI. If the brain was hit hard enough to bleed, then more delicate nerve pathways surely were damaged, too, Kelly notes.

—

EDITOR’S NOTE – Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.

Following is a letter forwarded to me by a local combat veteran of the Marine Corps. His name has been deleted, but he has given permission to publish his petition for explanations for the declination of life insurance as a result of having a PTSD diagnosis. ( Note. Since this was posted the author has elected to share his name. It is Pete Bourret. He is a combat veteran of the Marine Corps who served in Vietnam.)

I am familiar with this very sad fact of life. I am equally conversant with its prevalence and the gross lack of justice involved. The impunity embedded in our nations Insurance industry is soon to become a national disgrace. The irony of the fact that a warrior can defend his/her nation and its system of capitalism and in turn not be qualified for life insurance, is beyond comprehension.

Someone, somewhere, has created some bogus science that states that Post Traumatic Stress shortens ones life span. This veteran is asking to see proof of this assertion. I am asking to see studies, from either the National Institute of Health or the VA, that indicate this confabulation.

Can you imagine the impact on a young soldier with a family when they learn that the mental health care they received on the heels of war is preventing them from protecting their very own family’s finances. I see rage on the horizon. I see class action law suits. And worse, I see the myriad of caring outreach programs at Vet Centers and VA clinics backfiring when the word travels that you are sealing off your future financial options. Who do these folks think they are? Maybe we should just draft all executives in the insurance industry first.

So the citizen soldier who is wounded in war is rendered incapable of being a full citizen in the country they just upheld. Is there a more poignant hypocrisy to be found?

We will be re-visiting this open wound in the veteran community over the next several months. Possibly, the parent company of the Citizen, Gannett, can help us out with a feature article in USA Today, which is known for its veteran and military coverage. Or are they too owned by the Insurance Industry?

November 11, 2009

Pruco Life
PO Box 8660
Philadelphia, PA 19176-8660

Denise Holmgren
Vice President, Underwriting:

This letter is in response to your companies response to my request for specific information, which I have requested on multiple occasions yet have failed to receive; a copy of your original letter will not suffice.

Please advise me if I should conclude that your determination of my uninsurability was based on my Post Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosis in general. I ask this because I have repeatedly requested the specific information (three times) that you utilized in your determination; however, I only received several hundred pages of my VA mental health records without any specific details. Let me be as clear as I can be: I expect you to submit to me the specific language that caused your organization to draw the conclusion that I am not an appropriate candidate for life insurance.

This is my last request for this information that you have an obligation to provide to me in a timely manner. I find it ironic that I am writing this letter to your organization on Veterans’ Day, yet it seems that your company fails to honor veterans who served and became casualties of war. The fact that your organization believes that a veteran with a PTSD diagnosis is a poor candidate for a life insurance policy shows that there is great ignorance about this diagnosis within your organization. Had you bothered to check with my psychiatrist because of a concern, you would have discovered that I am much more than the basic notes that he wrote. You were too busy to do that because we know that the business of American business is the bottom line. For veterans like myself, when I volunteered to serve as a combat Marine in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968, my bottom line was to defend your freedom and to protect my fellow Marines. I guess our values do not coincide.

In closing, I ask you to re-evaluated your process for determining insurability in the area of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Regardless, it only makes sense that potential recruits to the Armed Forces should be made aware through full disclosure that serving is also hazardous to their insurability should they be traumatized by of combat. As a retired English teacher with too much time on his hands, I will gladly set the educational process in motion. I think it is time that people learn how your organization actually “supports” the troops.

Happy Veterans’ Day,

Peter Bourret/USMC

— On Wed, 11/11/09, Beth Pramme wrote:

From: Beth Pramme
Subject: RELEASE: Veterans, National Security Leaders Stand Up For Clean Energy In New Repower America TV Ad
To: “Beth Pramme”
Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 10:15 AM

For immediate release: November 11, 2009

Press inquiries:

Beth Pramme, 480-326-8876, Beth.Pramme@climateprotect.org

Alice McKeon, 202-567-6800, press@climateprotect.org

Veterans, National Security Leaders Stand Up For Clean Energy In New Repower America TV Ad

Generals Brent Scowcroft and Wesley Clark join young veterans in call for bold action on clean energy and climate change to end America’s dependence on foreign oil and strengthen our national security

PHOENIX – As the nation prepares to celebrate Veterans Day and honor the brave men and women who serve in our Armed Forces, the Alliance for Climate Protection’s Repower America campaign today released a new television ad featuring veterans and national security leaders calling for bold action now on clean energy and climate change to strengthen America’s national security. The ad, called “Voices – Veterans,” will run on national cable starting on Veterans Day.

“Voices – Veterans” features young Iraq War veterans alongside respected military and national security leaders such as General Brent Scowcroft and General Wesley Clark making the urgent call for action now on clean energy and climate change so that we can end America’s dependence on foreign oil and strengthen our national security. General Scowcroft, U.S. National Security Advisor under Presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush and a retired Lieutenant General in the U.S. Air Force, states in the ad that “climate change threatens our national security,” while Terron Sims, Jr., a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq says, “Stop sending our dollars overseas to be used against us.” General Wesley Clark, a 34-year U.S. Army veteran who served as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, concludes the ad stating, “We need to repower and there is no better time to do it than right now.”

“By taking control of our energy future, we can prevent future conflict overseas and keep our men and women in uniform out of harm’s way,” said Repower Arizona Communications Director Beth Pramme. “Even top-ranking retired admirals and generals have said that a first priority for our leaders should be fully integrating climate change and energy security into national security. By repowering America with clean energy, we can stop sending our hard-earned money overseas for foreign oil, invest it here to get our economy moving again, and help solve the climate crisis.”

This new TV ad is a continuation of the groundbreaking multimedia campaign launched by Repower America last week to demonstrate broad national consensus – from veterans, faith leaders, the business community, conservationists and more – for bold action on clean energy and climate. The new Repower effort, supported by an integrated online, field and advertising campaign, centers around a virtual Repower Wall, where thousands of people have already uploaded messages of strong support for action to create clean energy jobs, safeguard America’s economic and national security future, and solve the climate crisis. The Repower Wall may be accessed at www.repoweramerica.org/wall.

Veterans from Arizona have already posted to the Repower Wall, including:

John Adams, Retired U.S. Army Brigadier General: “I think it’s important for us to move to a clean energy economy. So much of our energy now comes from hostile regimes who are essentially holding us hostage. We’ve got the resources here at home to provide our own energy. We’ve got the resources here at home to protect our environment and pass it on to our children. It’s important for our leaders and our people to come together now to really make a difference and convert to a clean energy economy.”

· Watch John’s full Repower Wall post:
http://www.repoweramerica.org/wall/#/view/12141

John Young, Veteran: “Clean energy is a great first step to a brighter future.”

· Watch John’s full Repower Wall post:
http://www.repoweramerica.org/wall/#/view/8938

Alan MacFarlane, Veteran: “The human race needs clean power to survive. If you don’t know it, know it now. If you don’t believe it, believe it before it becomes too late. ”

· Watch Alan’s full Repower Wall post:
http://www.repoweramerica.org/wall/#/view/12381

John Chiazza, Veteran: “Veterans are looking for jobs, and these clean energy jobs are going to be ideal for them. These clean energy initiatives are going to bring jobs where we need them.”

· Watch John’s full Repower Wall post:
http://www.repoweramerica.org/wall/#/view/13112

Already, more than 22,000 individuals have added their faces and voices to the Repower Wall, and more than 40 leading corporations and non-governmental organizations have contributed their logos to the effort – including companies like Nike, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Staples, eBay and Exelon, as well as organizations such as the United Steel Workers, National Farmers Union, Trout Unlimited, Republicans for Environmental Protection and the American Nurses Association.

According to the Center for American Progress, transitioning to a clean energy economy will create more than 29,000 jobs here in Arizona while revitalizing our economy, strengthening our national security and breaking our dependence on foreign oil.

Script: “Voices – Veterans” (TV-:30)

Ken Nagel, U.S. Navy Veteran: Why join the fight to repower America with clean energy?

General Brent Scowcroft: Because climate change threatens our national security.

Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman: It’s crucial that America become energy independent.

Jackie Rodgers, Jr., U.S. Navy Veteran: I saw first-hand how America’s dependence on foreign oil threatens our national security.

Terron Sims, Jr., U.S. Marine Corps Veteran: Stop sending our dollars overseas to be used against us.

Jonathan Powers, U.S. Army Veteran: America must reestablish itself as a country that leads by example.

General Wesley Clark: We need to repower and there is no better time to do it than right now.

About the Alliance for Climate Protection’s Repower America campaign:

The Alliance for Climate Protection launched the Repower America campaign to galvanize the American public around a bold new clean energy plan and a revitalized national energy infrastructure that will jumpstart our economy and create millions of jobs; help end our dependence on foreign oil; reward innovation and job creation, not polluters; and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the threat of climate change. For more information, visit www.repoweramerica.org.

– 30 –

Beth Pramme
Communications Director
Repower Arizona
Beth.Pramme@climateprotect.org
(602) 252-2044 Office
(480) 326-8876 Cell
Facebook: Repower Arizona
Twitter: RepowerArizona
P Please consider the environment before printing this email

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

November 09, 2009

President Obama Launches Major Veterans Employment Initiative
Initiative Would Transform Federal Government into Model of Veterans Employment

Washington, DC – Today, the White House announced the launch of an initiative that is designed to transform the federal government into the model employer of America’s veterans. This evening, President Obama will be joined by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry to sign an Executive Order on the Employment of Veterans in the federal government, which establishes the Veterans Employment Initiative for the Executive Branch. The Initiative underscores to federal agencies the importance of recruiting and training veterans, aims to increase the employment of veterans within the Executive Branch, and helps recently hired veterans adjust to service in a civilian capacity.

“Honoring our sacred trust with America’s veterans means doing all we can to help them find work when they come home so they never feel as if the American Dream they fought to defend is out of reach for them and their families,” said President Obama. “But this initiative is about more than repaying our debt for their courageous service and selfless sacrifice. It’s also about continuing to fill the ranks of federal employees with men and women who possess the skills, dedication, and sense of duty that Americans deserve from their public servants. And few embody those qualities like our nation’s veterans.”

The Executive Order creates an interagency Council on Veterans Employment that will advise the President and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management on the veterans’ employment initiative. The Council will be chaired by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki. OPM Director John Berry will serve as the Vice Chair and Chief Operating Officer of the Council.

“Veterans have shown unmatched dedication to public service,” said Secretary Shinseki. “They offer leadership and technical skills that are in high demand, whether in the public or private workforce. Not only does this initiative present an opportunity for Veterans to serve their Nation once again, the Nation will benefit from the education and training Veterans received in the Armed Forces. I am looking forward to working with Secretary Solis and Director Berry to achieve the objectives of this initiative across the federal government.”

“Veterans are an important part of our nation’s past, present and future. They deserve our full support as they reintegrate into the civilian workforce,” said Secretary Solis, “In signing this Executive Order, President Obama underscores his Administration’s commitment to our military men and women, and keeps us squarely on the path to achieving the goal of good jobs for everyone.”

“President Obama strongly believes in honoring the service of our veterans and he sees this initiative as an opportunity to put some real muscle behind that promise,” said Director Berry. “The strong sense of patriotism and public service held by members of our armed forces doesn’t leave them when they exit from active duty. It benefits our government to seize this opportunity to utilize their skills and dedication to service. The Veterans Employment Initiative will help our federal agencies identify qualified veterans, clarify the hiring process for veterans seeking employment with the federal government, and help our veterans adjust to civilian life once they are hired.”

The Order also establishes a Veterans Employment Program office within most federal agencies. These offices will be responsible for helping veterans identify employment opportunities within those federal agencies, providing feedback to veterans about their employment application status, and helping veterans recently employed by these agencies adjust to civilian life and a workplace culture often different than military service.

In addition, the Office of Personnel Management will issue a government-wide strategic plan that will focus on creating leadership commitment and an infrastructure in each agency to promote continued skills development and employment success for veterans. The strategic plan will also include marketing strategies aimed at agency hiring managers as well as veterans and transitioning service members.

“This Executive Order reflects the shared commitment across the Obama administration to hiring American veterans,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Veterans play a vital role in the Department of Homeland Security’s mission to protect the nation, which is why we have pledged to grow our veteran workforce to more than 50,000 Department-wide by 2012.”

At the end of Fiscal Year 2008, there were approximately 480,000 veterans working within the federal government.

For more information, visit: www.fedshirevets.gov

It looks like we may have a new kid on the block. After this weekends Nam Jam at Kennedy Park, some of the old timers, including myself as one of the original sponsors (La Placita Partners), proposed the idea of Nam Jam morphing itself into Sand Jam to honor the Iraq and Afghan Veterans. After 22 years of running the show, it may well be time to turn over the baton. I think this would be a gang buster idea, as a way to mature this fine local event that was trademarked years ago with the foresight of Pete Duer.

Discussions are underway with the local Vets4Vets organization, which is national in scope, and based here in Tucson. Contact will be made with the Iraq Veterans of America also.

Should any of our readers have suggestions or want to participate in the creation of an exciting new concert venue, please log your suggestions here.

I read at least 20 veteran publications combing for material that I deem helpful to the largest population of veterans. Many of the press releases I get are from the Catholic War Veterans, and they are quite good and chock full of practical help. While my Blog has never been retail, it does appear that this lawyer and his promotional narrative may well be of assistance to our readers and family members. It is a shame that we do not have more Attorneys in Arizona trained in Veteran Law. It seems a bit odd to have such a dearth, as are veteran population per capita is quite high. The lawyers whose resume follows, appears to know his game.

I am writing to introduce myself and to provide you with information on my background and Veteran’s law practice. I represent Veteran’s who have been denied benefits by the Board of Veterans’ appeals. Additionally, I assist Veteran’s who are victims of medical malpractice and serious personal injury. Our VA appellate representation is done on a pro bono basis, at no charge to the Veteran or spouse. Please feel free to call me with any questions.

The Veterans Law Firm

Peter J. Meadows, P.A.

Graduate of Florida State University

Graduate of Washington and Lee University School of Law

Member of the Florida Bar

Member of the Bar of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Member of the Bar U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

Member of the National Organization of Veterans Advocates

Member of the Veterans Law Section of the Federal Bar Association

Mission Statement

Our Mission is to provide high quality legal representation to veterans and their families, where the Board of Veterans’ Appeals has denied a veteran’s claim within the previous 120 days or who have been the victim of medical malpractice or grievous personal injury.

The Veterans Law Firm

1314 E. Las Olas Blvd. Suite1088 Fort Lauderdale , FL 33301

Ph: (800) 868-2813 Fax: (800) 868-2815

Veterans Appeals
Before the U.S. Court of Appeals
for Veterans Claims

At Peter J. Meadows, P.A. we work with Veterans who have appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. We will pursue Veterans’ claims vigorously in order for our Veterans to receive the benefits, which they have earned and to which they are entitled.

We are able to represent Veterans from every state in the country. No matter where a Veteran lives, we can represent him or her before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in Washington D.C.

Our representation of Veterans is provided without charge. Instead, our firm seeks compensation from the government under the Equal Access to Justice Act. We use our inside knowledge of the Veterans appeals process to aggressively manage an appeal. We promise to keep our clients informed of the progress of the appeal. The Veteran can be fully confident that we take the best interests of our clients very seriously.

We are also happy to assist in matters relating to:

· Medical Malpractice

Experience Matters

The veteran’s appeals process can be intimidating. Mr. Meadows served as a law clerk intern to Chief Judge Kenneth B. Kramer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and as an appellate attorney with the Appellate Litigation Group of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the General Counsel. His Veteran’s appeals experience and knowledge can help bring positive results following years of frustrating denials. We want veterans to enjoy the benefits, which they have earned and to which they are entitled. Mr. Meadows’ ten years of VA and Veterans law experience is yours to help win your claim.

A recent study of a 15 year-old Defense Department Program that has the intent of training and placing veterans in teaching positions showed some very encouraging results. A Florida schools study showed that students who completed the Troops to Teachers program, scored higher in reading and math, compared to teachers of the same subject, in the same school and with the same experience.

Troops to Teachers, has placed some 11.500 teachers since 1994. About 82% of the veterans turned teachers are men compared to about 25% of teachers nationwide. Some 40% of these teachers are minorities.

Several States have seen a doubling in the enrollment in the Troops To Teachers program.

The graduates of this program receive a $5000 stipend to pay for their education, and those who elect to teach in ‘High Need” Schools can get another $10,000.00 bonus.

For more information,access www.proudtoserveagain.com

I cannot imagine a more creative way to allure young men and women to the teaching profession. Kudos, to the creator of this program.

My former English teacher at Rincon High School 64′ , was a retired Army Col. named Leo Croteau. He was the most inspiring teacher I had ever encountered. His son Dave Croteau and I speak of him often to this day.

Many of our nations notable writers were both teachers and novelists and veterans of war. Kurt Vonnegut, Norman Mailer, William Manchester, William Buckley, William Styron, Ernest Hemingway for a few. All were warriors first. It clearly broadens your perspective on humanity and affords a depth for students that may not get such richness elsewhere.

Subject: GI Bill Update – Transportation Assistance

Secretary Shinseki Announces Ability to Sign Up for Emergency Education Benefit Payments on VA Web-Site this Friday

Vans to Help Veteran-Students

WASHINGTON (Sept. 30, 2009) – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki today announced further outreach to Veteran-students eligible for a special emergency payment of their education benefits. Veterans can now apply online beginning Oct. 2. Veteran-students can also request courtesy transportation to VA regional benefits offices.

“Our Veterans went the extra mile for their country,” Shinseki said. “One of our top priorities in transforming VA is to be, first and foremost, the advocate for Veterans.”

Last week Shinseki announced that on Friday, Oct. 2, VA’s 57 regional benefits offices will begin providing on-the-spot emergency payments up to $3,000 to students who have applied for their education benefits but who have not yet received a government payment.

Citing the distance many Veterans would have to travel to apply in person at a VA benefits office, Shinseki announced Veterans can also apply online at www.va.gov, starting Oct. 2. The online application will guide Veterans through the process to supply needed information. Shinseki noted that online applicants will receive their emergency payments through the mail after processing.

“VA is adapting to meet the financial needs of our Veteran-students who are on campus,” Shinseki said. “They should be focusing on their studies, not worrying about financial difficulties.”

Students without their own transportation can also request free van service, provided by volunteers, to carry them to the nearest benefits office. To obtain this service, Veterans would have to call their nearest VA medical center and ask for the “Volunteer Transportation Coordinator.” Transportation will be on a first-come, first-served, space-available basis. Veterans can find a map and list of medical centers at http://www2.va.gov/directory/guide/division_flsh.asp?dnum=1.

Whether traveling by personal vehicle or volunteer van, VA officials suggest students check their mail boxes and banking accounts before leaving home, since some Veterans will find their checks have already arrived. VA would like to recognize the volunteers and Veterans Service Organizations for partnering with the Department to ensure that Veterans’ needs are met.

The emergency checks are an advance on each student’s education benefits, and the amount will be deducted from future benefits payments. Checks will be written at the regional offices for Veterans who bring a photo ID and evidence of their enrollment. VA officials emphasize that $3,000 is the maximum payment, with many Veterans receiving smaller payments based upon their likely monthly education benefits.

A map and list of the participating VA regional benefits offices is available on the Internet at http://www2.va.gov/directory/guide/division_flsh.asp?dnum=3. The most updated information regarding VA issuing emergency checks will be available at VA’s web site www.va.gov starting Oct. 1.

Applications from approximately 25,000 Veterans are currently being processed for Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefit payments to students or schools.

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Veterans Court takes center stage at House Veterans Affairs full committee roundtable meeting

NEWS FROM…
CHAIRMAN BOB FILNER
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Kristal DeKleer (202) 225-9756
http://veterans.house.gov

House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Holds Roundtable on Veterans’ Treatment Courts
Discussion Focuses on Successful Courts Aiming to Leave No Veteran Behind

Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, September 16, 2009, Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA) led a roundtable discussion on judicial courts that only hear cases involving veterans and provide judges greater latitude in sentencing for non-violent crimes. Modeled after drug and mental health treatment courts, judges are able to order counseling, substance abuse treatment, mentoring, job training, housing assistance, and job placement services as alternatives to incarceration. With both Democratic and Republican Members of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee in attendance, participants discussed their efforts to help veterans avoid jail by connecting them to necessary treatment and support.

“Today’s roundtable is intended to open up the broader thought process of how to help veterans fully integrate into society after service in the military,” said Chairman Filner. “I believe that we have a social responsibility to help those who have served our nation. We failed our veterans after their service in Vietnam and we cannot fail again. Veterans’ treatment courts provide an opportunity for a more humane response to those that bring the war home with them. We sent these kids to war – and war has affected their mental and psychological condition. Providing support for returning veterans is an obligation we owe to those who have sacrificed so much for our country.”

Currently, Veterans’ Treatment Courts operate in New York, Alaska, California, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, with other states working to establish similar programs. Highlights of the different courts include partnering veterans with mentors who are veterans, appointing public defenders who encourage active veteran participation in the court room, ensuring that veterans get the appointments they need for VA services, and addressing underlying problems like substance use, unemployment and homelessness. Judges relayed that their goal is to run a demanding program that requires personal responsibility and renewed discipline. Defendants are veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan, Desert Storm, Vietnam, and even the Korean War. Participants noted that the costs of veterans’ courts are significantly lower than the costs of incarceration.

“These courts save money, but more importantly, they save lives,” said Chairman Filner. “Nearly two million veterans have returned from combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Often, veterans struggle to adjust to the sudden loss of military camaraderie. Some return with anxiety, post-traumatic stress, or other psychological wounds of war and may self-medicate with drugs and alcohol. Others return with physical injuries that require prescription drugs that can lead to addiction. When veterans suffer from substance dependency disease, jobs are lost, marriages tested, and families suffer. Understandably, illegal actions can result in less than honorable discharges from the military – but then these veterans are prevented from accessing the VA services they so obviously need. I applaud the hard work and healing spirit of the experts here today. As veterans graduate from these programs, our grateful nation stands behind them and celebrates their bravery once again.”
Participants
Honorable Robert T. Russell, Jr., Judge, Buffalo City Court, Buffalo, New York
Patrick William Welch, Ph.D., Director, Erie County Veterans Service Agency, Buffalo, New York
Jack O’Connor, Mentor Coordinator, Veterans Court Mentoring Program, Buffalo, New York
Jennifer P. Stergion, Esq., Chair, Committee on Veterans and Service-Members Legal Issues, Buffalo, New York
C. “West” Huddleston, III, Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Drug Court Professionals
Honorable Michael E. McCarthy, Judge, Civil Division, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Honorable Charles V. Romani, Jr., Circuit Judge, Madison County Circuit Court, Edwardsville, Illinois
William F. Feeley, MSW, FACHE, Director, VA Medical Center, Buffalo, New York
George P. Basher, Health System Specialist for the VA Healthcare Network (VISN2), Albany, New York
Prepared testimony and a link to a recording of the hearing are available on the internet at this link: http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/hearing.aspx?newsid=464.

In October of 2008, DK Associates Inc. started a new program to provide employment services to disabled veterans. It is their goal to collaborate with private industry to facilitate the process and help expand the career opportunities for our most valued citizens– those whom have served and protected us all.

The primary goal is to not only help one find a job, but to help start a career and eliminate barriers to employment with peer support and job coaching.

I have known Dot Kret and her work for 25 years. We are fortunate to have a such a resource in our community. Her associate Lori Kiefer is also a trained veteran benefits counselor, an Army veteran, and thoroughly dedicated to helping our veterans. Lets help them put these men and women to work.

Free job services and computer training to any US veteran who has a copy of their DD214, proof of disability, service connected or not, and is currently unemployed.

We will meet with you and explore your job interests and vocational goals, assist in the preparation of resumes and job applications, help in narrowing your job search and provide you as many tools as possible to help you become more job-ready. In addition, our staff or members of our business advisory council will have you participate in practice or mock interviews if you so desire. After you become employed, job coaching, both onsite and off-site will be offered to you.

Please contact Lori Kiefer at 790-7677 (w)

Employment Specialist, BHT

Project HERO

1502 E Broadway

Tucson, Arizona 85719

520-790-7677 Office

520-437-5510 Cell

http://www.linkedin.com/in/lorikiefer

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