Category Archives: Veterans Benefits

Veteran Legislative Update, Veterans Benefits, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

OBAMA LAUNCHES MAJOR EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVE

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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

Veteran Legislative Update, Veterans Benefits, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

Veterans Legal Service

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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.

Veterans Benefits, Veterans Global

Agent Orange: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

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Secretary of Veterans Affairs establishes service connection in association with Agent Orange

VA Department of Veterans Affairs
Office of Public Affairs
Media Relations

Washington, DC 20420
(202) 461-7600
www.va.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 13, 2009

VA Extends “Agent Orange” Benefits to More Veterans – Parkinson’s Disease, Two Other Illnesses Recognized

WASHINGTON –Relying on an independent study by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki decided to establish a service-connection for Vietnam Veterans with three specific illnesses based on the latest evidence of an association with the herbicides referred to Agent Orange.

The illnesses affected by the recent decision are B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia; Parkinson’s disease; and ischemic heart disease.

Used in Vietnam to defoliate trees and remove concealment for the enemy, Agent Orange left a legacy of suffering and disability that continues to the present. Between January 1965 and April 1970, an estimated 2.6 million military personnel who served in Vietnam were potentially exposed to sprayed Agent Orange.

In practical terms, Veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a “presumed” illness don’t have to prove an association between their illnesses and their military service. This “presumption” simplifies and speeds up the application process for benefits.

The Secretary’s decision brings to 15 the number of presumed illnesses recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

“We must do better reviews of illnesses that may be connected to service, and we will,” Shinseki added. “Veterans who endure health problems deserve timely decisions based on solid evidence.”

Other illnesses previously recognized under VA’s “presumption” rule as being caused by exposure to herbicides during the Vietnam War are:

• Acute and Subacute Transient Peripheral Neuropathy
• AL Amyloidosis
• Chloracne
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
• Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2)
• Hodgkin’s Disease
• Multiple Myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
• Prostate Cancer
• Respiratory Cancers, and
• Soft Tissue Sarcoma (other than Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, or Mesothelioma)

Additional information about Agent Orange and VA’s services and programs for Veterans exposed to the chemical are available at www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange.

PS. From M.Brewer. And you gotta wonder if Depleted Uranium is not next. Many soldiers who went back to Iraq after Desert Storm, to clean up the Bradley Tanks for future use, did not come home healthy and many died. The major media never hinted once that this incident occurred. Has journalistic lock down arrived?

Politics, Veteran Legislative Update, Veterans Benefits, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

GI Bill Update

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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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Politics, Veteran Legislative Update, Veterans Benefits

Unique Concept of Veterans Court

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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.

Veteran Legislative Update, Veterans Benefits, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

Helping Put U.S Veterans To Work

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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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Politics, Veteran Legislative Update, Veterans Benefits

Important Lawsuit Filed by Veterans For Common Sense

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Veterans For Common Sense et al. v. Peake,
Case No. C 07 3758, U.S.D.C. (N.D. Cal. 2007)
Home
Court-filed Documents
Other Important Documents
News Articles
Resources
Appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

MoFo Voices »
VCS testifies About VA Claims Fiasco (2/14/08)
House Committee on
Veterans’ Affairs

Masking true costs of war
The National Law Journal

Veterans resolve to continue fight for disabled veterans as VA seeks to have lawsuit thrown out
Press Release

Returning Soldiers Deserve More Than Just Lip Service From Veterans Affairs
Daily Journal
What This Case Is About
Many veterans who have fought in Iraq and/or Afghanistan, as well as those who served in earlier conflicts, are not being given the disability compensation, medical services and care they need. A much higher percentage of these veterans suffer with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (“PTSD”) than veterans of any previous war, due to the multiple tours many are serving, the unrelenting vigilance required by the circumstances, the greater prevalence of brain injuries caused by the types of weaponry in use, among other reasons. Despite this, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (“DVA”) is failing to provide adequate and timely benefits and medical care. This federal lawsuit, on behalf of veterans with pending claims based upon PTSD, regardless of the conflict in which they served, is for declaratory and injunctive relief, based primarily on the due process clause of the Constitution. We will focus on the following issues:

The widespread breakdown of the DVA’s adjudication and health care systems for veterans experiencing PTSD. For example, the application process is too complicated; even veterans with “successful” claims are given ratings that are too low; veterans who are rated as disabled continue to be denied appropriate medical care and ongoing support;
The prolonged administrative delays in processing PTSD claims, at both the regional office and appellate levels. Applications are often bounced up and down through a complicated appeals process. We estimate that the average time for a claim to go through the entire appeals process, from the Regional Office to a petition for certiorari to the Supreme Court, is between twelve and fifteen years;
A variety of statutory and regulatory impediments to a veteran’s ability to collect PTSD compensation. These include the inability to obtain discovery, the absence of subpoena power for documents and witnesses, and the inability to hire a lawyer to help out at the regional office level, among other impediments; and
A pattern and practice of internal DVA abuses and improper rules. These are difficult to detect or prove without discovery.
You are invited to familiarize yourselves with these issues by visiting our Resources, reading the pivotal Court-filed Documents in the case and reading relevant News Articles. We appreciate your interest.

Notice
Oral argument was heard on the appeal of this case on August 12, 2009. The case is now under submission at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
____________________

On July 25, 2008 Plaintiffs Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth, Inc. filed a Notice of Appeal of the decision issued by Senior Federal District Court Judge Samuel Conti. In his decision, Judge Conti held that although it is clear to the Court that the VA may need “a complete overhaul” the the power to remedy this crisis lies with the other branches of government.

The importance of this appeal is underscored by the fact that a serious suicide epidemic among veterans continues to exist. Meanwhile, VA continues to turn away suicidal veterans, as shown by the recent case of Lucas Senescall in Spokane Washington. The flood of veterans with mental health problems will continue to increase as the wars go on. This is because, as a recent Army study found, repeat deployments increase the risk of PTSD by 50 percent, above and beyond what we are already seeing from veterans discharged from the first few years of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

In his decision, Judge Conti found that many veterans are suffering, and that the VA is the cause of much of that suffering. For these reasons, Plaintiffs believe they should continue to fight, that their cause is valid, and that Judge Conti was incorrect in holding that the courts are without power to grant veterans a remedy.
How Specialist Town Lost His Benefits
Jon Town has spent the last few years fighting two battles, one against his body, the other against the US Army. Both began in October 2004 in Ramadi, Iraq. He was standing in the doorway of his battalion’s headquarters when a 107-millimeter rocket struck two feet above his head. The impact punched a piano-sized hole in the concrete facade, sparked a huge fireball and tossed the 25-year-old Army specialist to the floor, where he lay blacked out among the rubble.

more…

Press Coverage »
Veterans sue U.S. over “shameful failures” in care
Reuters

Lawsuit says VA mishandled claims; Veterans allege illegal denials and delays for care, disability pay
USA Today

Veterans sue federal gov’t
UPI

Injured Iraq War Veterans Sue VA Head
AP

Veterans Sue for Stress Disorder Benefits
ABA Journal
© 2007-2009 Morrison & Foerster LLP. All rights reserved.

Alternative Care, Health, Veteran Pals, Veterans Benefits, Veterans Events, Veterans Global, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

A Journey Of Healing And Renewal For Returning Vets

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Well over a million troops have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since the advent of, “Shock and Awe” in March of 2003. A recent study by the VA has indicated that approximately 30% of the returning combat veterans are experiencing post traumatic stress disorder upon returning to civilian life. Most of these are young men and women are the future of our communities and our country. If these young and some not so young, as we have seen a much larger population of career soldiers and Marines in this conflict, are not diagnosed soon after coming home they frequently turn to substance abuse and behaviors that may interrupt relationships with family, friends and superiors. The Vietnam experience witnessed vets being reviled, rejected, misunderstood, and misdiagnosed,(PTSD entered the DSM in 1980). Many of these men and women isolated themselves, rebelled and eventually drained our society of its most precious resource; their productive lives. Will history repeat itself for this new generation of veterans? This must not come to pass again

There is a sacred place here in Arizona that is duty bound to prevent and ease the pain of transition to polite society. It is called the Merritt Center in Payson, Arizona. The Veteran Program that is now in its fourth year has been the source of healing and camaraderie for combat veterans from 7 Wars. From WWll to Tekrit the Merritt Center has hosted men and women who have one thing in common; War.

Since its founding in 1987, the Merritt Center, a non-profit organization has been working with individuals seeking positive ways to move past traumas that have disrupted their lives. The Center has a virtual potpourri of offerings from Sweat Lodges to native talking circles and deep massage therapy so as to get back in touch with the body and its ways of holding pain and emotion. The professionals who volunteer their time are all highly skilled in alternative techniques that bring a sense of closure to past bodily and emotional disruptions.

By observing the needs of the new returning veterans, by way of there trained mentors who are spread across Arizona, and noting the sad history of neglect by their predecessors- the Center has chosen to offer a free program for returning veterans of war.. A series of 4 weekend retreats over the course of 5 months, separate ones for men and women bring a perspective of healing and renewal to the veteran who will most likely not find anything quite so potent inside conventional medicine and therapy.

Over these four weekends the participants are given presentations about the core nature of trauma, its signs and symptoms, and guided at all times by combat veteran mentors who are graduates to the program, many of whom have been helping their comrades for years. A few of the techniques that are learned are; trauma release exercises, body energy work, guided visualizations, drumming, journaling, and Native American talking circles that are quite popular with the vets. Concluding the program is a Sweat Lodge ceremony to purge the toxins of the mind, body and spirit. At the final session the veterans new and home families gather in harmony to celebrate their strong bond and new commitment to healthy living.

The four weekend program seeks to achieve the following goals.

* learning to recognize and release the triggers of trauma
* releasing the negative experiences of combat
* learning new skills to reduce nightmares, flashbacks, and hostile behavior
*reprogramming the mind to expect and trust safety
*creating a new “band of brothers and sisters” who will share the lessons and spread the word
to others vets returning to civilian life.

The nearby ancient Pueblo Ruins coupled with the spa, forest paths, flower garden, hammocks, meditation areas and a ton of quiet places, makes the Merritt Center one of the most unique places in all the west. I for one have been enriched beyond words with the honor to be one of the mentors for this most blessed program that is 100% FREE

For information, contact Betty Merritt at 928-474-4268 or visit the website at;”www.MERRITTCENTER. ORG”

Health, Politics, Veteran Legislative Update, Veterans Benefits, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

DoD, The VA and You The New Vet

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The Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration have been working diligently for years to provide a smooth transition of medical records from active duty service to the VA Health Care system.

The intent has been to create a seamless transition to the veteran status and not leave the vet in no mans zone for months while they seek VA health care benefits.

Recently the VA Secretary, Eric Shineski shocked some reporters when he stated that, “trying to do seamless transition when a youngster takes off a uniform today and is inducted into the VA tomorrow is nearly impossible.”

Shinseki believes that the focus should be altered from sharing incompatible data in a troops current records to creating a clean set of records that he states the VA can interpret when the troop leaves the military years from now.

My take only, is that there is something a bit odd about this proclamation. What exactly is “incompatible data?” Who is creating the new record, and what stays and what gets tossed? As a Service Officer, it appears to me that there is some huge compromised territory here that can have grave detrimental aspects for any future claims, and the need for corroborated evidence that a veterans disability is service connected. Yes, I referencing that dreaded terminology of ‘revisionist history” but this time, revisionist medical history.

With highly skilled Information Technology experts in and out of the Government, coupled with the immense depth of knowledge about the Internet, which you recall had its birth at the Pentagon, why can we not solve this dilemma?

My mother used to say, “when nothing is happening something is happening.”

Congress has set a deadline of September 30th to finish the job. No chance romance! But it will be entertaining to hear the answers as to why more time is needed.

I say the Disability bean counters are slowing down the process. War is expensive, and more expensive afterward as the survival rate with modern medicine and evacuation technique has increased the disability claim process by 200 fold, and the pay outs could break the bank.

Politics, Uncategorized, Veteran Legislative Update, Veteran Pals, Veterans Benefits, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

Oh My Word A Dreaded Poll

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Do any of you recall the days when maybe we heard about a poll three times a year? The first 10 years of the 21st Century are going to be known as the ” The Decade of Management by Polling.”

This of course is followed up with the standard coffee shop talk where all those ask each other, “but have you ever been polled yourself?”

I am 62 years old, with 40 years of civic involvement, and I have never once been polled about any topic, retail or politics.

So howabout you all? This is the Poll. Have you ever been polled about anything? Yes or No?

I want to see if the standard deviation applies to a generic poll with no subject. Why because I am paranoid. (tsk) I swear the pollsters have subscriptions lists. Meaning if you are an avid reader, you never get polled. Ok, rib if you like, but prove me wrong.

And then I intend to follow up with a couple of polls scripted just for the readers of this BLOG.
The first one will follow this posting.