Monthly Archives: February 2010

Veterans Events, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

The Daughters Of The American Revolution, El Presidio Chapter, Host Carden of Tucson Essay Contest Winners

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The Carden of Tucson is to be lauded for its educational focus on pivotal life changing events in American History, as was the development and construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad.

Railroads have been embedded in the American imagination since the early 1800’s. The proverbial iron horse traversed lands that horses and riverboats could not venture.

Our government knew well how vital the railroads were to the settlement of the West and the growth of a young economy. It was our government that made huge land grants and loans to entrepreneurs that were ultimately the force behind Manifest Destiny. You might say that these grants were one of the first “Stimulus Programs.”

No one beefed about government money in those days, at least not the rich.

This years Essay Contest, sponsored by the El Presidio Chapter of the Daughters Of The American Revolution, first organized in 1890, with a Tucson presence for 95 years, posed the following scenario to a group of middle school children.

Imagine you were living at the time of the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. Describe how you felt on May, 10th, 1869, when the golden spike was driven at the Promontory Summit, Utah, to celebrate the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Pretend you are either settler planning to use the train to travel to your new home in the West, an Irish or Chinese worker who helped build the line, or a Native American whose way of life was greatly affected by the railroad.

The DAR ceremony began with great decorum including the posting of colors by the Flowing Wells Jr. ROTC.

As the children read their essays covering the time, travails and geography of the movement west, I could feel the romance that engaged a nation in the first long distance travel chock full of adventure and new starts for many Americans. These kids did a wonderful job capturing not just the romance and unpredictable tales of daily life, but also at what expense the railroad worker had to subject himself for a paycheck. Their lives were bleak and the conditions were harsh. The Central Pacific Railroad hired many thousands of Chinese would could otherwise not be employed, while the Union Pacific employed Irish immigrants, famished and starved from the Potato Famine, and desperate out-of-work Civil War Veterans to lay track across some incredibly dangerous terrain that was populated by hostile Indian warriors. Illness and injuries took the lives of nearly 20.000.

Our student essayists chronicled these history making laborers with their award winning narratives. I plan to attach the essays to this blog sometime this weekend.

The 2010 Carden Academy of Tucson winners of the DAR American History Essay Contest are:

Tatianna Sierra 5th grade

Kristiana Weaver 6th grade

Nathaniel Unruh 7th grade

Blake Tanner 8th grade

Congratulations young Americans! And, thank you to the teachers of the Carden of Tucson.

A special thank you to the Daughters of the American Revolution for keeping our history alive and meaningful to our youth.

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

PTSD Vets Win Retirement Deal: Tom Philpott/ Military Times

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PTSD Vets Win Retirement Deal
Tom Philpott | January 28, 2010PTSD Vets Discharged Since 2002 Win Retirement Deal

More than 4300 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who were diagnosed in service as suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but got low military disability ratings, have won an agreement with the Department of Defense to upgrade those ratings retroactively to 50 percent.

The higher rating will represent an important win for this group of veterans mentally scarred by war. It will mean, from date of discharge, eligibility for disability retirement and access to TRICARE, the military’s triple health insurance option, for the veterans, spouses and dependent children.

Any out-of-pocket medical costs since discharge also could be paid retroactively, and these soon-to-be-designated disabled “retirees” will gain access to discounted shopping and recreational services on base.

Sparking the agreement is a class action lawsuit brought by the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) which contends that the services illegally denied retiree status and medical benefits for years to these veterans who were diagnosed with PTSD then separated as unfit for service.

Service Physical Evaluation Boards (PEBs) would ignore the disability rating schedule used by the Department of Veterans Affairs, which requires a minimum 50-percent rating for PTSD victims, and routinely separate their members with ratings as low as 10 percent.

A board decision that keeps ratings below 30 percent lowers personnel costs. Instead of immediate annuity and lifetime TRICARE coverage, veterans rated below 30 percent get only a lump sum severance pay.

Judge George W. Miller of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims agreed to stay a final ruling in the case of Sabo, et al v. United States after DoD agreed to cut a deal. Seven veterans were named as original plaintiffs in Sabo but the claims court expanded the scope of the lawsuit to a class action. Defense officials gave NVLSP the names of 4300 veterans who should be invited to apply to have their ratings reviewed and upgraded, but there could be more.

Misty Sabo, wife of former Army Sgt. Michael Sabo, an original plaintiffs, said she was “totally excited” to learn of the agreement this week. Five of their six children are disabled with bilateral cleft lip and palate, which creates hearing, dental and speech problems and requires multiple surgeries. Family medical bills, said Misty, are enormous.

Michael Sabo, 31, had served in the Army more than a decade when he was diagnosed with PTSD after two tours in Iraq where he routinely went on patrols that exposed him to multiple explosions and live enemy fire.

After Sabo’s first 13-month tour in 2003-2004 he suffered recurring nightmares, severe headaches and mood swings. In the middle of his second tour, which again exposed him to explosions, mortar attacks and small arms fire, he returned home on emergency leave to care for his children while Misty underwent surgery. While home, in Fountain, Colo., near Fort Carson, Sabo nightmares, severe headaches and violent mood swings intensified and, the lawsuit contends, “severely impacted him and his family.”

He sought medical help and was diagnosed with PTSD and Post-Concussive Syndrome. In February 2008, the Army separated him as unfit with a 10-percent disability rating and a modest lump-sum severance.

Misty said she was stunned that the Army rating was only 10 percent for a condition that ended his career and changed his life so dramatically.

“He was just thrown to the wind,” she said.

“I didn’t care at the time,” said Michael, in a brief phone interview.

“I kept telling him, ‘This doesn’t sound right that somebody would get hurt like you and not get a retirement,’ ” Misty said. “He said, ‘Well, what do you want me to do, fight against the Army?’ And I said, ‘Yep.’ ”

At the urging of a local advocate for veterans in Fort Carson area, Sabo agreed to have his name added to the NVLSP lawsuit being prepared.

By October 2008, under pressure from Congress, DoD did revise its guidance to the services on rating PTSD to adhere to the VA rating schedule. Meanwhile, Congress ordered DoD to create a special board to review any service-generated disability ratings of 20 percent or less brought forth by veterans who were separated as medically unfit since Sept. 11, 2001.

Thousands have applied to this panel, called the Physical Disability Board of Review. So why bring a class action lawsuit specifically on behalf service members separated for PTSD?

Bart Stichman, co-executive director of NVLSP, said the deal with DoD forced by the court will expedite the rating review process for these PTSD cases upon application, and will guarantee those 4300-plus veterans a rating upgrade to 50-percent for at least six months. After that, the case will be reviewed again and the disability rating confirmed, increased or reduced.

A Class Action Opt-In Notice Form is being mailed to these veterans and must be returned either by fax or postmarked before July 24, 2010. Veterans who don’t get a notice by mail but believe they might be eligible can get more information online at: www.ptsdlawsuit.com .

The deal will not benefit tens of thousands of veterans diagnosed with PTSD over the last 30 years, only those discharged with a rating for PTSD of less than 50 percent after Dec. 17, 2002, and before Oct. 14, 2008.

As the dates indicate, the deal doesn’t include even all PTSD veterans discharged since Sept. 11, 2001. That’s because the lawsuit was brought under the Tucker Act, which has a six-year statute of limitation from the date a complaint is filed against the government, which was in December 2008.

Misty said a doctor at Fort Carson finally prescribed proper medication for Michael after some terrible times. Though he is able to work, every day remains a struggle due to memory loss, headaches and nightmares.

“It’s very hard for him, and us, because he has no memory,” said Misty. “Yesterday was our daughter’s birthday. He totally forgot. He doesn’t like to be around people, which makes it really hard with a big family…And he does not sleep because of the nightmares.”

“I have heart disease,” she said, “and just before he was discharged I found out I have MS [multiple sclerosis]. So I’ve been without my thyroid pills or any medical care.” When the family qualifies again for TRICARE, she said, “I can start taking better care of myself to take care of my children.”

To comment, send e-mail to milupdate@aol.com or write to Military Update, P.O. Box 231111, Centreville, VA, 20120-1111 or visit www.militaryupdate.com/.

Veteran Pals, Veterans' Spouses, Partners & Families

When Spirits Are Broken: By Bill Fort

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Some of my fellow bloggers have suggested that I turn some light on some of our local veterans and some vets that we never hear about in the news. I want to share a poem written by a local Marine, Billy Fort. He gave it to me a few years back. Billy was instrumental in establishing the Vietnam Veterans of America Museum that has been at Nam Jam for many years and has touched the hearts of so many veterans and their families. Stories and poems heal. This one does.

WHEN SPIRITS ARE BROKEN

When spirits are broken and visions are numbing
Tear drops are running and the quiet is humming

When the jungle is sweating and leeches are crawling
spiders are running and rock apes are brawling

When monsoons are pouring and a body seems friendless
rivers are running and the battle seems winless

When leaves are popping and branches are falling
Everyone is running and voices are calling

When rockets are screaming and fuel dumps are burning
short timers are running and green boots are learning

When mortars are dropping and choppers are flying
corpsmen are running and grown men are crying

When spirits are broken and visions are numbing
Tear drops are running and the quiet is humming

William Fort

Bill Fort served with the 2nd Battalion 4th Marines in Vietnam at the Battle of Dai Do.

Politics, Veteran Legislative Update

Just How Many Independent Voters Are There?

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As a registered Independent, first in 1979 when John Andersen of Illinois proposed a flat tax on all personal income, I have become increasingly interested in exactly how many are joining the Independent ranks.

Unlike what many a propped up dilettante pundit may say, the Independent voter is not just a closet liberal. I think the Massachusetts turn out for Scott Brown proved that to be true. Although many of those same voters put Obama in office also. That may just testify to the pure nature of the Independent thinkers in America who are no longer buying into the duopoly and its pre-digested thought trains.

For decades, the registered Independent has accounted for those in the Clergy, the Pentagon, the State Department, CIA,FBI, NSA and other sensitive job descriptions. Now those registrants seem to be spawning like wild grass.

51% of the voters in Massachusetts have the big “I”. 51%!! Not one media operative, or blogger has spoke of this as a trend. 46% of New Hampshire voters are Independents. The bell weather State, does not even represent the 2 Party system.

The Independent voters here in Pima County are larger then the Republican Party.

So what this tells me is that the two parties nominate the candidates but the Independents decide who wins.

How do our veteran readers feel about this trend? How will this spill out for Veterans and our VA Health Care budget?

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

Veterans Emergency Care Fairness Act

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The following is for your information and distribution to your members.

February 3, 2010

Chairman of the Senate VA Committee released this press announcement today regarding legislation that was just signed into law.

PRESIDENT SIGNS VETERANS’ EMERGENCY CARE FAIRNESS ACT

Chairman Akaka introduced Senate bill to cover gaps in emergency care for veterans with limited insurance

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) today praised President Barack Obama’s signing of the Veterans’ Emergency Care Fairness Act of 2009.

“For veterans with limited insurance, a trip to the emergency room should not result in financial ruin,” said Chairman Akaka, who introduced the bill in the Senate last year. “With this new law, VA will be positioned to help veterans who are enrolled in VA care whose insurance does not cover the full cost of emergency treatment.”

The Veterans’ Emergency Care Fairness Act, signed into law by President Obama last night, will enable the Department of Veterans Affairs to reimburse veterans enrolled in VA health care for the remaining cost of emergency treatment if the veteran has outside insurance that only covers part of the cost. Previously, VA could reimburse veterans or pay outside hospitals directly only if a veteran has no outside health insurance.

In addition to reimbursing veterans for emergency care in the future, the bill allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide retroactive reimbursements for care received prior to the passage of this bill. Akaka has received correspondence from veterans who were unable to receive financial assistance under the previous rules, and plans to share their information with Secretary Shinseki.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this legislation will cover approximately 700 future claims per year and as many as 2,000 veterans retroactively.

This will help veterans who need emergency care and previously would have been hit with the bills associated with that emergency care.

God Bless
Jose M. Garcia
National Executive Director
Catholic War Veterans,USA
josegarcia4@sbcglobal.net
Better to understand a little than to misunderstand a lot.
In God We Trust

Politics, Veteran Legislative Update, Veterans Benefits, Veterans Global

Veterans Administration Budget Ahead Of Schedule

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The following is for your information and distribution to your members.

Department of Veterans Affairs releases proposed budget for FY2011

VA Department of Veterans Affairs
Office of Public Affairs
Media Relations
Washington, DC 20420
(202) 461-7600

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 1, 2010

White House Seeks $125 Billion for Veterans in 2011

Homelessness, Claims Increases and Access – Priorities for VA Budget

WASHINGTON – To expand health care to a record-number of Veterans, reduce the number of homeless Veterans and process a dramatically increased number of new disability compensation claims, the White House has announced a proposed $125 billion budget next year for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“Our budget proposal provides the resources necessary to continue our aggressive pursuit of President Obama’s two over-arching goals for Veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “First, the requested budget will help transform VA into a 21st century organization. And second, it will ensure that we approach Veterans’ care as a lifetime initiative, from the day they take their oaths until the day they are laid to rest.”

The $125 billion budget request, which has to be approved by Congress, includes $60.3 billion for discretionary spending (mostly health care) and $64.7 billion in mandatory funding (mostly for disability compensation and pensions).
“VA’s 2011 budget request covers many areas but focuses on three central issues that are of critical importance to our Veterans – easier access to benefits and services, faster disability claims decisions, and ending the downward spiral that results in Veterans’ homelessness,” Shinseki said.

Reducing Claims Backlog

The president’s budget proposal includes an increase of $460 million and more than 4,000 additional claims processors for Veterans benefits. This is a 27 percent funding increase over the 2010 level.

The 1,014,000 claims received in 2009 were a 75 percent increase over the 579,000 received in 2000. Shinseki said the Department expects a 30 percent increase in claims – to 1,319,000 – in 2011 from 2009 levels.

One reason for the increase is VA’s expansion of the number of Agent Orange-related illnesses that automatically qualify for disability benefits. Veterans exposed to the Agent Orange herbicides during the Vietnam War are likely to file additional claims that will have a substantial impact upon the processing system for benefits, the secretary said.
“We project significantly increased claims inventories in the near term while we make fundamental improvements to the way we process disability compensation claims,” Shinseki said.

Long-term reduction of the inventory will come from additional manpower, improved business practices, plus an infusion of $145 million in the proposed budget for development of a paperless claims processing system, which plays a significant role in the transformation of VA.

Automating the GI Bill

The budget proposal includes $44 million to complete by December 2010 an automated system for processing applications for the new Post-9/11 GI Bill. VA also plans to start development next year of electronic systems to process claims from other VA-administered educational programs.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill authorizes the most extensive educational assistance opportunity since the passage of the original GI Bill in 1944. Over $1.7 billion in regular Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit payments have been issued since the implementation of the program on Aug. 1, 2009. In 2011, VA expects the number of all education claims to grow by 32 percent over 2009, going from 1.7 million to 2.25 million.

“To meet this increasing workload and process education claims in a timely manner, VA has established a comprehensive strategy to develop industry-standard technologies to modernize the delivery of these important educational benefits,” Shinseki said.

Eliminating Homelessness

The budget proposal includes $4.2 billion in 2011 to reduce and help prevent homelessness among Veterans. That breaks down into $3.4 billion for core medical services and $799 million for specific homeless programs and expanded medical care, which includes $294 million for expanded homeless initiatives. This increased investment for expanded homeless services is consistent with the VA secretary’s established goal of ultimately eliminating homelessness among Veterans.

On a typical night, about 131,000 Veterans are homeless. They represent every war and generation, from the “Greatest Generation” to the latest generation of Veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. To date, VA operates the largest system of homeless treatment and assistance programs in the nation.

Targeting Mental Health, Preventing Suicides

“The 2011 budget proposal continues the department’s keen focus on improving the quality, access and value of mental health care provided to Veterans,” Shinseki said.

The spending request seeks $5.2 billion for mental health, an increase of $410 million (or 8.5 percent) over current spending, enabling expansion of inpatient, residential and outpatient mental health services, with emphasis on making mental health services part of primary care and specialty care.

The secretary noted that one-fifth of the patients seen last year in VA’s health care facilities had a mental health diagnosis, and that the department has added more than 6,000 new mental health professionals since 2005, bringing to 19,000 the number of employees dedicated to mental health care.

The budget request will enable the department to continue expanding its programs for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), along with the diagnosis and treatment of depression, substance abuse and other mental health problems. Shinseki called PSTD treatment “central to VA’s mission.”

The proposed spending will continue VA’s suicide prevention program. Since July 2007, the department’s suicide prevention hotline has received nearly 225,000 calls from Veterans, active-duty personnel and family members. The hotline is credited with saving the lives of nearly 7,000 people.

Reaching Rural Veterans

For 2011, VA is seeking $250 million to strengthen access to health care for 3.2 million Veterans enrolled in VA’s medical system who live in rural areas. Rural outreach includes expanded use of home-based primary care and mental health.

A key portion of rural outreach – which shows promise for use with Veterans across the country – is VA’s innovative “telehealth” program. It links patients and health care providers by telephones and includes telephone-based data transmission, enabling daily monitoring of patients with chronic problems.

The budget provides an increase of $42 million for VA’s home telehealth program. The effort already cares for 35,000 patients and is the largest program of its kind in the world.

Serving Women Veterans

The 2011 budget provides $217.6 million to meet the gender-specific health care needs of women Veterans, an increase of $18.6 million (or 9.4 percent) over the 2010 level. Enhanced primary care for women Veterans remains one of the Department’s top priorities. The number of women Veterans is growing rapidly and women are increasingly using VA for their health care.

Shinseki said the expansion of health care programs for women Veterans will lead to higher quality care, increased coordination of care, enhanced privacy and dignity, and a greater sense of security among women patients.

Among the initiatives for women in the 2011 budget proposal are expanded health care services in Vet Centers, increased training for health care providers to advance their knowledge and understanding of women’s health issues, and implementing a peer call center and social networking site for women combat Veterans. This call center will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Delivering World-Class Health Care

During 2011, VA expects to treat 6.1 million patients, who will account for more than 800,000 hospitalizations and 83 million outpatient visits.

The total includes 439,000 Veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, for whom $2.6 billion is included in the budget proposal. That’s an increase of $597 million – or 30 percent – from the current budget.
The proposed budget for health care includes:

* $6.8 billion for long-term care, an increase of $859 million (or 14 percent) over 2010. This amount includes $1.5 billion for non-institutional long-term care;
* Expanding access to VA health care system for more than 99,000 Veterans who were previously denied care because of their incomes;
* $590 million for medical and prosthetic research; and
* Continuing development of a “virtual lifetime electronic record,” a digital health record that will accompany Veterans throughout their lives.

VA is requesting $54.3 billion in advance appropriations for 2012 for health care, an increase of $2.8 billion over the 2011 enacted amount. Planned initiatives in 2012 include better leveraging acquisitions and contracting, enhancing the use of referral agreements, strengthening VA’s relationship with the Defense Department, and expanding the use of medical technology.

Preserving National Shrines

“VA remains steadfastly committed to providing access to a dignified and respectful burial for Veterans choosing to be buried in a VA national cemetery,” Shinseki said. “This promise requires that we maintain national cemeteries as shrines dedicated to the memory of those who served this nation in uniform.”

The requested $251 million for cemetery operations and maintenance will support more than 114,000 interments in 2011, a 3.8 percent increase over 2010. In 2011, the department will maintain 8,441 acres with 3.1 million gravesites. The budget request includes $37 million to clean and realign an estimated 668,000 headstones and repair 100,000 sunken graves.

Building for the Future

$1.15 billion requested for major construction for 2011 includes funding for medical facilities in New Orleans; Denver; Palo Alto, Calif.; Alameda, Calif.; and Omaha, Neb. Also budgeted for 2011 are major expansions and improvements to the national cemeteries in Indiantown Gap, Pa.; Los Angeles; and Tahoma, Wash., and new burial access policies that will provide a burial option to an additional 500,000 Veterans and enhance service in urban areas.
A requested budget of $468 million for minor construction in 2011 would fund a wide variety of improvements at VA facilities.

http://www4.va.gov/budget/products.asp

God Bless
Jose M. Garcia
National Executive Director
Catholic War Veterans,USA
josegarcia4@sbcglobal.net
Better to understand a little than to misunderstand a lot.
In God We Trust