Womans Veteran Legislation

VVA LEGISLATIVE ALERT

Ask your member to support H.R 1211 and S.597

Woman Veterans Legislation
More than 1.8 million of the 23 million American. veterans are women.  They have an array of unique health care needs that many VA Medical Centers simply are not equipped to meet.  In the foreseeable future, it is anticipated that there will be a surge of women seeking care from the VA as they return to civilian life after having deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq..
Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin has introduced H.R. 1211, the “Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009.” Senator Patty Murray has introduced the companion bill, S.597, in the Senate.  Passage of this legislation will provide benefits and needed reforms that women who served in the military warrant because of their service to our nation
VVA believe that this legislation, when enacted into law, will facilitate a needed study of barriers to women seeking VA health care; will require an assessment of the women’s health care programs currently in place at VA healthcare facilities; will provide the VA the authority to reimburse the cost of medical care for the newborn children of women veterans; will enhance VA sexual trauma counseling and PTSD treatment for women; will establish a pilot program for child care services; and will require the addition of recently separated women veterans on various VA advisory committees.
Please contact your Member of Congress and your Senators now and ask them to co-sponsor and vote for H.R. 1211 in the House, and S.597 in the Senate, the Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009.
Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) is the nation’s only congressionally chartered veterans service organization dedicated to the needs of Vietnam-era veterans and their families.  VVA’s founding principle is “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.”

Governors Military Round Table

This Governors Roundtable has been in existence for several years now. It is refreshing to see that the Legislators have elected to continue to convene, especially with the number of Troops who will be rotation home in the next 20 months or so. They intend to address a variety of issues.  Women Veterans, expansion of mental health, workforce concerns, transition to college life, transitional housing, credit and skill transferability, community education concerning the exact nature of the veterans needs, and of course community outreach.

The veteran of modern warfare is hugely different than all their predecessors. Often older and with more time in the Armed Forces. Many have served between 10-20 years and beyond in the Guard and Reserve. A complete variance from previous wars, where the hitch was often 2-4 years. So the outreach needs to be tailored to this demographic statistic.

Their next meeting of the Executive Committee is June 17th. A Town Hall will occur in the Fall. I will keep the  readers here apprised of their plans for the Tucson area.

Alternative Treatment Progrms for PTSD

We are interested in knowing if any of you vets or spouses  out there in Cybespace have any experience with the array of  alteranative treatment modalities for PTSD.  EMDR, Bio-Feedback, Guided Meditions, Peer Groups, the VA EBTU program, Sweat Lodges, Spiritual Retreats.  What has worked for you or someone you know?  Or what would you like to know about these methods?

Landing On the Beaches of Tucson

Holy cow, Batman, this world of cyberspace sure has alot of booby traps. So we are back at Base Camp now, and ready for the next mission. Lots of comments during our first beach landing that went MIA during the Operation. Hope you all find your way back to the Hill!!
So, out of curiosity, how many of you have seen an old movie with John Ritter entitled: “Unatural Causes?”. I had not until recently. It is the true story about the discovery of the problems associated with Agent Orange, and the tenacity of one VA Benefits Officer, who exhibited uncommon courage in her relentless push to get medical attention to men who were dying from exposure to Dioxin. We lost many Marines and soldiers during the 1980’s to this condition before the VA caved in to the overwhelming evidence to support claims. Thanks to one driven woman named Maude DiVictor, at the Chicago VA, where I was first treated, we can now work on preventive care. It is this level of humanity that inspires this BLOG. I got your back.

Veterans Benefits

At times it seems like the entire universe of  veterans benefits is a secret world reserved for the select.  In fact the Veterans Administration, especially in Tucson are very user friendly. With a bit of coaching and guidance in the process, we can get a vet all that they fought for and  were promised when joining the Armed Forces.  Ask anything you like and we will answer as fast as we can, or tell you that your question needs research.  If there are emergency needs, I can be reached off- line at  808-3907.

The Veterans are Coming, the Veterans are Coming!

Welcome to the new  Citizen Fourth Estate.  We are entering “Operation Information.” Our mission is to provide a space for advocacy and dialogue with all  Arizona veterans.  I am a trained Veterans Service Officer, and  published writer in the arena of  Veterans Affairs.  I served in Marine Corps, with the 7th Marines and Marine Air Wing with two stints in Vietnam.  I am currently a Mentor for returning combat veterans at the Merritt Retreat Center in Payson, Arizona.  I have extensive training in the care and transition to civilian life for returning combat veterans. Please join us in an ongoing dialogue with a Band of Brothers and Sisters.