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TUESDAY -- 13 MAY 2008

#6 - VETERANS' GROWING SUICIDE RATE WORRIES OFFICIALS -- After his discharge for mental health problems, he returned to his home and started a rapid descent. He joined a gang, sold and used drugs. His wife left him.

#5 - EMPLOYEES OF VA NURSING HOME ACCUSED OF MISTREATING MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT -- Prosecutor says employees "knowingly neglected or knowingly acted in a manner likely to be injurious to the physical or mental welfare" of five patients.

#4 - VA RESEARCH: VISION THERAPY APPEARS TO IMPROVE VISUAL FUNCTION IN MACULAR DISEASE -- "Because the waiting-list...patients demonstrated a decline in functional ability, low-vision services should be offered as early as possible."

#3 - OUTPATIENT SURGERIES BEING PERFORMED AGAIN AT MARION VA -- "The Marion VA Healthcare System staff has made great strides in assuring a high quality surgery program."

#2 - MES SOLUTIONS AWARDED CONTRACT FOR VA C & P EXAMS -- The contract covers six VA Regional Offices, most of them located in the Midwest.

#1 - AFGE LAUNCHES NATIONWIDE AD CAMPAIGN FOR FULL AND MANDATORY VA FUNDING -- Union representing VA workers is urging elected officials not to privatize VA healthcare. Ads target Sen. McCain's "VA Card" promise.

MONDAY -- 12 MAY 2008

#7 - JIM STRICKLAND'S MAIL BAG: VOLUME #34 FOR 2008 -- Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland answers questions from VA Watchdog readers.

#6 - EX-MARINE LAYS DOWN THE LAW FOR VETERANS -- The firm's goal is simple, represent the legal needs of veterans at virtually every stage of life.

#5 - INJURED VETERANS FIND THERAPY IN FLY-FISHING -- "The goal is simple. You have a guy who lost a leg, he's in physical therapy, we get him out there wading a stream, he gets a boost."

#4 - VETERAN'S JAILHOUSE DEATH IS RULED A SUICIDE -- The autopsy confirmed that the death was caused by asphyxiation due to hanging. It was also determined that he had used the drawstring from his pants.

#3 - NUMBER OF DISABLED VETS RISING AS VETERAN POPULATION DECLINES -- Why? Worse wounds. More disabilities. More vets aware of the benefits and quicker to file for them.

#2 - THE SUFFERING OF SOLDIERS: AN EDITORIAL FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES -- "If this country gave back to wounded troops even a fraction of the commitment and service that it has received from them, they will be well cared for."

#1 - VIDEO: BATTLEFIELD MEDICAL ADVANCES COME HOME TO HELP CIVILIANS -- From the CBS Evening News with Kelly Wallace, Saturday, May 10, 2008.

SUNDAY -- 11 MAY 2008 -- MOTHER'S DAY

#7 - PRIOR ASSAULT BOOSTS PTSD RISK AFTER COMBAT -- Those who were assaulted before entering military service are more than twice as likely to develop PTSD after combat deployment.

#6 - WAR DEAD CREMATED AT FACILITY FOR PETS -- Pentagon officials said they do not think that human remains and animal remains were ever commingled at the facility.

#5 - NOOSE FOUND IN LOCKER AT VA HOSPITAL IN SAGINAW -- Management and fellow staff at the center have apologized to the employee and condemn such behavior.

#4 - ANGRY VFW COLOR GUARD WILL BOYCOTT MEMORIAL DAY PARADE -- "Not one person from the town has embraced us...instead, they're disgracing us."

#3 - UPDATE: ARMY BARRACKS SET FOR REPAIR AFTER NATIONWIDE INSPECTION -- Of the 148,000 Army barracks inspected nationwide, 45 barracks at eight Army posts were found to need immediate attention.

#2 - VFW POPPY-PEDDLERS SAY STORES ARE TURNING THEM AWAY -- "With all these smaller stores getting boarded up and the larger stores owned by corporations, it's harder and harder to have some place where you can pass out poppy flowers."

#1 - IF YOU TRY TO SEND THE TROOPS TO COLLEGE, THEY JUST MIGHT GO -- The New G.I. Bill is a major wrap-yourself-in-the-flag, support-the-troops type measure.

SATURDAY -- 10 MAY 2008

#7 - ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES CREATE "LITTLE MIRACLES" IN TREATING COMBAT STRESS -- New center weaves yoga, massage therapy and other nontraditional approaches into its treatment program.

#6 - VIDEO: CNN'S LOU DOBBS CALLS IMPEACHMENT "APPROPRIATE REMEDY" IF BUSH VETOES NEW G.I. BILL -- From Lou Dobbs Tonight on CNN, Friday, May 9, 2008.

#5 - VIETNAM VETERAN IN WHEELCHAIR PUTS MUGGER IN THE HOSPITAL -- "When he stabbed me, I grabbed him, and I wrestled him to the ground. Every time he kept trying to get back up, I had to knock him back down."

#4 - THREE TAMPA VA COPS PLACED ON LEAVE AFTER ALLEGATIONS OF VERBAL ABUSE -- The VA "...will act immediately and appropriately to discipline employees and to protect the rights and safety of our patients, should that become necessary."

#3 - REPORT: VA NOW ACCEPTING CLAIMS FOR HYPERTENSION LINKED TO AGENT ORANGE EXPOSURE -- Will determine service-connected status at a later date, but claims are expected to be approved.

#2 - U.S. ARMY'S STOP-LOSS ORDERS UP DRAMATICALLY OVER LAST YEAR -- Thousands of new stop-loss orders were issued to keep soldiers from leaving the service after combat tours were extended from 12 to 15 months last spring.

#1 - UPDATE: VETS' ATTORNEY ANALYZES "BLUE WATER NAVY" DECISION -- "It is a sad day...because the VA...will now be able to continue to deny benefits to deserving veterans who are suffering the effects of Agent Orange exposure."

FRIDAY -- 09 MAY 2008

#9 - UPDATE: "BLUE WATER NAVY" DECISION TO BE APPEALED -- National Veterans Legal Services Program intends to appeal this decision, which adversely affects all Blue Water Vietnam veterans.

#8 - VA FLIP-FLOPS ON VOTER REGISTRATION, GOES BACK TO "NOT HERE" POLICY -- "VA's decision, during wartime, to block voter registration for our hospitalized veterans is shameful, outrageous and despicable."

#7 - VA RESEARCH: TELEHEALTH INTERVENTION BENEFITS PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS -- "With video and telephone technology, nurses have the ability to interact regularly with patients and provide a sense of security."

#6 - QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT VETERANS' SUICIDES -- Here are some questions and answers on veteran suicides, what information exists, and what changes in care have been made.

#5 - CARS TAKE A POTHOLE BEATING GETTING TO THE PITTSBURGH VA -- City is paving elsewhere. "I guess they think they can get a lot more political bang for their buck if they go to more high-profile areas."

#4 - JIM STRICKLAND'S MAIL BAG: VOLUME #33 FOR 2008 -- Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland answers questions from VA Watchdog readers.

#3 - VAOIG REPORT: SCOPES OF PRACTICE FOR UNLICENSED PHYSICIANS ENGAGED IN VA RESEARCH -- "...The majority of the scopes of practice were not in compliance...and occasionally did permit providers to engage in activities generally performed by licensed personnel..."

#2 - FED UP WITH BUREAUCRACY, A FAMILY DOCTOR GIVES UP ON TRICARE -- Even the most basic services required special approval because so few doctors or hospitals were on the approved list.

#1 - U.S. DEPLOYS MORE THAN 43,000 GIs UNFIT FOR COMBAT -- "They are repeatedly exposed to high-intensity combat with insufficient time at home to rest and heal before redeploying."

THURSDAY -- 08 MAY 2008

#8 - "BLUE WATER NAVY" VETERANS LOSE CASE IN U.S. COURT OF APPEALS -- Offshore Vietnam vets will not get presumptive benefits for exposure to Agent Orange. VA's "Boots on the Ground" rule stands.

#7 - VIRTUAL REALITY THERAPY MAY HELP PTSD PATIENTS -- "We think that, aided by medications, virtual reality is going to be a useful way to help people haunted by an experience confront their fears in a more complete and therapeutic way."

#6 - MAN WHO STOLE DECEASED MOTHER'S VA BENEFITS IS SENTENCED TO PRISON -- He cashed approximately 22 VA benefits checks made payable to his mother, forging endorsements on each check.

#5 - FOR PHYSICAL THERAPIST, UNSEEN INJURIES IN VETERANS OFTEN WORSE -- "They just think the headaches will go away, that their joints hurting is just part of it. But it's not. Their bodies have been traumatized. They just can't see it."

#4 - VETS' ATTORNEYS TESTIFY ABOUT NEW VETERANS' BENEFITS LEGISLATION -- Richard Cohen, Executive Director of the National Organization of Veterans' Advocates, before the Senate Vets' Committee.

#3 - UPDATE: VETERANS HAPPY BOSTON-AREA VA FACILITIES WILL STAY OPEN -- "I just hope someone speaks up and makes sure they enhance the services like they promised us."

#2 - PROSECUTOR PROTECTS VETERAN'S BENEFITS BY HAVING HIM ARRESTED -- Vet taken to Court from VA hospital so he would no longer be a fugitive and lose his benefits.

#1 - VA RESEARCH: IBUPROFEN LINKED TO REDUCED RISK OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE -- The study found veterans who specifically used ibuprofen for more than five years were more than 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.

WEDNESDAY -- 07 MAY 2008

#8 - VIDEO: BOB FILNER SAYS VA IS GUILTY OF CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE -- From CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, Tuesday, May 6, 2008.

#7 - IRAQ WAR STRAINS U.S. ARMY MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM -- "They're kind of a canary in a coal mine. They're a good barometer to understand the human cost of the war."

#6 - CONGRESSMAN CALLS FOR VA TO INVESTIGATE REPORTS OF POOR CARE AT TWO PRIVATIZED CLINICS -- "Several veterans have reported being told they cannot get regular tests ordered by doctors due to cost. These practices are simply unacceptable."

#5 - VA CONSTRUCTION WORK PROMPTS ASBESTOS EXPOSURE WORRIES -- Sausalito officials shut down a VA construction project after alarmed residents complained about dust and raised concerns about asbestos exposure.

#4 - JIM STRICKLAND'S MAIL BAG: VOLUME #32 FOR 2008 -- Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland answers questions from VA Watchdog readers.

#3 - BOB FILNER ACCUSES VA OF CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE, BUT WHAT WILL HE DO ABOUT IT? -- House Vets' Chair has history of inflammatory language when describing VA practices. Will he act on this allegation, or is he just trying to get a headline in an election year?

#2 - SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES OF DEPLOYED TROOPS NEEDS BOOST, SOME BELIEVE -- The VA does not allow the department to directly counsel family members of veterans, leaving them to draw support from friends, private clinicians or military unit resources.

#1 - SECURITY CLEARANCE DECEPTION by Larry Scott -- Pentagon's new policy leads troops to believe that mental health issues will have no bearing on getting a security clearance. Nothing could be further from the truth.
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OF SPECIAL INTEREST
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VOTE SMART - VOTE VET: NEW VETERANS' VOTING INFORMATION PAGE -- See how the presidential candidates voted on veterans' issues.

A LOOK AT THE VETS' COMMISSION'S FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS -- Don't expect any action on recommendations that will cost the government money.   (download Commission report here)

GUN BILL NOT ANTI-VETERAN -- Let's use some common sense instead of nonsense.

VA'S PATIENT RECORD FLAGS: THE REST OF THE STORY -- More about who can flag a veteran's medical records and what can be done about it.

VIDEO: GULF WAR ILLNESS - CONSPIRACY TEST  -- Discovery Channel program explores the mystery of Gulf War Illness as five GW veterans volunteer for the latest genetic testing to look for answers.

            
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LATEST PUBLISHED ARTICLES on        
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SECURITY CLEARANCE DECEPTION by Larry Scott -- (05-07-08)   Pentagon's new policy leads troops to believe that mental health issues will have no bearing on getting a security clearance. Nothing could be further from the truth.

OLD AND IN THE WAY (04-28-08)   As the "new vets" from Iraq and Afghanistan, just 2% of the veteran population, are given priority at the VA, the other 98% find themselves pushed to the rear of the line, now the forgotten of previous conflicts.

GUN BILL NOT ANTI-VETERAN (10-01-07)   Let's use some common sense instead of nonsense about H.R. 2640. If you're a veteran or you have been diagnosed with PTSD, don't worry, they aren't coming for your firearms.

WHAT PROMISE TO VETERANS? -- by Larry Scott (07-01-07)   It’s the great American myth; an urban legend of epic proportions. But, there was no promise made, so there’s nothing to keep. Now, it’s time for a new, in-your-face attitude:  WE ARE U.S. MILITARY VETERANS -- YOU OWE US!
         
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