VFW POST 1260 BEMIDJI, MN SURGEON/SERVICE OFFICER’S REPORT

August-2016

VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic – Bemidji (218) 755-6360 Audiologist appointments must be made through the Fargo VA

Tele Health staff is available

Flu Shots are available on a walk in basis Monday through Friday during the flu season.

New Patient Orientation Group meeting each month check with clinic for time & date

PTSD Group Meeting (Iraq & Afgan Vets) meets twice a month check with clinic for time & date

Pain Group Meeting meets every two weeks on Tuesdays check with clinic for time & dates

Veteran Support Group 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of the month from 10:00-11:30am at the Bemidji Public

Library Meeting Room. The purpose of this group is to share and provide information through

supporting, encouraging, listening, understanding, and respecting differences. Please call Shari

Kosobuski (612) 360-1432 or the Vet Center at (218) 722-8654 for more information.

Education: http://www.mymilitaryeducation.org

Health Care: 1-877-222-VETS (8387)

VA Inspector General: 1-800-488-8244

Suicide Prev. Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Fargo VA: 1-800-410-9723 or 701-232-3241

Help Line: 1-855-VET-TALK

For more information on veteran benefits, visit the Military.com Benefits Channel or contact the VA.

Some of the following information came from Military.com or MilitaryConnection.com. Some of these topics

may have a full article to read. If you wish to view the full article on Military.com please follow this address

http://www.military.com or contact me at bskipton@att.net. For more veterans benefits info and updates, visit

the Military Advantage blog.

TRICARE Merges North and South

TRICARE Regional Office North and South recently merged to form TRO East on July 1, 2016. TRO West will

continue to the western United States. Read the full article on the Military Advantage blog.

VA 'Choice' Update

The Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Veterans Choice Program (VCP) has reached a key milestone by

scheduling two million appointments through the program. The network now has over 350,000 providers and

facilities. VA has partnered with Congress to improve the community care experience by: (1) removing the

enrollment date requirement for Choice; (2) implementing criteria of 40-mile driving distance from medical

facility with primary care physician; (3) implementing the unusual or excessive burden criteria; and (4)

expanding the episode of care authorization from 60 days to up to one year. For more information, read VA's

Plan to Consolidate Programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs to Improve Access to Care.

Employment Preference for Gold Star Families

The Office of Personnel Management has issued a new guidance detailing how the parents of deceased or

disabled veterans can now claim veterans' preference. A new law amends the veteran preference statute to

include both parents of deceased or permanently disabled veterans instead of the previous version of the law,

which extended preference only to the mother of a veteran. Veterans' preference promotes eligible veterans for

civil service jobs over other applicants based on their military service. The new guidance allows the parent of a

deceased or permanently disabled veteran to claim their preference if: (1) the spouse of that parent is

permanently disabled or (2) the parent is unmarried or legally separated when the preference is claimed. The

agency is currently updating relevant print materials and website pages to accommodate the new changes.

Female Veteran Suicide Prevention Act

The Female Veteran Suicide Prevention Act was recently signed into law by President Obama. It requires the

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to identify which VA mental health care and suicide prevention programs

are most effective for women Veterans and those having the highest satisfaction rates among women Veterans.

The new act will require additional appropriations to implement it as written. For more information, read the

VA VAntage Point Blog.

TRICARE Names New Regional Contractors

The Department of Defense (DoD) announced today the next generation of TRICARE Managed Care Support

Contractors. The new contracts, which go into effect nine months after the award, establish two TRICARE

regions in the United States — East and West — instead of the current three. The East Region contract goes to

Humana Government Business, Inc. and in the West Region the new Managed Care contractor is Health Net

Federal Services LLC. Read the full article on the Military Advantage Blog.

TRICARE Doesn't Cover All Out of Pocket Costs

Doctor and hospital bills are expensive even when you're covered by TRICARE. Help minimize or even

eliminate out-of-pocket expenses with the TRICARE Insurance Supplement Plan. Get coverage now.

DoD Virtual Education Fair

The Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education Program will host its second pilot DoD Virtual

Education Fair August 11, 2016, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, in an effort to help make higher education more

accessible to servicemembers, veterans and family members. Registration is required to participate and is open

at the DoD Virtual Education Fair website. Registration is open throughout the event. To ensure connectivity,

participants are encouraged to use their mobile devices if unable to access the event via government computers.

Representatives from participating schools and government organizations will be available via live chat during

the fair.

Looking for a New Career? Search Jobs Now

Search hundreds of top companies looking to hire veteran talent. Find your new career today at

www.military.com/veteran-jobs.

Program to Restore War Memorials

The U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library have announced

a new program to help people across the country restore and preserve local World War I memorials. 100

Cities/100 Memorials is a fund-matching program in which groups or individuals can: (1) identify local World

War I memorials; (2) put together a conservation treatment proposal for a memorial in distress; (3) submit their

plan for consideration for matching grant funds; and (4) have the memorial treated by an accredited conservator,

with communication help and possible matching funds. Details of the program, including guidelines and online

application form, are available on the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission website.

Tax Season and VA Loans: Mortgage Interest

Homeowners that have a VA home loan or other home mortgage product may be eligible for allowed

deductions per IRS Publication 530. For most, homeownership affords tax advantages that allow the

homeowner to keep more of their hard earned money. Homeowners that are members of the Armed Forces may

also qualify for tax credit extensions if they meet the criteria. For more details, see this Military.com article.

VA Looks at Payments to Incarcerated Vets

An audit by the Department of Veterans Affairs Inspector General of Veterans Benefits Administration's

incarcerated veterans adjudications has found VA is failing to fulfill its duty to adjust payments in accordance

with the law. The law requires VA to cut certain benefits payouts to veterans who are incarcerated for longer

than 60 days. The audit found VA was not prioritizing these claims, which resulted in substantial overpayments.

Once many of those veterans are released from their incarceration, they are then billed for the overpayment

often resulting in hardship for the veteran. The Inspector General's audit report is available on the VA website.

Are VA's Critics Ignoring MyVA Reforms?

According to the VA appointed 12 person advisory panel, known as the MyVA Advisory Committee, Trump

and other politicians critical of the VA are missing the positive strides made by VA to implement the 'MyVA'

healthcare system initiatives and reforms. According to a recent article by Tom Philpott, the MyVA committee

members are concerned politicizing veteran's issues will derail reform effots. Read the full 'Military Update'

article in the Military Advantage blog.

Honoring the Fallen at World War II Memorial

A recent article at Military.com detailed the controversy over visitors wading in the fountain at the World War

II Memorial in Washington, DC. There posted signs posted that announce that wading is prohibited (Honor

Your Veterans. No wading. Coins damage fountain), but tourists start to ignore the signs when the temperature

climbs. What's your take on the situation? Weigh in in this Sound Off post.

Survey Says Most See Vets as Heroes

A new survey has found that the vast majority of Americans and employers see veterans as "heroes," but do not

see them as "assets" within the community. This viewpoint can keep veterans from the jobs they want. The

online survey of more than 2,000 veterans and non-veterans found that 84% of employers and 75% of civilians

see veterans as heroes. But only 26% of employers and 22% of civilians think veterans are "strategic assets" in

their communities. The numbers were almost identical to findings by Pew Research in 2011, when the same

questions were asked. Survey results were released as part of a joint effort by Edelman; Give an Hour, a non-

profit organization that provides counseling to troops and veterans, and the George W. Bush Institute.

VA Conducts Suicide Analysis

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has undertaken the most comprehensive analysis of veteran suicide

rates in the U.S. The final report will be publicly released later this month. Key findings of the analysis will

include: (1) 65 percent of all veterans who died from suicide in 2014 were 50 years of age or older; (2) veterans

accounted for 18 percent of all deaths from suicide among U.S. adults; (3) since 2001, veteran suicides

increased 32 percent; (4) since 2001, the rate of suicide among U.S. veterans who use VA services increased by

8.8 percent, while the rate of suicide among veterans who do not use VA services increased by 38.6 percent. If

you are in crisis, or know a veteran who is, call the Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 (press 1) or text 838255 or

visit the Veterans Crisis Line website.

VA Secretary Responds to CARE Report

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald has released a Statement on the Commission on Care

final report. Read the statement on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) website. The report is available on

the Commission on Care website. Read the statement from the American Legion regarding the report on the

American Legion website.

New Study Finds 20 Vets Die by Suicide Each Day

The most comprehensive study yet made of veteran suicide concludes that on average 20 veterans a day are

taking their own lives. The average daily tally is two less than the VA previously estimated, but is based on a

more thorough review of Defense Department records, records from each state and data from the Centers for

Disease Control, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. "One veteran suicide is one too many, and

this collaborative effort provides both updated and comprehensive data that allows us to make better informed

decisions on how to prevent this national tragedy," said Dr. David J. Shulkin, VA Under Secretary for Health.

"We as a nation must focus on bringing the number of veteran suicides to zero." For more details, see this

Military.com article.

VA Workers Protest VA Medical Care Changes

Dozens of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) workers rallied July 1 outside the Fayetteville VA Medical

Center in Fayetteville, NC protesting a proposed overhaul of veterans' medical care. The Commission on Care,

a panel created by Congress two years ago amid concern over long wait times for care at VA centers

nationwide, is expected to recommend soon privatizing care for millions of veterans. The American Federation

of Government Employees (AFGE) says the move would close 12 to 15 VA hospitals. The AFGE has organized

similar protests recently at VA centers across the country. For more information

House Approves Measure to Bar Women From Draft

The Republican-led House backed a measure Thursday that seeks to bar women from being required to register

for a potential military draft, a victory for social conservatives who fear that forcing females to sign up is

another step toward the blurring of gender lines. By a vote of 217 to 203, lawmakers approved an amendment

that would block the Selective Service System from using any money to alter draft registration requirements

that currently apply only to men between the ages of 18 and 25. For more details, see this Military.com article.

Culinary Boot Camp for Veterans

Utah's Culinary Command is a six-week program that prepares veterans and active military for restaurant, hotel

and food-service jobs. The program teaches veterans how to survive — and thrive — in a professional kitchen.

Class starts each day at 7 a.m. and continues late into the evening. Culinary Command Training uses the

popular "Learn How to Cook (and eat your mistakes)!" 15-segment DVD series as the basis for its curriculum.

Lessons range from knife skills and sautéing to preparing classic sauces to grilling and baking. The veterans pay

no fees as the program operates entirely on donations. The next session runs Aug. 15 - Sept. 24. For more

information and to apply, visit the Culinary Command website.

Employers Want Your Military Experience

Search hundreds of top companies looking to hire veteran talent. Find your new career today at

www.military.com/veteran-jobs.

Lawn Care and Snow Care for Veterans

GreenCare for Troops connects volunteer contractors with disabled veterans. GreenCare helps hundreds of

volunteers provide free lawn and landscape services for thousands of veterans and military families nationwide.

SnowCare for Troops is an outreach program coordinated by Project EverGreen that connects local snow

removal professionals with men and women serving our country in the armed forces away from home, as well

as wounded or disabled veterans with service-related disabilities. For more information, visit the

GreenCare/SnowCare for Troops webpage.

TRICARE and Specialty Care

If you are a TRICARE beneficiary with special needs or a serious illness, your care is best coordinated through

your regional contractor. TRICARE rules require that if the care you need is available at a military hospital or

clinic near you, and there is space available, you will be referred there first. However, if the care you need is not

available, you will be referred to a network provider near you. It is important to call and remain in contact with

your regional contractor. Your regional contractor will have the most current list of providers. If you contact a

specialty care provider directly, you could be on a wait list instead of getting the care you or a family member

needs. You can reach your contractor by phone. Find your contractor's contact information on the TRICARE

website.

Protect Your Personal TRICARE Information

Fraud against TRICARE beneficiaries is in the news. Be safe; do not share your military ID or other personal or

family information with an unknown person. Fraudsters often target TRICARE beneficiaries, including active

duty servicemembers. Examples include fake surveys used to collect personal information or offering gift cards

to get your information. If you think you are the victim of TRICARE related fraud, you can report it to the

Defense Health Agency. TRICARE usually does not contact you asking for personal information. Only provide

that information to a trusted entity. For more information about fraud, visit Health.mil.

Rep. Jeff Miller Files New VA Accountability Act

House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Florida, has filed new legislation that he says

will bring "real accountability" to all employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs. If enacted, the bill

would radically reduce the time between firing or demoting an employee and getting a resolution if the action is

appealed to no more than 77 days from more than a year. It would also entirely pull VA senior executive service

officials out of the Merit Systems Protection Board. For more details, see this Military.com article.

Report Reignites 'VA Choice' Debate

Twelve of fifteen commissioners appointed by Congress and the president to propose reforms to veterans'

healthcare have endorsed 18 "bold" steps to transform the system, but in the end rejected a push to dismantle it

and to shift most veterans' care into the private sector. And yet, say critics of the Commission on Care,

including several veteran organizations, its final report released Tuesday still proposes to expand veterans'

rights to choose outside healthcare providers, enough to put traditional VA healthcare at significant risk over

time. The danger, opponents contend, is that a steady shift of patients from VA to private sector care by relaxing

"choice" rules could explode VA spending, in turn forcing Congress to scrimp on resources for VA-provided

care, including cutting edge specialty programs for the most disabled vets. For more details, see this Military

Advantage post.

Study Looks at Gulf War Veterans

An updated research review has found that veterans of the Gulf War are more than twice as likely to have

medically unexplained symptoms known as "multisymptom illness" (MSI), compared to Iraq/Afghanistan War

veterans. Multisymptom illness refers to chronic, unexplained symptoms affecting several body systems, such

as fatigue, mood or cognitive (thinking) problems, and joint and muscle pain. Although estimates varied widely,

MSI prevalence was substantially higher in Gulf War veterans: 26 to 65 percent, compared with 12 to 37

percent in Iraq/Afghanistan War veterans. The odds of MSI were 2.5 times higher in Gulf War veterans versus

other military groups. The study will appear in the July Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

(JOEM) when it is posted on the JOEM website.

Congress May Impose Military Pay Caps - Again

A House-Senate conference committee negotiating final details of the fiscal 2017 defense authorization bill will

decide this summer whether to impose a fourth straight cap on the annual military pay raise set for Jan. 1. The

fate of that half-percentage point in basic pay swings on what weight conferees assign to compensation over

other defense priorities. For more details, see this Military Advantage blog post. To check on your current pay

charts, and for more details on proposed pay charts for 2017, visit the Military.com Pay Center.

Can the VA Be Modernized?

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Bob McDonald recently spoke on the question “Can the

Department of Veterans Affairs be modernized?” McDonald's first comment was “Absolutely, yes.” Some

recent improvements include: (1) a mobile app allowing veterans to schedule, reschedule, or cancel

appointments on their smartphone. It is expected to be fully available later this year. (2) Veterans will be able to

enroll for health care online or over the phone beginning this summer. (3) Employees are invited to identify and

submit ideas for best practices to be implemented where they are needed most; and (4) automated kiosks

gathering feedback from the veterans. For more information, read the Vantage Point Blog and watch Secretary

McDonald's address on C-Span.

3 Things to Know About the TRICARE Dental Change

You may have heard that TRICARE is saying “bye-bye” to Metlife and switching back to United Concordia for

coverage for active duty families, as well as Guard and Reservists and their families. But what does this mean,

exactly? For three key facts about the change, see this Spousebuzz post.

TRICARE and Your New Baby

If you have a new baby or have adopted a child, take the necessary steps to give your child access to health

care: (1) register your child, newborn or adoptee, in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System

(DEERS). You need to register in DEERS to get TRICARE. You do not have to wait the 2-6 months it may

take for a formal state department birth certificate; (2) enroll your child in Prime by calling your regional

contractor or by submitting a Prime enrollment form. If your family is growing with an adopted child, start the

process as soon as you have the information to register them in DEERS. For more information, visit the Enroll

or Purchase a Plan webpage on the TRICARE website. You can find the nearest DEERS registration site here.

VA and Your Health Records

Connecting your docs with the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER) Health program shares important

parts of your veteran health record between the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and your community

health care providers who participate in this program. This allows your health care providers to access

important information about your health, so they can provide you the best possible care. This program is free

and voluntary for veterans, but VA needs your consent to share your health records (VA Form 10-0485). Sign

up on the VLER Health website. If you have technical difficulties, please call 1-800-983-0937 for assistance.

Program for Native American Veterans

An estimated 500 Native American Veterans are expected to benefit from housing and supportive services

provided under the first-ever Tribal HUD VASH program. 26 tribes will share the $5.9 million in assistance.

American Indian and Alaska Native veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and who are living on

or near a reservation or other Indian areas are eligible for this assistance. The program will provide Native

American veterans in need with tenant- or project-based assistance from HUD and supportive services from

VA. For more information, read the VAntage Point Blog and the TRIBAL HUD VASH Supportive Housing

Program rules.

REACH Helps Wounded Vets Start Careers in Medicine

The REACH program is a Navy Medicine initiative to recruit, teach and employ wounded warriors into medical

professions within the federal government. The program provides education, guidance and training for careers

in the health care field and helps support a college degree. People participating in this program are eligible to

begin within 90 days of their discharge date. After completing education and training, participants have the

opportunity to get full-time employment in Navy Medicine. For more information on the REACH program visit

the REACH Program website or contact the NHCP program director Lt. Cmdr. Ramaud Love at 760-763-5771

or Career Coach Jeff Tanner at jtanner@myvetadvisor.com .

Tax Season & VA Loans: Interest & Real Estate

Homeowners that have a VA home loan or other home mortgage product may be eligible for allowed

deductions per IRS Publication 530. While homeownership affords tax advantages that allow the homeowner to

keep more of their hard earned money, homeowners that are members of the Armed Forces may also qualify for

tax credit extensions if they meet the criteria. For some common homeownership tax deductions as well as the

buyer homeownership tax credits for eligible members, see this Military.com article.

Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder can be debilitating in some patients, but thanks to advancements in research and

the continued training of mental health providers, treatments are getting better all the time. Mental health

providers use evidence-based, trauma-focused therapies. These treatments break the cycle of avoidance. Most

patients can make substantial improvement within 6-12 weeks with dramatic reductions in distress and

symptoms. For most, the therapy is not as bad as they think it is going to be. People who have been through a

traumatic event should seek out a mental health provider and request a screening. For more information, visit

the Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD website.

VA Rule Would Expand Nursing Roles

A recently proposed rule by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) would give Advanced Practice Registered

Nurses (APRNs) full practice authority when acting within the scope of their VA employment. With this new

rule, APRNs at VA would have the opportunity to provide primary health care and other services to even more

patients. APRNs are clinicians with advanced degrees and training who provide primary, acute and specialty

health care. The proposal has drawn the support of the American Nurses Association. For more information,

read the article on the VA website. Read the proposed rule on the Regulations.gov website.

Minnesota State Veteran's Benefits

The state of Minnesota provides several veteran benefits. This section offers a brief description of each of the following

benefits.

Housing Benefits

Employment Benefits

Education Benefits

Other State Veteran Benefits

Minnesota Veteran Housing Programs

Minnesota Homeless Veteran Registry

The Registry connects Veterans experiencing homelessness with housing and services in their community. It also helps

programs serving Veterans to coordinate their efforts. Participation is voluntary for Veterans. Anyone can refer a Veteran

to join.

MOVE Program

The Minnesota Operation For Veterans Empowerment (MOVE) program temporarily assists homeless Veterans at the

Union Gospel Mission in St. Paul, MN. Assistance includes one-on-one case management with an MDVA Outreach

Representative and a paid bed at the mission during case management. Veterans work with the case manager to select

the various types of resources needed in order to help empower them to move beyond their current situation.

Minnesota Veterans' Homes

Minnesota Veterans' Homes are located in Fergus Falls, Hastings, Luverne, Minneapolis and Silver Bay.

There is also an Adult Day Center located in the Minneapolis Veterans' Home. The Adult Day Center provides a broad

array of therapeutic health care services – delivered by trained, highly dedicated professionals. It is a Veteran-based

community that allows participants to connect with other Veterans in a safe, comfortable environment. The Adult Day

Center allows participants to achieve the highest attainable level of physical, mental and social well-being – with the

independence of living at home. It also provides much-needed respite – and a full array of support services – for Veterans’

caregivers.

Admission to Minnesota Veterans Homes is available to honorably discharged veterans who entered service from

Minnesota, or are current residents, who served 181 consecutive days on active duty, unless discharged earlier because

of disability incurred in the line of duty. The spouse of an eligible Veteran who is at least 55 years old and meets residency

requirements. The applicant must also be able to demonstrate a medical or clinical need for admission. Residents

contribute to the cost of their care according to their means.

Minnesota Employment Benefits

MN Veterans Preference Act

MN Veterans Preference Act (VPA) grants veterans a limited preference over non-veterans in hiring and promotion for MN

public employment and also provides protection against unfair dismissals and demotions. VPA grants veterans the right to

a hearing, prior to dismissal.

Minnesota Education Benefits

Minnesota GI Bill

The Minnesota GI Bill is available to Minnesota Veterans who served honorably in any branch of the armed forces at any

time; non-veterans who served honorably for a cumulative total of five years or more as a member of the MN National

Guard or any other active or reserve component and had active service after September 11, 2001; or eligible spouses,

surviving spouses, and children of permanently and totally disabled veterans who are eligible for the Federal GI Bill under

Chapters 33 or 35.

Full-time undergraduate or graduate students may be eligible to receive up to $1,000 per semester and part-time students

can receive up to $500 per semester (up to $3,000 per academic year and $10,000 per lifetime).

OJT and Apprenticeship individuals are eligible for up to $2,000 per fiscal year for either program. Approved employers

are eligible to receive $1,000 placement credit payable upon hiring a person under this program and another $1,000 after

12 consecutive months of employment.

Recipients must be a Minnesota resident under the age of 62, and enrolled at a Minnesota institution.

Other Minnesota State Veteran Benefits

Services Program

The Department of Veterans Affairs Services Program provides claims representation and fiduciary guardianship services.

Veterans Claims Advocacy

Staff at our Veterans Claims Offices, located at Fort Snelling and at Fargo/Moorhead, act as advocates for veterans and

their dependents who are trying to get their benefits from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA). The

staff will assist and represent veterans, their dependents, and survivors with applications for compensation, pension,

home loans, educational, and medical treatment. The offices also provide environmental hazards information and

assistance (Agent Orange issues, for example). See your County Veterans Service Officer to request this representation.

Guardianship Division

The Guardianship Division provides financial case management services to incompetent veterans, their dependents, and

survivors, who may be vulnerable to exploitation by others or by their own inabilities to manage their funds.

Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery

The Minnesota State Veterans Cemeteries provide dignified burial services to Minnesota veterans and their eligible

dependents and survivors. They are located 7 miles north of Little Falls, on the banks of the Mississippi River, and in

Preston in southeastern Minnesota. Both cemeteries are managed and maintained by the Minnesota Department of

Veterans Affairs.

Discharge Certificates

Veterans' benefits require that applicants provide a copy of their form DD 214 or discharge record, which is evidence of

their veteran status. This is an important document and must be safeguarded. If you do not have a copy of your DD 214,

contact your County Veterans Service Officer for assistance in obtaining it. If you have a copy of your DD 214 it is

recommended that it be recorded in your county courthouse, or at the very least be sure to keep it in a safe place and

inform a family member or trusted individual of its location.

Bronze Star Grave Markers

The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs offers bronze stars to mark the grave site of any veteran buried in the

state, where permitted. Bronze Star Markers are available through your local county veterans service officer.

Visit the Minnesota Department of Veterans Services website for more information about any of these programs.

MilitaryConnection.com LEARN ABOUT CAREERS FOR MILITARY VETERANS, VETERAN

SCHOOLS, NEW GI BILL RESOURCES AND MILITARY LOANS

Providing information on government/federal jobs for Veterans, schools in which to further your education,

Veteran benefits and more is what Military Connection does best. The brave men and women of the U.S.

military, past and present, are who we serve, and as an online directory, we strive to be comprehensive and

specific in the information we provide. This is the perfect place to learn more about military education and

benefits provided to you through the GI Bill, and about employment opportunities that apply to your skill set

and interests. We are here to provide help for Veterans in all aspects of their lives as a way to honor their

service.

RAND STUDY REVEALS INTERESTING FINDINGS RE:

VETERAN UNEMPLOYMENT

By Debbie Gregory.

According to a 15 year RAND study, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are not having as

much of a difficult time finding employment as some sources would have the public

believe.

There are still many hurdles to overcome, with the study revealing that veterans aged

18 to 24 who have recently separated have struggled to find jobs compared to the same

demographic in the civilian population. With that said, part of that statistical information

may be due to the fact that this age group is opting to use their education benefits and

attend school rather than working full time jobs.

Other post-9/11 veterans do not have a much higher unemployment rate than their

civilian counterparts. While the media relies on data from the Bureau of Labor and

Statistics for its reporting, RAND looked at the U.S. Census Bureau’s American

Community Survey, where the sample size is much larger. Utilizing these numbers, the

RAND study shows that post-9/11 veteran unemployment is not so different when

compared to demographically similar non-veterans.

Also factoring in to the unemployment statistics is the number of veterans who are

receiving unemployment benefits. With that said, the RAND study found that the

majority of veterans receiving unemployment benefits were reservists returning from

mobilization in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The RAND study found that tax credits for hiring veterans, such as the Vow to Hire

Heroes Act and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, have had a positive effect on veteran

hiring.

So have programs designed to improve veterans’ transition and employment

opportunities, such as the 100,000 Jobs Mission, which has exceeded expectations.

Whether you are an employer looking to reach the veteran community with your job

openings, an institution of higher learning, or a member of the military, a veteran or a

supporter, we hope you will reach out to MilitaryConnection.com. We are known as “the

Go To Site” and have of the most comprehensive online directories of resources and

information for our audience.

EMPLOYER SURVEY REVEALS SURPRISING ATTITUDE

TOWARDS VETSBy Debbie Gregory.

While American employers see veterans as “heroes,” they don’t necessarily see them as

“assets”, according to a recent survey.

The survey, done by the Edelman marketing firm, found that the designation of “hero”

can create an emotional distance between veterans and civilians. This in turn can make

it difficult for civilians to connect with veterans and view them as potential colleagues.

The online survey found that 84% of employers and 75% of civilians see veterans as

heroes. But only 26% of employers and 22% of civilians think veterans are “strategic

assets” in their communities.

The survey also found that employers most commonly think about mental health

problems when they think about veterans.

While the jobless rate for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan has decreased in

recent years, there are concerns about the quality of employment.

Survey results were released as part of a joint effort by Edelman, Give an Hour, a non-

profit organization that provides counseling to troops and veterans, and the George W.

Bush Institute.

“The issue is about long-term job fit, advancement, retention. Is the veteran given the

same look as others?” said Barbara Van Dahlen, founder and president of Give an Hour.

The goal was to examine the “well-being” of veterans and what was described as an

ongoing schism between civilians and those who serve in the military, according to Van

Dahlen.

Van Dahlen said the contrasting view that veterans are heroes, but not assets, is a

product of an American culture in need of heroes, but lacking understanding of its

military. “These folks come home from war, they’ve seen and done things that would

make many of us feel uneasy, uncomfortable, intimidated. And so by seeing them in this

way, as heroes, it does keep us distant from them.”

MILITARY STATUS COULD GIVE VETERANS A CHANCE

INSTEAD OF A CELL

Most veterans are strengthened by their military service, but in many cases, the combat

experience has left veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain

Injury.

One in five veterans has symptoms of a mental health disorder or cognitive impairment.

One in six veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi

Freedom suffer from a substance abuse issue.

Left untreated, mental health disorders common among veterans can directly lead to

involvement in the criminal justice system. Veterans’ treatment courts are hybrid drug

and mental health courts that use the drug court model to serve veterans struggling

with addiction, serious mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders.

These specialized courts promote sobriety, recovery and stability, and substance abuse

or mental health treatment is offered as an alternative to incarceration and punitive

punishments. This is accomplished through the cooperation and collaboration of the U.S.

Department of Veterans Affairs health care networks and the Veterans’ Benefits

Administration, and at times, volunteer veteran mentors and veterans’ family support

organizations.

Veterans Treatment Courts are tapping into the unique aspects of military and veteran

culture and using it to the benefit of the veteran. They act as a “one-stop shop,” linking

veterans with the programs, benefits and services they have earned.

Veterans Treatment Courts are being established in jurisdictions across the country, and

by utilizing the same rigorous protocol of treatment and personal accountability, they

are keeping eligible Veterans out of jail or prison and making sure they get needed

treatment and support.

Contact your local court system to determine if your community has a Veterans

Treatment Court already. If not, be sure to ask if one is in the process of being started.

VA TO OFFER MORE CANCER TREATMENT OPTIONS

By Debbie Gregory.

In his final State of the Union address, President Obama put Vice President Biden in

charge of a new national effort to end cancer as we know it.

The goal of this “Cancer Moonshot” is to double the rate of progress toward a cure – to

make a decade of advances in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care in five

years.

As a result, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) could turn its entire medical system

into a nationwide center for excellence for cancer treatment in just a few months. While

other agencies focus on research and clinical trials, VA doctors will be putting those

advances to work with the goal of saving more veterans’ lives.

“We’re essentially taking expertise that exists in our high-end centers and making sure

that it is available in even our most rural centers,” said Dr. David Shulkin, VA’s

undersecretary for health. “It’s going to result in different treatment options and better

decisions, and making sure every veteran is getting world-class cancer care.”

VA officials will team with IBM’s supercomputer Watson, whose genomics technology

program will help pinpoint the best treatment options for veterans battling cancer.

The goal is to help at least 10,000 veterans with the targeted cancer therapies in the

next few years. Individualized treatments could be compiled and processed by the

supercomputer within a day of the diagnosis.

“And almost every month, there is new discovery in this area,” Shulkin said. “So this is

not only helping the patients we’ll see this year, but setting up VA to be the kind of

system we all hope it should be for years to come.”

Shulkin said he is excited by the opportunities, especially given the aging population of

veterans in America and the growing number of cancer cases VA doctors see each year.

“This is one of our critical areas of focus,” he said. “This is taking what we know is the

most advanced, very best way to practice, and really making sure we’re getting that to

as many veterans as possible as quickly as possible.”

INVESTIGATION QUESTIONS WORK ETHIC OF VA SUICIDE

COUNSELORS

By Debbie Gregory.

When it comes to suicide prevention, many of our nation’s veterans are being

underserved.

A recent investigative report by USA Today reveled that while the Veterans Crisis Line is

receiving calls at record levels, many hotline staffers were only handling one to five calls

each day, and leaving work early.

The overflow calls that can’t be taken by the hotline forward to backup centers and are

handled by counselors who don’t have access to veterans’ electronic medical records.

These counselors are also less experienced in dealing with former service members.

This network of 164 private, nonprofit phone banks also provides 24/7 services for the

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. A 2015 Inspector General investigation found that

some incoming calls from veterans went to voicemail after rolling over to the backup

centers.

The poor work habits of the Crisis Line staffers have resulted in 35 percent to 50 percent

of calls rolling.

The number of calls received by the VA suicide hotline increased almost 700 percent

from 2008 to 2015, according to a recent government audit.

A recent congressional investigative report questioned the call center’s responsiveness

to contacts made via mobile text, which found that four out of 14 test text messages did

not receive a response from VA staffers. Of the 10 test text messages that received a

response, eight were received within two minutes, and two were received within five

minutes.

“VA officials stated that text messages are expected to be answered immediately, but,

as with online chats, the VA has not yet developed formal performance standards for

how quickly responders should answer text messages,” auditors wrote.

VA deputy director Sloan Gibson and other officials said they are currently adding

counselors and taking steps to improve quality of care.

“I step back from this, and I look at it and I see a function, an activity, that has been

chronically undermanaged for years,” Gibson told USA Today.

PROVISION SCALES BACK FEDERAL JOB PREFERENCES

FOR VETERANS

By Debbie Gregory.

Congress has stepped into a sensitive issue that’s been quietly roiling the hiring system

for federal jobs: the Obama administration’s push to give preference to veterans.

While former service members would still go to the head of the hiring line, a little-

noticed provision of the new defense bill recently passed by the Senate would eliminate

the preference veterans get once they are in the government and apply for another

federal job.

Top defense officials pressed Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for the change in order to ensure

that qualified non-veterans are considered equally with veterans for specialized, hard-to-

fill positions.

The provision would affect thousands of veterans, many of whom get a foot in the door

with an entry-level position and then seek jobs at other agencies.

The provision has been fiercely opposed by leading service organizations, which had no

idea until the legislation was on the floor that the Senate was moving to chip away at

the government’s most visible effort to reward military service.

“Is Congress now starting to dial back the goodwill the country’s shown toward veterans’

employment?” asked Lauren Augustine, senior legislative associate for Iraq and

Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group. “Are we now going to set a bad

example to the private sector by limiting veterans preference in government?”

In 2009, Obama boosted the extra hiring credits given to veterans to give them a

greater edge in getting federal jobs.

But the down-side to the policy has been that qualified non-veterans are getting shut

out of federal jobs in deference to those who served, but may not be as qualified.

In 2014, almost half of those hired in full-time, permanent federal jobs were veterans.

The figures for 2015 have not yet been released.

A spokesman for the House Armed Services Committee said the committee has not

taken a position on the issue.

McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said last week that he does

not think the Senate provision hurts veterans’ preference but instead “balances the

goals of rewarding those who are eligible for a federal hiring advantage with the needs

of the federal government and notably the Department of Defense to attract and hire

the best talent for a variety of important national security jobs.”

Military Hero’s

Karen Henderson

Hometown: Alexandria, VA

Awarded: Bronze Star

The Story:

First Sgt. Henderson was deployed to Iraq for a year-long tour beginning in May 2005. Five months after arriving, Henderson’s command recognized her exceptional abilities, and she was reassigned from an administrative position to help with communications network systems. Upon taking this position, she became the only enlisted advisor at the Iraqi Ministry of Defense. Henderson worked with the Iraqi Director General of Communications to train Iraqis there and at the Iraqi Army division headquarters. In July 2006, Henderson was awarded the Bronze Star for her work.

Leigh Ann Hester

Home State: Kentucky

Awarded: Silver Star

The Story:

Sgt. Hester’s squad was following a supply convoy on March 20, 2005, in Iraq when insurgents ambushed the convoy. Her squad quickly moved into position, cutting off the enemy’s escape route. Hester led her team directly into the line of fire into a flanking position, and then began an assault on a trench line. She and her squad leader cleared two trenches. When the attack was over, 27 insurgents were dead, six were wounded, and one was captured. In June 2005, Hester was the first woman soldier since World War II to be awarded the Silver Star Medal.

Veterans Administration

http://www.va.gov/

VA staff helps homeless Veteran reunite with family after 22 years

German A. Leon was born in Panama. He moved to the U.S. as a teenager with his mother and two sisters, and enlisted in the Army at the age of 18. According to Leon, much of his life following military service is hazy, and he can’t recall details other than he had lived with his mother and sisters as a young adult.

Patrice Green, a social worker at the Atlanta VA Medical Center, took an interest in Leon’s case.

Veteran German Leon at the Gateway facility in Atlanta, which provides temporary shelter for homeless Veterans.

“I asked him how long he had been wandering around homeless, and he replied ‘years and years’,” Green said.

Now 53, Leon had been homeless for nearly half his life and for 10 years in the Atlanta area. He’d been living in parks, wooded areas, under highway overpasses or in temporary homeless shelters. He had no identification of his own, which was needed to apply for benefits, housing or for him to receive assistance of any kind.

Leon had not had contact with his family for at least 22 years, and couldn’t begin to guess where they might be. He knew their names, which he shared with Green. It was a start.

A group of VA social workers from Atlanta began the search for Leon’s family using sites like People Search and through contact with the U.S. Immigration office. When they hit a dead end, one of them suggested turning to social media — in this case, Facebook — as a resource.

With Leon’s permission, they used fragments of information from People Search to craft a Facebook post, including the names of Leon’s two sisters.

The next day, Green received a phone call from one of the sisters. She’d seen the post and asked Green if it was a joke. Green assured her that it was not; her brother was being cared for by VA. The sister said that the family had been looking for Leon, and expressed that she wanted to come pick him up so they could be together.

“I’ve been a social worker for 30 years and I’ve never experienced a case like this,” Green explained, saying it reminded her of “why I do what I do and why I choose to work for the VA.”

With help from the sisters, VA staff was able to collection missing information about Leon, including his original immigration documents and reunite him with his sister. Unfortunately Leon’s mother passed away earlier in the year.

Veteran German Leon with his sister Marta Judge Sallie.

The sisters say their mother “never gave up hope” that Leon would come home someday.

Leon now resides with his sisters in Charleston, South Carolina.

The care VA provided Leon was arranged through the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans program (HCHV), which aims to provide temporary shelter for homeless Veterans. The goal of the program is to reduce homelessness among Veterans by conducting outreach to those who are the most vulnerable and not currently receiving services and engaging them in treatment and rehabilitative programs.

If you know a homeless Veteran in need of help, dial 1-877-4AID-VET to reach the National Homeless Veterans Call Center.

Prosthetics lab walk-through at Boston VA facility

Certified prosthetist Eric Lydon gives us an inside look

To learn more about the work VA does daily for Veterans, the MyVA Advisory Committee (MVAC) recently took a tour of the prosthetics lab at the Jamaica Plain VA facility in Boston. Certified prosthetist Eric Lydon showed the group different types of prosthetics he has been working on, and the process they go through when using enhanced technology to meet a Veteran’s needs.

After the demonstrations for the MVAC group, Lydon was nice enough to give our digital media team a walk-through of the laboratory. He gives us a brief step-by-step of how the

staff in the lab would create a prosthetic for a Veteran. The process starts with a negative cast and ends with a diagnostic mold.

Million Veteran Program draws on the power of collaboration

The health care we receive today is based on research done in the past. The United States has a strong research infrastructure that works to improve our understanding of health and disease, yet the role and contribution of the VA may not be fully recognized. In particular, the ongoing VA Million Veteran Program (MVP), in collaboration with university affiliates and the Department of Energy, has the potential to improve the health of, and health care for, Veterans and all Americans.

Conducting research to improve health care is not new to VA. For example, the first antibiotic treatment for tuberculosis was developed and tested by VA in the late 1940s, at the same time that British researchers were studying the same drug (streptomycin). Similar efforts eventually led to the development of the VA Cooperative Studies Program in the early 1970s. That program has since completed more than 175 studies evaluating risk factors or treatments for heart disease, cancer, mental health, and many other disorders.

Now, in the 21st century, the science of genomics and the delivery of precision medicine are the new frontier. Genomics can be defined as the study of the structure and function of our genes, and precision medicine can be defined as an approach to health care that takes into account variability in genes, environmental exposures, and lifestyle habits for each

person. Together, advances in these fields have the potential to improve the prevention, detection, and treatment of various diseases and disorders. MVP—developed within the existing VA research infrastructure and also a component of the president’s Precision Medicine Initiative—addresses this potential.

As the nation’s largest genomic biobank, MVP has enrolled nearly 500,000 participants as of July 2016 at more than 50 VA sites. Enrollees provide a blood sample for genomic analyses, complete a questionnaire, and consent to have their medical records reviewed. By combining genomic, environmental, and clinical data, researchers who receive permission to use MVP data (in a secure computing environment) can perform cutting-edge studies.

While MVP is conducted by the VA Office of Research and Development, it also benefits from collaboration with outside partners. For example, university affiliates provide very specific expertise that can supplement VA teams conducting MVP research; conversely, most VA researchers are on the faculty at affiliated medical schools. In addition, VA and the Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced a new collaboration to apply powerful computational assets at DOE National Labs to MVP.

In both of these situations, efficiencies and cost-savings are realized by sharing knowledge and resources—benefitting Veterans and all Americans.

The “products” of MVP will accrue over time, with the initial VA-based studies focusing on cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mental health. Plans are ongoing to expand access, both within VA and the Department of Defense, as well as to scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health. In the long run, MVP and similar initiatives have the potential to accelerate our understanding of disease detection, progression, prevention, and treatment. Today’s MVP will help to improve tomorrow’s health care.

Strength in numbers: A new women’s treatment program in Boston shows promise through camaraderie

At the Boston VA they’re trying something a little different to help women Veterans. It’s called togetherness. Lots of it.

“We provide a place for them to come and be with other women who have been through similar experiences,” said Dr. Sharon Baker, a clinical psychologist who oversees the Women’s Integrated Treatment and Recovery Program at the Boston VA’s Brockton Campus. “They’re together all day. We have a full kitchen here, so they can all make their meals in there if they want to. They cook together, they eat together. These women are basically living together for 10 weeks. It’s the power of the group and it’s the core of our program. The whole point of group therapy is to feel connected to others, to feel respected, to not feel like you’re being judged.”

Power of the sisterhood

Baker said the power of the group is a critical component of the program, but equally important is the power of the sisterhood.

“Many of these patients have never had the opportunity to be in a program with just women,” she noted. “It’s a tremendous advantage, because the things they need to talk about are things they don’t feel comfortable talking about in a mixed group. As far as I know, our program is unique within the VA because of its equal emphasis on substance abuse and trauma in women.”

So how is this new approach to healing and recovery panning out? What really happens when you put seven or eight women together for 10 weeks?

“This is the first all-female program I’ve been to, so I didn’t know what to expect,” said Rachelle, a 31-year-old former Marine. “I thought there might be some cattiness. But there’s been nothing but love. It was sort of a surprise. Honestly, some of the best therapy I’ve had here is just talking with the other girls. I’m an introvert, so I’ve always had trouble letting

other people in. But I’m comfortable with it now; I feel like I’ve been able to open up because we’re all sisters here. It’s kind of crazy; we’ve only known one another for six weeks but it feels like these women have been my friends for years.

“I’m in a good place right now,” she added. “I finally feel like there’s hope. I haven’t felt like that in a long time.”

Making powerful connections

Baker noted that good chemistry in the group makes a huge difference. “This group is particularly connected,” she said. “It doesn’t always happen like that, but when it does its magic.”

One of Baker’s patients who is definitely feeling the magic is 51-year-old Ingra, a Navy Veteran.

Dr. Sharon Baker talks to a Veteran participating in the program.

“I’ve felt connection before in my life, but not like this,” she said. “This is a whole different level. I used to isolate a lot; I didn’t want to go anywhere. I had no desire to do anything. But now I’m with people who understand where I am. All these women are my friends now. We carry each other. When someone doesn’t have strength to carry on, we carry her until she’s strong again.”

Always looking out for each other

Ingra said if someone happens to be missing from the group for too long; a rescue mission is organized in fairly short order.

“If one of us isn’t feeling well, if they’re off somewhere by themselves, it’s like a piece of you is missing,” she said. “So we go find that person and try to find out what’s wrong. We can’t let her just be by herself.”

Another Navy Veteran, 58-year-old JoAnn, described the sisterhood as a powerful force in her road to recovery.

“We have a buddy system,” she said. “So if I’m having a bad day and I’m isolating, they’ll all come looking for me. They’ll say, ‘C’mon, let’s talk.’

“I was always kind of a loner, so this program has really opened my eyes,” she continued. “Everyone is here to help you stay clean and sober. I had to wait 58 years to get here, but I’ve never felt better in my life.”

Dr. Sharon Baker said fear of relationships and a tendency to isolate are hallmarks of long-term, chronic PTSD.

“A number of these women weren’t even able to leave their house before they came here,” she said. “Some of them couldn’t even leave their bedroom. But here it’s different. It’s hard to isolate when you’re living with six or seven other women who care about you.”

The psychologist noted that 80 percent of the women who enter her program are the victims of military sexual trauma, also known as MST.

“The rest have combat trauma, and some have both,” she said. “But we accept women with any type of trauma, even if it occurred in childhood. Trauma is trauma. The problem for a lot of the women we see here is they couldn’t tell anyone about their MST. They were afraid to tell anyone, or they did try to tell someone and no one would listen. But we listen.”

One step at a time

But can years of post-traumatic stress and addiction be vanquished in just 10 weeks?

“Our job is to help them settle down so they can build a foundation of skills that will help them manage their lives once they leave here,” Baker observed. “But it’s a challenge. Having these two problems, PTSD combined with substance abuse, is really hard. That’s why we strongly encourage them to continue their involvement with the VA once they leave our treatment program. We don’t want them returning to their old ways, because if they do their prognosis isn’t good.”

Mastering your emotions and saying goodbye to negative thinking are important ingredients in the recovery recipe, Baker said. But they are not the only ingredients.

“In addition to working on their coping skills and their relationships with others, we’re also trying to help these women develop self-compassion,” she said. “That’s one of the first things I ask them when they arrive here: ‘How many of you feel compassion toward yourselves?’ Almost none of them do. They can feel compassion for a stranger who is suffering. But they’re unable to feel compassion for themselves, even though they’re suffering terribly.”

Another of Baker’s patients, Karen, agreed that self-compassion is something she’s not too familiar with.

“I’ve had a hard time with that,” admitted the 53-year-old Army Veteran. “I’ve been numb for so many years that I’m still trying to figure out what my emotions are. Sometimes I feel like a little kid. But everyone is very supportive. Everyone is helping me. I feel comfortable here, and safe.”

Visit the VA’s Center for Women Veterans website to learn more about health care and other resources available to women Veterans.

Coping with the aftereffects of MST? Learn how the VA can help.

Respectively Submitted,

Bruce W. Skipton VFW Post 1260 Surgeon/Service Officer