Veteran News - Week of July 8, 2011

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VA Creates Women Veterans Call Center

Major Outreach Effort Launched
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has embarked on a major initiative to reach out to women Veterans in order to solicit their input on ways to enhance the health care services VA provides to women Veterans.

“We are taking a proactive approach to enhancing VA health care for women Veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We are seeking the input of women Veterans so that VA can continue to provide high quality health care to the growing numbers of women Veterans.”
Representatives at VA’s Health Resource Center (HRC) are placing calls to women Veterans nationwide, asking them to share their experiences with VA and suggest potential enhancements that will further VA’s mission to provide the best care anywhere.

Women Veterans are one of the fastest growing segments of the Veteran population. Of the 22.7 million living Veterans, more than 1.8 million are women. They comprise nearly 8 percent of the total Veteran population and 6 percent of all Veterans who use VA health care services.

VA estimates by 2020 women Veterans will constitute 10 percent of the Veteran population and 9.5 percent of VA patients. The HRC, which started placing calls on June 1, is contacting women Veterans who have enrolled, but have not begun using VA services.

“Through this contact center, we are placing friendly, conversational calls to women Veterans,” said Patricia Hayes, chief consultant of the VA’s Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group. “We want these Veterans and their caregivers to talk candidly about why they are not using VA, whether they are aware of the gender-specific services we offer, and what additional services they would like to see VA offer.”

The HRC representatives making the calls are also informing women Veterans about the services VA offers and quickly connecting them with appropriate departments if they are interested in trying VA health care. Veterans who have complaints about VA are connected to a patient advocate who helps resolve issues.

VA has trained professionals in all aspects of women’s health, including general primary care, osteoporosis management, heart disease, mental health care, menopausal services and obesity-related issues, such as diabetes. Preventive screenings for breast and cervical cancer are also areas in which VA excels. Soon, all

VA facilities will offer comprehensive primary care for women from a single provider.
The Women Veterans Health Care program has made significant changes in the last few years to enhance the health care offered to eligible women Veterans. This progress includes:

· Adopting key policies to improve access and enhance services for women Veterans;
· Implementing comprehensive primary care for women Veterans;
· Conducting cutting-edge research on the effects of military service on women’s lives;
· Improving communication and outreach to women Veterans; and
· Providing mental health, homelessness and other services designed to meet the unique needs of women Veterans

For more information about VA programs and services for women Veterans, please visit: www.va.gov/womenvet and www.publichealth.va.gov/womenshealth.


DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

The Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Documents Home Page is http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/. This website contains information regarding VHA-wide policies, procedures, requirements and other information of general applicability. The VHA Forms, Publications and Records Management Service of the VHA Office of Information maintains the content. Most documents are available in PDF format only so you need to have the latest, free Adobe Acrobat Reader on your PC. Below is a sample of VHA documents currently available:

VHA Handbook 1163.02, Therapeutic and Supported Employment Services Program, has been approved for publication; it can be found on the following websites within 48 hours:

http://vaww1.va.gov/vhapublications/

http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/

VHA Handbook 1163.03, Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Centers (PRRC), has been approved for publication; it can be found on the following websites within 48 hours:

http://vaww1.va.gov/vhapublications/

http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/

VHA HB 1163.04, Psychosocial Rehabilitation Family Services, has been approved for publication; it can be found on the following websites within 48 hours:

http://vaww1.va.gov/vhapublications/

http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/

VHA Dir 2011-028, Incarcerated Veterans who are Released from Prison or Jail to a Temporary Housing Program

http://vaww1.va.gov/vhapublications/

http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/


HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

Getting Veterans Back to Work

In the film Larry Crowne, a 50-something Navy veteran is laid off from his job at a megastore because he can’t compete against college-educated workers. Played by Tom Hanks, Crowne enrolls in college to learn new skills in order to be competitive in the 21st-century workforce.

Unfortunately, this isn’t just Hollywood storytelling; it is a depiction of the economic environment our veterans face. We celebrated our independence last weekend and then returned to work as usual. But nearly 14 million Americans did not. Among them are nearly 1 million unemployed veterans, men and women who preserved the right for the rest of us to celebrate our nation’s 235th birthday.

Like Larry Crowne, two-thirds of unemployed veterans are between the ages of 35 and 64, and many face skills and training deficits. The remaining third are younger than 35; some were as young as ten on 9/11, and forfeited safety and education knowing they would likely serve in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Veterans have the leadership, integrity, and ingenuity employers often seek. Yet, there is a disconnect between employers and veterans in translating the experiences that hail from the battlefield to work on Main Street USA. In some cases, it is the basics, such as résumé writing, a skill not taught at boot camp. In others, it is the inability to compete in the global marketplace.

Over the next two years, we will see an influx of active-duty military members transitioning to veteran status as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down. We must ensure that America’s veterans have the education and skills to find employment as they return home.

We have already set in place the building blocks for many of today’s veterans. Through the Post-9/11 GI Bill, eligible veterans are getting college degrees, enrolling in on-the-job training programs, and training in specialized fields such as aviation in higher numbers than ever before. Read more.

To learn more about the Veteran Opportunity to Work Act of 2011 (VOW), please visit: Veterans.House.Gov/Jobs.

For more news from House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, please visit:

Veterans.House.Gov

Find us on Facebook at: www.Facebook.com/HouseVetsAffairs

Follow us on Twitter at: @HouseVetAffairs and on YouTube at: YouTube.com/HouseVetsAffairs

VETERANS BILLS COST ESTIMATES FOR THE 112th Congress


S. 745, A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to protect certain veterans who would otherwise be subject to a reduction in educational assistance benefits, and for other purposes
July 7, 2011 pdf
Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs on June 29, 2011

S. 951, Hiring Heroes Act of 2011
July 7, 2011 pdf
Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs on June 29, 2011

S. 572, A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to repeal the prohibition on collective bargaining with respect to matters and questions regarding compensation of employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs other than rates of basic
July 6, 2011 pdf
Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs on June 29, 2011

S. 894, Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2011
July 5, 2011 pdf
Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs on June 29, 2011

H.R. 290, War Memorial Protection Act
July 5, 2011 pdf
Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on May 25, 2011

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
July 06, 2011


Statement by the President on Change of Condolence Letter Policy

As Commander in Chief, I am deeply grateful for the service of all our men and women in uniform, and grieve for the loss of those who suffer from the wounds of war - seen and unseen. Since taking office, I’ve been committed to removing the stigma associated with the unseen wounds of war, which is why I’ve worked to expand our mental health budgets, and ensure that all our men and women in uniform receive the care they need.

As a next step and in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the military chain of command, I have also decided to reverse a long-standing policy of not sending condolence letters to the families of service members who commit suicide while deployed to a combat zone. This decision was made after a difficult and exhaustive review of the former policy, and I did not make it lightly. This issue is emotional, painful, and complicated, but these Americans served our nation bravely. They didn’t die because they were weak. And the fact that they didn’t get the help they needed must change. Our men and women in uniform have borne the incredible burden of our wars, and we need to do everything in our power to honor their service, and to help them stay strong for themselves, for their families and for our nation.