May162012
In Case You Missed It
May 9, 2012
| AP
Lawmakers question VA's plans to hire more staff
Members of Congress expressed doubts Tuesday on plans by the Department of Veterans Affairs' to hire 1,900 additional workers to improve access to mental health care. Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House committee with jurisdiction over veterans' issues, said the VA's plans to beef up staffing looked like a knee-jerk reaction to a critical inspector general's investigation that was in the works.
May 7, 2012
| PVA MAGAZINE
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS IDENTIFIES ISSUES WITH VA MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
On March 27, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a hearing entitled, “From the Ground Up: Assessing Ongoing Delays in VA Major Construction.” The purpose of the hearing was to address delays in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) construction process, and identify why the completion of multiple facilities has been delayed several years past original completion dates. The committee focused on four medical facilities still under construction in Las Vegas, Denver, New Orleans, and Orlando (Fla.).
May 7, 2012
| MILITARY TIMES
Panel to vote: Shield vets spending from cuts?
The House Budget Committee is poised to pass two measures on Monday to avoid across-the-board federal budget cuts in January and also restore $8 billion in previously approved defense cuts.
May 7, 2012
| HUMAN EVENTS
Administration should shift Veterans Affairs funds to care for Marines, families harmed at Camp Lejeune
While Americans disagree on foreign policy, everyone can agree that our warriors and their families should be given the best medical treatment for ailments from their time of service. That certainly is the case for more than 750,000 people who might have been contaminated by harmful chemicals in the tap water at Marine Corps Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The contamination struck from 1957 to 1987.
May 4, 2012
| WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA
Lest We Forget – Guest Contributor Rep. Jeff Miller of Florida
I attended Wreaths Across America at Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola, Florida, this past Christmas. Barrancas is the final resting place to more than 40,000 veterans and their loved ones. The cemetery traces its roots back to the Civil War, where both Union and Confederate soldiers were buried in the cemetery’s 94 picturesque acres onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola.
Apr 30, 2012
| MILITARY.COM
Bill Would Move Vet Jobs Programs to VA
The House Veterans Affairs Committee sent a bill to the full House on Friday that would move veteran-specific job training program and homeless vet reintegration programs from the Department of Labor to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Apr 27, 2012
| UPI
Obama to sign executive order for veterans
U.S. veterans need protection from schools that exploit them, siphoning off educational benefits and luring them into debt, President Barack Obama says.
Apr 27, 2012
| MILITARY TIMES
Obama cracks down on schools targeting troops
President Obama is wrapping up a week of talking about student loans with the signing of an executive order that attempts to limit deceptive or misleading practices by schools that target current and former service members and their families.
Apr 27, 2012
| TAMPA BAY TIMES
Rep. Bilirakis wants VA to approve Haley polytrauma project
Three Florida lawmakers are urging the Department of Veterans Affairs to move forward with a major construction project at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center that a VA cost analysis said would more than pay for itself over the next 30 years.
Apr 27, 2012
| THE DAY
State working to keep the jobs promise for returning veterans
As many as 8,000 veterans will return to Connecticut as the military draws down its forces overseas and cuts personnel, and the state is getting ready for them
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