VA media summary and news clips for Feb 1, 2016 by Lion Integrated Solutions, LLC

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

1. Top Stories 1.1 - The Wall Street Journal (AP): Gillibrand urges change in VA rules on medical marijuana (31 January, 41.5M online visitors/mo; New York, NY) U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wants the Department of Veterans Affairs to allow its doctors to discuss medical marijuana with patients in states where medical marijuana is legal. Gillibrand is holding a news conference at her Manhattan office Sunday to urge a change in the current VA policy. Hyperlink to Above 1.2 - FOX News (Video): VA official accused of stealing $130,000 to be reinstated (31 January, 23M online visitors/mo; New York, NY) In this two-minute video, CVA’s Dan Caldwell is interviewed on Kimberly Graves’ reinstatement and Diana Rubens’ case. Hyperlink to Above 1.3 - NY1 News (Video): Senator Gillibrand Says Veterans Should be Allowed Access to Medical Marijuana in States Where it is Legal (31 January, 781k online visitors/mo; New York, NY) Senator Kirsten Gillbrand is calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs to change its medical marijuana policy. Gillibrand says veterans should be allowed to choose medical marijuana as a treatment option where it is legal, such as New York, and that VA doctors should be allowed to recommend it. Hyperlink to Above 1.4 - Union-Bulletin: Veterans Choice program under federal probe. The program promised to allow users timely and more local care (31 January, Sheila Hagar, 49k online visitors/mo; Walla Walla, WA) Prompted by a new push from several members of Congress, the Government Accounting Office announced it will audit the program the VA debuted in November of 2014 as an answer to the lack of access to timely care at its medical centers nationwide, including Walla Walla’s. Hyperlink to Above 2. Access to Benefits/Care 2.1 - The Advocate: HHS Rules Trans Woman Entitled to Surgery Under Medicare (31 January, Cleis Abeni, 3.1M online visitors/mo; Los Angeles, CA) [T]he United States Department of Health and Human Services has ruled for the first time that a transgender person is entitled to gender-confirming surgery under Medicare, according to a statement sent to The Advocate by the case’s attorney, Ezra Young. Young represents Charlene Lauderdale, a retired master sergeant in the Air Force, a purple heart recipient, and a trans woman who has waited years to receive the trans-affirming health care from the Veterans Administration…

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

Hyperlink to Above 2.2 - Tallahassee Democrat: Veteran laid to rest at VA cemetery (31 January, Mimi Shaw, 895k online visitors/mo; Tallahassee, FL) Our new VA National Cemetery does an amazing job of providing dignity and honor to our deceased Veterans and their families. Our family has a great sense of relief knowing that Dad is here. All Veterans and their families can rest assured that our New VA National Cemetery is class and honor personified. So proud to live in Tallahassee. Hyperlink to Above 2.3 - CBS New York (AP, Audio): Gillibrand: VA Medical Marijuana Policy Discriminates Against Vets (31 January, 791k online visitors/mo; New York, NY) U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wants the Department of Veterans Affairs to allow its doctors to discuss medical marijuana with patients in states where medical marijuana is legal. Gillibrand held a news conference at her Manhattan office Sunday to urge a change in the current VA policy. Hyperlink to Above 2.4 - Las Vegas Review-Journal: Phone system glitch persists for suicide calls to VA Medical Center (31 January, Keith Rogers, 715k online visitors/mo; Las Vegas, NV) More than 10 months have passed since Michael Grubler alerted Veterans Affairs officials to a glitch in the phone system when veterans contemplating suicide call the VA Medical Center in North Las Vegas. Hyperlink to Above 2.5 - The Blade: Veterans building cathartic (1 February, Glenn H. Kistler, 590k online visitors/mo; Toledo, OH) Every time I visit the new Veterans Affairs Toledo Outpatient Clinic on Detroit Avenue, I leave feeling better (“Plaque to get new home,” Jan. 28). The building is laid out well and all the employees are polite and helpful. Hyperlink to Above 2.6 - Military Times (Video): Lab-grown testicles give new hope to wounded vets (31 January, Patricia Kime, 482k online visitors/mo; Springfield, VA) “Injuries in our young, wounded warriors have definitely made additional investments possible in the field of regenerative medicine and accelerated development of these technologies,” said Dr. Anthony Atala, director at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Among the projects gaining traction at Wake Forest is an initiative to grow testicles from testicular stem cells taken from injured patients. Hyperlink to Above 2.7 - Killeen Daily Herald: VA: Help available and wait times short for PTSD treatment (31 January, Jacob Brooks, 196k online visitors/mo; Killeen, TX) As post-traumatic stress disorder continues to make headlines in Central Texas, the Department of Veterans Affairs has an online form for those who think they may have PTSD. The online form includes 17 questions.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

Hyperlink to Above 2.8 - The Norman Transcript: Veterans in crisis: Part 3. Solving the problem of U.S. veterans in the justice system (31 January, Jessica Bruha and Mack Burke, 73k online visitors/mo; Norman, OK) For years, District Judge Lori Walkley has worked with others on a program helping veterans before their issues become legal problems. Cleveland County is running a kind of veterans court in the drug court with some help from grant money, but Walkley said it needs to be a standalone program. Hyperlink to Above 2.9 - Union-Bulletin: Bill aims to hasten VA scheduling. Using available commercial software — not spending $624M to develop a new system — is what is needed, bill sponsors say (31 January, Sheila Hagar, 49k online visitors/mo; Walla Walla, WA) Despite shakeups and changes at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs over the past 20 months, scheduling vets for medical appointment still takes too long, has too many hurdles and is too expensive, said U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Hyperlink to Above 2.10 - The News Record: City to join new program for veterans (31 January, Samantha Hall, 900 online visitors/day; Cincinnati, OH) Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley launched the Veterans Economic Communities Initiative (VECI) Wednesday in an effort to increase employment and educational opportunities for veterans. The initiative’s goal is to combine national and local services to better the families of veterans, military members and service members through private and public organizations, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Hyperlink to Above 3. Ending Veterans’ Homelessness 3.1 - Baltimore Sun: Baltimore County to ban housing discrimination against veterans (31 January, Pamela Wood, 3.4M online visitors/mo; Baltimore, MD) The Baltimore County Council plans to pass a law Monday to bar discrimination against military veterans in renting and selling homes. While Councilman Todd Crandell, a Dundalk Republican, conceived of the bill, all six of his colleagues have signed on as sponsors, ensuring the measure's passage. Hyperlink to Above 3.2 - Daily Press: Homeless experience inspires book written by a 5-year-old Hampton boy (1 February, Hugh Lessig, 725k online visitors/mo; Newport News, VA) Nakisha and Gary are veterans — eight years in the Navy for her, 12 years in the Air Force for him. Their experience offers a look into the larger problem of veteran homelessness, which Virginia has brought into focus. In November, Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced that Virginia had functionally ended veteran homelessness in the state, although it remains an ongoing challenge.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

Hyperlink to Above 4. Ending the Claims Backlog – No coverage 5. Veteran Opportunities for Education/GI Bill – No coverage 6. Women Veterans – No coverage 7. Other 7.1 - Stars and Stripes: Oppose asbestos industry bill (31 January, 1.2M online visitors/mo; Washington, DC) Last month, 211 members of the House voted for a proposal that puts many of our fellow veterans who are ill and likely dying from asbestos-triggered diseases at greater risk of becoming victims of identity theft. The legislation, known as the FACT Act, is the brainchild of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and some of its biggest members of the asbestos manufacturing and utilization industries. Hyperlink to Above 7.2 - Odessa American: 'American Sniper' statue coming soon (31 January, Corey Paul, 100k online visitors/mo; Odessa, TX) Members of a foundation building a memorial statue of slain Navy sniper Chris Kyle say they expect to finish the project in time for a May unveiling at the Veteran Affairs clinic off Highway 191. In recent weeks, a crew laid three massive pieces of limestone at the site, weighing a total of more than 40,000 pounds, which will form the foundation for the statue of Kyle, an Odessa native. Hyperlink to Above 7.3 - Estherville Daily News: Bush: “We’re in this together.” Jeb Bush speaks to morning crowd in Okoboji Saturday (31 January, Amy H. Peterson, 27k online visitors/mo; Estherville, IA) "When I am president, I will change the way veterans' affairs serves our veterans. Those who served deserve the best care, and they're not getting it," Bush said. "The administration is not short of bureaucrats, but it is short of doctors and nurses, and veterans have died from having no care!...” Hyperlink to Above 7.4 - The American Conservative: Stop Pandering to Veterans. Advocates for returning service members want serious engagement—not rhetoric used to score partisan points (1 February, Kelley Vlahos, Washington, DC) After covering veterans issues for 20 years, beginning with PTSD among Vietnam veterans, then Gulf War Illness, and now a whole new war, this reporter can tell you there is nothing that provokes veterans more than politicians suggesting they are crazy and unfit for society.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

Hyperlink to Above

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

1.2 - FOX News (Video): VA official accused of stealing $130,000 to be reinstated (31 January, 23M online visitors/mo; New York, NY) In this two-minute video, CVA’s Dan Caldwell is interviewed on Kimberly Graves’ reinstatement and Diana Rubens’ case. Back to Top

1.3 - NY1 News (Video): Senator Gillibrand Says Veterans Should be Allowed Access to Medical Marijuana in States Where it is Legal (31 January, 781k online visitors/mo; New York, NY) Senator Kirsten Gillbrand is calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs to change its medical marijuana policy. Gillibrand says veterans should be allowed to choose medical marijuana as a treatment option where it is legal, such as New York, and that VA doctors should be allowed to recommend it. Current VA policy does not allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana, a policy that is up for renewal tomorrow. Critics such as the Drug Free America Foundation say that marijuana is a harmful drug.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

New York is one of 23 states where medical marijuana is legal and has eight dispensaries throughout the state. Back to Top

1.4 - Union-Bulletin: Veterans Choice program under federal probe. The program promised to allow users timely and more local care (31 January, Sheila Hagar, 49k online visitors/mo; Walla Walla, WA) The Veterans Choice program, designed to eliminate some of the woes plaguing the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system, is scheduled for a federal examination of its own problems. Prompted by a new push from several members of Congress, the Government Accounting Office announced it will audit the program the VA debuted in November of 2014 as an answer to the lack of access to timely care at its medical centers nationwide, including Walla Walla’s. Long wait times for medical appointments erupted in a scandal at the VA center in Phoenix, Ariz., in April 2014. Investigations showed significant and chronic care system failures had resulted in delayed care and deaths of veterans. Key players involved in covering up waiting list practices included Phoenix VA Director Sharon Helman, who headed the Walla Walla medical center in 2007-2008 and was fired from the federal VA system in November 2014. The Veterans Choice program promised to allow users timely and more local care. Veterans who have waited more than 30 days for VA care or who live more than 40 miles from a VA medical facility can use the program, and get outside care paid for by the VA. The program was initially funded at $10 million but has been slow to roll out, federal officials say. That’s been to the detriment of veterans here and everywhere, noted Washington State Veterans’ Affairs Advisory Committee chairman Don Schack. He and other veterans met with U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., on Jan. 21 to discuss Veterans Choice. Earlier in the month, on Jan. 8, McMorris Rodgers and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., introduced a bill called the Faster Care for Veterans Act 2016. “We told her we didn’t like what we’re hearing,” Schack said Friday, adding that problems remain in trying to use the program. Veterans are forced to jump hoops each time they seek care outside Walla Walla’s Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial Veterans Affairs Medical Center campus, beginning with asking a VA doctor or nurse to authorize the request, he said.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

And there’s no guarantee a non-VA appointment can be scheduled within the 30-day window the VA is mandated to strive for. “They have their own patients already to see,” Schack said of private providers outside the VA system. His organization has urged local VA officials to consider creating a walk-in clinic on the Wainwright campus, but has been told Veterans Choice is capable of handling the need and such a clinic will not happen, he said. Schack said an appointment call center at Wainwright has done nothing to change the picture. “They have a state-of-the-art call center out there, but you can have the finest system known to mankind and if you don’t have the providers for the appointments, what the hell good is it?” he said. “Gosh, I tell you, every time the boys and I go out there, the same thing comes up. One fellow, it took him 91 days to get a hearing appointment. The Choice card system is just not working.” Schack said once he gets in to see a doctor, the care he receives is top-notch. The doctor, however, is overburdened with paper forms and computer work. “What happened to good, old-fashioned doctor care,” he said. “We have to get Congress to say, ‘Hey, it’s time to clean house. Give us a card like Medicare, and do away with the VA ... It’s time to totally take the VA, top to bottom, and clean house.” Walla Walla VA employees, who say they fear retribution if they are named, told the UnionBulletin Veterans Choice is as confusing for them as it for patients. Problems include the following: Once a private-provider appointment is approved it can take up to 10 days to notify the veteran he or she is free to set up the visit. Sometimes the system makes the appointment but fails to alert the veteran. Thus the VA gets billed for a “no-show” patient. In some cases multiple appointments are made for the same patient for the same health issue. VA employees who are supposed act as patient advocates lack information about how Veterans Choice works. “We don’t have a clue. We do not know,” one employee told the U-B. Walla Walla area providers currently accepting Veterans Choice include Providence St. Mary Medical Center, Walla Walla Adventist Health, Kadlec Regional Medical Center and Walla Walla Clinic, officials for those facilities said. Brian Westfield, director of the Walla Walla VA, said in a statement on Friday it is not beneficial to talk about the upcoming audit without “definitive information.”

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

An audit by the Office of the Inspector General, in a report released Jan. 12, said $1.9 billion of $4.8 billion designated for medical care outside the VA system went unspent in 2013. From October of 2013 to March 2014, VA officials overestimated the funds needed to pay for non-VA services by about $543 million. That money was then unnecessarily tied up in 2013, the report said. Also, national news organizations report numerous health providers are declining to work with the Veterans Choice program, citing reasons that include nonpayment and a burdensome communication process. The push for the new, GAO audit was led by U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., and Sens. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. Slaughter said in a news release she was prompted to urge more accountability of Veterans Choice due to concerns she heard from constituents that the program isn’t working. She said she wants a comprehensive review of the VA’s ability to implement and properly manage the multibillion dollar program, which two third-party administrators — Health Net and Tri-West — were awarded $5 billion and $4.3 billion, respectively, to implement the program. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Thursday she began calling for an overhaul of Veterans Choice last fall after hearing from veterans across Washington state who continue to experience inconsistent care through the program.. “I look forward to seeing the results of the GAO audit so we can continue to push the VA to deliver the care our veterans deserve,” she added. In a speech on the Senate floor in October, Murray said the payment issue needs reform and that consistent and simpler procedures must be implemented for health care providers to deliver care, report back to the VA and get paid quickly. The VA recently announced plans to switch from individually checking each provider claim, to instead automatically processing payments, then conducting periodic audits. That should significantly speed up payments to non-VA facilities, Murray’s staff said. GAO spokesman Ned Griffith said the audit of the Veterans Choice program is expected to begin this coming spring. In the meantime the agency is finishing a mandated review looking at the timeliness of VA payments to non-VA providers. That report should be out in April, Griffith added. Back to Top

2. Access to Benefits/Care 2.1 - The Advocate: HHS Rules Trans Woman Entitled to Surgery Under Medicare (31 January, Cleis Abeni, 3.1M online visitors/mo; Los Angeles, CA)

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

In a landmark decision, the United States Department of Health and Human Services has ruled for the first time that a transgender person is entitled to gender-confirming surgery under Medicare, according to a statement sent to The Advocate by the case’s attorney, Ezra Young. Young represents Charlene Lauderdale, a retired master sergeant in the Air Force, a purple heart recipient, and a trans woman who has waited years to receive the trans-affirming health care from the Veterans Administration through an HMO called United Healthcare/AARP Medicare Complete. The HMO now has the right to bring suit against HHS in federal trial court to contest the decision within 30 days. “This decision sends a clear message. No transgender person may be denied surgical benefits simply because of outdated ideas regarding transgender health care,” says Young in the statement, and he emphasizes that, “genital reconstruction surgery is not experimental, and it is not cosmetic. It is life-saving treatment. Ms. Lauderdale, a decorated combat veteran, has shown true courage while patiently waiting years for the healthcare to which she is entitled as a right. Through her persistence, it is our hope that many others will now be able to obtain the health care they have been so long denied. I am only saddened by those for whom this decision has come too late.” The HHS ruling is particularly affirming for Lauderdale who claimed in a 2014 report from KPRC Houston to have endured pronounced transphobic mistreatment from the VA hospital: “They called me, 'sir,' or 'fag in a dress.' They told me, ‘You don’t deserve treatment anyway and I don’t want to be bothered by people like yourself,' and I just want to be treated like every other veteran that goes to the VA hospital,” Lauderdale told KPRC Houston. The VA hospital reportedly acknowledged Lauderdale’s gender dysphoria and provided her with hormone therapy, but failed to provide full gender-confirming surgery, according to ABC13. In 2014, HHS lifted the Medicare Ban on gender-confirming surgeries. But, the action two years ago did not mean that health insurers who rely on Medicare were required to provide genderconfirming surgery, and many private health plans still deny trans patients the surgery. Currently, HHS is deliberating whether to implement section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which “would effectively prohibit the same types of transgender exclusions challenged by Lauderdale in almost all private health plans in the nation,” says the statement. “I proudly served our country in the Air Force,” says Lauderdale in the statement, “I fought so that our country could remain the beacon of liberty and justice that its ideals call for. Today, this is a victory for the inalienable rights that we as Americans have justice and fairness under our Constitution. I am so relieved that I can now get the medical care that I have needed for so long.” The HHS ruling also marks the most definitive endorsement yet of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health standards of care for medically necessary trans healthcare. The HHS decision closely follows WPATH’s standards. "This welcome decision is a testament to the dedication of those healthcare providers who have persisted in researching and treating transgender and gender-nonconforming people," says Jamison Green, president of WPATH in the statement, "The WPATH standards of care are

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

informed by medical evidence, expert consensus, and the principles of respect and equality, which we at WPATH are grateful to see reflected in this decision.â&#x20AC;? Back to Top

2.2 - Tallahassee Democrat: Veteran laid to rest at VA cemetery (31 January, Mimi Shaw, 895k online visitors/mo; Tallahassee, FL) Our dad, A. Richard Arnold was laid to rest at the New VA National Cemetery here in Tallahassee with Military Honors last week. He was an MIT-trained Patton's Radio operator, the highest form of technology on the field, during the Battle of the Bulge, and one of seven to make it into Buchenwald to liberate the Camp at the age of 19. He was badly injured and received the Purple Heart during that effort. He suffered from PTSD for 85 years and we never Knew it until his 85th year He brilliantly Authored the book "Dig and Dig Deep," to document exactly how those 7 survived from the Acorn Division to make it in and separate the living from the dead and free the barely alive. Our new VA National Cemetery does an amazing job of providing dignity and honor to our deceased Veterans and their families. Our family has a great sense of relief knowing that Dad is here. All Veterans and their families can rest assured that our New VA National Cemetery is class and honor personified. So proud to live in Tallahassee. Back to Top

2.3 - CBS New York (AP, Audio): Gillibrand: VA Medical Marijuana Policy Discriminates Against Vets (31 January, 791k online visitors/mo; New York, NY) U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wants the Department of Veterans Affairs to allow its doctors to discuss medical marijuana with patients in states where medical marijuana is legal. Gillibrand held a news conference at her Manhattan office Sunday to urge a change in the current VA policy. The policy prohibits VA doctors from recommending medical marijuana as a treatment option to veterans, even in states like New York where medical marijuana is legal. Gillibrand said veterans who live in states where medical marijuana is legal should be able to talk to their doctor about it as a treatment option, saying that the current policy discriminates against veterans.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

“Instead of giving our veterans this modern treatment option, we are instead letting antiquated ideology get in the way of scientific progress,” Gillibrand said. According to Dr. Jahan Marcu, of the group Americans for Safe Access, medical marijuana has been known to treat conditions that particularly affect veterans, including chronic pain, PTSD, traumatic brain injury and phantom limb pain, WCBS 880’s Stephanie Colombini reported. “I’m always fight or flight and there’s been many times where cannabis has brought me back to a level of being a reasonable individual,” one veteran in support of Gillibrand told 1010 WINS’ Carol D’Auria. The change in policy would allow VA doctors in 23 states,as well as Washington D.C., where medical marijuana is legal, to recommend the drug. “Our doctors should be allowed to follow the laws in the states where they practice medicine,” Gillibrand said. “The VA should stop putting politics in the way of medical judgment of their doctors.” The policy is up for renewal Monday. Back to Top

2.4 - Las Vegas Review-Journal: Phone system glitch persists for suicide calls to VA Medical Center (31 January, Keith Rogers, 715k online visitors/mo; Las Vegas, NV) More than 10 months have passed since Michael Grubler alerted Veterans Affairs officials to a glitch in the phone system when veterans contemplating suicide call the VA Medical Center in North Las Vegas. Callers to the VA hospital, like other VA health care facilities in the nation, are told by a recorded message to hang up and call a different number "if you're having thoughts of hurting yourself or want to talk to a mental health professional." "The assumption is that the veteran will have a pen or pencil, and be in a rational frame of mind to make another call," said Grubler, an Army Reserve veteran whose specialty was communications. He realized the problem when he placed a routine call to the medical center's main number seeking health care information. In contrast, callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which also serves the Veterans Crisis Line, wait momentarily for a person to answer who then puts them in touch quickly with a mental health professional in their region. The glitch with local VA phone systems comes to light as VA Secretary Robert McDonald holds a national summit — Preventing Veteran Suicide: A Call to Action — Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

After writing the VA and Nevada's senators about his concern, Grubler received replies from U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., but no response from thenDirector Isabel Duff. Finally, he received a reply in May 2015 from a VA official in Washington, D.C. It says that the VA has been aware of the problem with phone-tree answering systems at VA hospitals, and tasked a team to fix it so that the caller can be automatically transferred to a mental health professional, with the caller's phone number recorded in case an emergency response is necessary. "We plan to test and implement the automated transfer process as soon as patient safeguards can be assured," reads the May 21 letter from Janet P. Murphy, acting deputy undersecretary for health for operations and management. But nothing has changed, Grubler said last week. "I've complained about this to our congressmen and a lot of the VA organizations. Everyone agrees that it is a bad system," he said. Despite words of encouragement that officials intend to fix the problem with an improved system, the glitch remains on hold. Grubler suspects the snag might have something to do with Murphy's reference to "patient safeguards." "You have to start off with the first thing is that you want to save a life," he said. "And then you work around that (part) with patient safeguard, patient ID. It's not like they're sending their calls to anybody who hasn't signed confidentiality statements." A spokesman for the North Las Vegas VA Medical Center said that's not the problem. A new answering system for use at VA facilities nationwide was tested during the summer in a pilot program at about a dozen medical centers. But the fix of having a prompt for a veteran to press a key to be transferred for mental health assistance created more issues. Too many veterans were using the Veterans Crisis Line prompt to seek assistance with other medical services. "Unfortunately, a large percentage of the calls routed into the Veterans Crisis Line via the prompt test were 'non-suicide' related and took an exceptional amount of time away from assisting with true suicide-related calls," VA spokesman Chuck Ramey wrote in an email Friday. "As such, a nationwide rollout of reaching the Veterans Crisis Line via a prompt is being held in abeyance until such time additional staff and business protocols can be put in place to minimize the impact of non-core calls to the Veterans Crisis Line," Ramey said. He said the VA is "committed to ensuring our veterans have someone to speak with in a crisis." For now, the Veterans Crisis Line is "one of the most visible and publicized numbers we have in the Veterans Administration." In Grubler's view, time is of the essence, though, to handle suicide help calls that are received, instead, at the medical centers' local numbers. His interest was piqued after the Las Vegas

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

Review-Journal published a story Jan. 23 about the alarming rate of veterans' suicides: 22 per day nationwide, which translates to about 120 each year in Nevada. "We've got to do something to save these guys," he said. Back to Top

2.5 - The Blade: Veterans building cathartic (1 February, Glenn H. Kistler, 590k online visitors/mo; Toledo, OH) Every time I visit the new Veterans Affairs Toledo Outpatient Clinic on Detroit Avenue, I leave feeling better (“Plaque to get new home,” Jan. 28). The building is laid out well and all the employees are polite and helpful. I also went on the June, 2014, Honor Flight to Washington, which I feel was just about the greatest day of my life. I will never be able to say thank you enough to all the people who donated their time and money to make it possible. To say the trip was fantastic would be an understatement. GLENN H. KISTLER Clyde, Ohio Back to Top

2.6 - Military Times (Video): Lab-grown testicles give new hope to wounded vets (31 January, Patricia Kime, 482k online visitors/mo; Springfield, VA) When Marine Lance Cpl. Mark Fidler stepped on an IED in Afghanistan in 2011, his mother, Stacy, was vaulted into the world of combat trauma recovery — of amputations, soft tissue injury and countless surgeries — as she supported her son during recuperation at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland. During that time, Stacy Fidler also became an advocate for several causes: for blood donations, since Mark required 188 units in the first 48 hours after his injury; and for an unconsidered need among troops with severe pelvic injuries — fertility preservation. During a conference on combat-related infertility in late 2014, Stacy Fidler urged the U.S. military to publicize sperm banking during pre-deployment briefs and adopt medical policies to harvest sperm following a genitourinary injury, just as the United Kingdom does for its service members. “This is difficult for a mother to speak about,” Stacy Fidler said. “But these are young men who are not thinking about possibly losing the ability to have children.” Nearly 1,400 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan experienced injuries to their pelvises and groins that make it difficult or nearly impossible to have children without medical assistance.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

For some troops, existing fertility treatments, such as sperm harvesting and in-vitro fertilization, can help. But for others who have lost function completely or no longer have their reproductive organs, academic institutions, including Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Johns Hopkins Military and Veterans Health Institute in Baltimore, are stepping in to help. Their goal is to advance research that could restore sex, fertility and quality of life to young men in the prime of their lives. At Wake Forest, scientists are growing testicular tissue and penises in their laboratories and preparing to conduct penis transplants. “Injuries in our young, wounded warriors have definitely made additional investments possible in the field of regenerative medicine and accelerated development of these technologies,” said Dr. Anthony Atala, director at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Among the projects gaining traction at Wake Forest is an initiative to grow testicles from testicular stem cells taken from injured patients. Atala and colleagues have grown microscopic testicles capable of producing testosterone and are working toward the next milestone: creating a working testicle that can produce sperm. The idea, Atala said, is to be able to take a small piece of testicular tissue from a patient immediately after an injury, or even before a person is placed in harm's way, and use the tissue as a base to grow a new testicle if needed. Atala said a sperm-producing testicle may still be a decade off, but it is a possibility, given that the Wake Forest facility has grown bladders, urethras, livers, kidneys and vaginas in its lab. “The one nice thing about testicles is you need just one sperm. It only takes one sperm for the functionality to be realized,” Atala said. Wake Forest already has proved that growing a functional penis in a lab is possible, at least for animal models. In 2008, the team engineered 12 rabbit penises, which they then grafted onto male rabbits with an aim to breed them with a female. According to medical literature, all rabbits mated with the female, eight ejaculated and four produced offspring. Atala admits that growing human penises is more of a challenge because they are larger and must last a human lifetime. Atala has engineered at least a half dozen in the lab and continues to test their viability. But the institute has received approval to conduct transplants on humans and is assessing potential patients, Atala added. “We have the approvals in place and are ready to go,” Atala said. The Wake Forest program is part of a team supporting the Armed Forces Institute for Regenerative Medicine and has received more than $300 million since 2013 from the Defense Department to conduct research on tissue regeneration and injury reconstruction.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

Most recently, it and other facilities involved in the Armed Forces Institute for Regenerative Medicine were awarded a $75 million contract to continue their work in the field of skin regeneration, limb function restoration, skull and facial reconstruction and transplants. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is another major medical facility conducting cutting-edge research to help troops with devastating genitourinary injuries. At Johns Hopkins, doctors are preparing to conduct the first penis transplant procedure in the United States, using a donor penis. The first penis transplant was attempted in China in 2005, but that operation failed and the organ was removed after a couple of weeks. In late 2014, a team at Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa, successfully transplanted a donor penis to a 21-year-old male who lost his organ following complications of a failed ritual circumcision. Johns Hopkins officials hope this groundbreaking surgery will allow some service members to regain sexual function and father children. Earlier this month, they said the first candidate for such a transplant will be designated soon. “The goal of penile transplant is to provide an advanced reconstructive option to patients with devastating penile injuries that will improve their function over standard techniques or who are not candidates for these techniques,” explained Dr. Damon Cooney, a member of the Johns Hopkins team who addressed a symposium hosted by the Bob Woodruff Foundation in Washington, D.C., in December 2014. While male service members make up the bulk of patients with combat-related genitourinary injuries and consequential fertility issues, researchers aren’t ignoring the needs of women with pelvic injuries or defects. The Wake Forest team has successfully transplanted vaginas grown from patients’ own cells into women born with birth defects and engineered functional ovaries in their laboratories. Still, the technology is a long way from helping injured troops who would like to have children now or within the next decade. For most, advanced reproductive technologies such as sperm harvesting, in-vitro fertilization and intrauterine insemination are the only options available. But while injured troops have access to fertility treatments when they are on active duty, they do not have medical coverage for such services as medical retirees or veterans, because Tricare, the health program for military retirees, and the Veterans Affairs Department, which is responsible for providing medical care for service-connected conditions, do not cover them. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., has introduced legislation several times since 2012 that would cover IVF and other fertility services, including surrogacy, for veterans. But the most recent iteration of Murray’s bill was scuttled in 2015 after it became entangled in a debate over funding for Planned Parenthood. Some lawmakers also have questioned the cost of the bill, which has been estimated to be $568 million over five years by the Congressional Budget Office.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

But some veterans organizations, including Wounded Warrior Project, say the estimate is too high, because it assumes that all injured personnel would request the services. They also argue that as a service-connected condition, VA has an obligation to pay. “These veterans and their spouses are left with a difficult decision — forego any hope of having children or pay tens of thousands out of pocket for the chance to start a family. We obviously owe them better,” said Lauren Mehta, managing counsel at Wounded Warrior Project, which has made combat-related fertility treatments a top legislative priority this year. While veterans groups press Congress to change the laws regarding fertility services for veterans, researchers at Wake Forest, Johns Hopkins and elsewhere continue to work toward solving the issues that cause infertility. They believe they are on the cusp of several medical breakthroughs. “When I started in regenerative medicine, it was like science fiction. Just the field of growing cells was a challenge. … The question now is not ‘Can it be done?’ But ‘How do we capture the strategies we’ve learned from making other tissues apply to these?’” Atala said. Back to Top

2.7 - Killeen Daily Herald: VA: Help available and wait times short for PTSD treatment (31 January, Jacob Brooks, 196k online visitors/mo; Killeen, TX) WACO — As post-traumatic stress disorder continues to make headlines in Central Texas, the Department of Veterans Affairs has an online form for those who think they may have PTSD. The online form includes 17 questions. One question asks veterans whether they have repeated, disturbing memories, thoughts or images of a stressful military experience. Another question asks about the loss of interest in activities that the veteran used to enjoy. Score 30 or higher on the form and, “You are advised to see your physician or a qualified mental health professional immediately for a complete assessment,” according to the VA website www.myhealth.va.gov. The VA also has a short list of questions on the website: In your life, have you ever had any experience that was so frightening, horrible, or upsetting that, in the past month, you: Have had nightmares about it or thought about it when you did not want to? Tried hard not to think about it or went out of your way to avoid situations that reminded you of it? Were constantly on guard, watchful or easily startled?

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

Felt numb or detached from others, activities, or your surroundings? “If you answer ‘yes’ to any three items, you should think about seeing a doctor for an assessment,” according to the website. In December, Killeen resident George Ryan Murphy was arrested in the death case of his 2year-old son, Colt, who died from extreme malnourishment and dehydration, police said. Murphy, a single father, medically retired from the Army earlier last year, and friends said he was being treated for PTSD. In April 2014, Killeen police shot former Staff Sgt. Titus Latchison in front of his home in west Killeen after the troubled combat veteran threw knives at the officers, police said. Latchison’s family said the former Fort Hood soldier lived in denial about his PTSD for years, and only sought treatment for the mental health disorder after he had been shot by police. He died from the gunshot wounds in September. The VA facilities in Central Texas do have variety of treatment options for area veterans. Treatment options The Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, which includes the Veterans Affairs hospitals in Waco and Temple and a VA clinic in Austin, has a variety of outpatient programs for patients with PTSD. The system treats the most Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in the country, compared to other VA systems, officials said. All offer the same outpatient programs, which include “psycho-educational” skills such as breathing techniques and anger management. Each location also offers “cognitive processing” and “prolonged exposure therapy” programs, which can help treat those with PTSD to help manage the mental health disorder to a sustainable level, said Dr. Stacy Gwynn, a VA psychologist who works with veterans who have PTSD. Other programs included substance abuse courses, couples counseling and a peer support group for combat veterans with PTSD. Gwynn has been working with veterans who have PTSD for the past six years at the VA hospitals in Temple and Waco. In that time, she has said treatment options have become focused — zeroing in on getting the patient to overcome, or at least learn to live with, their PTSD. “They can come in. They know what their game plan is. And they can get on with their lives,” Gwynn said. The VA hospital in Waco also has a 36-bed PTSD residency program that lasts for seven weeks. There, veterans can get nonstop intensive PTSD treatment, officials said.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

The VA hospital in Temple has a similar residency program, but it is reserved only for women who have suffered from military sexual trauma. That program has eight beds and lasts seven weeks. The VA-run Vet Center in Harker Heights, 302 Millers Crossing, also has a program for spouses who have a veteran that may be reluctant to seek help for PTSD. Registration wait times on PTSD treatment is short for veterans already enrolled in VA health care, and appointments can be scheduled within three days of calling. To view the online VA questionnaire on PTSD, go to […] Back to Top

2.8 - The Norman Transcript: Veterans in crisis: Part 3. Solving the problem of U.S. veterans in the justice system (31 January, Jessica Bruha and Mack Burke, 73k online visitors/mo; Norman, OK) This is Part 3 of a three-part series on challenges facing Oklahoma veterans and their families. For years, District Judge Lori Walkley has worked with others on a program helping veterans before their issues become legal problems. Cleveland County is running a kind of veterans court in the drug court with some help from grant money, but Walkley said it needs to be a stand-alone program. “Drug court participants are different than veterans,” Walkley said. Drug court works for drug offenders because it’s a program with their peers. The average age of first drug use for most drug court participants is 13 or 14. The average age of first drug use for a veteran is 20, she said. “And veterans are usually people who have a skill set and are used to being very vital. So it’s really hard to say, ‘These are your peers,’” Walkley said. “And, with veterans, I think you need a mentor program, which I think is a component I would love to have.” Substance abuse issues are often tied to PTSD issues with veterans. “It’s a chicken in the egg,” Walkley said. “Am I using (alcohol) to dull a PTSD issue or do I have a substance abuse problem, which is creating that health issue.” While Oklahoma and Tulsa counties already have drug court programs, Walkley said what she would like to build in Cleveland County is modeled more off a program in Buffalo, New York. A man there kept going to the court and Veterans Affairs for help but wasn’t receiving any.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

“He couldn’t get help, and couldn’t get help, and he’s not in the court system, so the court can’t help him. So finally he brings a gun, does something that gets him arrested and is, like, ‘Now will you finally help me?’” Walkley said. They had all service providers who they would have for Veterans Court go in about an hour before court and be available for anyone. “It could just be someone who comes in and says we have a crisis, he has not been arrested, so someone help me, and there’s people there to help them,” she said. “So that’s the goal. Let’s catch them before we get to this point.” The Oklahoma County program is a non-prosecution agreement that basically says, if you graduate from the program you don’t get prosecuted. “All that happens if they flunk out of that is, then the DA goes forward with prosecution,” Walkley said. “I want to create — you agree to do these things and, if so, it gets dismissed. If not, then here’s your sentence. We’ve already decided it up front. That has a little more teeth to it.” Walkley said for everyone, veterans in particular, knowing where the lines are is useful. Other components the judge would like to see is a mentoring aspect and community service. “It’s a big deal if you’ve got a base of people willing to be mentors,” she said. As far as community service goes, one of the reasons she uses it is because it’s the only thing that stays in the community. If she sentences them to DOC or jail, that’s money going out, but community service stays here. But there’s also another reason she uses it. “They’re soldiers, they fought for their country, they have skill sets and, suddenly, they’re not useful anymore,” Walkley said. “I use it a lot because it helps them feel useful again. If they feel like they have a task, to me, that’s part of their recovery.” The program also would have a re-entry into the community component to help keep veterans out of the system. While Walkley has researched and created a program, the only issue now is funding. To run it would require manpower and treatment money. It would require the time of an assistant district attorney and judicial time, but Walkley said judges would carve out the time for it. There is also a supervision aspect, depending on rules and conditions, whether it’s a felony or misdemeanor and veterans having case management needs. “The manpower cost alone, you’re probably talking $75,000 to $100,000 a year to run the program,” Walkley said. “It would make sense to run it at probably a three-year pilot, so you’re talking quarter of a million dollars. That’s a lot of money.” Drug tests, evaluations and therapy also cost money, but the VA could service a lot of those, she said, which leads into another issue.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

“The reason we need veterans treated a little differently, other than the obvious (we kinda owe it to them), is that it’s a resource allocation issue,” Walkley said. If there is a veteran in Central Oklahoma Community Mental Health, then the non-veteran doesn’t have space there. That slot is taken. If the veteran can go to the VA, it opens a slot for a non-veteran. “If we’re allocating our resources more appropriately, then we serve more people,” she said. Walkley said the best way to help would be to notify her of any grants or grant writers, or start a pilot program. Julia Curry, with the Oklahoma Court System, said another way to help might be to volunteer with Veterans’ Corner until they are able to pull everything together. Curry has been helping create a Veterans Court with Walkley for several years. Big picture Some veterans end up in the justice system, but others struggle to find the care they need on the outside. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, said funding for veterans programs has never been an issue. “This is an area where Democrats and Republicans actually work well together,” he said. “When Bush was president, we increased veterans funds by almost 100 percent in eight years. We’re on track to do the same thing with President Obama. Whether Republicans have dominated or Democrats, each side has been willing to write the check.” He said what happens with that money is the problem. “The agency has just not gotten the job done,” he said. “There have not been enough people held accountable. Congress gave the Secretary of Veterans Affairs more power than any other secretary to hire and fire, and we just don’t seem to see enough change in the culture …” “If you’ve gotten somebody lying about waiting lists, fire them. Don’t give them a bonus … Maybe you can’t fire your way to excellence, but maybe you could fire enough people that people would start performing and start being honest. We ought to be giving bonuses to whistle blowers, not people who aren’t getting the job done.” Cole said despite macro problems, many veterans receive great care. He said his father received great care in Moore and Norman. “There are a lot of good people doing good work, but when you have wait lines like we have, when you have misreporting of information, where they’re telling us one thing to collect a bonus and we find out about it, there’s a cultural problem nationally inside the VA organization,” he said. Cole said Congress put together the Veterans Choice Act to address gaps in care. He believes it’s a move in the right direction.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

“We tried to make it to where veterans would get a card, and if they couldn’t get an appointment or a (VA facility) was too far away, you could use local health care,” Cole said. “That’s actually where we need to go, I think. It’s a concern. Congress has been willing to give everything the VA has asked. There’s just no excuse for people falling through the cracks. We spend more money on our veterans in the United States than every other country in the world combined … That’s because the American people want it to happen. They deserve a lot better than what they’re getting back.” Oklahoma’s 4th District is home to four veterans homes: Ardmore, Lawton, Norman and Sulphur. “Most veterans aren’t living in veterans homes, though,” Cole said. “The biggest single focus is either the lack of or inadequate care and what we can do to structurally reform the system so that it delivers better. Congress is willing to write the check, and that’s what’s so frustrating … We’re just not getting the bang for the buck.” For those working within the Department of Veterans Affairs, their is a systematic challenge to finding those in need. Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs Program Director Shane Faulkner said the biggest problem is getting people in the system. “That’s the roadblock we run into,” he said. “So many veterans are returning home and they don’t want to file a claim because they say there’s nothing wrong with me, or that guy needs it more than I do.” Even with their help, many veterans feel the process could be a little smoother and a lot faster. WWII veteran Dale Higgins said he has been waiting for a hearing aid for nearly two years. Veteran Mike Sloniker said he struggled to get medical care he needed after a cancer diagnosis. Sloniker said the VA finally provided him with care, but the hoops he had to jump through were discouraging. Rep. Claudia Griffith, D-Norman, said veterans are falling through the cracks. She has crafted a new bill, based on study session findings, that aims to improve health care planning and implementation for veterans. It’s not comprehensive, but she said where you see a problem, you have to try to solve it. “I have been involved with the veterans centers because we have one here in Norman” she said. “And there have been some issues there that have made me concerned. I’m also married to a veteran. My father was a veteran and, in all honesty, if you are a spouse or a family member, you are a veteran also. If someone in your family goes through a tour of duty, everyone’s involved.” She said it’s not hard to see a relationship between a declining state budget and gaps in care. In the end, Cole said the House and Senate are looking at big-picture solutions, but for the moment, he said he doesn’t think all of the problems can be solved in the short term.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

“Long term, we may want to look into a system — and there’s a lot of debate on this — where veterans can access local health care with a card and those hospitals can get compensated,” Cole said. “The VA may be too big and too bulky to manage, other than centers of excellence that are focused on certain kinds of ailments (PTSD, burns, etc.) Let them make the choice and let the dollars follow where the veteran wants to go.” Back to Top

2.9 - Union-Bulletin: Bill aims to hasten VA scheduling. Using available commercial software — not spending $624M to develop a new system — is what is needed, bill sponsors say (31 January, Sheila Hagar, 49k online visitors/mo; Walla Walla, WA) Despite shakeups and changes at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs over the past 20 months, scheduling vets for medical appointment still takes too long, has too many hurdles and is too expensive, said U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Earlier this month the Eastern Washington Republican and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., introduced the Faster Care for Veterans Act 2016. The proposed bill requires the VA to initiate pilot programs to incorporate commercially-available, self-scheduling technology at VA medical centers. McMorris Rodgers said Friday she and Moulton are working to build bipartisan support for the bill as a response to the VA scandal of 2014 that exposed unacceptable wait times, poor treatment and failed customer service at VA facilities across the country. According to Stars and Stripes, a Defense Department-affiliated newspaper congressionally mandated to independently cover the military, the VA’s antiquated, 1980s-era electronic scheduling system was thrust into the spotlight in 2014 when it was revealed the VA was manipulating it to hide long wait times for veterans seeking health care. National attention has brought no improvement — the number of veterans waiting 30 days or more for medical care increased by 50 percent in 2015, according to McMorris Rodgers. She and Moulton heard from VA officials on plans for a new, $624 million scheduling system she said would still not meet the full need, including an inability to integrate the Veterans Choice card. McMorris Rodgers said veterans using the VA system should have the same appointment options as people have in private doctors’ offices across the country. “After hearing from a number of veterans in Eastern Washington, it’s clear that current systems at the VA are so archaic and cumbersome, the agency is unable to follow through on its responsibility to provide the care our veterans have earned,” she said. Off-the-shelf software already meets appointment scheduling needs in medical offices everywhere, she said, so why make a new system for the VA? McMorris Rodgers said she talks to VA administrators in her congressional district, including Walla Walla, on a regular basis.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

The Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial Veterans Affairs Medical Center appears to be doing a lot of things right, including its call center that puts a live person at the end of the phone for veterans to interact with, she said. Yet, she added, she hears from veterans here saying they, too, continue to struggle to make sense of and be served by the VA’s appointment system. “The VA, unfortunately, has some bureaucratic systems in place that do not welcome innovative approaches that empower results within the agency,” she said. Back to Top

2.10 - The News Record: City to join new program for veterans (31 January, Samantha Hall, 900 online visitors/day; Cincinnati, OH) Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley launched the Veterans Economic Communities Initiative (VECI) Wednesday in an effort to increase employment and educational opportunities for veterans. The initiative’s goal is to combine national and local services to better the families of veterans, military members and service members through private and public organizations, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. These organizations plan to offer resources that can contribute to the training, employment and education of veterans, allowing the opportunity to gain new skills and knowledge local fields of work. More information on the VECI will be revealed at 11 a.m. Wednesday during a news conference at 3 E. Fourth St. in downtown Cincinnati. “Having more opportunity outside of contracts is definitely needed,” said Mike McCormick, a second-year informational technology student and Army specialist. “Employers are looking for civilian experience so any increase for civilian work is appreciated — literally nothing I learned in the military can be used outside of the military.” The program is currently in several cities, including Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. The cities were selected based on the unemployment rates of local veterans, the current veteran population, as well as the expected increase in veteran population, according to the VA. Cities with the VECI in place were given a path for economic success due to the involvement with the leaders of locally owned non-profit and philanthropic organizations. Veterans and current military members in Cincinnati can expect a similar outcome due to its success in other cities, which can eliminate the fear of losing work after retiring from the military. “There is already a huge amount of support from the federal and state — under the Title X Order, I never lose any progress with my schoolwork but I do lose what I learn so it’s difficult to develop civilian skills for work,” said McCormick.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

“Benefits are lost once you leave the military, unless you get a leg blown off or something, so you really aren’t in the military once you’ve retired — that leaves years lost of information, you’re basically starting over again.” The University of Cincinnati offers ROTC programs for the Air Force, Navy and Army — this leaves a great number of student military members, as well as non-student military members within the Cincinnati area. Cranley’s movement to push forward with the VECI will be even more necessary due to the expected increase of veterans within Cincinnati. “I know it is difficult for me to keep up in school so I can’t imagine what it might be like for these guys that will retire later in life, with even more years behind them,” said McCormick. Back to Top

3. Ending Veterans’ Homelessness 3.1 - Baltimore Sun: Baltimore County to ban housing discrimination against veterans (31 January, Pamela Wood, 3.4M online visitors/mo; Baltimore, MD) The Baltimore County Council plans to pass a law Monday to bar discrimination against military veterans in renting and selling homes. While Councilman Todd Crandell, a Dundalk Republican, conceived of the bill, all six of his colleagues have signed on as sponsors, ensuring the measure's passage. Current county law bans housing discrimination based on a person's race, creed, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or physical or mental disability. In addition to making it illegal to discriminate against veterans, Crandell's bill also makes it possible for a housing provider to give a preference to veterans and their families. The idea, Crandell said, is that developers could build apartment complexes or housing subdivisions specifically for veterans. Crandell said there is currently no legal way to do a veterans-only development, even though it's a concept that many people like in part of his district. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is trying to develop its waterfront property at Fort Howard in southeastern Baltimore County by leasing the land to a private developer. The VA is now on its second developer, but the project remains stalled. The first developer and the current developer both indicated an interest to provide preference to veterans in their projects. Neighbors in the Fort Howard community near the VA property have emphatically said that they want any development there to be exclusively for veterans. Crandell said his bill "at least creates the potential" for a veterans-focused development to be built at Fort Howard.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

"This is all part of the strategy to get what we want down there," he said. The vote on Crandell's bill is planed for the Baltimore County Council meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at the Historic Courthouse, 400 Washington Ave. in Towson. Meanwhile, state lawmakers in Annapolis killed a bill that would have banned housing discrimination statewide based on a person's military status. Sen. Bryan Simonaire, an Anne Arundel County Republican, said he sponsored the bill to prevent discrimination against veterans. "This really is proactive. I don't want a case where a veteran is discriminated against in Maryland," he said. Back to Top

3.2 - Daily Press: Homeless experience inspires book written by a 5-year-old Hampton boy (1 February, Hugh Lessig, 725k online visitors/mo; Newport News, VA) HAMPTON â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Nakisha King and her family learned a few things by being homeless. They stuck together, sometimes literally, huddled on the floor of an unheated trailer for warmth. They learned how a family can stay strong even as material things come and go. They have parted with shoes, a computer tablet and even wedding bands in order to pay the bills. And it taught their 5-year-old son to be an author. "Being 5" is a collection of sing-song sentences from Christian Samir Graves. It depicts a child coming to grips with growing up, maybe a bit faster than his peers. "Being 5 is tricky," he writes. "You never know what to do. Sometimes I wish I was 7, or even 22." That sentence takes on new meaning when the family's back story comes into focus, an ordeal that involved hotel hopping, Nakisha's battle with lupus and her husband, Gary, leaving his job to take care of her. The family's homeless days in North Carolina are now behind them. Today, Nakisha goes to community college online and earns rave reviews at the Hampton VA Medical Center, where she's in a work-study program. Gary works at the commissary on Langley Air Force Base. Christian and his two older brothers attend Hunter B. Andrews School in Hampton. The family lives in a small, neat house off Kecoughtan Road. They don't have a TV, but fill the gap with a laptop and a Netflix subscription. They sing karaoke with music played over a smartphone. They play board games. The card game Uno is big. "We know how to have a good time," Nakisha said.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

Christian recently turned 6 and has his own stage name, "Samir Smooth." He wants to write more books, but he won't forget what inspired the first one. "My family was homeless, so I just made them a present — with this book," he said. "I felt like it was kind of sad. My mom felt sad. So I just made them a present — my whole family — so they could be OK." Part of a larger problem Nakisha and Gary are veterans — eight years in the Navy for her, 12 years in the Air Force for him. Their experience offers a look into the larger problem of veteran homelessness, which Virginia has brought into focus. In November, Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced that Virginia had functionally ended veteran homelessness in the state, although it remains an ongoing challenge. Nakisha and Gary's ordeal took place in North Carolina, an odyssey that brought them from Goldsboro to Kinston. Trouble began when Nakisha was diagnosed with lupus, a chronic and unpredictable disease. After getting the diagnosis and going through a divorce, she and her sons moved to Goldsboro to be with Gary, who was stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. Gary voluntarily separated from the Air Force — he's still in the reserves — and got a civilian job as a store manager. They were married in 2014. "It was pretty much full time — open the store, and when you leave, make sure everybody is good," he said. "You're pretty much the face of the store." He didn't have a lot of free time. As Nakisha required more care, including trips to the Fayetteville VA Medical Center, he couldn't be a caregiver and keep his job. The job had to go. Without a steady paycheck, the family had to leave their home and began staying in a series of hotels. Later in 2014, they arranged to live in a mobile home in Kinston. That put a roof over their heads, but they didn't have enough money to turn on the electricity and water. Someone donated water, and the family slept in their minivan. "We had heat in the minivan," Nakisha recalled. "We would turn it on, wait for the heat to come on, then everyone fell asleep and we turned it off." The family ventured into the trailer to use the bathroom, but they had to bring along water to flush the toilet. Later, they moved into the trailer, but at one point had to huddle under blankets to keep warm. "Kinston is kind of country, so all you see are deer and rabbits all around," Nakisha said. "It's creepy." During those moments when she cried — always away from the children — Gary reassured her. "He never wavered," she said. "He was like, 'It's going to be OK. God's got us.' "

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

They received help from groups including Goodwill and the Salvation Army, but life was tough. The boys rolled with the punches. "Even though we were homeless, we still did have family time," said 9-year-old Dominic, the middle brother. "We had a great time together." The oldest, 13-year-old Demetress, was sometimes given the job of looking out for his siblings. "It was hard because we had to live in the car a lot," he said. "And we can't go out sometimes. But it was great, because I could handle my brothers. We met a lot of people. And if it weren't for that, Christian would never have made his book." There was no one magic moment when the book came into focus. Christian noticed his mother writing down her thoughts, wondered what that was about, and began voicing his own thoughts on growing up. "He noticed it," Nakisha said. "He was like, 'What are you doing?' " Moving up The family's move to Hampton last fall brought a change of fortune. Gary landed a job with the Langley commissary while Nakisha took courses online at Lenoir Community College in North Carolina. Christian's book came out in December and is available at amazon.com. The sequel opportunities are endless. "It could always be "Being 7,' 'Being 8,' 'Being Everything,' 'Being 100," he said. Nakisha has also pursued her passion to write. She has one book to her credit, called "The Relationship Handbook." He work is also part of a collection of inspirational stories titled "Tenacious Living: Choose Your Adventure." A third collection that includes her writing will launch in March, called "Pain to Passion: Our Valley Experience." She also co-hosts a radio show twice a month, found on the website w4divas.com/p2p-live. Meanwhile, she's found a second home at the Hampton VA. One day last fall, she stopped at the hospital's volunteer services office to drop off a flier. She was trying to organize an event in Hampton on behalf of veterans. Her initiative caught the attention of Judith Curtis, chief of volunteer services and recreational therapy. Now Nakisha works in that office as a work-study student and hopes to land a full-time job there. "She's awesome," said Curtis. "She came in late September, early October, and was trying to get veterans to come to a function she was having. She was very articulate and very friendly. She's bright, and she's great with the veterans who come in." The office functions as a de facto human resources department for Hampton's volunteers, providing an orientation, doing background checks and other necessary services.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

Nakisha enjoys the work. It is still a challenge to balance community college with a job and raising three sons. But not much fazes her anymore. "We want to be a blessing to others," she said. "What we went through is hard, but there's always someone who has it harder than you." Back to Top

4. Ending the Claims Backlog – No coverage

5. Veteran Opportunities for Education/GI Bill – No coverage

6. Women Veterans – No coverage

7. Other 7.1 - Stars and Stripes: Oppose asbestos industry bill (31 January, 1.2M online visitors/mo; Washington, DC) Last month, 211 members of the House voted for a proposal that puts many of our fellow veterans who are ill and likely dying from asbestos-triggered diseases at greater risk of becoming victims of identity theft. The legislation, known as the FACT Act, is the brainchild of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and some of its biggest members of the asbestos manufacturing and utilization industries. The bill is a cynical ploy by the asbestos industry to avoid compensating its victims who are seeking justice in court — many of whom are veterans who were doubly exposed: first while in uniform and then when they worked for companies that knowingly exposed them to the deadly fiber. Now that the House has passed its bill (H.R. 1927), the Senate version, S. 357, will be the focus of a hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. In a nutshell, the measure would force the asbestos compensation trust system to put large chunks of veterans’ personally identifiable information onto the Internet, making it available for anyone, including identity thieves and other online trolls, to download. Vulnerable data would include the last four digits of veterans’ Social Security numbers, full name, birth year and medical and work histories, along with other sensitive information. All of this to give big asbestos corporations an advantage in litigation and shift the cost of discovery to asbestos compensation trusts. Attorneys for the asbestos compensation trusts estimate that compliance with the bill would require an additional 20,000 hours of staff time. In short, the production of the enormous database of victims’ private information would only further deplete the trust’s resources, which

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

are meant to help offset mounting medical bills and other expenses for Americans who are already ill. The FACT Act erects enormous administrative hurdles that will undoubtedly delay vital compensation to veterans and other victims. The 211 House members who voted to put asbestos victims at greater risk of online identity theft and delay compensation should remember that veterans never forget. We hope every member of the Senate will take note of the growing opposition by their colleagues in the House and strongly oppose this anti-veterans bill. Rhetorically showing support for our veterans in speeches, while voting against their interests and well-being, is a slap in the face to these brave men and women. Hershel Gober, national legislative director, Military Order of the Purple Heart Michael Little, national legislative director, Association of the United States Navy Diane Zumatto, national legislative director, American Veterans Jack Du Teil, executive director, US Army Warrant Officers Association On behalf of: Air Force Sergeants Association, Air Force Women Officers Associated, American Veterans, Association of the United States Navy, Commissioned Officers Association of the US Public Health Service, Fleet Reserve Association, Jewish War Veterans of the USA, Marine Corps Reserve Association, Military Officers Association of America, Military Order of the Purple Heart, National Association for Uniformed Services, National Defense Council, Naval Enlisted Reserve Association, The Retired Enlisted Association, U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers Association, U.S. Army Warrant Officers Association and Vietnam Veterans of America. Back to Top

7.2 - Odessa American: 'American Sniper' statue coming soon (31 January, Corey Paul, 100k online visitors/mo; Odessa, TX) Members of a foundation building a memorial statue of slain Navy sniper Chris Kyle say they expect to finish the project in time for a May unveiling at the Veteran Affairs clinic off Highway 191. In recent weeks, a crew laid three massive pieces of limestone at the site, weighing a total of more than 40,000 pounds, which will form the foundation for the statue of Kyle, an Odessa native. The stone came from a Garden City quarry, and Dale Meyer Trucking Company transported and set the stone for free, said Dick Gillham, one of the organizers of the project with the Odessa Community Foundation, which is a subsidiary of the Odessa Chamber of Commerce. “It’s right there waiting for the statue,” Gillham said. For now, members of the Odessa Community Foundation have declined to reveal the final look of the statue before the unveiling. But members have approved a miniaturized mock-up of the

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

statue, with only minor details to be finalized, said Kirk Edwards, the CEO of Latigo Petroleum and another organizer of the project. The sculptor tasked with crafting the 9-foot-tall statue of Kyle is Wyoming-based Vic Payne. His wife, Angie Payne, said in an interview that her husband uses a process known as lost-wax casting, which dates to Biblical times, to duplicate the bronze sculpture from his original. Angie Payne said the mold should be ready to go to a foundry “hopefully within the month.” After the bronze is poured, cooled and spruced up, Payne will ship it to Odessa by truck, and it will be hoisted onto the limestone foundation by crane. “We’ve all seen the concept mockup and it is going to be really exciting I think for the West Texas community,” Edwards said. In the meantime, Edwards said the group is still raising money for the project, having reached about $300,000 out of a $400,000 goal. Gillham said the bulk of the remaining money is needed for the plaza that will accompany the statue. Plans call for a 2,800-square-feet plaza composed of granite and Texas limestone, according to previous Odessa American articles. The Ector County Hospital District will be the owner of the statue, and the district will also assume responsibility for upkeep and maintenance. There, organizers of the memorial project hope the statue will serve to honor all veterans. In September, Kyle’s wife Taya Kyle announced her support for the statue and memorial plaza in Odessa, calling it “truly special” and writing in a statement that “I anticipate that from its proposed opening in spring 2016, we will see many proud Americans visiting the Chris Kyle Memorial to pay their respects to not just Chris, but all veterans." Vic Payne has been consulting with Taya Kyle and Chris Kyle’s father, Wayne Kyle, about the final details of the sculpture. The Odessa Community Foundation members are still planning the May unveiling ceremony, but Edwards said the idea is to try to include a broad group of people who played a part in Chris Kyle’s life and the works about him after his death, including family, military personnel and maybe some involved in the 2014 film. “We will do whatever we can to attract the people who care a lot about this project,” Edwards said. Back to Top

7.3 - Estherville Daily News: Bush: “We’re in this together.” Jeb Bush speaks to morning crowd in Okoboji Saturday (31 January, Amy H. Peterson, 27k online visitors/mo; Estherville, IA) Illinois congressman Adam Kinzinger said he ran for Congress during what he termed a dark period in the U.S. "because even though we may go through dark times, [the U.S.] comes out stronger, more powerful, and having learned so much." Kinzinger said he endorsed Gov. Bush

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

for President before he had even announced, causing his staffers to call him to say, "Did you really?" At that point, Bush had quietly entered the crowded conference room at Arrowwood Resort in Okoboji, and had taken a seat in front. The congressman introduced Bush, saying, "We need a president who doesn't just reflect his concern, but gives a way to believe America can again be a city on a hill." Jeb (Bush's nickname formed from his initials for John Ellis Bush) Bush began his talk with a look to the future. "My granddaughter Georgia Helena Walker Bush, whose nickname is '41': get it, could define herself by her ethnicity as Canadian-Mexican-Iraqi-Caucasian-American, but I hope by the time she is 21 and fills out a census form, she will simply say she is American." These divisions, Bush said, are not what define us as a nation. "What defines us, I still believe, is a common purpose," he said. "If we have candidates who disparage and insult people based on their countries of origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, we won't be the America we were meant to be," Bush said. People define our nation's greatness, and "I will make things happen by forging consensus. This country is about lifting people up, not about bringing people down." Bush said he took conservative principles to his role as governor of Florida, and transformed the state. "I reduced the number of state government bureaucrats by 13,000," Bush said. Among other gubernatorial accomplishments he cited were reducing the state budget by 11 percent, creating 1.3 million private-sector jobs, accomplishing a triple-A bond rating for the state, balancing the state budget, and improving the public schools. "When I am president, I will change the way veterans' affairs serves our veterans. Those who served deserve the best care, and they're not getting it," Bush said. "The administration is not short of bureaucrats, but it is short of doctors and nurses, and veterans have died from having no care! That's not the way to serve veterans. When I take over, heads will roll," he said. He added, "Our country should be providing the best specialty care for veterans with PTSD, brain injury, orthopedic needs, for all of that we should be the best in the world." President Obama, Bush said, "has a focus on his ambition, but not on solving problems. I was all in as governor. I love my state. Executive office takes passion and conviction. I was there when Florida needed a strong governor," he said. In a short period, eight hurricanes and four tropical storms hit Florida. "I was all in," Bush said. When 1.2 million homes were uninhabitable, I accepted personal responsibility. I have never said 'the dog ate my homework,' or the feds aren't helping enough, I've never hidden behind excuses to play off incompetence. I'm a leader, not a talker." Bush said his first priority as president, after unifying the nation around a common purpose, will be to "make sure we're safe." Bush asserted we are less safe than we were in previous times, due to ineffectual foreign policy. "What is this concept of leading from behind anyway?" he asked, rhetorically. "They've gutted our military, our allies don't believe we have their backs, and our enemies don't fear us," Bush said.

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Bush said as president, he would show our allies we have their back, beginning with moving the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. This, he said, would have a deterrent effect on Iran, and show both enemies and allies that the United States is "back in the game." The U.S. has experienced the increase in terrorist activity and witnesses a refugee crisis "because we didn't act," Bush said. "I don't understand how we can be told we have to just tolerate the 'culture' of Iran's government. On average, three people per day are executed there every day. It's a culture that oppresses and represses," Bush said. The U.S. will not achieve peace through what Bush called a "gutted" military. "We will achieve world peace through strength. You have my word as Commander in Chief, I will have the respect of the troops, because I have the utmost respect for them. They will have the resources they need, the support they need," Bush said. Bush turned to a discussion of the purpose of human life. "I see a society where everyone has a chance to make a contribution to our nation. I see a society in which everyone can achieve their God-given potential. Together, individuals can create prosperity, potential, hope, love, transformation, and all good things far better than a government can," Bush said. In response to a question about taxation, Bush proposed three tax rates: 10 percent, 25 percent and a cap at 28 percent. "I would end the marriage penalty and double an incentive for married couples filing jointly. I would end the death tax," Bush said. On the economy, Bush said, "Real wages have been in decline, and we have a tepid economic recovery due to a lack of investment in our own country. People are living in poverty, and a real challenge is giving hope to young people. Fully half of millennials believe the American Dream is over because they are crushed by student loans." It's one thing, Bush said, for older people to be cynical, but it's important in our society for young people to have hope for the future. Bush is in favor of Common Core, but also believes such decisions should be up to the states, with guidelines. "If you replace Common Core, be sure you're replacing it with a system that ensures high standards," Bush said. In response to a question about the large number of people on entitlement programs, including SNAP food assistance, Bush said, "We want people to rise up. We don't want to trap people in a cycle of dependency. There are 6.5 million more people living in poverty than there were in 2008, while the wealthy are killing it." Bush said people in Florida were lifted out of poverty through marriage, education, and work. "Why is there a disincentive to marry, a disincentive to work, and the dumbing down of education so people are not prepared for today's workplace? We need to require work, train people to be prepared for work, and not make marriage a disincentive. I'm not castigating single mothers who do it all, but I'm recognizing how hard that road is," Bush said. "I assume people want to be lifted up and not stay in poverty. As governor, I reformed everything. We took on special interests; I went at it. I went on the offense," Bush said.

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

America should be built on a unifying goal and purpose, Bush said. "Your zip code should not define where you go in life. We used to be a country in which everyone got ahead; the poor got ahead of where they were, and the rich got ahead, too. This is the core of our party's future. Work gives people purpose and makes their lives better in ways beyond just the money," Bush said. "The Affordable Care Act stinks," Bush said. "It's a major job-killer; It's outsourcing our freedom and in fact it's so bad, it may lead to a tipping point in who we are as a country. Unless you're at the bottom and get free health care, or you're at the top and can afford anything, people are getting crushed." Bush would replace the ACA with a consumer-driven healthcare model. "I'd recreate the system to empower people, to give them a direct relationship with their healthcare provider and healthcare funding source [insurance company]," Bush said. A wellness model for cost savings is vital, Bush said. "I would have everyone hooked up to devices that monitor your vitals and give wellness tips based on your interest and abilities, and also to hold people accountable. If I left here and had a big butterscotch milkshake, a signal would go out to [Bush's wife] Columba, to my healthcare provider, and an alert to me, 'hey, Dummy, you're cheating on your diet plan.'" "How do we restore freedom and liberty to Americans? Caucus and vote for Jeb Bush," Bush concluded. Back to Top

7.4 - The American Conservative: Stop Pandering to Veterans. Advocates for returning service members want serious engagement—not rhetoric used to score partisan points (1 February, Kelley Vlahos, Washington, DC) Americans were shocked recently to find out that one by one, 14 Marines who had served together in a single unit in Afghanistan had committed suicide since returning to the states in 2008, with several more attempting to end their lives, sometimes repeatedly. In November, TAC talked to Tommy Rieman, an Iraq War vet besieged by demons, who drove his car into a tree to end his own life. Fortunately he failed. The first common thread in these incidents is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The second is that these vets wanted to harm themselves, not others. The third thing is they didn’t seek help earlier for fear of looking unhinged and helpless in the eyes of society. So when Sarah Palin seemed to be blaming her son Track’s recent domestic assault charge on PTSD—and however indirectly, President Obama’s “disrespect” for the troops—veterans across the board delivered a swift and uniform rebuke. It’s probably one of the reasons why “Momma Grizzly” seems to have been packed off by Donald Trump and returned to Alaska C.O.D. “Underneath her nonsense lies a very dangerous allegation — that all veterans are ticking time bombs, ready to brandish weapons,” tweeted Afghanistan veteran and writer Nate Bethea, who recounted his own PTSD and how, during his darkest moments, “at no point did I lash out at

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016

anyone, because that would have made me feel worse. It would have confirmed my suspicions of being defective.” The news broke of Track Palin’s arrest the morning of her January 20 stump speech. Track allegedly punched his girlfriend in the face with a closed fist, kicked her and threatened to kill himself with an AR-15 rifle. This wasn’t the first time the 26-year-old Iraq vet had been in trouble. In 2014, Track and sister Bristol Palin were involved in a well-publicized drunken brawl involving at least 20 individuals at a Wasilla party. Palin, ever-ready to paint broad garish strokes for political expediency, attempted to foist this one over as political-personal testimonial for Trump’s candidacy: So, when my own son is going through what he goes through after coming back, I can certainly relate with other families who kind of feel these ramifications of some PTSD and some of the woundedness that our soldiers do return with—and it makes me realize more than ever, it is now or never for the sake of America’s finest, that we have that commander-in-chief who will respect them and honor them. After covering veterans issues for 20 years, beginning with PTSD among Vietnam veterans, then Gulf War Illness, and now a whole new war, this reporter can tell you there is nothing that provokes veterans more than politicians suggesting they are crazy and unfit for society. PTSD is a mental condition, and while tens of thousands or more of active duty military and recent veterans are suffering from it, along with other illnesses like service connected depression and anxiety, context is everything. Indulging in caricatures to make a buck (Hollywood), or to win elections (politicians), is a no-go zone for vets. As Bethea wrote later in the New York Times: That (healing) process begins by speaking frankly. Facing up to destructive or abusive behavior comes next, along with the assertion that we are responsible for our actions, no matter what burdens we carry. Post-traumatic stress is no excuse for violence or abuse, nor should it be considered a default association. I’d like to hope that, beneath the bluster and the political talking points, Sarah Palin understands this. I hope even more that her son seeks care and finds peace. This is not political correctness. it is a matter of protecting everything each generation has worked for, says Hal Donahue, a Vietnam veteran and writer who focuses on veterans issues. He says it took decades, but society today is more open and welcoming to troubled veterans, and this in turn has encouraged more men and women than ever to seek help when they need it. “We are making progress—it has been a bipartisan effort and it has been working. To damage that for political reasons is appalling,” said Donahue. “Guys with PTSD—and I know many of them—are more likely to hurt themselves more than anyone else. She basically linked PTSD to domestic violence. It is not an image that helps veterans.” That Palin made these assertions during a hyper-media-magnified political speech made it more unseemly because one of the loudest complaints by veterans during campaign season is that for all the tub thumping for war—particularly by Republicans—there is hardly anything left for

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vets when they come home, save for the “tie the yellow ribbon” platitudes and a few crumbs about funding the the VA. “We are hearing a lot from the candidates about their plans to send our military to face the world’s threats, but little about how they plan to take care of them when they come home,” said Paul Rieckhoff, founder of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). After dropping out of last week’s Fox-sponsored debate, Donald Trump announced he would hold his own event to compete with it, and donate the funds raised to veterans’ groups. Rieckhoff called it out as gimmickry, and said IAVA wouldn’t accept any of Trump’s money if offered. “We need strong policies from candidates, not to be used for political stunts,” he tweeted Thursday afternoon. He told MSNBC that he hoped PTSD and veterans did not become a “chew toy” during the rest of the campaign. Leo Shane, a writer for Military Times, illustrates the sad reality when it comes to veterans’ issues in the campaign. After 14 years of non-stop war and over 2 million men and women serving, he tweets, “veterans” were mentioned all of 10 times over the course of six GOP debates. The Democratic candidates did better with 21 mentions over six debates. Of course after Trump raised the issue Thursday in his own ringleader fashion, the Republican candidates, both in the so-called undercard debate and on stage at the main event, found their inner veterans’ advocate. But most sensed the pandering. “The evening was the culmination of a week of political posturing with wounded service members confusingly thrust in the middle of the Republican fight,” Shane wrote afterwards. “We are tired of being pawns in political games. We are tired of being forgotten once we serve. We are tired of being ignored in political debates by the people who would assume the role of Commander-in-Chief,” tweeted Tim Everett, who says he is a recent veteran and indie filmmaker, after the September 16 GOP debate. “What comes after war? Peace—not a single reference to peace last night,” he continued. “What comes after war? Healing and therapy, trauma and horror. PTSD. Surgeries. Medicine. Endless waits at the VA. Not a single reference to the plight of veterans.” Palin struck a nerve for all these reasons and more. The fact is, soldiers from the wars that Palin and others have so strenuously promoted have been coming home changed, if not damaged. Studies have indicated that yes, individuals with combat-related PTSD can be more prone to violence, including domestic abuse, than those veterans without PTSD. Much of that is fueled by substance abuse and other factors. Some vets suffering from PTSD also have a traumatic brain injury (TBI). It can be difficult to sort out all of these risk factors. Take the “Lethal Warriors,” the name given to the Army’s 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado, and the subject of a book by Colorado Gazette reporter Dave Philipps. When they returned from two bloody tours in Iraq, taking the most casualties of any Fort Carson brigade combat team, they became the most infamous group stateside. “Since 2005,” Phillips wrote in his original series, “the brigades’ returning soldiers have been involved in brawls, beatings, rapes, DUIs, drug deals, domestic violence, shootings, stabbings, kidnapping, and suicide.”

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But Philipps’ in-depth interviews and research were more than just shock-doc storytelling. He wanted to convey that there are consequences when redeploying people already damaged by war (or in some cases, not psychologically fit for combat in the first place). He wanted to show that these men asked for help and did not get it. He later went on to win a Pulitzer Prize for exposing that a unit at Fort Carson was responsible for discharging thousands of soldiers without benefits for “misconduct,” many who were wounded and needed mental health care. Sadly, an Army report released just before Philipps’ “Lethal Warriors” series showed that the base itself had failed to provide the support for returning soldiers that would help prevent the violence and self-destruction rampant at Fort Carson. Then-Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker said the risk factors (repeated high intensity deployments, PTSD, substance abuse, failures in leadership, stigma and other barriers to help) were a “toxic mix” that let to the shocking statistics there. So it’s complicated, a mess that war promoters like Palin had a hand in making, but now want to use as a bludgeon against their political opponents. Veterans and their advocates won’t let that happen. They know PTSD is complex. Many of the veterans treatment courts popping up around the country take on violent offenders, for example, as well as DUIs and substance abusers. Veterans know the first step is taking responsibility for their actions. They just ask that politicians like Palin do the same. And they would appreciate it if public figures would keep veterans issues out of their partisan endorsement speeches. Back to Top

Veterans Affairs Media Summary and News Clips 1 February 2016