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MUST READS

(1) House moves to tighten rules on burn pits

The House of Representatives passed an amendment Thursday in its version of the 2010 defense authorization bill that would prohibit open-air burn pits from operating for longer than 12 months in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The provision, introduced by Reps. Tim Bishop, (D-NY) and Carol Shea-Porter, (D-NH), would require Defense Secretary Robert Gates to submit a report to Congress within 180 days of enactment about safer alternatives to burning trash in giant pits during contingency operations.  Since October 2008, over 400 service members have contacted Disabled American Veterans saying they believe they are sick because of the burn pits.

“More than six years into the war in Iraq and eight years into the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. military continues daily disposal of hundreds of tons of war-zone waste in a crude and hazardous manner — open-air burn pits,” Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America said in an earlier statement. “By limiting the use of open-air burn pits, this amendment helps protect members of the armed forces from exposure to potentially hazardous waste while serving their country, and directs the [Defense Department] to account for all of the hazardous materials that can potentially harm our military personnel.”  Click here to learn more about IAVA's support for the “Military Personnel War Zone Toxic Exposure Act” (H.R.2419).

(2) Post-9/11 GI Bill going smoothly, VA says

Keith Wilson, the VA official responsible for implementing the new Post- 9/11 GI Bill, expressed confidence to the House Veterans' Affairs Committee on Thursday that the Aug. 1 launch of the education program will go smoothly, with the first benefits checks to be cut by the Treasury Department on Aug. 3.  As the VA’s education service director, Wilson said about 84,000 applications have been received, with 47,000 already processed and awaiting final certification of enrollment and calculation of tuition and fee payments.  Wilson said he is optimistic the transition will go smoothly partly because a test of the accuracy in processing claims found 92 percent were done correctly, and most of the errors “were fairly benign.”  Next week, the VA is expected to announce the names of 700 institutions that will participate in the so-called Yellow Ribbon Program, in which the institution and VA agree to cover tuition costs in excess of the tuition cap set for each state based on the in-state undergraduate rate at the most expensive four-year college or university in the state.  Interested in learning more about the Post-9/11 GI Bill?  Calculate potential benefits at IAVA's GIBill2008.org.

(3) DoD on the clock to plan stop-loss payments

Following signature of stop loss provisions by President Obama on June 24th, the Department of Defense now has 120-days to design and launch a payment process for the 185,000 service members and veterans eligible to apply for a $500 allowance for every month they served under stop-loss orders since 9/11.  Once the application process is in place, people who were under stop-loss orders will have one year to apply for payments.  Do you know a service member who has been stoplossed?  Click here to send them an update about retroactive payments.

(4) Island Getaways for Vets a 'Click' Away in VA’s Second Life Archipelago

Military.com is running a feature today on the Department of Veterans’ Affairs “virtual” digital archipelago and Veterans Health Administration office in Second Life, a computer-generated world created by Linden Lab of San Francisco. Inside the world, the VA has posted videos of actor Gary Sinise offering support for vets and encouraging them to get help if they're stressed and have suicidal thoughts.  “About two years ago we were asked to explore all means of outreach to our veterans," said Joyce Bounds, director for VHA Web communications in Washington, noting that the VA hopes to use it as a tool to reach out to younger veterans who have been immersed in a video game culture.  However, Bounds said the VA currently does not know how many vets have visited the site or even if those who have been there are vets because everyone is anonymous inside the world.  Access to VHA’s Second Life island can be found on its Web site, www.va.gov/health.

AFGHANISTAN

Kyrgyzstan's parliament unanimously approved (75-0) a deal Thursday allowing the U.S. military to continue using Manas air base to support operations in neighboring Afghanistan.  Despite a significant rent increase to $60 million per year (up from $17.4 million), the deal will allow the U.S. to continue to transport weaponry, ammunition and troops as well as non-lethal military supplies.  The decision effectively reverses an eviction order under which U.S. forces were to leave by Aug. 18.

Associated Press reports today on the influx of casualties and injuries that Bagram air base – site of the main U.S. military hospital - is seeing in Afghanistan.  Military doctors at Bagram told the AP that there is nowhere in the world — except other war zones — where physicians are facing such severe wounds day after day.   

In other news, paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division task force now have an official Facebook fan page.  In an announcement Thursday, division commander Maj. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti said he hopes the Facebook profile will help get word directly to the public about the unit's activities in Afghanistan through command postings of articles, videos and photos.

IRAQ

Nine people were killed and 25 injured Friday when a suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonated explosives in a Baghdad market. Separately, nine members of the allied forces were wounded when two roadside bombs exploded near their convoy in eastern Baghdad on Thursday.  The U.S. military did not provide more details.  But the bombings, the seventh and eighth in two days, come as Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has taken to calling the withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraq’s cities by next Tuesday a “great victory”comparable to the Iraqi rebellion against British troops in 1920.

Lt. Gen. Frank G. Helmick, commanding general of the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq, writes today in the Wall Street Journal that a major transformation is underway in Iraq and that the U.S. withdrawal is proof of success.  But he clarifies that at the request of the government of Iraq, the requirement for combat forces to be out of Iraq's cities by ths June 30th does not apply to U.S. troops serving in other roles. "There will still be some U.S. forces located in Iraq's cities who are serving in an advisory or liaison capacity," writes Helmick. "Additionally, the Iraqi government reserves the right to request assistance from U.S. combat forces if necessary."

MILITARY AFFAIRS

VA officials confirmed Thursday Secretary General Eric Shinksei has hired Peter Levin, a White House fellow in the Clinton administration, as the department's new chief technology officer.  In his new role, Levin will explore "visionary technologies" for the VA while Chief Information Officer Roger Baker will manage the 7,000 person, day-to-day operations of the VA's information technology organization.

On a related note, VA officials denied Thursday that Dr. Stephen Ondra, an Army Gulf War vet who is a professor of neurological surgery at Northwestern University in Chicago, has the inside track for appointment as under secretary for health at the Veterans Health Administration.  Officials confirmed that while he does currently serve as a senior adviser to Secretary Shhinseki, he has not even applied for the top VA health job.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

The Washington Times reports today that several top donors are boycotting Democratic National Committee fundraisers in an effort to push the Obama Administration to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy barring gays from serving in the military.  The fundraising quandary follows a letter signed by 77 Democratic lawmakers on Monday and sent to the President encouraging him to use his executive powers to order a halt to military discharges under the policy.  On Saturday June 27th, the ACLU is expected to join the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network to march on the White House in protest of the policy.

CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE

THE SENATE 

The Senate will reconvene at 2:00 pm on Monday, July 6, 2009

FLOOR ACTIVITY of  INTEREST

The Senate stands adjourned until 2:00 pm on Monday, July 6, unless the House of Representatives fails to adopt S.Con.Res. 31, the adjournment resolution. If the House, fails to adopt the adjournment resolution the Senate would convene at 2:00 pm 

FUTURE COMMITTEE HEARINGS  of  INTEREST|X| 

• July 15, 2009 - SVAC will hold a hearing entitled, “Women Veterans: Bridging the Gaps in Care.”  9:30 a.m.; 418 Russell (Vasquez)
• July 29, 2009 - SVAC will hold a hearing entitled, "Review of Veterans' Disability Compensation: Forging a Path Forward."  9:30 a.m.; 418 Russell (Smith)

THE HOUSE of  REPRESENTATIVES 

The House will convene at 9 a.m.

FUTURE  HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of  INTEREST       

• July 14, 2009 - Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing: Examining the Progress of Electronic Health Record Interoperability Between VA and DoD  10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon HOB
• July 30, 2009 - Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing:  The Implications of VA’s Limited Scope of Gulf War Illness Research  10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon HOB

IAVA IN THE NEWS

Outlet: Military Times

Title: DoD on the clock to plan stop-loss payments

Date: Thursday, June 25th

Representative: IAVA, Paul Rieckhoff

A wide-range of views, positions, and publications are represented in these articles.  These views, positions and publications are not endorsed by nor do they necessarily represent the views of IAVA.