As the leading voice for the post-9/11 community, IAVA continues to create awareness on issues and topics impacting our community. Below are articles and news sources from the past week:

9/14

IAVA NEWS COVERAGE

Minnesota Star-Tribune: Minnesota veterans disturbed by reports of Trump denigrating military — if they believe them

By Reid Forgrave 

For military veterans on the left, they see the Atlantic report as consistent with a president who has long looked down at veterans.“It’s reaffirmed for some their belief that he doesn’t really support the military,” said Jeremy Butler, chief executive of the nonpartisan Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “And for those on the other side, the fact they were all anonymous sources just feed the narrative of fake news and the deep state and people trying to bring Trump down. These articles with all anonymous sources, it doesn’t help the overall conversation from a substantive point of view. It’s just going to be one more piece of noise.”

VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE

The New York Times: Veterans Fortify the Ranks of Militias Aligned With Trump’s Views

By Jennifer Steinhauer

Emboldened by President Trump’s campaign platform of law and order, militia groups have bolstered their strength before Election Day by attracting military veterans who bring weapons and tactical skills viewed as important to the organizations.

The New York Times: Jon Stewart, Kirsten Gillibrand and others push a bill to help veterans affected by toxic burn pits

By Jennifer Steinhauer

Jon Stewart, who has been a vocal advocate for emergency responders in the Sept. 11 attacks for almost two decades, is turning his attention to trying to pass a bill in Congress to help veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits in the wars that followed the terrorist strikes.

Stars and Stripes: Biden’s Plan to Boost VA: Increase Wages for Health Care Workers to Compete with Private Sector

By Steve Benyon

Former Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that the greatest challenge for the Department of Veterans Affairs is filling tens of thousands of job vacancies, and if elected president he would supercharge the VA’s budget to boost wages to compete with the private sector.

Military.com: Burn Pits Linked to Chronic Cough and Wheezing in Veterans, New Study Shows

By Patricia Kime

A new report from a scientific advisory panel finds some evidence that chronic respiratory symptoms, such as coughing and wheezing, are linked to service in the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War and post-9/11 combat environments like Iraq and Afghanistan.

NBC Corpus Christi: Toxin exposure will be discussed by Congress on Tuesday

By Chelsea Torres

On Tuesday, Burn Pits 360, Jon Stewart and other veteran organizations and experts will speak to Congress about helping veterans with health benefits and compensation. “Give compensation benefits to those sick and dying and survivors,” she said. “That would automatically grant health care.”

Associated Press: US Navy veteran: For 2 decades, VA never told him he had HIV

By Jeff Martin

A U.S. Navy veteran had no idea he was living with the virus that causes AIDS for more than two decades, because government health care workers never informed him of his positive test result in the mid-1990s, he says.

ConnectingVets.com: ‘New approach’ needed to prove burn pits exposure causes veteran illnesses, researchers say

By Abbie Bennett

Limitations in existing studies and lack of quality data mean there’s “insufficient evidence” to prove veterans’ respiratory illnesses are caused by burn pit and other airborne hazard exposure in Afghanistan and Persian Gulf countries and a new approach is needed, experts said in a report released this week.

Business Insider: I’m a veteran who gets my medicines through the mail. I didn’t sign up for Trump’s war on the USPS

By Barbara Cotton

President Trump’s new Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, is causing problems with the United States Postal Service, leading to delays in mail. Trump is also pushing for more changes and casting doubt on the Post Office’s functions. I’m one of thousands of veterans who rely on the postal service to get prescription medication. If Trump continues to make the USPS a political front, it could have devastating results for veterans.

Reuters: Removal of flag honoring veterans from White House sparks anger

By Alexandra Alper, Idrees Ali

A decision by the Trump administration earlier this year to move the flag honoring missing war veterans from a prominent position atop the White House to a less visible spot on the South Lawn has angered some veterans and lawmakers, who see it as disrespectful and potentially illegal.

9/15

VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE

Federal News Network: VA data breach exposes personal information for 46,000 veterans

By Nicole Ogrysko

A cybersecurity breach at the Department of Veterans Affairs has potentially exposed personnel information for 46,000 veterans, the agency said Monday in a statement. The breach involved an online application that appeared to handle medical payments of some kind.

*Also reported in The Hill, CNN, ModernHealthcare

Military.com: PTSD and Substance Use Disorders Are a Vicious Cycle for Veterans

By Michael Richardson , Eric Pedersen , Roger Brooks and Terri Tanielian

Over the past two decades of war, individuals’ combat tours became more frequent and longer in duration, which has the potential to increase service members’ exposure to PTEs, and this has naturally and expectedly taken its toll on the mental health of America’s active-duty and veteran communities.

ABC Action News: Former Vice President Biden to speak at veterans roundtable in Tampa Tuesday

By Dan Trujillo

Former Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak at a veterans roundtable in Tampa Tuesday.

ConnectingVets.com: New bill aims to force VA to expand benefits to veterans ill from toxic exposures like burn pits

By Abbie Bennett

Under a bill expected to be introduced today, veterans ill from toxic exposures could have a new avenue for benefits. Comedian and activist Jon Stewart, Capitol Hill lawmakers Rep. Raul Ruiz and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, former Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and other advocates including Burn Pits 360, plan to announce the legislation on Tuesday. 

FOX News: 235 former military leaders support Trump, warn ‘our historic way of life is at stake’

By Ronn Blitzer

A new letter bearing the names of 235 retired U.S. military leaders supports President Trump in what is described as arguably “the most important election since our country was founded.” Retired Army and Air Force generals and Navy admirals were among those who signed the letter, which was released by the Trump campaign Monday.

Dallas Morning News: A new effort creates a coordinated mental health delivery system for veterans and their families

By Allison Hatfield

The North Texas Collaborative, a new organization formed by five D-FW agencies, aims to expand access to mental health care for area veterans and their family members. “With over 20 veterans losing their lives to suicide every day and with a world coping with an isolating pandemic, a collaborative approach has never been more important,” says Dr. Amy Williams.

Marijuana Moment: Missouri Sends $2.1M In Medical Marijuana Revenue To Military Veterans Health Programs

By Ben Adlin

The first-ever transfer of cannabis revenue to a state veterans fund just took place, with more than $2.1 million routed from the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) to the Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC), where it will fund health services for those who have served in the military.

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Disabled veterans aren’t an eyesore [Opinion]

By Xavior Robinson

Incidents of the president’s disrespect of the military, service members, and their families are too numerous to count. But the “nobody wants to see that” comment is particularly disturbing because it demonstrates a degree of cascading ignorance that is rare even for this president.

9/16

IAVA NEWS COVERAGE

Washington Post: Jon Stewart urges health-care law for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits

By Alex Horton

Lawmakers flanked by veterans and comedian Jon Stewart on Tuesday announced legislation that would deliver care for veterans who developed health problems after they were exposed to open-air pits used to burn trash and waste during overseas wars. “It is past time that veterans exposed to these deadly toxins receive the benefits that they deserve,” said Jeremy Butler, the chief executive of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group that joined other veterans groups in endorsing the proposed bill.

Military.com: Veteran Suicide Prevention Bills Will Move Forward After Committees Reach Compromise

By Patricia Kime

The measure has the support of the VA and nearly 40 veterans service organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Paralyzed Veterans of America and American Veterans.

VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE

Military.com: Landmark Bill Would Designate 12 Illnesses as Connected to Burn Pits

By Patricia Kime

Lawmakers introduced legislation Tuesday that would streamline the process for veterans to receive disability benefits for diseases that may be related to exposure to burn pits and other battlefield pollutants.

The Hill: Biden courts veterans amid fallout from Trump military controversies

By Julia Manchester

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s campaign is courting veterans and members of the military in key swing states, betting that his personal connection to the armed forces and the fallout from reports of President Trump’s disparaging remarks about fallen service members will dislodge at least a portion of the historically Republican-leaning bloc.

The Tennessean: Nashville VA didn’t let tornadoes, COVID-19 get in the way of serving veterans [Opinion]

By Robert Wilkie

The Middle Tennessee tornadoes and the coronavirus created challenges for the Department of Veterans Affairs, but staff worked hard to serve veterans.

MyChesCo: VA Awards $1.3 Million to Support Veterans at Risk of Suicide from Homelessness

By Staff

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it recently awarded $1.3 million in grants to 11 regional homelessness nonprofit organizations to bolster suicide prevention services for Veterans who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The Hill: Congress missed the point when it came to helping veterans [Opinion]

By Sherman Gillums Jr.

We can have legitimate discussions on the strengths and weaknesses of various interventions and whether federal funds should pay for them. But our lawmakers cannot continue to act as if the answer resides with those who were given all the time, money, and opportunity to fix a problem over decades with the same thinking that created it.

9/17

VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE

Federal News Network: VA’s latest IT project? A digital GI bill transformation

By Nicole Ogrysko

The Department of Veterans Affairs is eyeing yet another large-scale modernization effort — this time an overhaul to its legacy systems it uses to administer education and housing benefits under the GI bill. The department is asking Congress to reprogram some $243 million from the funds it received under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act this past spring to overhaul its education IT services.

Government Accountability Office: VA Needs to Address Persistent IT Modernization and Cybersecurity Challenges

By Staff

Despite spending over $4 billion annually on IT the VA still doesn’t have IT systems that fully support critical services—e.g., veterans health care. Some VA IT management processes do not effectively implement federal IT acquisition law, making congressional oversight of IT acquisitions more difficult.

Task & Purpose: Here’s where Trump, Biden, and Jorgensen stand on the issues most important to the US military

By Jeff Schogol

For the first time, all three major presidential candidates have weighed in on the most pressing issues facing service members, military families, and veterans. President Donald Trump and his democratic rival former Vice President Joe Biden, have provided answers to the Military Officers Association of America to a wide variety of questions about their plans for the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Sierra Sun Times: VA Offers Debt Relief to Veterans Impacted by Natural Disasters

By Staff

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today its commitment to extend debt relief to Veterans adversely impacted by natural disasters. The department recognizes Veterans and beneficiaries are negatively impacted by the wildfires and hurricanes prompting the offering of financial debt relief. 

Healthcare IT News: VA working with Apple to broaden telehealth access for veterans

By Mike Miliard

The agency is distributing iPads to some 50,000 veterans nationwide, to enable them to connect with virtual care visits and manage their data via the Health Records app.

NPR: Jon Stewart Uses His Celebrity To Bring Attention To Vets Exposed To Burn Pits

By Quil Lawrence

“We thought it was done,” Stewart said, “but it turns out that the veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering the same illnesses and the same toxic exposures, because of the actions of our own government.” Hundreds of thousands of troops have signed on the VA’s registry for those who believe they were exposed to burn pits.

The Hill: Overnight Defense: House to vote on military justice bill spurred by Vanessa Guillén death

By Rebecca Kheel

A bill aimed at overhauling the military justice system in the wake of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén’s slaying will get a vote in the House. The bill, dubbed the I Am Vanessa Guillén Act, was unveiled Wednesday by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) at a news conference outside the Capitol building alongside Guillén’s family and a bipartisan group of lawmakers.

9/18

VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE

Federal News Network: VA data breach also hit 17,000 community care providers, senators say

By Nicole Ogrysko

The data breach the Department of Veterans Affairs announced earlier this week exposed personal information for 46,000 veterans, but it also hit several thousand community care providers that supplement the agency’s medical program.

ConnectingVets.com: Congress moves forward with deal to pass major veteran suicide prevention bills

By Abbie Bennett

House lawmakers took a major step on Thursday to advance a package of bills aimed at preventing veteran suicide, part of a deal with senators to pass legislation from both chambers. The House Veterans Affairs Committee voted to move five bills to the House floor Thursday.

Military Times: Major veterans suicide prevention legislation advances, but without discussion of guns

By Leo Shane III

Congressional lawmakers reached a deal this week to send sweeping veterans suicide prevention legislation to the White House later this month, but the plan for now will abandon any serious discussion about gun safety for at-risk veterans.

Military.com: VA Is Sending ‘Tiger Team’ in Response to COVID-19 Outbreak at Hawaii Veterans Home

By Patricia Kime

The Department of Veterans Affairs is sending a team of infection control experts to the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home, Hawaii’s only state nursing home for veterans, which has been hit hard in the past month by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Washington Post: I’m a veteran who was suicidal. It’s a good thing I didn’t have access to a gun [Opinion]

By Top Washington

I am writing this during National Suicide Prevention Month because I’ve learned over the past few years how fortunate I was to not have a gun at my lowest moments. Gun suicide is particularly dangerous for veterans such as me, who often refuse to talk about our feelings.