IAVA | October 1, 2020
IAVA Weekly SITREP
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:
9/28
IAVA NEWS COVERAGE
Tampa Bay Times: ‘Here we go again’: Tampa Bay vets say diversity talks strike familiar chord
Jeremy Butler is a Navy reservist and chief executive of the national nonprofit Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, which has members in Tampa Bay. He hasn’t seen or heard from minority colleagues evidence of substantive improvements within the military regarding minority opportunities. Butler, a Black man, also said he’s aware of an overrepresentation of minority service members in the military justice system.
By Sarah Motter
“We are profoundly appreciative of the significant bipartisan accomplishment by Sens. Jerry Moran and Jon Tester, and Reps. Mark Takano and Phil Roe achieved in the final House and Senate passage of the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act,” said Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America CEO Jeremy Butler. “IAVA has made a top priority of this legislation from its beginning and we are pleased that Congress is taking the next big step in combating the veteran suicide crisis.”
VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE
Stars and Stripes: VA has denied about 78% of disability claims from burn pits
By Steve Beynon
The Department of Veterans Affairs has denied about 78% of disability claims related to toxic exposure, as thousands of veterans seek care from the agency for illnesses that they believe were caused by serving overseas near burn pits, an agency official said.
ConnectingVets.com: Black, Hispanic veterans twice as likely as white vets to test positive for COVID-19, VA study finds
By Abbie Bennett
In a nationwide study of more than a quarter of a million veterans, Department of Veterans Affairs researchers determined that Black and Hispanic veterans are twice as likely to test positive for the coronavirus as white veterans.
Associated Press: Military suicides up as much as 20% in COVID era
By Lolita Baldor and Robert Burns
Military suicides have increased by as much as 20% this year compared to the same period in 2019, and some incidents of violent behavior have spiked as service members struggle under COVID-19, war-zone deployments, national disasters and civil unrest.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Group representing women, minorities and LGBTQ soldiers want to be represented in VA motto
By Linda Wilson Fuoco
The small group of protesters, women who served their country in the military, aren’t asking for much. They simply want the Department of Veterans Affairs’ motto slightly altered to include minorities and the opposite sex.
Forbes: Coronavirus Risk Factors Among Veterans
By Lipi Roy
What are some of the key risk factors for death among Covid-positive veterans? Older age, fever, shortness of breath and higher coronavirus disease 2019 burden were a few risk factors identified by the authors. The JAMA study specifically found that most deaths were among white men over 50 years of age with a high burden of disease.
Military.com: Unemployment, Loneliness Plague Injured Veterans During COVID-19 Pandemic
By Patricia Kime
The coronavirus pandemic is hitting wounded veterans especially hard, with many reporting deterioration of their mental and physical health, as well as their financial well-being, since the outbreak began, according to a new survey of Wounded Warrior Project.
NPR: COVID-19 Pandemic Threatens Homeless Veterans
By Quil Lawrence
Homelessness among veterans has dropped by about half in the past decade. Now there’s concern that some of that progress could unravel, with the effects of the pandemic and economic crash.
Associated Press: Hawaii takes over veterans home with 26 coronavirus deaths
By Staff
A state-owned health care organization in Hawaii will take over a veterans care home where 26 residents have died of the coronavirus.
9/29
VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE
ConnectingVets.com: Years later, VA still hasn’t set maximum wait times for community care referrals
By Abbie Bennett
More than a year after the Department of Veterans Affairs Mission Act expanded opportunities for veterans to receive care in their communities paid for by VA, the department still has not set acceptable maximum wait times for that care.
Military Times: VA coronavirus cases top 60,000 since start of the pandemic
By Leo Shane III
The Department of Veterans Affairs over the weekend surpassed 60,000 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic about six months ago, with more than half of those cases added since mid-July.
ConnectingVets.com: Here’s where presidential candidates Trump and Biden stand on major veterans issues
By Abbie Bennett
Veterans could be key in the 2020 presidential election, and both candidates say they’re making vets a priority in their platforms.
ConsumerReports.org: Veterans Saddled With High Medical Debt
By Lisa Gill
You might assume that military veterans get basically free healthcare from the Department of Veterans Affairs. But for thousands of former and current service members, medical care is still costly.
9/30
VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE
Federal News Network: GAO delivers a tough review of the VA’s Community Care Program
By Peter Musurlian
The Department of Veterans Affairs lacks clear standards for how long veterans should be waiting for community care. The Government Accountability Office offered a stark assessment of VA’s community care program. GAO said VA does not have clear timeliness metrics for VA community care providers.
Connecting Vets: VA nursing home’s chronic staff shortages led to less care, staff ‘too busy to wash their hands,’ report finds
By Abbie Bennett
The VA Office of the Inspect General (OIG) investigated the facility after allegations of patients at risk because of a lack of nursing and other staff at the nursing home for years. San Francisco VA leaders said many of those issues have now been addressed following the OIG’s review. The review found that leaders of the community living center knew about the nurse shortages, but “continued to accept resident admissions.” The nursing home already had to reduce its number of beds because of staff shortages dating back as far as 10 years ago, OIG found.
The Daily News: Sen. Tillis introduces Camp Lejeune Justice Act for water contamination victims
By Calvin Shomaker
It’s been over six years since a U.S. Supreme Court decision limited Camp Lejeune water contamination victims from taking legal action due to North Carolina’s statute of repose barring individuals from suing more than 10 years after exposure; however, a bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) on Sept. 25 could give survivors hope.
Medical XPress: Why do veterans take their own lives? New study finds surprising answers
By Danielle Hawkins, George Mason University
“We found that social determinants of health, such as homelessness, divorce, unemployment, are predictors of suicide or self-harm, but they are not necessarily the cause. Mental illness causes both these adverse life events and suicide,” explains Alemi. “Programs that reduce social risk factors may not reduce suicide and self-harm, unless they also address the root cause— mental illness,” explains Alemi.
Military.com: General’s Proposal to Curb Suicide: Require Every Soldier to Visit Behavioral Health
By Matthew Cox
Following reports of a significant uptick in military suicides, the general in charge of Army Training and Doctrine Command suggested that all soldiers be required to see a behavioral health professional once a year.
Dana Point Times: House Passes Legislation to Support Veteran Housing and Employment
By Lillian Boyd
The House of Representatives passed the Dependable Employment and Living Improvements for Veterans’ Economic Recovery (DELIVER) Act, which includes six bipartisan bills aimed to strengthen and expand services for homeless and unemployed veterans.
Military Times: Candidates accuse each other of military insults, disrespect for troops in first presidential debate
By Leo Shane III
In a debate marked by frequent name calling and angry exchanges, the two major party presidential candidates accused each other of demeaning the military and hurting national security, while insisting that they have the best interest of troops at heart.
10/1
VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE
Associated Press: AP FACT CHECK: Trump falsely blames Biden for vet deaths
By Hope Yen and Matthew Daly
President Donald Trump falsely blames Democratic rival Joe Biden for the deaths of 308,000 veterans who he said couldn’t get health care because of the Obama administration’s policies. Trump and his campaign cite a 2015 report from the Veterans Affairs Department’s inspector general. But that’s not what the report said.
Wall Street Journal: New Jersey Veterans Homes Likely Failed to Acknowledge Covid-19 as Cause in Dozens of Deaths, Officials Say
By Christopher Weaver and Nora Eckert
A state-run nursing home for veterans in New Jersey failed to attribute nearly 40% of its likely Covid-19 deaths to the virus, according to the state’s own Department of Health.
ConnectingVets.com: Georgia VA kept mentally ill veteran restrained for days, gave ‘unnecessary sedatives’ before death, report says
By Abbie Bennett
A homeless veteran who had a long history of mental illness and other conditions was restrained for days, given “unnecessary” sedatives and subject to other failings by staff before their death at a Georgia Veterans Affairs hospital, a new watchdog report shows.
ConnectingVets.com: Veterans Affairs has approved 22,500 – 34% – of all Blue Water Navy claims filed after 14 months
By Abbie Bennett
About 14 months after Congress and the president passed into law a measure to grant Veterans Affairs benefits to sailors who served on ships off the coast of Vietnam, VA has granted about 22,500 of those claims.
San Clemente Times: House Passes Legislation to Support Veteran Housing, Employment
By Lillian Boyd
The House of Representatives passed the Dependable Employment and Living Improvements for Veterans’ Economic Recovery (DELIVER) Act, which includes six bipartisan bills aimed to strengthen and expand services for homeless and unemployed veterans.
Military.com: Here’s What’s in the $2.2 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Proposal for Veterans and the Military
By Patricia Kime
A $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief package unveiled Wednesday by the House contains $2.2 billion for the Department of Defense and military services and an additional $613 million for the Department of Veterans Affairs for costs related to pandemic response.
Stars and Stripes: Dozens of military families have had to repay VA for GI Bill benefits
By Steve Beynon
Nearly 200 dependents of veterans in the last three years have had to repay GI Bill benefits after the service members failed to complete contract requirements, sometimes unknowingly, leaving them tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
Kennebec Journal: New Maine veterans task force works to reduce suicide by firearms, medication
By Sam Shepherd
The Maine Safer Homes Taskforce will distribute information related to gun and medication safety, hoping to curtail the state’s higher-than-average rate of death by suicide in veterans.
Federal News Network: Without clear standards, veterans are in the dark on community care wait times
By Nicole Ogrysko
The Department of Veterans Affairs lacks clear standards for how long veterans can expect to wait for an appointment with a community care provider.
10/2
VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE
Washington Post: VA will be investigated after ‘staggering accounts of racism,’ Sen. Warren says
By Alex Horton
The Government Accountability Office will investigate claims of systemic racism within the Department of Veterans Affairs, lawmakers said Thursday, two months after a government union said most of its surveyed members saw racism as a problem inside the agency.
Federal News Network: Third time’s the charm? VA sets new date for initial electronic health record rollout
By Nicole Ogrysko
After development delays, training concerns and a global pandemic forced the Department of Veterans Affairs to postpone the initial rollout of its highly anticipated electronic health record modernization effort, the agency is on track to achieve a key milestone in three weeks.
NJ.com: 101 people died from coronavirus at N.J. veterans home, state confirms. Lawmakers demand answers.
By Susan K. Livio and Ted Sherman
Two top lawmakers are renewing calls for the ouster of the state-operated Menlo Park Memorial Veterans Home’s CEO Thursday in the wake of disclosures that the COVID-19 death toll there has risen to 101 people.
FOX News: New Florida law includes stricter penalties for ripping off military veterans
By Nick Givas
A series of Florida laws passed during this year’s legislative session went into effect on Thursday, one of which makes it a felony to attempt to financially swindle a veteran out of $50,000 or more.
NBC Virginia: Kaine, Wicker introduce legislation recognizing National Veterans Suicide Prevention Day
By Staff
Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Roger Wicker (R-MS), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation that would designate September 30th as National Veterans Suicide Prevention Day.
The Ripon Advance: Fitzpatrick’s bipartisan bill protects, supports veterans in apprenticeship programs
By Staff
Rep. Fitzpatrick signed on as the lead original cosponsor of the Protecting Apprenticeship Training for Veterans Act, H.R. 8426, with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA), which would pause GI Bill benefit time limits for those impacted and allow veteran apprentices who were laid off to roll over excess hours from a previous month to meet the hourly requirement, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Fitzpatrick’s office.
