IAVA | December 18, 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:
Friday December 18
IAVA NEWS COVERAGE
Washington Examiner: The president-elect makes some odd picks for his administration
By Katherine Doyle
Butler, who leads Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group, had outlined with the Biden-Harris transition the nominee that his group hoped to see. “One, being a veteran,” said Butler. “Two, having a medical background because so much of what the VA does is provide medical care. And third, someone that has experience in managing large bureaucratic organizations, because that’s what the VA is.”McDonough, who called Butler the morning before the announcement, is none of these. McDonough does bring experience with all the levers of power in Washington, Butler said. “He understands the military, he knows how to get legislation passed, and, most importantly, I think, he has the ear and the confidence of the left flank.”
VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE
Military.com: During Phil Roe’s Tenure, the VA Budget Nearly Tripled. But He Still Fears It Isn’t Enough
By Richard Sisk
During his 12 years in Congress, Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., has seen the Department of Veterans Affairs’ budget balloon from $94 billion in 2008 to $240 billion this year. But as he prepares to retire, he has lingering doubts about how well the money was spent. “Throwing more money at something doesn’t mean you get a better outcome” said Roe.
Stars and Stripes: Sweeping veterans bill boosts protections for GI Bill recipients and cracks down on predatory schools
By Steve Beynon
A mammoth veterans bill approved by Congress on Wednesday increases legal protections for GI Bill benefits and aims to further scrutinize schools with a history of taking advantage of beneficiaries.
Military.com: Troops With Debilitating Cases of COVID-19, or Their Survivors, to Be Eligible for VA Disability Pay
By Patricia Kime
Under sweeping veterans legislation approved Wednesday by Congress, service members who contract COVID-19 while on duty and suffer disability or death as a result will be eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits.
Stars and Stripes: Lawmakers Urge VA to Continue Deferring Debt Collections; Agency Says It Won’t
By Nikki Wentling
Republican and Democratic lawmakers called on the Department of Veterans Affairs this week to continue its nine-month pause on billing veterans for medical debts after the agency announced it would start collections again in January.
*Also reported in Military.com
Vox: Why veterans groups want Trump’s VA secretary to resign
By Alex Ward
America’s six leading veterans organizations have joined together to demand the resignation of the secretary of veterans affairs after a federal investigation found he aimed to discredit a female veteran who filed a sexual harassment claim instead of properly investigating the matter.
CBS Palm Beach: Local lawmaker takes up new bill to fund veteran suicide prevention efforts
By Lexi Nahl
Florida House Rep. Matt Willhite filed a bill earlier this week urging Congress to address veteran suicide. The bill, filed Tuesday, asks Congress to “recognize the current crisis of veteran suicide and to fully fund suicide prevention efforts undertaken by the U. S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs.”
ConnectingVets.com: Veterans Affairs reverses plans to waste extra coronavirus vaccine doses
By Abbie Bennett
The department’s initial guidance was issued despite the Food and Drug Administration approving use of all full doses available in each vial during the public health emergency, an internal memo shows. VA issued new guidance Thursday authorizing the use of additional full doses of the vaccine when they are present.
Newsweek: VA Employees Worked in COVID-19 Units After Contracting Virus Themselves, Facility Says
By Meghan Roos
An official at the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs said Wednesday that some employees at a facility in LaSalle continued working in COVID-19 units after testing positive for the virus themselves.
Federal News Network: VA healthcare workers feeling pandemic burnout: ‘We don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel’
By Nicole Ogrysko
With COVID-19 cases surging across the country, healthcare workers at the Department of Veterans Affairs say they’re feeling burned out, overwhelmed and unheard as the pandemic stretches on into 2021.
By Staff
The bill, S-2875, would establish a new ownership exception to expand access to investments for women, minority and disabled-veteran owned businesses.
The New Yorker: The Veterans Organizing to Stop Trumpism
By Paige Williams
In June, 2017, Barkhuff registered Veterans for Responsible Leadership as a political-action committee. The group had three fundamental goals: to “promote integrity and rational thought in politics,” to “support veterans who demonstrate these qualities as they run for office,” and to “defeat candidates who don’t show these qualities, the most obvious of which is Donald Trump.”
Las Vegas Sun: How a Biden team can lower military suicides [Opinion]
By Frank Larkin and Leroy Petry
If the incoming Biden administration wants to tamp down the troubling rise in military and veteran suicides, it needs a much greater focus on reaching those who may be perilously disconnected from others and who don’t avail themselves of state or federal services.
Thursday December 17
IAVA NEWS COVERAGE
Stars and Stripes: Congress Passes Sweeping End-of-Year Bill Impacting ‘Every Corner’ of the Veteran Community
By Nikki Wentling
The bipartisan bill was backed by several national veterans’ organizations. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans for America pushed Congress to approve the measures for women veterans for nearly four years. Jeremy Butler, CEO of IAVA, said Wednesday said the bill was “groundbreaking” and would help close many gaps in care for female veterans.
*Also reported in Military.com
Task and Purpose: Vet groups call on Congress to investigate Dan Crenshaw’s alleged smearing of a sexual assault victim
By Jeff Schogol
Ten veterans service organizations are calling on Congress to investigate whether Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) tried to discredit a woman who said she was sexually assaulted in September 2019 at a Department of Veterans Affairs facility. The letter demanding an ethics investigation into Crenshaw is supported by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE
Military Times: Congress finalizes sweeping veterans policy bill with new protections for women, students
By Leo Shane III
House lawmakers on Wednesday finalized a massive, sweeping veterans policy measure which includes new protections for student veterans, new aid for veterans hurt by the ongoing pandemic and long sought-after improvements to VA services aimed at women veterans.
ABC Cedar Rapids: Ernst asking Department of Veteran Affairs to extend freeze on medical bill payments
By Staff
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs to extend its freeze on veterans’ medical bill payments through July 2021. Ernst is also urging the VA to proactively notify veterans of payment plan options or any other assistance that may be available to them, as well as ensure their call centers are fully staffed and operational.
NBC Bakersfield: Rep. Kevin McCarthy introduces two bills aimed to provide funds for veterans programs
By Staff
McCarthy introduced the VET TEC Expansion Act and the Reducing Veteran Homelessness Act. The VET TEC Expansion Act would expand access for veterans to educational programs focusing on technology. The Reducing Homelessness Act pushes to enhance currently-approved grants and agreements between the secretary of veterans affairs and services for homeless veterans.
*Also reported in Sierra Sun Times
Health Imaging: Congress votes to give U.S. service members, veterans permanent access to DBT screening
By Matt O’Connor
Congress recently voted to pass a new defense bill that would extend U.S. military service members and veterans permanent access to advanced breast screening.The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) mandates Tricare beneficiaries receive permanent coverage for digital breast tomosynthesis.
Federal News Network: State Department, VA detail initial COVID-19 vaccination plans for employees
By Nicole Ogrysko
Employees and veterans at VA’s community living centers and spinal cord injury and disorder centers are at highest risk for COVID-19 and will be among the first to receive the vaccine, according to VA’s plan.
Chicago Sun Times: Grappling with COVID-19 outbreak at LaSalle home, state chief of veterans affairs appears before House committee
By Rachel Hinton
The director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs and her chief of staff faced members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday as state officials question how the coronavirus outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans Home started and what was done to prevent the spread of the virus that’s killed 33 veterans.
*Also reported in ABC Chicago
CBS Pittsburgh: COVID-19 In Pittsburgh: Veterans Fear They’re Being Forgotten With The Vaccine
By Meghan Schiller
As healthcare workers and nursing home residents roll up their sleeves for the vaccine, local veterans want to know when they’ll get the call.“We have a tendency of being forgotten, so to speak,” said veteran Dan DeCecco.
By Caroline Kelly
A congressional staffer who alleged she had been sexually assaulted at a government-run veterans hospital said Wednesday that the department was actively turning a blind eye to issues of sexual assault.
Stars and Stripes: Veterans organizations urge Trump to fire VA chief Wilkie
By Steve Beynon
Several major veterans organizations on Wednesday called on President Donald Trump to fire Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie after a federal watchdog report found he and his senior staff mishandled a congressional aide’s claim that she was sexually assaulted at a VA hospital. The letter was signed by The American Legion, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Vietnam Veterans of America.
By Catherine Herridge and Jessica Kegu
A newly-drafted executive order would open the door to medical help and financial relief for veterans who believe their rare cancers and other illnesses stem from their time served on a remote military base.
The Hill: A crisis that unites veterans [Opinion]
By David Shulkin and Lou Celli
For the first time in a long time, all major veterans groups are united, releasing almost simultaneous statements that it’s time for Secretary Robert Wilkie to step down.
Bloomberg: Veterans of the ‘Forever Wars’ Need Jobs as Much as Health Care [Opinion]
By James Stavridis
The Transition Assistance Program – a joint effort with the Pentagon and half a dozen other agencies to help those leaving the service get medical treatment and employment opportunities – needs a significant overhaul to align with current hiring practices. A final non-health strategic issue is ensuring that GI Bill benefits (tuition, housing, allowances) are easily obtainable and transferable to family members when that makes sense.
New York Times: The Afghan War Is Over. Did Anyone Notice? [Opinion]
By Elliot Ackerman
It’s time to tell veterans that it’s over, that they (and we) no longer need to live in a state of perpetual war; for service members still deploying to Afghanistan, it is time to clarify that they are no longer prosecuting a war but advancing a peace.
Wednesday, December 16
VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE
McClatchy: Trump weighs executive order for ill veterans who served at toxic ‘black goo’ base
By Tara Copp and Micheal Wilner
President Donald Trump is considering an executive order to help veterans who became ill after they deployed to a toxic base in Uzbekistan after the 9/11 attacks. Thousands of service members deployed to Karshi-Khanabad, Uzbekistan, or K2, living in tents above ground that was saturated with solvents and fuels that formed a “black goo” under their feet. A year ago, McClatchy exclusively reported on the illnesses now facing K2 veterans, who have had difficulty getting the Department of Veterans Affairs to recognize and cover their medical costs.
*Also reported in Task and Purpose, Military.com, Kansas City Star, Charlotte Observer, Yahoo News
Florida Politics: Matt Willhite bill urges Congress to fund suicide prevention for veterans
By Drew Wilson
Rep. Matt Willhite filed a bill Tuesday urging Congress to recognize the veteran suicide epidemic and to fully fund suicide prevention efforts at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
*Also reported in Florida Phoenix
New Haven Register: Blumenthal: VA received complaints ahead of West Haven explosion
By Ben Lambert
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs received warnings about potentially unsafe conditions before a steam explosion claimed two lives at the VA medical center in West Haven in November, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday.
Insider NJ: Sherrill Calls on VA Secretary Wilkie to Resign
By Staff
Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) today called on Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie to resign following the recent report from Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General detailing the Secretary’s attempts to smear a woman veteran who reported a sexual assault at a VA facility.
Stars and Stripes: VA releases order of veterans, staff to be vaccinated
By Nikki Wentling
The Department of Veterans Affairs released a final plan Tuesday detailing the order in which veterans and staff will receive coronavirus vaccines as doses become more widely available. The VA is undertaking a plan to distribute vaccines to more than 418,000 employees and 10 million enrolled patients.
CBS Los Angeles: LA Veterans Affairs Receiving COVID-19 Vaccines This Week
By Staff
Healthcare workers and residents in the Los Angeles Veterans Affairs system will likely begin getting COVID-19 vaccinations this week. The Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) is one of 37 VA sites nationwide that are receiving doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
The Oklahoman: Point of View: How a Biden administration can lower military suicides [Opinion]
By Frank Larkin and Leroy Petry
If the incoming Biden administration wants to tamp down the troubling rise in military and veteran suicides, it needs a much greater focus on reaching those who may be perilously disconnected from others and who don’t avail themselves of state or federal services.
Tuesday, December 15
IAVA NEWS COVERAGE
Associated Press: Vets groups demand Wilkie’s dismissal after scathing audit
By Hope Yen
Four of the nation’s biggest veterans groups on Friday called for the immediate dismissal of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie following a scathing government audit that found he had acted unprofessionally if not unethically in the handling of a congressional aide’s allegation of sexual assault at a VA hospital. Veterans of Foreign Wars joined Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Disabled American Veterans and AMVETS in saying Wilkie had breached the trust of veterans.
*Updated, also reported in The Washington Post, Military Times, New York Magazine, Yahoo News, San Francisco Chronicle, Telegraph Herald, West Hawaii Today, KOAA Colorado, Radio.com, American Military News, Washington Times, The Hill
VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE
Stars and Stripes: VA receives 73,000 coronavirus vaccines in initial distribution
By Steve Beynon
The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday administered its first doses of the coronavirus vaccine as part of national inoculation effort to prevent the disease as the death toll from the virus surpassed 300,000 in the United States.
The New York Times: First Coronavirus Vaccines Bring Americans Hope in Small Doses
By Campbell Robertson, Amy Harmon and Mitch Smith
In Bedford, Mass., a World War II veteran became the first patient at a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facility to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. The veteran, Margaret Klessens, who is 96 and a resident of the Veterans Affairs Bedford Healthcare System, was vaccinated just after noon.
*Also reported in NBC Boston, Radio.com
Wall Street Journal: Among Nursing Homes Hit by Covid-19, Veterans Homes Struggled the Most
By Elizabeth Koh
During the pandemic, one of the worst places to be was in a nursing home. Among nursing homes, one of the worst places to be was a state-run facility for retired servicemen and women.
Of the nation’s 150 such homes, thousands of residents have caught the virus. Hundreds have died. Family and staff members tell of miscommunication and neglect.
The Dogwood: A Silent Pandemic : New Data Highlights COVID-Created Problems for Veterans
By Amie Knowles
“I’m one voice of many that are out there that are trying to shine a light on what’s something that I’ve heard referred to, and I’m kind of parroting, as ‘the quiet pandemic.’ If you look at three decades worth of VA data and all of the resources this nation has put against it, we haven’t changed it,” said Col. Michael Hudson, vice president of veterans behavioral health data collection service ClearForce.
Monday, December 14
IAVA NEWS COVERAGE
The Hill: What the veteran community needs — a leader who puts accountability first [Opinion]
By Jeremy Butler
IAVA and the nation looks to President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris, as well as Secretary-nominee Denis McDonough, to support those who have fought our wars by prioritizing transparency, addressing the critical issues facing our veterans, putting people over process, and serving those who have served the country.
Associated Press: Vets groups demand Wilkie’s dismissal after scathing audit
By Hope Yen
Four of the nation’s biggest veterans groups on Friday called for the immediate dismissal of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie following a scathing government audit that found he had acted unprofessionally if not unethically in the handling of a congressional aide’s allegation of sexual assault at a VA hospital. Veterans of Foreign Wars joined Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Disabled American Veterans and AMVETS in saying Wilkie had breached the trust of veterans.
*Also reported in The Washington Post, Military Times, New York Magazine, Yahoo News, San Francisco Chronicle, Telegraph Herald, West Hawaii Today, KOAA Colorado, Radio.com
Stars and Stripes: Some veterans groups say they were caught off guard by Biden’s pick for VA secretary
By Steve Beynon
“Like everyone, I was surprised and caught off guard,” said Jeremy Butler, chief executive of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group. “Ultimately after talking with him…my takeaway is while he doesn’t meet all the criteria…he does bring some incredible talent and expertise and the respect and trust and the ear of President-elect Biden and that shouldn’t be overshadowed in any sense.”
VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE
Wall Street Journal: Biden Chooses Ex-Obama Official to Lead Department of Veterans Affairs
By Sabrina Siddiqui and Ben Kesling
President-elect Joe Biden has selected Denis McDonough, who served as White House chief of staff in the Obama administration, to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, the transition team said.
Military Times: Biden’s VA secretary pick promises to ‘fight like hell’ for veterans and their families
By Leo Shane III
Veterans Affairs Secretary nominee Denis McDonough pledged Friday to “fight like hell to give our veterans and their families the health care, respect and dignity they deserve” if confirmed to the post by lawmakers next year.
The Hill: Hoyer calls on VA Secretary Wilkie to resign after watchdog report
By Justine Coleman
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Sunday called on Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie to resign after a watchdog report revealed he disparaged a congressional aide who reported being sexually assaulted at a VA facility.
McClatchy: Veterans who led on toxic exposure call defense bill passage a critical first step
By Tara Copp
A massive defense bill passed by Congress on Friday includes provisions that would require government studies of military toxic exposure among fighter pilots and some of the first forces that deployed after the 9/11 attacks.
*Also reported in Military.com, Kansas City Star
Stars and Stripes: 37 VA hospitals to get agency’s first doses of coronavirus vaccine
By Steve Beynon
Thirty-seven hospitals within the Department of Veterans Affairs have been selected to receive the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine, though VA officials are not confident that every veteran will have quick, easy access to the treatment.
Stars and Stripes: VA to restart debt collections after a nine-month pause
By Nikki Wentling
The Department of Veterans Affairs will start billing veterans again for medical debts in January, after pausing collections for nine months because of financial hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Chicago Tribune: Gov. Pritzker put on defensive by COVID-19 outbreak that tore through LaSalle VA home with terrifying speed
By Jamie Munks
Asked Friday if he bore any moral responsibility for deaths at LaSalle, the governor said, “I bear the responsibility of leadership of the state and that means that everything that happens across state government, to some degree or another, lands on my shoulders.”
The Hill: Ten years after ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ more work remains [Opinion]
By Patrick Murphy and Luke Schleusener
Ten years ago, the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was a great victory for the nation and its armed forces. It ended the steep “cost of the closet” that LGBTQ Americans were forced to pay to wear the cloth of this nation. Through full study of and compensation for the long-term effects of DADT, the United States can better serve both current servicemembers and veterans, setting a course for a better future.
Military Times: Getting the VA secretary nominee right for veterans [Opinion]
By David Shulkin
The president-elect has nominated Denis McDonough for this important job. McDonough is an experienced leader who is capable of taking on this role. I worked with him when he was White House chief of staff and I know his passion and commitment to ensure our veterans and military families get the care they have earned.
