Transitionnews for Tuesday, November 26 2013:

Good news story of the day:

Healing veterans: Saginaw’s VA Medical Center pours nearly $30 million into renovations  (Michigan Live) After six decades of service, the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center in Saginaw was showing its age. But thanks to some timely renovation work, the health care center that serves veterans throughout central and northern Michigan has a bright future.

Military Transition

Transition Readiness Seminar prepares service members (DVIDS) The military transition assistance program, part of Transition Assistance Management Program, underwent changes March 2012, and is now known as the Transition Readiness Seminar.

800 lieutenant colonels and colonels face SERB (Air Force Times) About 90 lieutenant colonels and 150 colonels could be selected for early retirement when the Selective Early Retirement Board meets Dec. 9.

Veterans

Huntington Beach Bar Fights To Save Sign That Salutes Veterans (CBS Los Angeles) Veterans are rallying around a local bar whose owners say they have been ordered to removed a sign that salutes their service.

Student veterans face challenges when reintegrating into campus life (The Daily Texan) For a small population of UT students, campus life comes with several realizations — being the oldest student in class or that, unlike their peers, they are balancing a family life and their studies.

National veterans’ charity sues local Indiana veterans’ charity (Fox 59) A national nonprofit group that pulls in more than $150 million annually for veterans has sued local group Help Indiana Vets.

Veterans Administration

Scammers target veterans attempting to call the VA  (WVNSTV) A fraud alert was issued recently letting veterans know about a scam that targets people who are attempting to call two Department of Veterans Affairs hotlines.

Veteran advocacy groups want justice for deaths at Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center (The Augusta Chronicle) The outrage surrounding the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center’s botched gastrointestinal program reached the national stage Monday, with representatives from two veteran advocacy groups demanding justice for the three cancer patients who died needlessly because of the clinic’s lack of care.

Indy VA office one of worst in country (WISHTV) Some veterans are fighting to their graves, not living to see benefits promised to them as young troops.

Benefits

Overtime, new computer system put sizable dent in VA benefits backlog (The Denver Post) Far fewer veterans are facing long waits for disability compensation after the Department of Veterans Affairs spent the past six months focusing on the backlog, including mandating case worker overtime and rolling out a new computer system.

 Conn. veteran sues Army over diagnosis, benefits (SFGate) A Connecticut veteran of the Iraq War has sued the Army, saying he was denied full education and retirement benefits after he was diagnosed with adjustment disorder while actually suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Have a great day!