Transitionnews for Tuesday, January 7th 2014:

Good news story of the day

Wyoming’s homeless veterans have an ally in local nonprofit  (Wyoming Tribune Eagle)  A new initiative that seeks to reduce homelessness among veterans in Wyoming is already producing results – while showing that more work needs to be done.

Transition

Enlisted quality force review board to be held in May  (Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs)  A quality force review board will convene here May 5-16 to consider eligible Airmen for retention, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced recently.

Military-friendly businesses and more resources make dent in Rock Hill vet unemployment  (The State)  Don Lowman described his first transition from military to civilian life as a tough one, filled with “reckless behavior” where he estranged himself from family and friends and could barely find or hold down a job.

AF to convene enhanced selective early retirement board in June (Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs)  The Air Force will convene an enhanced selective early retirement board here June 16 to consider eligible officers for early retirement, Air Force Personnel Center officials said today.

Tactical Veteran: Vet entrepreneurs give advice to startup hopefuls  (Military Times)  Separating from the military is like beginning a new life, with seemingly infinite new choices.

Veterans

Veterans feel sting of Ramadi and Fallujah losses  (USA Today)  For David Bellavia, seeing the images of al-Qaeda flags flying over buildings in Fallujah and Ramadi in recent days has been devastating.

Jerry Coleman, legendary broadcaster, Marine pilot, dies at 89  (Fox News)  Jerry Coleman, a former second baseman for the New York Yankees and Hall of Fame broadcaster who interrupted his pro career to fly as a Marine Corps pilot in World War II and Korea, died Sunday after a brief illness, the San Diego Padres said.

Former Marine who died protecting students earns honor  (Marine Corps Times)  There is an old saying in the military that Marines run to the sound of the guns.

Veterans dismayed that gravesites kept under wraps  (Dayton Daily News) The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl has burial sites available, information dismayed veterans organizations say was never shared with them.

Former Marine Gets Dying Wish of Honorable Discharge  (NewsMax.com)  A former Marine who received an “undesirable discharge” in  1956 for being gay has had his dying wish come true — he now holds an honorable  discharge.

Veterans Affairs

Care and Benefits for Veterans Strengthened by $153 Billion VA Budget  (MilitarySpot.com)  Continuing the transformation of the Department of Veterans Affairs into a 21st century organization, the President has proposed a $152.7 billion budget, a 10.2 percent increase over Fiscal Year 2013, that will support VA’s goals to expand access to health care and other benefits, eliminate the disability claims backlog, and end homelessness among Veterans.

Southern California University of Health Sciences Selected for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ First-Ever Chiropractic Residency Program  (PR Newswire)  Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCUHS) is proud to announce its participation in the first ever VA chiropractic residency training program. On December 6, 2013, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) unveiled its plan to initiate a pioneering chiropractic residency program beginning in July, 2014.

Lawmakers accuse VA of disrespecting Christians  (Fox News)  Why did VA hospitals restrict and in some cases ban volunteers from bringing holiday cheer to patients?

MRSA infection rates drop in Veterans Affairs long-term care facilities  (MedicalXpress)  Four years after implementing a national initiative to reduce methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) rates in Veterans Affairs (VA) long-term care facilities, MRSA infections have declined significantly, according to a study in the January issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

VA hospital’s release of delirious veteran latest in string of failures  (The Washington Times)  Doctors at a Veterans Affairs  hospital in Puerto Rico released a patient who was suffering from delirium  and barely able to function, ignoring evaluations by staff nurses, an  investigation found — the latest in a string of high-profile incidents at the  department’s medical facilities.

Agency works to draw down costs, maintain top medical care  (Armed Forces Press Service)  The Defense Department’s goal to save medical dollars and deliver the best health care possible has made strides in its first 100 days, the director of the new Defense Health Agency said.

Benefits

Measure Extends Telehealth Coverage for Military Service Members  (iHealthBeat.org)  Last week, President Obama signed into law a measure that expands telemedicine coverage for military service members as part of the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (S 1197), FierceHealthIT reports.

Tricare launches pharmacy cost calculator  (Military Times)  As the deadline nears for Tricare for Life beneficiaries to begin filling routine prescriptions at military pharmacies or by mail, Tricare has introduced a calculator to show just how much money they’ll save by making the switch.

Bill Would Stop Veterans Benefit Cuts and Saturday Mail  (U.S. Government Info)  Hoping to kill two birds with one stone, an influential House Republican has introduced a bill that would prevent a controversial cut in veterans’ retirement benefits by ending Saturday mail delivery.

White House Silence On Benefits Cuts Irks Veterans Groups  (Buzzfeed.com)  Cuts to military veterans benefits in December’s budget deal have outraged veterans groups, but as Congress and President Obama return to Washington this week, the cuts don’t appear to be going anywhere soon.

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Have a great day!