Military transition and veterans affairs news of the day for 2/4/14

Good news story of the day

Wounded veteran gets the keys to mortgage-free home   (The News Tribune)  A combat-wounded Army veteran got the keys to a mortgage-free home in Federal Way Monday through a Wells Fargo military affairs program.

Military transition

22,500 face cuts this year  (Marine Corps Times)  The Air Force is planning to cut roughly 22,500 airmen this year alone through its massive force management programs.

Job fair for military members, veterans set for Tuesday  (Los Cruces Sun-News)  A free job fair for veterans, is scheduled for Tuesday at Fort Bliss in El Paso.

Veterans given tools for civilian job hunting  (Sun Sentinel)  They came out of the Army, Marines, Air Force and Navy more skilled than they went in, and many thought employers would welcome them with a job.

Interstate compact aids transition of students in military families  (Great Falls Tribune)  Senior Brandon Brooking transferred to C.M. Russell High School from Texas in the middle of his junior year, and he said it was the easiest transition he’d experienced as the son of military parents.

New UC panel to aid military veterans in university  (Los Angeles Times)  The University of California on Monday announced the formation of an advisory group to help military veterans address specific issues and succeed in earning degrees.

Programs aimed at veterans go into motion  (The Scribe)  Last month The Scribe reported on two planned programs to benefit the campus veteran community: Boots to Suits and Peer Mentorship.

Veterans

Veterans with traumatic brain injuries and combat-related challenges  (Medical Press)  Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have found that among traumatic brain injury-diagnosed veterans treated by the Veterans Health Administration between 2009 and 2011, the majority had a clinician-diagnosed mental health disorder and approximately half had both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and pain.

World War I Portland veteran’s Purple Heart returned to his family  (Morning Sentinel)  A military medal awarded to a Portland man wounded in World War I was returned to his family in Pittsfield on Sunday.

Simi Valley gala to benefit troops  (Ventura County Star)  Auction items at the Military Tribute Gala in Simi Valley will include a weeklong stay at a Maui resort and a sailboat cruise in Newport Beach.

Genesee County veterans’ military records dating to WWII damaged by mold, document restoration set  (mLive.com)  Thousands pages of damaged military papers belonging to Genesee County veterans are boxed and bound for Livonia, where document recovery specialists will try to salvage them from water, mildew and mold damage.

Military sniper links his string of armed robberies to PTSD  (Los Angeles Times)

As an Army sniper in Iraq and Afghanistan, Gabriel Brown craved danger. Combat satisfied what he called his “adrenaline addiction.”

Veterans have mixed feelings about Budweiser’s ‘A Hero’s Welcome’ Super Bowl ad  (PRI)  One told the story of a relationship between a puppy and the Anheuser-Busch signature Clydesdales. The other, however, looked at a celebration for an American veteran, returning home from battle. The ad, according to several veterans, tried to walk a delicate line between celebrating and pandering.

Marine intelligence officer busted in $235,000 sting, FBI says  (Sun Sentinel)  A U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer complaining of money and marriage woes may have thought his troubles were over when he pulled into a Dania Beach parking lot to pick up a duffel bag stuffed with $235,000 in cash.

Army program helps soldier choose life over suicide  (USA Today)  The demons rushed in during the months after Levertis Jackson returned from Afghanistan in 2011. “I felt like I was losing complete control of my mind and my sanity,” says the former Army specialist.

Veterans affairs

Veterans hospital finds ways to tame MRSA super bug  (USA Today)  Before 2007, the potentially deadly super bug MRSA stalked patients at the Louisville Veterans Affairs Medical Center — with infection rates 20 times higher than they are today.

Veterans Affairs to hold information forum for patients  (JournalStar.com)  Veterans who receive health care services at the Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Lincoln are invited to attend an information forum Feb. 13 at 6 p.m.

VA reduced benefits backlog, but needs to get back in gear, say veterans  (The Christian Science Monitor)  Despite having made good progress to reduce a backlog of disability claims that peaked last March, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ efforts have lost momentum in recent months, according to a new report from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

VA lacks control over own data, leaks could occur: audit  (The Washington Times)  The Veterans Affairs Department doesn’t have solid controls over its own financial reporting or computer data, leading to the possibility that the agency could leak information or mistake just how much it is spending, an investigation found.

Report: Veterans Affairs Backlog Shrinking, But Still Daunting  (National Journal)  The Department of Veterans Affairs has made a dent in its mountain of backlogged disability compensation claims, but it still has a very long way to go, according to a report released Monday.

Benefits

Lawmakers seek in-state tuition rates for veterans  (The Washington Post)  The House overwhelmingly passed legislation Monday that would require public universities around the country to charge veterans in-state tuition rates or face financial penalty.

IRS offers special benefits for military  (The Tennessean)  The Internal Revenue Service opened the 2014 tax-filing season Jan. 31, so filers who have their tax returns done can send them in now.

Raises, BAH are likely targets of 2015 defense budget  (Military.com)  The Pentagon’s 2015 budget is likely to contain such belt-tightening proposals as reducing active-duty pay raises and housing allowances and instituting fees for Tricare for Life, officials told a Senate panel Thursday.

Reid readies bill repealing pension cuts  (The Hill)  The Senate is gearing up to vote on a bill as early as next week that would repeal the $6 billion cut to military pensions as part of a larger veterans package, according to Senate aides.

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Have a great day!