Good news story of the day
Veterans conquer disabilities to reach new heights at Grand Teton National Park (The Denver Channel) Veterans often struggle to reintegrate into civilian life. Finding the special bonds, friendships and camaraderie they once experienced in the military can be difficult.
Military Transition and Jobs News
Coast Guard’s early retirement could expand to enlisted ranks (Army Times) Officers nearing 15 years in service next year have an opportunity to retire sooner than usual thanks to the latest early retirement program.
550 majors to be separated in reduction in force (Army Times) Secretary of the Army John McHugh has approved the results of reduction-in-force boards that will require 550 Regular Army majors to separate or retire from active duty by next spring.
30-year strategy calls for new approach to Air Force careers (Air Force Times) The Air Force should create a way for airmen to leave the service, gather real-world experience and then bring that back into the Air Force without being punished for it, according to the service’s 30-year plan unveiled July 30.
Upcoming options for employment seekers (Albuquerque Journal) Several job fairs including a business boot camp are upcoming in the Albuquerque metro in the next two months.
Job fair open to veterans, family members (Statesville Record & Landmark) A local job fair planned for Aug. 7 is part of a national program – Operation: GoodJobs – that helps veterans and their immediate family members find meaningful work and gain financial stability.
VA to participate in Veteran Expo (Iron Mountain Daily News) The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center will be participating in the upcoming Veteran Expo Aug. 8-9, 2014, in the Superior Dome in Marquette.
Army Preparing for Steep Drawdown, Losing Patience With Congress (National Defense) The Army is drawing up plans for how it would operate with nearly 100,000 fewer troops. The analysis will identify specific missions and duties the Army would no longer be able to do at that smaller size.
Veterans News
Two top administrators at New Orleans VA retiring and a 3rd is changing jobs (NOLA.com) Two top staffers at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System in New Orleans are retiring and a third is moving on to a new position.
Phoenix VA Whistleblower Punished (NewsMax) A whistleblower at the Phoenix Veterans Affair Hospital has been punished by being placed in a lower-ranking job, The Washington Post reported.
VA numbers on treatment delays were misleading (Tampa Bay Times) A Department of Veterans Affairs “fact sheet” told Congress and the public in April that the agency reviewed 250 million medical consultations, dating back to 1999, and found 76 veterans seriously harmed by treatment delays for gastrointestinal cancers.
VA Committee Chair: What Went Wrong at VA, and What Must Be Done To Fix It (NBC) By now, nearly everyone knows the Department of Veterans Affairs is in dire need of reform. Oversight by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and whistleblower revelations have exposed widespread corruption, systemic delays in access to medical care and failures in accountability across the board at our nation’s second largest federal agency.
Benefits News
Letter: Buffalo VA hospital is doing a terrific job (Buffalo News) Anyone who has followed the news recently could get the impression that Veterans Affairs is an evil organization not taking care of veterans.
Married Gay Vets’ Next Battle Is Equal VA Benefits (Military.com) U.S. Air Force Capt. CJ Wilkinson was about to settle into his dream life.
Mold forces relocation of Haley hospital patients (Tampa Bay Online) About a half dozen patients in the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital Spinal Cord Injury Center had to be moved and a hallway sealed off after mold was discovered in an area near the patient care section in May, hospital officials say.
Tricare appeals lengthy but not unfair, report finds (Military Times) Appealing a Tricare decision to the highest level within the Defense Health Agency may take nearly a year but that doesn’t necessarily mean those decisions go against beneficiaries in the end, according to a report recently provided to Congress.
Orders to Nowhere... 