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April 11, 2011
Stand Up For Veterans Update
Two New Studies Show VA Health Care For Seniors Better Than Medicare
More evidence that veterans receive high quality care through the VA health
care system comes from the journal Medical Care, which recently published
the results of two studies performed by Brown University researchers.
According to the studies, VA “…has made substantial improvements in
quality, in some cases providing substantially better care than is available in
private insurance plans.”
Advance Appropriations Protects VA Health Care System in Event of
Shutdown
Thanks to approval of advance appropriations for VA medical care funding
in the last Congress, veterans will “…see no change in their health benefits
– including those involving hospital visits and other doctors’ appointments
– in the event that Congress fails to pass a budget,” reports the Christian
Science Monitor. While some VA operations may be limited or suspended
during a government shutdown, the VA health care system has already been
fully funded for the year
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March 21, 2011
DAV Supports Review of Radiation Exposure in Antarctic Veterans
WASHINGTON—The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is supporting a
request from Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) that the Departments of Defense
and Veterans Affairs evaluate the probability of radiation exposure from a
leaking nuclear reactor at McMurdo Station that may have caused cancer in
veterans serving there from 1964 to 1973 during Operation Deep Freeze.
“Thousands of service members may have been exposed to radioactive
contamination in the air, their water and their food,” said DAV National
Commander Wallace E. Tyson. “The experimental, one-of-a-kind nuclear
reactor used at McMurdo Station suffered hundreds of reported
malfunctions over its lifetime. The same reactor was used to melt snow and
desalinate seawater used by the service members stationed there for as
long as 13 months at a time.”
In his letter to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Sen. Brown said that
veterans stationed at McMurdo have made numerous disability claims to the
VA for cancers they suffered, only to be denied. Many died before their
cases could be fully decided.
“According to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC),
cancers that may develop as a result of radiation exposure are
indistinguishable from those that occur naturally or as a result of exposure
to other carcinogens,” said Brown. “We owe it to our veterans to err on the
side of caution and support the claims of those whose cancer we cannot
legitimately determine was not caused by radiation exposure at McMurdo
Station.”
“Our veterans deserve to know if the radiation exposures at McMurdo
Station’s nuclear power plant are the source of their cancers. Unless proven
conclusively that they are not, the VA should award service connections to
veterans suffering from cancer that may have been caused by extended
periods of exposure to radiation,” said Commander Tyson. “Veterans also
need to know how many of our McMurdo veterans have already died from
cancer linked to radiation exposure.”
“We encourage the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to give
priority to the studies in hopes that no more veterans will die without proper
review of their disability claims,” he said. “Justice delayed, in this case as
much as any others, is justice denied.”
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Stand Up For Veterans Update
December 30, 2010
Advance Appropriations Protects VA Health Care From CR Problems
Dozens of federal programs are in "budgetary limbo" according to a report
in yesterday's Los Angeles Times, due to "Congress' passage of temporary
funding in lieu of a budget for the year..." The federal government has been
operating under continuing resolutions since October 1, the start of fiscal
year 2011, creating severe financial difficulties for many agencies and
programs facing flat and uncertain budgets. However, thanks to Congress'
approval of advance appropriations last year, the VA health care system was
unaffected by Congress' failure to enact the FY 2011 budget on time or
reliance on short term funding measures.
Brings Spotlight on Newest Homeless Veterans
The growing number and plight of homeless Iraq and Afghanistan war
veterans was featured in a segment of the ABC News This Week show on
Sunday. Citing an estimate that there are 9,000 homeless veterans who
served in Iraq or Afghanistan, ABC reported that, "...the Department of
Veterans Affairs believes the number of homeless could be higher as a
result of combat stress, brain injuries from IEDs, repeated deployments, and
rising use of drugs and alcohol." The report also cited the tight economy
and high unemployment as contributing to the challenges facing the newest
generation of returning war veterans.
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S. 3985, the Senior Citizens Relief Act Info:
This Bill Failed in the Senate,
On Wednesday, December 8, the Senate voted on S. 3985, the Senior
Citizens Relief Act, which would have provided a $250 emergency payment
to seniors and veterans in 2011.
As you know, Social Security recipients have not received a cost-of-living
adjustment (COLA) for two years. This also adversely affects veterans, who
rely on the Social Security Administration's COLA to receive a COLA for their
disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
This vital legislation would have corrected this inequity with a one-time
check of $250 in 2011. The DAV supported this legislation.
A vote of 60 Senators was needed to pass this measure. The vote was 53 to
45; thus, the bill was not passed. We have posted this vote on our website.
To see how your Senators voted: Yea Or Nay, click here:
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The American Veterans Disabled For Life Memorial Please Read More
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House Committee on Veterans Affair
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Transportation Availability to Hospitals In all Counties
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Veterans Memorial Home Information Page
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Department Convention Photos June 2010
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New Photos of The Jan 2011 SEC Meeting
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