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The VA is Leading the Way on Genetic Research

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By Debbie Gregory.

Advances in genomics have triggered a revolution in discovery-based research to understand even the most complex biological systems. And with 500,000 samples collected from U.S. military Veterans, the Veterans Heath Administration now has the world’s largest genomic database. No other medical research facility has ever had such a massive data set in this field.

The voluntary project, called the Million Veteran Program, or MVP, started in 2011. The database will aid in gene-based research for conditions such as cancer, diabetes and PTSD.

The program aims to help doctors understand the genetic component of why some patients respond to treatment, why others don’t and whether some people are more prone to illnesses.

The MVP program has Veterans donate a blood sample and agree to answer follow-up surveys that track their military experiences, health, and lifestyle. VA Secretary Bob McDonald joined the program as the 441,196th Veteran to participate.

Now the VA is heading towards the goal of enrolling 1 million veterans over the program’s five- to seven-year span. The program is funded entirely by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Research & Development

Research is already underway, and VA researchers are using it to study mental illness, heart and kidney disease. The hoped for outcome is developing new treatments and cures, as well as allowing for early detection and specialized treatment based on one’s genetic background.

You can find out more about the Million Veterans Program online at http://www.research.va.gov/mvp/. While your participation may not immediately benefit you,  research findings may lead to new ways of preventing and treating illnesses in Veterans and all Americans in the future.

Veterans who are users of the VA health care system at one of the enrolling sites are able to participate at this time. MVP is rolling-out at VA medical centers across the nation. Once a site is open for enrollment, Veterans who are users of the VA health care system at that site will receive an invitation by mail to volunteer in MVP. If you are a Veteran who receives health care at an enrolling site but have not received a mailing, you can schedule an appointment by calling toll-free 1-866-441-6075, or walk-in to your local MVP clinic to participate today. To learn more about what participation involves, click here or call the toll-free number.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

United Airlines Sued By US Government Over USERRA Violations

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By Debbie Gregory.

Apparently the skies are not so friendly when it comes to Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).

The U.S. government has filed a lawsuit accusing United Airlines Inc for violating a pilot’s employment rights by failing to provide sick leave when he was called to active duty by the U.S. Air Force, where he was a reservist.

USERRA is part of the U.S. government’s effort to ensure that military personnel are not penalized for serving their country, including legal actions to stop improper home foreclosures and car repossessions.

The complaint alleges that United failed to credit Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Fandrei with sick leave while he was deployed as a KC-10 pilot in southwest Asia from December 2012 to March 2013.

United offered the benefits to other employees on similar leave, violating USERRA.

“Lt. Col. Fandrei has made many sacrifices to serve our nation honorably, including spending months away from his job and family,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Fardon of the Northern District of Illinois.  “When our servicemembers are deployed in the service of our country, they are entitled to retain their civilian employment and benefits, and to the protections of federal law that prevent them from being subject to discrimination based upon their military obligations.”

United believes its policies comply with USERRA, iterating that the company is “committed to supporting the many aviation professionals at our airline who served or who are currently serving in the military.”

The Justice Department said Fandrei, of Fairfield, California, worked at the time of his deployment for Continental Airlines, whose contract with its pilots did not let them accrue sick leave during military deployments.

United and Continental had merged in 2010.

According to the complaint, Fandrei was commissioned as an Air Force officer in 1990, and retired from the Air Force Reserve as of Jan. 1, 2016.

He joined United as a pilot in 2000, and was recalled from a furlough six months before being deployed, the complaint said.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

What Do You Think of the VA Buying Luxury Art?

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By Debbie Gregory.

Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., has joined forces with Concerned Veterans for America and Veterans for Common Sense to put a halt to the VA’s purchase of luxury artwork.

Citing the 70,000 veterans who continue to face “unreasonable delays” when attempting to obtain medical care from the embattled agency, Buchanan is working to refocus the agency on problems within its healthcare system.

Purchases made, according to a July report from nonprofit government spending watchdog Open the Books include: $330,000 for a glass-art installation in Palo Alto, $21,500 for an artificial 27-foot Christmas tree, $32,000 for 62 “local image” pictures for the San Francisco VA facility, $100,000 for a “Ribbons of Honor” glass sculpture for a VA outpatient center in Anchorage, AK, $65,000 for artwork for the “interior commons wall and $30,000 for the canteen artwork,  and a ridiculous $1.3 million for the installation of a rock sculpture outside a mental health center.

But probably the most outrageous purchases were the “Helmick Sculpture” at a cost of $385,000 and a parking garage exterior wall facade at a cost of $285,000, which were installed the Palo Alto Polytrauma and Blind Rehabilitation Center; yes, a facility that serves the needs of blind veterans.

“The VA’s flawed priorities are actively hurting our veterans — on the backs of American taxpayers,” said Dan Caldwell, vice president of policy and communications at Concerned Veterans for America. “While veterans nationwide are struggling to receive basic healthcare, the VA is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on sculptures,”

Anthony Hardie of Veterans for Common Sense said, “There are much more pressing needs and systemic problems at VA facilities around the country that need to be addressed before the VA spends millions of taxpayer dollars on lavish new artwork, including fixing VA’s suicide hotline so it can always provide immediate assistance.”

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Law Enforcement Jobs for Veterans- Acing the Interview

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By Debbie Gregory.

Law enforcement officers and military veterans have a lot in common: both wear their uniforms with pride; both are a part of a larger team of professionals protecting those who can’t protect themselves; both put their personal safety at risk; and both operate within a rigid command structure. There is a natural path that leads many military veterans to seek jobs in law enforcement when they transition to the civilian workforce.

Some pre-planning can help close the deal after the interview process to secure law enforcement jobs for veterans.

The interview is where you get your sole opportunity to make a good first impression. Preparing your answers to commonly asked interview questions can make or break your chances of getting the law enforcement job you are hoping for.

Why do you want this job? Draw on those similarities between military service and law enforcement: the service to those who can’t protect themselves, the camaraderie, and being part of a team.

What is your biggest weakness? Focus on something that you have worked on to improve. For example, if your tactical driving skills were less than what you were happy with, share some of the details of the advanced driving course you took.

Why should you be hired? Again, call on your military service, stressing that you are a physically and mentally fit candidate. You have good decision-making abilities, common sense, and respect a paramilitary chain of command.

Important don’ts to keep in mind:

  • Just like a civilian shouldn’t badmouth a previous boss, you shouldn’t badmouth those you served under. If you had a particularly challenging officer, focus on what you learned from that person.
  • If you’re asked to tell your interviewer about who you are, resist the temptation to give a chronology of your adult life. Instead, focus on your life experiences as they pertain to the job.
  • When it comes to compensation, don’t give an exact number. You should be familiar with the salary range, and you can say that you expect to be paid the appropriate range for this job, based on the location and your experience.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

The Top Ten Financial Benefits for Military Families

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By Debbie Gregory.

Are you taking advantage of some of the best financial benefits afforded to military families? A quick review of the following list will help you answer that question:

  1. Tuition-free college-Thanks to the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the cost of in-state tuition and fees at public colleges are covered for up to 36 months, or up to $21,970 per year for private colleges and foreign schools. Another added bonus is the housing stipend and money for books and supplies. Choosing a yellow ribbon school will stretch the benefit even farther.
  1. Veterans Administration loans – VA loans allow you to buy a house with no money down, and without having to purchase private mortgage insurance.
  2. Tax-free BAH- The monthly subsidy covering all or part of your monthly rent or mortgage payment as long as you’re in the military is tax-free.
  1. Low interest loans- Each branch of service has its own emergency-relief fund that offers small, interest-free loans for emergencies.
  1. Low-cost life insurance- Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance costs a mere 7 cents per $1,000 of coverage/ month. This totals $336 a year for the maximum $400,000 coverage.
  2. Legal protection- The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act provides special legal benefits, including an interest-rate cap of 6% on any loans you took out before you were called to active duty and the right to terminate a lease due to PCS.
  3. Guaranteed return- The military’s Savings Deposit Program lets deployed servicemembers invest up to $10,000 in the program each time you are deployed. You receive 10% annual interest, compounded quarterly; the program lasts for up to three months after your return.
  1. Tax-Free Roth IRA- Servicemembers who are receiving tax-free combat-zone pay can deposit up to $5,500 into a Roth IRA, tax-free, and earnings come out tax-free as well.
  1. Low-cost retirement savings plan- The Thrift Savings Plan charges an annual expense ratio of just 0.029% of assets — whereas annual fees and expenses for 401(k) plans average between 1% and 2%.
  2. State tax breaks- If your legal residence is in a state that has no income tax, you can be shielded from taxes if you move to another state while on active duty.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Chairman of Joint Chiefs Resists Reducing Top Brass

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By Debbie Gregory.

General Joseph Dunford, the 19th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pushed back against critics who think the military is top heavy with high-ranking officers.

“No, right now it is not my sense that we have too many general officers,” Dunford said recently.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee wants to see the number of generals and admirals cut by 25 percent.  This may be one reason for a hold up on the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017.

Dunford is looking for a compromise that is less than the quarter McCain is looking for. Dunford feels that the current number is not excessive.

According to Pentagon personnel statistics, as of June, 2016, there were 418 one stars, 315 two stars, 136 three stars, and 37 four-star active generals and admirals, totaling 906.

“We’re still working with both the Senate Armed Services and House Armed Services Committees to come up with a proposal that meets their requirements for reform, right-sizes the force to include our general officer population, and at the same time allows us to maintain military effectiveness,” Dunford said.

“So we’re going to go back and look at this issue, and work with Senator McCain and others to make sure we get it right,” Dunford said of the dispute over how many generals and admirals the military actually needs, which dates back to World War II.

In May, the Senate Armed Services Committee proposed cutting 222 of the 886 generals and admirals, citing that over the past 30 years, the end-strength of the joint force has decreased 38 percent, but the ratio of four-star officers to the overall force has increased by 65 percent.

“Especially at a time of constrained defense budgets, the military services must right-size their officer corps and shift as many personnel as possible from staff functions to operational and other vital roles.”

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Clinton and Trump to Address Military and Veteran Issues

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By Debbie Gregory.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) will be the host of the September 7th live televised “town hall” style forum featuring Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. They will take questions on national security, military affairs and veterans issues from NBC News and an audience comprised mainly of military veterans and active service members.

“IAVA is proud to lead this historic event for our veterans community and all Americans,” Paul Rieckhoff, founder and chief executive officer of IAVA said.

The event comes just days before the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and three weeks before the first official debate between the Democratic and Republican nominees on September 27.

The event will be broadcast in primetime on both NBC and MSNBC and focus exclusively on issues the next president will have to confront as Commander-in-Chief.

“IAVA members world-wide, 93 percent of whom say they’ll be voting in November, and many deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan right now, are ready to hear from the candidates and hold them accountable,” Rieckhoff said.

Clinton and Trump will appear back-to-back in the one-hour event. In addition to questions about the size of the military and fixing the Veterans’ Affairs Department, the two will separately discuss national security.

Preparedness to be commander in chief has become a major issue in the presidential race, with Clinton and Trump questioning each other’s fitness. Trump said Clinton “lacks the mental and physical stamina to take on ISIS and all of the many adversaries we face.”

Clinton, meanwhile, has touted the endorsements of a growing number of Republican military and national security figures who question Trump’s temperament and knowledge of international affairs.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

VA Fears Emergency Care Claims Could Open Floodgates

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By Debbie Gregory.

A recent ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to pay claims for emergency care reimbursements could open the financial floodgates and cost the VA over $10 billion.

The case, filed by Richard W. Staab, appealed a December 6, 2013, Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision that denied Staab reimbursement of medical expenses incurred for emergency medical services provided at non-VA medical facilities.

Some two million claims for emergency healthcare services that were provided to VA-enrolled veterans through the private sector could be eligible for VA reimbursement if the decision is allowed to stand.

The VA has until September 20th  to appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

In the interim, VA officials say they are unable to begin to pay any of the emergency healthcare claims until they can prepare new regulations to support the complex review process.

In Staab’s case, the court agreed with lawyers for the 83-year Air Force veteran who was forced to pay $48,000 in healthcare costs following open-heart surgery in December 2010.

For a number of years, the VA has maintained that, by law, it can only reimburse VA-enrolled veterans for outside emergency care if they have no alternative health insurance. That includes Medicare, TRICARE, employer-provided health insurance or contracted health plans of any kind. Unfortunately for veterans with other health insurance, they are  often stuck paying hefty out-of-pocket costs that their plans won’t cover, while veterans with no other insurance see the VA routinely pick up their entire emergency care tab.

Effective in early 2010, Congress clarified the law on the VA coverage of outside emergency care. A single provision was changed to say the VA could “reimburse veterans for treatment in a non-VA facility if they have a third-party insurance that would pay a portion of the emergency care.”

The VA appears to be saying that the 2010 law was intended to allow the VA only to cover emergency costs not fully covered, for example, by the insurance of a driver at fault in an accident that injured a veteran. But to be eligible, the veteran still can’t have other health insurance.

The VA estimates that some 70 million claims could be eligible for reimbursement going back six years and forward for 10. The administrative costs alone could top $182 million over the next 10 years, raising total VA costs to $10.8 billion.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Army Deserter Who Faked Identity, Wounds For Benefits Facing Prison

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By Debbie Gregory.

A 64-year-old Army deserter from Morganton, NC is accused of receiving tens of thousands of dollars in veteran benefits by faking his identity, war experience and war wounds.

Roy Lee Ross Jr., a.k.a. Daniel Alfred Sullivan Jr., was indicted on one count of executing a scheme to defraud a health benefit organization (the VA), which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; and two counts of making false statements in connection with the delivery of health care benefits by the VA, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

He is also charged with two counts of stealing from the VA, a charge that carries a potential maximum prison term of five years and a $250,000 fine, and one count of a making false claim for travel benefits from the VA, which carries a potential maximum prison term of five years and a $250,000 fine, according to information from U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose.

Ross enlisted in the Army in 1973 and was stationed stateside and in West Germany.

But he never served in Vietnam or Korea, was not in the Special Forces and never was wounded as he claimed, according to the indictment.

While stationed in Hawaii in 1978, he went AWOL, was caught and instead of undergoing a court-martial, was discharged Under Conditions Other Than Honorable.

By 2007, the indictment says, Ross began to falsely represent himself to the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville as a U.S. Army veteran named Daniel Alfred Sullivan Jr. He claimed to have served in the Special Forces, been wounded in combat and honorably discharged.

Ross claimed he suffered from nightmares caused by his wartime service and combat injuries, prosecutors said.

As a result, he was diagnosed with service-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and began receiving health benefits from the VA.

He filed for and received disability-based compensation at a rate of 60 percent and a retroactive lump sum of $18,349, and began receiving a monthly tax-free compensation of $1,026.

In 2014, he filed for more compensation, claiming he suffered pain from being shot in the neck during combat.

His disability rating was increased, reflecting an increase in his monthly tax-free compensation to $1,743.

In 2015, as Daniel Sullivan, he filed a third claim for “increased evaluation,” and was awarded $3,490 in back payment, and his monthly disability payment was increased to $2,906.

The indictment says Ross also received about $57,000 in health care benefits from the VA to which he was not lawfully entitled.

Besides monetarily ripping off the VA, Ross stole resources that should have gone to those who truly need them, and EARNED them.

Disgraceful!

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Veteran Suicide Tragedy in VA Hospital Parking Lot

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By Debbie Gregory.

A 76-year-old former Navy gunner killed himself outside a Long Island Veteran Affairs facility after allegedly being denied treatment for mental health issues. The tragedy unfolded at the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Peter Kaisen, a retired police officer from Islip, New York, shot himself in the parking lot outside Building 92, the facility’s nursing home. He had served on Navy supply ship USS Denebola in the late ’50s through the early ’60s.

Kaisen’s wife, Joan, said that her husband had been suffering from back pain so severe that he was unable to sit for more than a few minutes. Doctors at Northport told her husband earlier this year there was nothing more they could do to ease his suffering.

Longtime friend and fellow veteran, Tom Farley, said, “We all think there is probably some depression. Maybe he wanted meds. Maybe he wanted to sit and talk. I don’t know. None of the family knows.”

Hospital spokesman, Christopher Todd Goodman, said the hospital had no evidence that Kaisen sought treatment at the emergency room, entered any hospital buildings or had any interactions with staff or patients on the day he died. But he added, “The employees here at Northport feel this loss deeply and extend their thoughts and prayers to all those impacted by this tragedy.”

U.S. Reps. Peter King and Steve Israel have requested an FBI investigation into the death.

There are a number of resources available to veterans who are struggling with mental health issues. We hope anyone in a similar situation will reach out for help to resources such as Give an Hour and the Veteran Crisis Line.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.


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