Caring for Wounded Warriors Act, S. 2921

Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Approves Caring for Wounded Warrior Act Provisions
Published by admin at 8:25 pm under Brain Injury Law, Recent TBI News
On Thursday, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee approved provisions contained in S. 2921, The Caring for Wounded Warriors Act, S. 2921. BIAA has strongly supported and endorsed this legislation, and several recommendations made by BIAA during the legislative drafting process were incorporated into the bill.
Provisions in the legislation, which was recently introduced by Sen. Clinton (D-NY), would strengthen supports for family caregivers of returning servicemembers with TBI. Specifically, provisions would require two pilot programs to be implemented through the Department of Veterans Affairs, improving the resources available to those caring for returning servicemembers with TBI.

click above for more

Clinton and Obama Answer Young Veterans

Clinton and Obama Answer Young Veterans
I just finished watching an hour-long MTV roundtable in which Senators Obama and Clinton each spent half an hour talking to eight veterans under 30 years of age. This is first time I can remember in a political campaign that young veterans were looked at not as a prop for some National Security Theater, but rather as piece of the greater youth constituency with a distinct set of needs and concerns.

The event was slightly overproduced at times (the stories of the veterans were dramatic enough without the re-enactments), but it was honestly one of the best discussions of the campaign thus far on what it really means to support the troops (beyond buying a yellow ribbon) and just what the hell we're actually trying to accomplish in Iraq.

One thing in particular that shook me was the veterans' ages and the amount of time they've spent on active duty in Iraq. One of the veterans, who had a Purple Heart along with another medal, was just 22 years old and had spent 27 months in Iraq. That's more than 2 years out of 22 spent fighting in Iraq. That's astonishing and totally incomprehensible to me.

Hot topics were PTSD (7 of the 8 participants were diagnosed), homelessness and other transitional issues for soldiers reentering the civilian population, as well as some talk about the US strategy on the ground. Both Clinton and Obama talked about the need to fully fund the VA, provide job training and health care for veterans, remove the stigma around PTSD (in and out of the service), and some of the challenges in doing so.
go here for the rest
http://futuremajority.com/node/1052

Congress wants answers on Fort Drum order to stop helping with claims

Lawmakers want answers on VA claims news report

Clinton demands explanation from Army on NPR allegation

Posted : Saturday Feb 9, 2008 7:54:26 EST

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — New York congressional leaders have asked Army Secretary Pete Geren to investigate a report that the Army is blocking Department of Veterans Affairs officials from helping injured Fort Drum soldiers prepare their disability claims, potentially leading to reduced benefits.

Meanwhile, a national soldiers’ advocacy group said it planned to seek a military Court of Inquiry probe into Fort Drum situation.

In a letter to Geren, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., expressed concern and said the allegations “should be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly.”

“If these allegations are true they run counter to our nation’s pledge made to our men and women in uniform,” Clinton wrote Geren. “It is our duty to eliminate obstacles standing in the way of our disabled service members and veterans.”

On Feb. 8, National Public Radio reported that the Army surgeon general said he was mistaken when he denied the Army had told VA not to help injured soldiers at Fort Drum to challenge their disability ratings. Lt. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker said it was a “misunderstanding,” NPR reported, and VA may help soldiers.
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/army_drum_disabilityclaims_080208w/