Suspect in Vietnam Memorial caught
By Vince Sapienza
Published: May 31, 2013
KENNEWICK, Wash. - It was a stunning discovering on Memorial Day one that brought grown men to their knees. Vietnam Veterans visiting the very same memorial in their honor discovered someone had dishonored their tribute. The Memorial had been tagged, fortunately Kennewick police say they were able to find their man, or rather boy.
Bobby Albers served three tours from 1968 to 1970 in the Vietnam War. He lost friends and high school classmates.
"Everyday, if I have to I will fight for their rights for what they did so there memory never be gone," said Vietnam veteran Bobby Albers.
In 1986, Bobby and some friends created the Vietnam Memorial at the foot of the Cable Bridge in Kennewick. On Memorial Day, Bobby went to pay his respects as he does every year. Only to find graffiti on the very stone with the names of who died.
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Monday, June 3, 2013
Another conference on Mental Health will do little good
Personally I am tired of hearing most of what people say when compared to the devastating outcomes. I remember all too well when very little was being done to address suicides tied to military service. With so many years of this program followed by another program to "prevent them" and end the stigma of having PTSD so there are now over 900 programs, these results are disgraceful. As Congress continues to hold hearings on nonsense, they have failed to hold hearings on discovering who is responsible for the increase in these suicides. When you consider the simple fact they survived combat but could not survive being back home, that screams someone has to be held accountable but no one has been. One more conference will do little good.
Background on the National Conference on Mental Health
The White House
June 03, 2013
On Monday, June 3rd, President Obama and Vice President Biden will host a National Conference on Mental Health at the White House as part of the Administration’s effort to launch a national conversation to increase understanding and awareness about mental health. President Obama will deliver opening remarks and Vice President Biden will deliver closing remarks to conference participants.
The conference will bring together people from across the country, including mental health advocates, educators, health care providers, faith leaders, members of Congress, representatives from local governments and individuals who have struggled with mental health problems, to discuss how we can all work together to reduce stigma and help the millions of Americans struggling with mental health problems recognize the importance of reaching out for assistance.
Building on Progress
The conference builds on the President’s plan to reduce gun violence, which calls on Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Education Secretary Arne Duncan to launch a national conversation to increase understanding and awareness of mental health. It also builds on a number of steps to raise awareness and improve care for those experiencing mental health issues, including veterans, a topic Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki will address in the closing session. For example:
Expanding Mental Health Coverage. The Affordable Care Act will expand mental health and substance use disorder benefits and parity protections for 62 million Americans. In addition, thanks to the health care law, beginning in 2014, insurers will no longer be able to deny anyone coverage because of a pre-existing mental health condition. The law already ensures that new health plans cover recommended preventive benefits without cost sharing, including depression screening for adults and adolescents and behavioral assessments for children.
Supporting Young People. The President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget includes a new $130 million initiative to help teachers and other adults recognize signs of mental illness in students and refer them to help if needed, support innovative state-based programs to improve mental health outcomes for young people ages 16-to-25, and help train 5,000 additional mental health professionals with a focus on serving students and young adults.&
Improving Access to Services for Veterans. In response to the President’s Executive Order in August of 2012, the Department of Veterans Affairs has achieved their goal of increasing capacity by hiring 1,600 new mental health providers, over 300 peer-to-peer veteran specialists, establishing 24 pilot projects in nine states where VA is partnering with community mental health providers to help Veterans access mental health services in a timely way and enhancing the capacity of its Crisis Line by 50 percent.
At the conference, the President will announce that the Department of Veterans Affairs is directing 151 of its health care centers nationwide to conduct Mental Health Summits with community partners, including local government officials, community-based organizations, and Veteran Service Organizations starting July 1 through September 15. The Summits will identify and link community-based resources to support the mental health needs of Veterans and their families, as well as help increase awareness of available VA programs and services. read more here
VA meets goal of hiring mental health professionals
VA Hires Over 1600 Mental Health Professionals to Meet Goal
Expands Access to Care and Outreach Efforts
Directs Nationwide Community Mental Health Summits
WASHINGTON (June 3, 2013)– Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that it has met the goal to hire 1,600 new mental health professionals outlined in President Obama’s Aug. 31, 2012, Executive Order to Improve Access to Mental Health Services for Veterans, Service Members, and Military Families.
“Meeting this hiring milestone significantly enhances our ability to improve access to care for those Veterans seeking mental health services and demonstrates our continued commitment to the health and well-being of the men and women who have served the Nation,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “Meeting this goal is an important achievement, but we recognize that we must continue to increase access to the quality mental health care Veterans have earned and deserve.”
As of May 31, 2013, VA has hired a total of 1,607 mental health clinical providers to meet the goal of 1,600 new mental health professionals outlined in the Executive Order. Additionally, VA has hired 2,005 mental health clinical providers to fill existing vacancies. VA has also hired 318 new peer specialists towards the specific goal of 800 peer specialists by Dec. 31, 2013 as outlined in the Executive Order. VA expects to meet that goal as well.
VA also recognizes that meeting the needs of Veterans and their families requires collaboration and partnership between VA, other federal agencies, and local communities. “Locally-driven summits provide a well-established method to strengthen our community partnerships, and they have been successful in support of VA’s goal to end homelessness among Veterans,” said Veterans Health Administration, Undersecretary for Health, Dr. Robert Petzel. “The President is directing all VA health care systems nationwide to conduct locally-driven Mental Health Summits to further engage with local community partners and nurture community engagement to address the broad mental health needs of Veterans and their families.”
Each VA health care system will reach out to relevant Veteran Service Organizations, community based organizations, health care providers, and local governments to develop and conduct the Summits.
VA provides a full range of comprehensive mental health services across the country. In Fiscal Year 2012, more than 1.3 million Veterans received specialized mental health care from the VA. This number has risen each year from 927,052 in Fiscal Year 2006. In addition to hiring more mental health professionals, VA is expanding the use of innovative technology to serve Veterans in rural or underserved areas. VA expects to double the number of Veterans receiving care from tele-mental health services to over 800,000 in fiscal year 2013, and has increased the number of Vet Centers, which provide readjustment counseling and referral services from 233 in 2008 to 300 in 2012.
In November 2011, VA launched an award-winning, national public awareness campaign called Make the Connection, which is aimed at reducing the stigma associated with seeking mental health care and informing Veterans, their families, friends, and members of their communities about VA resources. More information on Make the Connection can be found at www.maketheconnection.net.
Mental health professionals interested in seeking employment with the Department of Veterans Affairs can obtain information at www.vacareers.va.gov. Veterans and their families interested in learning more about the mental health services provided by VA can go to www.mentalhealth.va.gov.
Expands Access to Care and Outreach Efforts
Directs Nationwide Community Mental Health Summits
WASHINGTON (June 3, 2013)– Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that it has met the goal to hire 1,600 new mental health professionals outlined in President Obama’s Aug. 31, 2012, Executive Order to Improve Access to Mental Health Services for Veterans, Service Members, and Military Families.
“Meeting this hiring milestone significantly enhances our ability to improve access to care for those Veterans seeking mental health services and demonstrates our continued commitment to the health and well-being of the men and women who have served the Nation,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “Meeting this goal is an important achievement, but we recognize that we must continue to increase access to the quality mental health care Veterans have earned and deserve.”
As of May 31, 2013, VA has hired a total of 1,607 mental health clinical providers to meet the goal of 1,600 new mental health professionals outlined in the Executive Order. Additionally, VA has hired 2,005 mental health clinical providers to fill existing vacancies. VA has also hired 318 new peer specialists towards the specific goal of 800 peer specialists by Dec. 31, 2013 as outlined in the Executive Order. VA expects to meet that goal as well.
VA also recognizes that meeting the needs of Veterans and their families requires collaboration and partnership between VA, other federal agencies, and local communities. “Locally-driven summits provide a well-established method to strengthen our community partnerships, and they have been successful in support of VA’s goal to end homelessness among Veterans,” said Veterans Health Administration, Undersecretary for Health, Dr. Robert Petzel. “The President is directing all VA health care systems nationwide to conduct locally-driven Mental Health Summits to further engage with local community partners and nurture community engagement to address the broad mental health needs of Veterans and their families.”
Each VA health care system will reach out to relevant Veteran Service Organizations, community based organizations, health care providers, and local governments to develop and conduct the Summits.
VA provides a full range of comprehensive mental health services across the country. In Fiscal Year 2012, more than 1.3 million Veterans received specialized mental health care from the VA. This number has risen each year from 927,052 in Fiscal Year 2006. In addition to hiring more mental health professionals, VA is expanding the use of innovative technology to serve Veterans in rural or underserved areas. VA expects to double the number of Veterans receiving care from tele-mental health services to over 800,000 in fiscal year 2013, and has increased the number of Vet Centers, which provide readjustment counseling and referral services from 233 in 2008 to 300 in 2012.
In November 2011, VA launched an award-winning, national public awareness campaign called Make the Connection, which is aimed at reducing the stigma associated with seeking mental health care and informing Veterans, their families, friends, and members of their communities about VA resources. More information on Make the Connection can be found at www.maketheconnection.net.
Mental health professionals interested in seeking employment with the Department of Veterans Affairs can obtain information at www.vacareers.va.gov. Veterans and their families interested in learning more about the mental health services provided by VA can go to www.mentalhealth.va.gov.
The Rise (and Fall) of the VA Backlog
The Rise (and Fall) of the VA Backlog
TIME
By Brandon Friedman
June 03, 2013
Officials with the Department of Veterans Affairs likely won’t acknowledge it publicly until later this year, but those responsible for processing disability claims believe the infamous “backlog” peaked more than two months ago.
Last week, the total number of claims in the inventory fell to slightly more than 830,000—the lowest number since October 2011. Since late March, the backlog of claims has been on an eight-week slide as well. Last week, it too reached its lowest point since January 2012—nearly 17 months ago. The downward slope is now steeper than at any time during the Obama administration.
To be sure, no one is yet measuring the drapes in a backlog-free department—as it still stands at more than 500,000 claims. Nevertheless, the trend line is striking—and it mirrors what many VA employees are saying behind closed doors. Barring any surprises, the decline in backlogged claims will only accelerate as an automated system finally replaces paper processing over the next two years.
Therefore, it’s important to understand where the backlog actually stands in relation to where it was—and to fully recognize its context.
By using a simple chart to show the backlog since the beginning of the Obama Administration, we can get past the agenda-specific rhetoric and the media misconceptions to see how—and why—the backlog grew and how it began to shrink.
read more here
TIME
By Brandon Friedman
June 03, 2013
Officials with the Department of Veterans Affairs likely won’t acknowledge it publicly until later this year, but those responsible for processing disability claims believe the infamous “backlog” peaked more than two months ago.
Last week, the total number of claims in the inventory fell to slightly more than 830,000—the lowest number since October 2011. Since late March, the backlog of claims has been on an eight-week slide as well. Last week, it too reached its lowest point since January 2012—nearly 17 months ago. The downward slope is now steeper than at any time during the Obama administration.
To be sure, no one is yet measuring the drapes in a backlog-free department—as it still stands at more than 500,000 claims. Nevertheless, the trend line is striking—and it mirrors what many VA employees are saying behind closed doors. Barring any surprises, the decline in backlogged claims will only accelerate as an automated system finally replaces paper processing over the next two years.
Therefore, it’s important to understand where the backlog actually stands in relation to where it was—and to fully recognize its context.
By using a simple chart to show the backlog since the beginning of the Obama Administration, we can get past the agenda-specific rhetoric and the media misconceptions to see how—and why—the backlog grew and how it began to shrink.
read more here
Navy in recruiting push after letting go of 3,000?
Military intelligence?
Some 'involuntarily separated' sailors feel slighted amid recruiting push
By Erik Slavin
Stars and Stripes
Published: June 3, 2013
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — One month after being cast out of the Navy because his career field was overmanned, the Recruit Training Command called Robert Van back with a plea — come back, we don’t have enough sailors like you.
But there was a catch — Van’s contract would only be guaranteed for two years, which would leave him looking for another job about three years short of his 20-year retirement eligibility.
Van was one of nearly 3,000 sailors laid off, or in Navy parlance, “involuntarily separated,” as a result of the former Enlisted Retention Board’s mandate to thin the ranks in 31 overmanned job fields by September 2012.
Yet, less than a year later, the Navy found itself thousands of sailors below its congressionally mandated strength, so it boosted recruiting by 6,000 sailors per year and shelled out incentive pay to make up in an attempt to make up for the shortage, especially in undermanned sea rates.
The seemingly contradictory actions left former sailors — and at least one congressman — to question whether the service made a mistake in cutting so many experienced sailors in the first place.
read more here
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