Veterans Medical Center Goes Solar in Florida
Solar Novus Today
Published on 7 March 2014
South Coast Solar LLC, Gulf Building & Hernandez Consulting Joint Venture, along with solar mounting manufacturer Renusol America announced the installation of a grid-connected 217.62 kW photovoltaic (PV) system at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida (US).
The system is comprised of 806 Suniva OPT270-60-4-1B0 monocrystalline modules installed on the rooftops of Building 10 and Building 13 at the Medical Center. The panels were attached to the metal roofs with S5 Clamps and the Renusol VS mounting system for pitched roofs. The system also included two Solectria PVI 100kW inverters to convert the generated energy from DC to AC power.
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Saturday, March 8, 2014
Veterans emergency care bills tied up with "sloppy procedures"
VA didn't pay some veterans' health costs, report says
USA TODAY
by Gregg Zoroya
March 7, 2014
Even as the Obama administration works to provide health coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, government investigators uncovered dozens of cases where the VA failed to cover emergency hospital costs for uninsured disabled veterans.
Government Accountability Office investigators say the series of errors committed by the VA could be examples of a broader problem in a specialized area of compensation.
The Department of Veterans Affairs must reimburse non-VA hospitals that provide emergency care to disabled veterans - such as for car accident injuries - if the veteran is uninsured, enrolled in VA health care and has received recent treatment at VA.
Federal law requires that such emergency expenses be covered by the federal government even if the injury or illness is not related to the veteran's service-connected disability.
But when GAO looked at a sample of 128 of these claims brought by non-VA hospitals in 2012 seeking reimbursement and that were later denied by the VA, investigators discovered mistakes in half of them, the report says.
The claims were brought to four VA hospitals - Washington D.C. VA Medical Center, White River Junction VA Medical Center in Vermont, Black Hills VA Health Care System in South Dakota and the North Texas VA Health Care System.
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USA TODAY
by Gregg Zoroya
March 7, 2014
Dozens of uninsured and disabled veterans owed compensation for emergency health care costs were erroneously turned down by the Department of Veterans Affairs, federal investigators say.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Federal law requires VA to pay for emergency care disabled veterans get at non-VA hospitals
Government pays benefits even if injury or illness is unrelated to service-connected disability
GAO attributes claims denials to sloppy procedures
Even as the Obama administration works to provide health coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, government investigators uncovered dozens of cases where the VA failed to cover emergency hospital costs for uninsured disabled veterans.
Government Accountability Office investigators say the series of errors committed by the VA could be examples of a broader problem in a specialized area of compensation.
The Department of Veterans Affairs must reimburse non-VA hospitals that provide emergency care to disabled veterans - such as for car accident injuries - if the veteran is uninsured, enrolled in VA health care and has received recent treatment at VA.
Federal law requires that such emergency expenses be covered by the federal government even if the injury or illness is not related to the veteran's service-connected disability.
But when GAO looked at a sample of 128 of these claims brought by non-VA hospitals in 2012 seeking reimbursement and that were later denied by the VA, investigators discovered mistakes in half of them, the report says.
The claims were brought to four VA hospitals - Washington D.C. VA Medical Center, White River Junction VA Medical Center in Vermont, Black Hills VA Health Care System in South Dakota and the North Texas VA Health Care System.
read more here
Friday, March 7, 2014
Homeless veterans hope turned to nightmare
Homeless vets say program promising help was 'a nightmare'
KING 5 News
by LINDA BYRON
Posted on March 6, 2014
Kathie King is still adjusting to her whirlwind move from New Mexico to Oak Harbor -- a move that began last summer after she saw an ad on Craigslist. King said the ad intrigued her because it was titled, “Homes for Heroes, Homes for Veterans.”
King clicked on the ad, which took her to the Making a Difference Foundation website and its Homes for Veterans program. The website stated: “Our program provides safe and secure housing and counseling, financial management, credit repair, legal services, health and social services to veterans and their families as needed. If the veteran successfully completes our program they will be eligible to purchase the home in which they are living in or another home.”
“It all looked really good in the beginning; it really did,” said King, who had been living in an RV.
King said the Making a Difference Foundation program appeared to be offering her a needed lifeline. Founded by Ahndrea Blue, the nonprofit charity's goal is to help people with basic needs like food and housing, according its website. The foundation runs a food bank in Tacoma that won recognition for Blue in 2011 when she was selected as a Washington State Jefferson Award winner, which honors people who do extraordinary things to improve their communities.
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KING 5 News
by LINDA BYRON
Posted on March 6, 2014
Kathie King is still adjusting to her whirlwind move from New Mexico to Oak Harbor -- a move that began last summer after she saw an ad on Craigslist. King said the ad intrigued her because it was titled, “Homes for Heroes, Homes for Veterans.”
King clicked on the ad, which took her to the Making a Difference Foundation website and its Homes for Veterans program. The website stated: “Our program provides safe and secure housing and counseling, financial management, credit repair, legal services, health and social services to veterans and their families as needed. If the veteran successfully completes our program they will be eligible to purchase the home in which they are living in or another home.”
“It all looked really good in the beginning; it really did,” said King, who had been living in an RV.
King said the Making a Difference Foundation program appeared to be offering her a needed lifeline. Founded by Ahndrea Blue, the nonprofit charity's goal is to help people with basic needs like food and housing, according its website. The foundation runs a food bank in Tacoma that won recognition for Blue in 2011 when she was selected as a Washington State Jefferson Award winner, which honors people who do extraordinary things to improve their communities.
read more here
Soldier died at Yakima Training Center
Yakima Herald-Republic
By Phil Ferolito
March 7, 2014
YAKIMA, Wash. — A soldier died Thursday at the Army’s Yakima Training Center, but few details about the death were released by the military.
Yakima County Coroner Jack Hawkins said he was told by military officials that the soldier had shot himself.
Hawkins said he was told by military officials to hold off on any initial probe of the incident until an investigator from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, south of Tacoma, arrives.
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Canadian Soldier's Mom got 1 cent check after his suicide
Justin Stark's mom accepts defence minister's apology over 1-cent cheque
But Mom still unhappy with military's conclusion her son's suicide was not work-related
CBC News
Posted: Mar 06, 2014
The mother of a dead Hamilton, Ont., soldier who received a cheque for one cent from the federal government has accepted an apology from Defence Minister Rob Nicholson but said the incident has reopened wounds.
And she has in turn received a promise from Nicholson to review her son's death and the military's conclusion that his suicide was not related to his tour in Afghanistan.
Denise Stark, speaking from MP Wayne Marston’s office in Hamilton, said Nicholson called Thursday morning to personally apologize.
She said she thanked him for the formal apology but explained, "how our wounds have been reopened since receiving the cheque."
Stark said she told Nicholson she didn't believe the act was intentional but that she would like to know something positive comes from it and that another family doesn't have to go through the same experience of receiving a similar cheque.
"I know not everyone will agree with what I have done, however, those people should feel blessed they don't walk each day in my shoes," she said. "The death of a child is tragic but a death related to war, well, I don't have the words to describe. Then add to that, death by suicide and it just adds another layer to my grief."
But Mom still unhappy with military's conclusion her son's suicide was not work-related
CBC News
Posted: Mar 06, 2014
The mother of a dead Hamilton, Ont., soldier who received a cheque for one cent from the federal government has accepted an apology from Defence Minister Rob Nicholson but said the incident has reopened wounds.
And she has in turn received a promise from Nicholson to review her son's death and the military's conclusion that his suicide was not related to his tour in Afghanistan.
Denise Stark, speaking from MP Wayne Marston’s office in Hamilton, said Nicholson called Thursday morning to personally apologize.
She said she thanked him for the formal apology but explained, "how our wounds have been reopened since receiving the cheque."
Stark said she told Nicholson she didn't believe the act was intentional but that she would like to know something positive comes from it and that another family doesn't have to go through the same experience of receiving a similar cheque.
"I know not everyone will agree with what I have done, however, those people should feel blessed they don't walk each day in my shoes," she said. "The death of a child is tragic but a death related to war, well, I don't have the words to describe. Then add to that, death by suicide and it just adds another layer to my grief."
She took the opportunity of Nicholson's call to express her family's unhappiness with the military's handling of his suicide.
As of now, Stark's death isn't considered "military related," even though he shot himself in the armoury in Hamilton while on duty, Marston said. Stark's family has been dealing with inquests and military tribunals about the incident for years.
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