White House Finally Gets Veterans Want to Talk to Veterans?

VA staffing new White House VA Hotline Principally with Veterans
08/11/2017 05:59 PM EDT

Today the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced that the two-month pilot phase of the new White House VA Hotline that began in June has demonstrated that Veterans calling the hotline respond best when their calls are answered by fellow Veterans and others with first-hand experience on their issues.

As a result, VA announced that it will target highly qualified Veterans to staff the hotline going forward, instead of contracting the service to a third-party vendor, and is hiring additional VA personnel to complete the planned move to a 24-hour operation.

“The message we’ve heard loud and clear is Veterans want to talk to other Veterans to help them solve problems and get VA services,” said VA Secretary David J. Shulkin. “We’re taking steps to answer that call.”

This decision will delay the full-time stand-up of the 24-hour service by two months, to no later than October 15, in order to ensure the hiring and training processes are complete.

Until that time, the hotline’s current pilot program service is available to receive calls from Veterans from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

He said what? What about the Veterans Choice Act sending them to private doctors instead of fixing the VA?

What is at the heart of Palm Beach VA problems?

Veterans struggle to get heart care at Palm Beach VA, report finds
Sun Sentinel


Skyler Swisher
August 9, 2017

Nearly 1,000 veterans seeking treatment at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center for their heart conditions faced multiple canceled appointments and delayed care, according to a report released Wednesday by the agency’s Office of Inspector General.

Investigators attributed the delays to “unexpected staff departures and challenges in recruiting cardiologists,” along with inadequate training and supervision of schedulers.

The probe examined 32,000 cardiology appointments from Oct. 1, 2014, to Feb. 26, 2016, finding that about 15 percent were canceled. That’s higher than the Department of Veterans Affairs’ national average of 11 percent.

David Knapp, co-chair of the Palm Beach County Veterans Committee, said he has heard mixed reviews about VA services in South Florida.

Knapp, 64, a Vietnam veteran living in West Palm Beach, said he uses the VA system exclusively to treat his diabetes, post-traumatic stress disorder and other health issues. He said he has been pleased with the care he has received.

“You are going to hear good and bad," he said. “That’s unfortunately the way it goes. That VA takes care of a lot of people, and that VA was not built to handle the number of veterans that come through there.”
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Young Man With Tumor Wants Help to Be "Normal" And Join the Army

He wants to join the Army, but can't afford to pay to have face tumor removed

Associated Press

August 9, 2017

He has turned to the internet for help and set up a GoFundMe page with a goal of $40,000.Removing the tumor would not only give him a normal life, but also allow him to pursue his dream of joining the military, McCulley said.

NAMPA, Idaho — An Idaho man with a large, rare tumor that dominates the right side of his face is asking for help with the medical costs to remove it.

Lucas McCulley of Nampa was born with a rare lymphangioma tumor that was not detected during his mother's pregnancy, KTVB-TV reported.

"I was born at Mercy and they life-flighted me at two days old to Salt Lake City and they had never seen any case like it before I got there," he said.

Before he reached the age of 10, McCulley underwent 24 surgeries and the last one nearly had a fatal outcome.

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Maine Soldier and Family Assistance Center Specialists Face Pay Cut?

Supporting our veterans is about more than talk

The Hill
BY STATE REPS. RYAN FECTEAU AND BRADLEE FARRIN,
OPINION CONTRIBUTORS
08/09/17

Some were forced to give up a job that they describe as a calling because they could no longer afford to pay their bills. Others are hanging on, taking second jobs and facing severe hardship at home.

As a Republican and a Democrat who serve in the state house in the great state of Maine, we spend our days on opposite sides of the aisle.

More often than not, we disagree.

However, we came together today because we believe that some things are more important than party affiliation.

Before we are Democrats, Republicans, or even Mainers — we are Americans. And as Americans, there is no more important issue than supporting our troops.

As Catherine Rampell recently reported in the Washington Post, the workers who are actually supporting our troops are not getting the respect they deserve.

More than 400 men and women across our country make it their mission to support our troops.

Known as Soldier and Family Assistance Center specialists, they are the people who military service members or veterans turn to in crisis — they do whatever it takes to connect them, and their families, with a broad range of legal, medical, financial and psychological services.

In fiscal year 2015 alone, SFACs addressed more than 2.7 million inquiries, referral requests and outreach calls.

We are speaking out for SFACs today because their wages were recently slashed in half by the federal government.
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Why Is The VA Cutting Funding For Homeless Veterans?

Phoenix program for homeless veterans could get funding reprieve from VA
The Republic
Brenna Goth
Aug. 9, 2017

Officials at Phoenix's largest homeless shelter for single adults are encouraged by — but wary of — a national reprieve in funding cuts for programs serving veterans.

A grant program run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently shifted focus from funding temporary, transitional housing to paying for permanent housing. The changes have elicited concerns throughout the country in recent months from programs that no longer qualify.

Roughly $500,000 is at stake for Central Arizona Shelter Services, or CASS, near downtown Phoenix.

The organization has received the money for at least a decade to provide hundreds of veterans with services to end their homelessness, according to CEO Mark Holleran.

But earlier this year, Holleran said VA officials told him the department would no longer fund the program.

The VA would not confirm the status of CASS' grant to The Arizona Republic.
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