This message was sent to ##Email##
|
|
|
|
|
| |
By Denise A. Valenti
 Matias Ferreira recently joined more than 40 other military veterans in graduation and acceptance into the ranks of the Suffolk County Police Department in Long Island, New York. In fact, he was voted as the class president. Ferreira stood upright and proud as he accepted this responsibility — on two prosthetic legs. Ferreira lost both his legs below the knee after stepping on an improvised explosive device while serving with the Marines deployed to Afghanistan in 2011.
READ MORE
|
Veterans Association of America wants to know...
As a veteran, do you think current VA policies have helped or hurt your opportunity to receive the care you've envisioned?
- I'm not really certain, it's too early to tell.
- No, the policies haven't done anything for me, in terms of enhanced care of my medical issue.
- Yes, the policies established by the new administration are a breath of fresh air.
- I think the disability compensation needs overhauling but beyond that, I'm not aware of any vast changes to note.
- The VA is a work in progress.
Please provide your unique response as we take each them very seriously..
As a reminder, we assess all answers with the utmost of care and consideration. Survey results revealed in next week's VAA Dispatch.
|
|
Stars and Stripes via Military.com
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently unveiled a new program that reviews veterans' health records to identify which ones might attempt suicide.
The VA launched the new analytics program nationwide. It uses a computer algorithm to comb through veterans' electronic health records and identifies factors, such as chronic illness, socioeconomic stressors, hospitalizations, relationship issues, life changes and certain medical and mental health conditions, that indicate who could be at risk of attempting suicide. The goal, said Aaron Eagan, the program manager, is for the VA to know earlier when to step in and try to prevent a potential crisis.
READ MORE
 |
|
Four month average turn around with the VA’s Pension with Aid and Attendance
|
|
Military Officers Association of America
Congress has three more days to pass a budget to fund federal programs through the rest of FY 2017 before portions of the government begin shutting down on Saturday. If Congress can't agree on a deal, troops, veterans, and their families could face a government shutdown similar to the one they experienced in 2013. A shutdown could leave some DoD personnel without paychecks and access to some on-base services.
READ MORE
United Press International
Researchers at North Carolina State University have found that veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, are more likely to have post-traumatic growth.
Post-traumatic growth is a condition opposite of PTSD and includes an increased appreciation of life, awareness of new possibilities and enhanced inner strength.
READ MORE
Fox News
At the Starbucks on Fort Campbell Boulevard in Clarksville, Tennessee — two miles from the U.S. military base — store manager Shannon Feltz pours hot coffee for a group of veterans seated at a communal table.
On a shelf next to the register are rows of green-and-white mugs reading: "Proudly serving those who serve." The Clarksville store became one of 37 around the country designated by the coffeehouse chain as "Military Family Stores" — stores staffed primarily by veterans and military spouses as part of a larger effort to employ service members and their families nationwide
READ MORE
Washington Examiner
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called for the Trump administration to launch a new U.S. military deterrence initiative in the Asia-Pacific region, similar to what is already being done in Europe, as a counterweight to China.
READ MORE
Military Times
Retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Randolph Alles, an Iraq War veteran who oversaw several aviation units, was named the next head of the U.S. Secret Service.
Alles served 35 years in the Marine Corps and retired in 2011. He is currently working as the acting deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, and has been with the agency since shortly after leaving the military.
READ MORE
The Hill
President Donald Trump will sign an executive order to create a new office in the Department of Veterans Affairs that can weed out poorly performing employees and protect whistleblowers, VA Secretary David Shulkin told reporters.
READ MORE
|
Missed last week's issue? See which articles your colleagues read most.
|
|
Don't be left behind. Click here to see what else you missed.
|
| | VAA RESOURCES — JOB SEARCH, GRANTS, RESEARCH |
 Get what you need with these resources available to veterans and family members.
|
|
|
|
7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063
|
