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Military.com
President Donald Trump signed a landmark bill to replace the troubled Veterans Choice Program and expand private healthcare options amid a fight between the White House and Congress over how to pay for it.
The bill, the VA Mission Act, would also expand caregivers assistance to the families of disabled veterans and order an inventory of the Department of Veterans Affairs' more than 1,100 facilities with a long-term view to trimming excess.
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Military Times
Senate appropriators backed an increase for the Veterans Affairs budget even larger than the boost outlined in President Donald Trump's request earlier this year, a move that would push the department's funding closer to the $200 billion mark.
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Four month average turn around with the VA’s Pension with Aid and Attendance
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Roll Call
The Department of Veterans Affairs will face heavy scrutiny as it implements a major overhaul to its healthcare programs that President Donald Trump is expected to sign into law.
The bill, which moved through both chambers by wide bipartisan margins, would combine the VA's seven programs for private medical care into one to streamline and simplify costs and access for veterans.
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The Washington Post
President Donald Trump is fighting a bipartisan plan to fund the much-touted expansion of veterans health care he signed into law, as the White House argues against a boost in federal spending to fund the new initiative.
The VA Mission Act authorizes and expansion of veterans' access to private healthcare, but the bill does not reserve federal money to pay for it. A group of powerful Senate committee chairmen from both parties aims to remedy that by advancing a separate measure for the new $50 billion law, saying this is the best way to ensure the new programs give veterans access to medical care.
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Modern Healthcare
Rush University Medical Center is getting its biggest gift ever — $45 million from the Wounded Warrior Project to fund mental healthcare for military veterans.
Two years ago, the charity gave $15 million to the West Side hospital to start outpatient treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. The new money will expand those efforts.
Of the 262 veterans who underwent a three-week Intensive Outpatient Program, more than 60 percent no longer "meet criteria for PTSD," says Dr. Mark Pollack, chair of Rush's psychiatry department.
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Marijuana Moment
A key U.S. Senate panel voted to allow doctors with the Department of Veterans Affairs to issue medical marijuana recommendations to military veterans.
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the amendment, offered by Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., on a voice vote.
The measure "simply allows veterans to discuss that option [medical cannabis] with their VA doc or physician," Daines said during a brief debate.
Merkley added that it is an "incredible inconvenience for veterans to be told they have to seek out a whole new medical system" to get cannabis recommendations.
The move comes one day after the House Rules Committee blocked floor votes on several amendments concerning medical cannabis access for veterans.
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By Scott E. Rupp
 The renewable energy sector created more than 500,000 new jobs globally in 2017, with the total number of people employed in renewables surpassing 10 million for the first time. Per a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency, jobs in the sector increased 5.3 percent in 2017, for a total of 10.3 million people employed worldwide. China, Brazil, the United States, India, Germany and Japan have remained the world’s largest renewable energy employers, per the report, representing more than 70 percent of all of the sector’s jobs.
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NPR
The number of female veterans has been growing rapidly, and leaving the military carries its own challenges for women. Mental health experts have been focusing more on their transition to the civilian world. Recently, we heard how wrong things can go if that leap to civilian life goes badly. Here, Jay Price of member station WUNC, reports on efforts to help it go right.
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Military Times
Each summer, Coca-Cola puts out bottles with people's names on them so you can "share" a Coke with "Ashley" or "Ryan" or "Maria" or "Methuselah."
This summer, the soda company is adding a new twist to their Share-A-Coke campaign.
People can now "share" a Coke with a sailor, airman, Coast Guardsman, hero or veteran.
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By Catherine Iste
 A niche can be a scary thing for a business. It seems counterintuitive to narrow the focus of the organization, yet it is a proven way to propel new businesses and reinvigorate organizations languishing on a plateau. In this age of social media, personal branding and embracing our why, successful leaders are taking a page from the business playbook and creating their own leadership niche to propel their careers forward.
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Aggregates Manager
Dan Kunce had no idea what he wanted to do after he left the Marine Corps.
He had run dozers while on active duty from 1999 to 2003, so he called an uncle who worked in construction to see about a job. That began his construction career, which has resulted in his managing a $34 million heavy-equipment fleet for Hawkins Construction Company in Omaha, Nebraska.
Now at age 38, he's hoping to find other young veterans who are like he was, who may not realize the opportunities the construction industry provides.
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PBS News Hour
Military veterans are running for Congress this year in record numbers, many for the first time. In New Jersey's 11th district, no fewer than four veterans, two in each party, are running for the open congressional seat. Lisa Desjardins reports from the competitive district and explains what's behind this new national trend.
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| | THIS WEEK'S POLL QUESTION |
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Veterans Association of America wants to know ...
Has anyone attempted to assist you navigate the murky waters of suicide prevention?
- No, I haven't received any assistance of what I've been searching for
- Yes, there are several program that help veterans sustain themselves
- I'm still looking for answers, and finding it frustrating
- The programs that are available require too much information even as a veteran
- My city and state haven't given me much in the way of hope and inclusion as a veteran.
Click here to provide Veterans Association of America your answer.
We assess all answers with the utmost of care and consideration. Survey results revealed in next week's VAA Dispatch.
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'Housing / Employment' Results
In the previous issues of VAA Dispatch, we asked, "What opportunities have been provided you for housing and or employment since leaving the military?"
Here's how our readers responded:
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| | VAA RESOURCES — JOB SEARCH, GRANTS, RESEARCH |
 Get what you need with these resources available to veterans and family members.
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7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063
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