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Top Veterans News Articles of 2019
As 2019 comes to a close, the Veterans Association of America offers heartfelt wishes to our members, partners, and all veterans for a safe and happy holiday season. As we reflect on the past year, we would like to provide a look back at the most accessed articles from the year. We will continue our look back series in next week's issue. Our regular publication will resume Tuesday, Jan. 7.
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Clearance Jobs
From Aug. 6: Sean Bigley writes: "If I had a dollar for every time I've heard a security clearance holder say, 'I had no clue that was in my file,' I’d be a rich man. The context varies – human resources files, security databases, law enforcement records, etc. – but the surprise is rarely a good one. Common examples include an old disciplinary write-up, a long-forgotten security infraction or a police report with highly unflattering details about the subject.
Armed Forces veterans are not immune to this phenomenon. Like an elephant, the military rarely forgets. But just as the military's institutional memory is long, so is its capacity for human error."
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Military Times
From March 19: President Donald Trump is proposing another big increase in Veterans Affairs spending for fiscal 2020 — but also reintroducing a controversial cost-savings measure that veterans groups have long opposed.
The increased VA spending — up to $216 billion, an increase of $19 billion or 9.5 percent from fiscal 2019 — comes as a host of nondefense programs face steep cuts in the budget proposal.
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Military.com
From Aug. 6: Thousands of honorably discharged veterans will soon be able to join the American Legion under new legislation expected to be signed soon by President Donald Trump. Under the new law, any honorably discharged veteran who has served since Dec. 7, 1941, may join the American Legion, meaning military veterans who served in what were previously considered periods of peacetime between wars are now eligible for membership. Membership in traditional veterans service organizations has declined over the past several decades as members age and pass away and veterans of recent conflicts have sought out other groups or social organizations.
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Military.com
From Oct. 2: Jennifer Anthony, a retired Air Force chief master sergeant, writes: "'Of course you landed a good job. You were a Chief!'
'It's great to see your successful transition.'
'I knew you'd do well after you left the service.'
My transition from the Air Force looked successful. Yet, in the privacy of my commute, in the evenings at home or during my lunch break, it looked anything but. No one saw my uncontrollable sobbing, how unsure and alone I felt, or how scared I was of what was to come."
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By Seth Sandronsky
From Oct. 8: Economic growth is slowing down. The growth in the nation's gross domestic product declined to 2.1% for the second quarter of 2019 compared with 3.1% for the first quarter.
In part due to this slowdown, the Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee cut the federal funds rate by a quarter point from 2% to 1.75% on Sept. 18 to bolster economic growth, the labor market and price stability, in keeping with the mission of the central bank.
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Military Times Rebootcamp
From March 12: Two senators just introduced a bill designed to shield veterans' disability benefits from debt collectors.
When a disabled vet declares bankruptcy currently, the law allows debtors to count a veteran's disability benefits as disposable income, allowing them to seize the benefits.
Yet, Social Security disability benefits are exempted by law from being lumped into a person's disposable income in bankruptcy filings, and disability benefits in any form aren't taxable and therefore generally not considered disposable income.
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Quartz
From June 18: Bad habits slow you down, decrease your accuracy, make you less creative and stifle your performance. Getting control of your bad habits is critical, and not just for productivity's sake. A University of Minnesota study found that people who exercise a high degree of self-control tend to be much happier than those who don't, both in the moment and in the long run. Some bad habits cause more trouble than others, and the nine that follow are the worst offenders. Shedding these habits will increase your productivity and allow you to enjoy the positive mood that comes with increased self-control.
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Military Times
From May 14: Whether you've always wanted to design your own firearm, visit SeaWorld on the cheap, or get the best deal on a hotel for your next family vacation, check out our list of deals. While some offers are specific to May, more and more businesses are offering year-round deals.
It's one way businesses and organizations show they're grateful for the service of military and veterans.
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Disabled Veterans
From June 18: Fox News reports the Department of Veterans Affairs owes an estimated $189 million to 53,000 disabled veterans.
These veterans were charged home loan fees they were exempt from paying and entitled to refunds for years. Those refunds range from $5,000 to $20,000 according to a recently released IG audit of the VA Home Loan program.
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Stars and Stripes
From Aug. 21: The Department of Veterans Affairs wrongfully rejected thousands of emergency-care claims during a five-month period, sticking an "undue financial burden" worth millions of dollars on some veterans, a federal watchdog agency reported. The culture, which "created systemic pressure to favor speed over accuracy," led to staff incorrectly rejecting 31% of veterans' emergency care claims from April 1 to Sept. 30, 2017.
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