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Veterans
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- Written by: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Time Magazine honored VA’s Dr. Ann McKee and Dr. Tony Wyss-Coray among a roster of physicians, scientists, and business and political leaders whose works are transforming health care approach and delivery around the country.
“Dr. Ann McKee and Dr. Wyss-Coray are key VA health care leaders who are performing groundbreaking research,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “And I’m proud to have them in our ranks searching for new ways to improve the lives of our Veterans.”
McKee is chief of Neuropathology at the VA Boston Healthcare System and director of the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank, a joint endeavor between VA, Boston University and the Concussion Legacy Foundation. She is a pioneer in identifying and understanding the repercussions of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE – a degenerative condition caused by repeated traumatic blows to the head. CTE has been associated with repetitive, mild traumatic brain injury in military service members.
Her research has called widespread attention to the alarming prevalence of CTE in professional football players.
After former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez died by suicide at age 27, McKee discovered CTE in his brain – the most severe case of CTE she had seen in someone his age. Her research has also demonstrated that adults are not the only ones at risk of brain injury from mild repetitive trauma.
McKee has found evidence that children age 6 to12 who play tackle football are also at risk for brain injury.
Wyss-Coray is a VA senior research scientist and associate director of the Center for Tissue Regeneration, Repair and Restoration at Palo Alto, California. He is also a professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford University.
His laboratory studies the effects of aging and immune responses on the brain and the role Alzheimer's disease plays in brain degeneration and memory loss.
Wyss-Coray is best-known for his groundbreaking research into the use of blood taken from young mice to combat the effects of aging and memory loss in older mice. The process originally involved surgically connecting young mice to older mice – so they would share blood circulation. Now, his team injects plasma from donor mice into older mice. He hopes, eventually, to perfect the technique for use in humans, with an eye toward treating Alzheimer’s disease.
For more information on VA Research, visit www.research.va.gov.
Time Magazine said it launched the Health Care 50 to highlight extraordinary people changing the state of U.S. health care this year. Winners were nominated by a team of health editors and reporters who evaluated their work on key factors, including originality, impact and quality.
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- Written by: Jaden Bussard
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. marked the start of the ceremony honoring Lake County's veterans at Konocti Vista Casino and 4-H was there.
In fact, the 4-H organization has played a role in thanking local veterans for more than 25 years.
Each November 4-H clubs throughout the county make handcrafted thank you cards to pass out to veterans attending the event.
Many 4-H youth participate year after year because they love being able to interact and thank all of the service men and women that have done so much for this county.
The local veterans are always so appreciative when the cards are handed out to them.
As one 4-H member noted, "I have been doing this event for five years now and it makes me proud to do this ceremony and to recognize those who fought for this country."
More information about the 4-H organization is available online at http://celake.ucanr.edu/4-H_Program/ or the UC Cooperative Extension Office at 707-263-6838.
Jaden Bussard is a member of the Blue Heron 4-H Club.
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- Written by: Department of Veterans Affairs
A requirement of Executive Order 13781, Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch, the realignment, which will begin Nov. 25, is designed to enhance quality care for veterans by improving coordination of services in the areas of population health; education and training of health care professionals; research, academic affiliations; engineering services; and human resources.
“The realignment creates greater accountability and clearer governance for the program offices that perform these critical functions,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “Integrating and consolidating offices will allow VA to reduce bureaucracy and focus on meeting veterans’ needs.”
Population Health will consolidate six programs into one new office to reduce administrative burden on the Veterans Integrated Services Networks and hospitals. This consolidation will enable facilities to target issues common to their market area and, based on the populations’ health in the region, align with other federal agencies to promote best practices based on public and private institutional standards.
The Office of Academic Affiliations and Office of Research and Development will realign under the new Discovery, Education and Affiliates Networks, or DEAN, office to foster a collaborative environment that will address the most complex health concerns facing veterans, while improving medical care for all Americans.
On June 22, Dr. Carolyn M. Clancy moved from executive in charge of VHA to oversee the DEAN office.
“It is critical that someone of Dr. Clancy’s experience take on this new role to help ensure that the next generation of physicians will thrive in providing cutting-edge medical care and innovations for Veterans,” Wilkie said.
Engineering and Environment of Care functions will be integrated into a single office to improve coordination between related environmental and safety initiatives and provide a world-class health care environment. VA Medical Centers will now have a single point of contact for safety issues. The consolidation of functions also will ensure high-quality safety standards, which are essential to veterans’ health.
Human resources will merge four headquarters-based human resources groups with similar functions into one office to create a more efficient HR organization and provide more transparent and consistent service. A more efficiently functioning Human Resources Service in VHA will improve the quality and efficiency of central office functions, which are essential to VA providing high-quality health care to veterans.
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- Written by: Department of Veterans Affairs
BDD allows service members to file a claim for disability between 90 and 180 days prior to discharge from active duty, which provides time for paperwork review and medical exams prior to leaving.
“This is an important program for our service members as they transition to Veteran status,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “The faster we can connect our Veterans with the benefits they deserve, the smoother their transition.”
In fiscal year 2018, the first full year of the revamped program, more than 36,000 service members submitted claims through BDD and about 53 percent of completed claims received a decision on their claim within 30 days. In the first month of FY 2019, 3,437 claims were completed with 57.7 percent completed within 30 days.
Throughout FY 2018, the program made continuous improvements, which include:
– Expanding BDD claim review from two locations, to processing at any regional office.
– Enhanced software partnerships with the Department of Defense to improve record transfers
Additional claim training and performance standards for military service coordinators.
– By participating in BDD, service members ensure that their disability medical exams become part of their service treatment record and that service connection for their conditions may be established as early as possible. Medical conditions can get worse over time and establishing eligibility at discharge may make it easier to increase disability ratings in the future.
For more information on the BDD program, visit www.benefits.va.gov/predischarge/claims-pre-discharge-benefits-delivery-at-discharge.asp.
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- Written by: Mendocino College
NORTH COAST, Calif. – The California Community Colleges Board of Governors recently approved $4.9 million in grant funding to expand and bolster Veterans Resource Centers throughout California’s community colleges.
Superintendent-President Arturo Reyes has just announced that Mendocino College has been one of the California Community Colleges to receive a portion of the grant.
Mendocino College is one of 90 community colleges in the state with an active Veterans Resource Center dedicated to providing veterans and active duty service members with tools they may need for academic success, and support as they transition from a military environment to an academic setting.
With this funding, Mendocino College hopes to identify a more appropriate space on campus to house the Veterans Resource Center.
While the existing space has served veteran students for the past seven years, the new space will accommodate more students and provide areas for study sessions, intake appointments, and a student lounge.
By enhancing the Veteran Resource Center, Mendocino College hopes to provide its veteran students with a welcoming learning environment where they feel appreciated and motivated to continue their education.
Additionally, this funding will provide the opportunity for further development of student success and support workshops which have shown to be greatly beneficial for students.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to boost the resources we have available and hope that it will contribute to the overall success of our student veterans,” said Mendocino College Vice President of Student Services Ulises Velasco.
Over the past six academic years, Mendocino College has seen an increase of veterans and their dependents coming to college, approximately 12 percent annually. In 2012-2013, Mendocino College had 95 veterans of veteran dependents on campus. By 2017-2018, that number had grown to 216.
California is home to an estimated 1.8 million veterans, and annually the California Community Colleges enrolls approximately 80,000 veterans and active duty service members.
For more information about the Mendocino College Veterans Resource Center visit https://www.mendocino.edu/student-services/veterans-services or call 707-468-3104.
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- Written by: Amanda Celli
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The United Veterans Council of Lake County and the VetConnect/Stand Down committee, or VetConnect, would like to give a huge thank you to the service providers and volunteers that made the 2018 Lake/Mendocino County Veteran Resource Fair and Homeless Veteran Stand Down successful.
Over the two days, 163 veterans signed in to receive services, 52 of which were homeless or at risk of homelessness.
The One Justice Legal team gave free estate planning to 15 veteran and Lake County Transit provided free bus fare to 25 veterans that would not have been able to attend otherwise.
Services offered to veterans were: Employment Development Department, Social Security Administration, Lake County Department of Social Services, Behavioral Health, Area on Aging and Child Support Division, Veteran Service representatives from both Lake and Mendocino County and California Department of Veteran Affairs.
The Department of Veterans Affairs offered Member Services Representatives from the Clearlake clinic, HUD VASH intake and referrals, Community Nursing Home as well as other departments and representative from the Veteran Benefits Administration.
Veterans were offered mini health screenings by nurses from Sutter Health and Mendocino Community Health Clinic and cardiac and stroke prevention tips by Dr. Minotti.
The VetConnect/Stand Down committee is grateful for the more than 30 organizations, 65 representatives and 30 volunteers that attended the Stand Down both days and to those who began with the setup and stayed for the tear down of this great venue.
VetConnect would also like thank Hospice Services of Lake County and the Mendo-Lake Family Magazine for their help with advertising the Stand Down.
It is only because of volunteers and these organizations that the Stand Down is successful and our Veterans can receive so many services.
The next VetConnect event will be held at the American Legion Hall in Clearlake on December 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with lunch provided.
The 2019 Stand Down is expected to be held Sept. 25 to 26, again at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Lakeport.
If you would like information on how to help Lake County veterans, please contact Frank Parker at 707-274 9512. To stay up to date regarding future events, to request information, or if you interested in being a provider at these events, please join our Facebook group: Lake County Vet Connect Hook Up Hub. Donations can be made to LCVC at Umpqua Bank in Lakeport, these donations are used to purchase surplus items and for services to local veterans.
Amanda Celli is member services representative for the Veterans Administration’s Clearlake Community Based Outpatient Clinics.
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- Written by: Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal agencies and the veterans legal services community came together at VA headquarters in Washington D.C. to celebrate VA’s Medical Legal Partnerships and to recognize volunteers who serve at VA-based free legal clinics.
Currently, VA hosts at least 170 free legal clinics in its VA Medical Centers, Community Based Outpatient Clinics and Vet Centers across the country, by partnering with external legal service providers, such as local bar associations, legal aid organizations and law school clinics.
“Legal assistance stands high on the list of many Veterans’ important but unmet needs,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “Our goal is to make sure our veterans have access to not only health care and disability benefits, but to community legal services that are central to their overall well-being.”
Veterans often face stressful legal situations — such as eviction, foreclosure, child support or driver’s license revocations — that can affect their ability to gain or maintain employment and housing, or focus on medical treatment. At the VA-hosted event today, VA and other federal agencies committed to encourage and further the provision of volunteer legal services to veterans.
As a prime example of the VA-based legal clinics nationwide, attorneys and paralegals from VA and 13 other federal agencies have provided pro bono legal assistance on their own time to veterans at the Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center’s legal clinic, run by the Veterans Pro Bono Consortium. During the past year, the legal clinic at that facility has served more than 800 Veterans.
For more information about VA’s coordination of legal services for veterans at VA facilities visit https://www.va.gov/OGC/LegalServices.asp.
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- Written by: Department of Veterans Affairs
To improve this experience VA’s Veterans Experience Office and VA Digital Service gathered feedback from more than 5,000 veterans, service members, their families, caregivers and survivors.
Many customers said they were having a frustrating experience, encountering a complicated collection of Web sites, forms, logins and tools.
Through feedback, VA learned that many of them struggled to find what they needed. By listening to veterans and working across VA organizational boundaries, the new VA.gov Web site shifts from a “VA as an organization” to a “customer-first” platform.
“Veterans, their families, caregivers and our many customers have successful online transactions in their day-to-day lives,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “They should expect the same exceptional digital experience when coming to VA. Our customers will receive a more simple and intuitive experience when accessing our online front door – the new VA.gov .”
The new site contains homepage content that focuses on the top 20 tasks that 80 percent of VA’s customer’s need, the ability to login to receive a personalized experience and easy to understand plain language content.
Logged in customers will find a dashboard summarizing the current status of services they receive from VA, whether those services are provided by the Veterans Health Administration – such as prescription refills or the Veterans Benefits Administration – such as claim status.
Customers can also update their contact information in one location rather than visiting multiple VA Web sites or making multiple calls.
VA is demonstrating that it is possible for Federal agencies to give the American people the online experience they expect and deserve. VA has been identified as the “co-lead” of the White House cross-agency priority goal on improving customer service.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
WASHINGTON, DC – On Monday, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) and Larry Seaton from the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier announced that the Korean War Unknown was presented with the Korean Ambassador for Peace Medal. This medal is awarded by the Korean government to American veterans who fought in the Korean War.
“Our brave men and women in uniform fought in Korea to preserve the ideals of freedom and justice for a people they had never met but for values we all cherish. Far too many of those veterans were not honored when they returned home and the Korean Ambassador for Peace Medal is designed to recognize their service and sacrifice so many years ago,” said Thompson. “So it is only fitting that we present this medal to the Korean Unknown at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, honoring all those who served in the Korean War and preserve their legacy for generations to come. I want to thank my constituent, Larry Seaton, for bringing this issue to my attention and for his service to the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.”
“Since 1921, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has symbolized our nation's appreciation for those military personnel who have served our country and were unaccounted for, either interred as “Unknown” or listed as MIA,” said Seaton. “The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency currently lists 7,676 unaccounted for from the Korean War, 592 of those listed are from California. Recovery and identification of newly discovered remains from previous wars and conflicts is still underway in locations throughout the world”.
One of the more than 36,000 troops killed in the Korean War rests at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, representing all those who fought on those battlefields. Seaton, who is from Napa, contacted Thompson’s office with the idea that the Korean War Unknown should be symbolically honored with this recognition and Thompson contacted and worked with the Korean government.
Additional information on the Korean War can be found on the Society of the Honor Guard’s Web site at www.tombguard.org.
Congressman Mike Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
