The article below is accurate. The one thing it does not reflect is the ratio of veterans and non veterans. When the ratio is factored this issue becomes apparently out of balance.
From the VA:
One-third of adult homeless men and nearly one-quarter of all homeless adults have served in the armed forces. While there is no true measure of the number of homeless veterans, it has been estimated that more than 200,000 veterans may be homeless on any given night and that twice as many veterans experience homelessness during a year. Many other veterans are considered at risk because of poverty, lack of support from family and friends and precarious living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing. Ninety-seven percent of homeless veterans are male and the vast majority are single. About 45 percent of homeless veterans suffer from mental illness and, slightly more than 68 percent suffer from alcohol or drug abuse problems. Thirty-three percent have both psychiatric and substance abuse disorders.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the only federal agency that provides substantial hands-on assistance directly to homeless people. Last year, VA provided services to over 77,000 veterans in its specialized homeless programs. Although limited to veterans and their dependents, VA's major homeless programs constitute the largest integrated network of homeless assistance programs in the country, offering a wide array of services and initiatives to help veterans recover from homelessness and live as self-sufficiently and independently as possible. Nearly one-quarter of homeless veterans have said they have used VA homeless services and 57 percent have said they have used VA health-care services.

VA, using its own resources or in partnerships with others, has secured more than 8,000 transitional and permanent beds for homeless veterans throughout the nation. VA spends several billion dollars from its health care and benefit assistance programs to assist tens of thousands of homeless and at-risk veterans. To increase this assistance, VA conducts outreach to connect homeless veterans to both mainstream and homeless-specific VA programs and benefits. These programs strive to offer a continuum of services that include:

• Aggressive outreach to veterans living on the streets and in shelters who
otherwise would not seek assistance;
• Clinical assessment and referral for medical treatment of physical and
psychiatric disorders, including substance abuse;
• Long-term transitional residential assistance, case management and
rehabilitation; and,
• Employment assistance and linkage with available income supports and
permanent housing.

VA has awarded more than 300 grants to public and nonprofit groups to assist homeless veterans in 50 states and the District of Columbia to provide transitional housing, service centers, and vans to provide transportation to services and employment.

I will cast no stones!

Dave Barker

Those numbers make me feel terrible. But what the VA is doing for these unfortunate souls is a blessing.

As a result of the move I will not be able to give as much attention as I normally do. Please be so kind as to give the VA threads a bump, now and then. The Swann excessive posts will push them out of sight.
Out of sight means out of mind. (Which moving may well put me out of mind!)

I will cast no stones!

Dave Barker

Friday I worked from 3:30am until 4:00pm packing boxes. In the meantime I still had appointments for claims. My volunteer Kathy joined me at 8:00am and she worked until 4:00pm. Her husband Bob helped as much as he could.
Monday and Tuesday we must pack over 3,000 files and all of the forms I use, for the big move Wednesday December 10th. Then we must put all of the stuff back in the drawers where it belongs.
So please boost this up until after Friday so it does not get lost.

thanks!

Dave Barker

DONE!

Good luck with the move. If I had to move my office, I think I'd just fall on my sword instead. Then there's my house; my husband is a pack rat.

Stay in touch as much as possible. I know that can be tough; do you ever sleep?

Watch the politicians!

I will cast no stones!

Dave Barker

IMPORTANT STUFF...

MOVING UP :-)

Cut & Paste
WASHINGTON (December 10, 2003) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is delivering high quality health care, benefits and memorial services to the nation’s veterans, according to VA’s FY 2003 Annual Performance and Accountability Report submitted today to the President and the Congress.
“We have fulfilled our responsibility to provide veterans with the best in benefits and health care by making our department a model of excellence,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. “We are honored to care for the health, welfare and dignity of veterans in recognition of their service to our nation.”
The report documents VA’s progress during fiscal year 2003 towards making sure that America’s veterans and their families receive timely, compassionate, high-quality care and benefits.
VA achieved an “unqualified clean audit opinion” on its financial statements for the fifth consecutive year. This is the best report an agency can receive from an independent auditor.
According to the report, the number of veterans using VA’s health care system has risen dramatically in recent years, increasing from 2.9 million in 1995 to 5 million in 2003. To ensure availability of care for the core veteran population, a new regulation giving priority access for severely disabled veterans was implemented for those veterans with service-connected disabilities rated 50 percent or greater.
VA continues to receive high satisfaction ratings among its patients with scores of 73 percent for inpatients and 74 percent for outpatients, both numbers up from FY 2002.
In memorial affairs, VA maintained high levels of customer satisfaction with burial services. In a satisfaction survey, 97 percent of respondents rated the appearance of VA’s national cemeteries as “excellent.”
VA significantly reduced its backlog of disability claims from a high of 432,000 claims to 254,000 at the end of 2003. In addition, the percentage of claims more than six months old was reduced from 35 percent to 19 percent.
In 2003, VA met four of the five key performance goals relating to the smooth transition of veterans from active military service to civilian life. On the subject of having VA medical centers provide electronic access to health information transmitted by the Department of Defense on separated service members, VA surpassed its goal of 50 percent by achieving 100 percent.
The Federal Health Information Exchange and Government Computerized Patient Record, a joint program with the Department of Defense, is fully installed and functioning at all sites and will further ease the transition of veterans from active service to civilian life.
“As America’s troops return from liberating Iraq, we are reminded once again of the incredible sacrifices our servicemen and women make in defense of freedom,” said Principi. “I will ensure they continue to receive exceptional service and the respect they have earned.”
VA’s FY 2003 Annual Performance and Accountability Report can be found on the Internet at www.va.gov/budget/report.
I will cast no stones!

Dave Barker

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. President Bush's 2003 proclamation: "On National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we honor the lives lost in that attack and salute the veterans of World War II. We also pay tribute to all those now serving America to advance freedom around the world." http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/12/20031205-10.html


Medicare Bill has Benefits for Indian Country. The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 signed by President Bush contains benefits for American Indian and Alaska Native people receiving health services from the IHS and tribal health programs. http://www.ihs.gov/PublicInfo/PublicAffairs/PressReleases/index.asp

National Veterans Wheelchair Games Head North to Alaska in 2006. More than 500 disabled veterans will compete in the largest annual wheelchair sports event in the world--the 26th National Veterans Wheelchair Games--in Anchorage, Alaska, from July 2-8, 2006, announced Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/PressArtInternet.cfm?id=707

Filipino Veterans Demand Equal Benefits. Filipino veterans came one step closer to their goal when President Bush signed a law last week making about 8,000 Filipino-American veterans in the United States eligible for VA health care. http://news.findlaw.com/ap_stories/other/1110/12-9-2003/20031209004502_02.html



Finalists Announced for $25,000 Accessible America Award. The National Organization on Disability has announced 11 finalists in its third annual Accessible America Contest. The finalists were selected from 64 entries from around the country. http://www.nod.org/community/finalists.html

Female Med-School Applicants Surpass Men. For the first time ever, women outnumbered men among people applying to U.S. medical schools for this fall--a milestone in the slow but steady increase in the number of aspiring female doctors. http://news.findlaw.com/ap_stories/other/1500/12-5-2003/20031205024501_16.html

I will cast no stones!

Dave Barker

GOTCHA COVERED...

Thanks for the links. Still here!
Lisa

WHAT'S NEW?

December 2003 News Releases


VA Reports Performance Improvements For 2003 - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is delivering high quality health care, benefits and memorial services to the nation’s veterans, according to VA’s FY 2003 Annual Performance and Accountability Report submitted today to the President and the Congress. (12/10/03)
VA Recognizes Offices with Contracting Achievement Awards - As part of an initiative to increase contracting with small businesses, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi is recognizing VA staff offices that have excelled in partnering with these companies in contract awards. (12/5/03)
USA Today Honors VA's Web Site for Kids - A new Web site by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to teach children about the contributions of veterans has been selected by the editors of USA Today as one of the top educational Web sites for the week of December 1. (12/5/03)
To view and download VA news releases, please visit the following Internet
address:
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel

I will cast no stones!

Dave Barker

WHAT ELSE?

Important announcement

The Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council of the National Academies have produced and continue to produce reports on the health and protection of deployed military forces and veterans. These reports build on the Academies' long history of addressing scientific and medical issues related to past and current military conflicts. This site provides information about the Institute of Medicine's work in this area, including summaries and recommendations from past reports, as well as explanations of chemical and biological agents, and links to ongoing projects.

http://veterans.iom.edu/

> Deployment Health
Reports on the health and protection of deployed forces
> Gulf War Gulf War and Health reports and ongoing studies
> Vietnam War Vietnam/Agent Orange reports and ongoing studies
> Korean War Reports on military personnel that served in the Korean War
> World War II Information and resources relating to the health of U.S. veterans of the second world war.

I will cast no stones!

Dave Barker

Thanks for keeping us up-to-date.

Wish I'd been the one to suggest the website for kids. My son enjoys it. He thinks his Screaming Eagle brother in law hung the moon and just a few of the stars. Well, I do, too...

There are some very basic tenets of eligibility that do not seem to be clearly understood.
1. Veterans claiming exposure to AO do NOT have to participate in AO registry examination program. The veteran does have to have served in Vietnam. We have received reports from sites indicating that they were changing AO "yes" responses to "NO" because no registry exam was completed.....that is simply wrong.
2. AO, etc. vets are exempted from medication copay as well as medical care copay if treatment/meds for a particular episode of care are determined by their health care provder to be related to their exposure.
There are rules that apply for Ionizing Radiation and Envirnomental Contaminants as to what qualifies as exposure. If sufficient documentation is not presented by the veteran to determine if they were in the exposure location, participated in nuclear testing or whatever, we should be verifying military service information through the VA Regional Office. Please review pertinent Directives and other guidance for these specific programs as necessary.
Do not deny these veterans a higher enrollment priority assignment (Priority Group 6) or other benefits available to them based upon their legitimate claims of exposure simply because the veteran chooses not to participate in the VA Registry Program.
Korean DMZ vets as they are not currently eligible for this benefit. They can; however, request to participate in Agent Orange Registry examination program.

I will cast no stones!

Dave Barker

ARE WE MEETING THE ENEMY AGAIN?