Who Held Disabled Veterans Hostage, or is holding!

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Which Senator Put a Hold on Veterans Benefits Bill?

all the oh so 'patriotic?' give those who served, magnetic ribbons till gone, lapel flag pins, flags, parades, welcome homes, and all with the words only, No Sacrifice By Them Demanded, 'Freedom is {absolutely} Free!!

Sep 27, 2012 - A routine bill for a cost-of-living increase for military veterans and surviving spouses just got delayed for months because of a secret hold by an unidentified Senate Republican.

In what appears to be an election-year stunt that quickly backfired, an unidentified Republican senator on Thursday briefly blocked disabled veterans and their survivors from getting a cost-of-living adjustment to their benefits, according to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

The Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) increase for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, which typically passes the House and Senate without opposition, was cleared by Senate Democrats but placed on a “secret hold” Thursday by an unidentified Republican senator, Murray says.

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After Murray released her statement, Republicans made what appears to be a hasty retreat. A spokesman for Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the ranking Republican on the Senate veterans’ committee, announced Thursday afternoon that the issue had been resolved and there was no hold.

Who originally placed the secret hold, and why? No one seems to know or wants to say.

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“It cleared every Democrat in the Senate, but there was still a hold on the bill, so obviously it had to be from someone on the Republican side,” said Matt McAlvanah, a spokesman for Senator Murray. “It lasted until we adjourned, nearly 72 hours. We then went into recess, with the Republicans still having a hold on this bill. So we put out a release today saying someone should step forward.”

“Now we hear that Republicans are saying there is no longer a hold. That’s fine, but it does little good now because we’re not coming back until postelection. Now we have to pass this bill by the skin of our teeth just to make sure the VA can process the checks. It’s going to be a close call.”

Because of the delay, the Senate, which is out of session until Nov. 13, will have to vote on the legislation on the very same day it reconvenes in order for its payments to get out on time, according to a statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“Should Congress pass the COLA after that date, VA would have to make complex programming changes to the system that could not be accomplished in time to pay the COLA increase on January 1,” according to the VA release. “Consequently, the December COLA increase would have to be paid retroactively.”

If the bill doesn’t pass that first day the Senate returns, the effects could be significant, especially for disabled veterans and their families on fixed incomes, says Paul Sullivan, a Gulf War veteran and former director of Veterans for Common Sense who now works at Bergmann & Moore, a law firm that specializes in VA disability law.

“We don’t want to scare our veterans. But delays can be harmful,” Sullivan tells The Daily Beast. “Veterans already jump through enough hoops to obtain disability benefits. Delaying what should be an automatic process increases uncertainty in the lives of our veterans, and that is wrong.” read more>>>

What we do know is they apparently weren't satisfied in just killing the Veterans Jobs Bill of 2012, only one in the long stream of not holding up the Countries Responsibility!!

VRAP - Veterans Next Round of Retraining Program

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VA launches next round of retraining program

WASHINGTON – September 24, 2012 - Veterans Affairs officials announced last week that they filled all 45,000 slots for the fiscal 2012 phase of the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program, and are now opening applications for the 54,000 openings available for next fiscal year.

The program, created by Congress late last year, awards unemployed veterans one year of GI Bill benefits to learn new, high-demand skills. Lawmakers designed the program to be a safety net mainly for mid-career veterans who find themselves in financial trouble, but do not have military education benefits to fall back on like their younger peers. read more>>>

Student Nurses Head to Hospital in Hanoi then AO Orphanage

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Budding nurses head to Hanoi

Ten St Albans student nurses have headed to Vietnam for work experience. 87565 Picture: CONTRIBUTED

25th September 2012 - KELLIE McWilliam has always been passionate about nursing.

Now, the Victoria University student is heading to Vietnam to share those skills with the local community.

Kellie is one of 10 St Albans campus students who will volunteer in the National Paediatric Hospital in Hanoi before heading to an orphanage for the child victims of Agent Orange and spending time at a non-government organisation that gives trafficked children an education.

Co-ordinator and study tour leader Dr Sue Kristy said the tour was no holiday, with students pushed physically, academically and emotionally.

But Dr Kristy said the tasks would only improve the ability of the young nurses to work in the challenging world of medicine. read more>>>

Military Awards for Valor Website

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Silver Star Recipients Added to Valor Site

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2012 - Officials have added the names of those who have received Silver Star awards to a website listing recipients of the nation's highest awards for valor.

The site launched in July with the names of those who have received the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor, since Sept. 11, 2001.

On Aug. 1, officials added the names of those who have received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross or the Air Force Cross – the nation's second-highest valor awards.

Now, the site also lists those who have received the Silver Star.

The site -- Military Awards for Valor -- is designed to raise awareness of service members' heroism and to help in deterring those who falsely claim military honors, officials said.

How VA Makes Medical Care Easier for Rural Veterans

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Telehealth: A better way than the highway

Your call: drive hours to your nearest VA medical facility vs. click on a monitor from a closer Community-Based Outpatient Clinic.

Some Veterans live many miles from a VA medical center, making visits to the doctor an all-day event. Others with chronic conditions require constant monitoring, but opt to stay at home rather than in the hospital.

In both cases, VA’s Telehealth provides greater access to health care through the use of telecommunications and videoconferencing. VA patients are finding Telehealth to be just what they need to receive personalized care from their VA medical center.

The Veterans Health Administration is the nation's leader in Telehealth technologies, which means doctors and patients can meet for health services without physically being in the same place. read more>>>

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Veteran Beau Biden Talks the Choice Veterans Have

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This isn't only about the Presidential race for the top job in the Country, it's as important for all the down ticket races for Congressional seats as well as State Legislatures and the direction of the Responsibility of the Country towards how they treat those very few of us who've served as well as those serving now, serving to defend Country and Constitution, the whole Constitution not just spun cuts from.

Biden's son campaigns in Marietta

September 27, 2012 - Biden said Obama has increased funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs by more than any other president in the last 30 years and focused on helping soldiers after their service ends by supporting tax credits for businesses that hire veterans and working to pass the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill when he was in the Senate. The administration also put resources toward hiring 1,500 claims processors to address the backlog resulting in a lengthy waiting period for returning wounded veterans to receive services.

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"Their priorities are that we give a tax cut to the wealthiest 1 percent," he said. "But they want to cut benefits to the point-seven-five percent of us that have served in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Biden said Ryan's proposed budget that has brought him both support and criticism would cut Department of Veterans Affairs spending by about $11.1 billion, 85 percent of which would be for health care expenses, while extending Bush-era tax cuts enacted after the nation went to war. He also criticized Romney's proposal last year that veterans could receive vouchers for health care, as opposed to the government providing it.

Biden said the latter proposal amounts to privatizing the VA and giving veterans a coupon and saying "go find your own" care. read more>>

Rallies in Steubenville for Obama's re-election

Sept. 26, 2012 - Martineau, a wounded war veteran, disagrees with the Romney campaign's statement.

"We've got to help them so they can let it out and work on it. That's the important thing. That's why we need this president. (Obama) is not going to cut 20 percent out of this budget. (Obama) is going to keep it. Maybe even, say, add," Martineau said.

"The choice could not be more clear for President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden," Gentile said. read more>>> {there's a video clip with this report}

The reality of the record stands for itself, the contrast of the previous eight years and that administration to the almost four of the present administration and almost total congressional obstruction of everything. Six of which of those previous eight had a republican controlled congress and in that the surplus left to them was depleted rapidly Before 9/11 thus deficits started rising. The response, along with the countries promises to the people of the country invaded, once again, to the 9/11 attacks was abandoned with the first drum beats of war pointed at another country and reasons for built on ginned up intelligence from within that administration.

While the congresses were rubber stamping all war costs for both, off the books till the present administration and still all borrowed, along with their other ideological policy wants of that administration, very little was not only done but not even mentioned in relation to the Veterans of both of these present wars and the norm, underfunded and politically run VA, continued for us older vets especially of our previous wars. That started changing in the 110th and 111th congresses even with the ability of obstruction in the Senate with the use of filibusters and not a democratic stable of majority vote but needing a 60 plus vote.

Those in the present Executive Administration it's Cabinet, even beyond the VA and for the present Veterans, and those around same have been doing what they can as the Executive Branch and even gone well beyond, often away from the camera's and the news outlets, but there's still much much more needed that can only be accomplished fully by the people doing their responsibility through their representatives in the Congress and the State Houses.

Just a small example of what this Administration and the Veterans Administration accomplished, the rest is all archived and those archives are still growing, VA Observes Recovery Act Anniversary With More Progress Nationwide, you can find some more examples with a write by another of the younger brother vets of these two wars as Beau Biden is, while still grossly underfunded and yet no demand from congressional, and state, representatives that the country sacrifice, which ends up costing the country, especially the Veterans in needed help, much more to correct, maintain or innovate with advances.

On FLOTUS & SLOTUS "There is this sense that this is genuine," says Raezer. "We haven't had this kind of visibility from the White House—ever." Joyce Raezer - December 30, 2011

CLARIFICATION OF PRESUMPTIONS OF EXPOSURE FOR VETERANS WHO SERVED IN VICINITY OF REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

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http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/R?r112:FLD001:S56112
Amendment introduced yesterday by Senator Gillibrand of New York:

Congressional Record
112th Congress (2011-2012)

TEXT OF AMENDMENTS -- (Senate - September 11, 2012)

SA 2784. Mrs. GILLIBRAND submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 3457, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a veterans’ jobs corps, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table, as follows:

On page 18, between lines 5 and 6, insert the following:

SEC. 7. CLARIFICATION OF PRESUMPTIONS OF EXPOSURE FOR VETERANS WHO SERVED IN VICINITY OF REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM.

(a) Compensation.--Subsections (a)(1) and (f) of section 1116 of title 38, United States Code, are amended by inserting ``(including the territorial seas of such Republic)'' after ``served in the Republic of Vietnam'' each place it appears.

(b) Health Care.--Section 1710(e)(4)(A) of such title is amended by inserting ``(including the territorial seas of such Republic)'' after ``served on active duty in the Republic of Vietnam''.

(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) shall take effect as of September 25, 1985.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/R?r112:FLD001:S56112