In This Issue:
1. Patient Care Group Scam
2. VFW Urges Passage of Women's Health Care Bill
3. Unemployed OEF/OIF Vets at Record High
4. House Committee Looks at GI Bill IT Progress
5. Tarawa MIA Search
6. National POW/MIA Recognition Day
1. Patient Care Group Scam: The VA has received reports that veterans are being contacted by a "Patient Care Group" that claims it is helping to administer the VA's prescription medicine program. "Patient Care Group" is saying the VA recently changed its pharmacy billing procedures, therefore a personal credit card number is now required for prescription payments in advance of filling those prescriptions. This is a scam! Do not provide credit card information over the phone to anyone who claims to represent the VA! The VA has not changed their pharmacy procedures, and they do not ask veterans to disclose personal financial information over the phone. If you should receive such a call, do not give them any information. Tell them you are busy and try to get a name and callback number. Report that information to your local police.
2. VFW Urges Passage of Women's Health Care Bill: VFW urges all veterans' advocates to contact their Senators and ask them to pass S. 252. The large health care bill, which passed the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee earlier this summer, contains a broad range of health care improvements for all veterans, including expanded mental health services and grants for homeless veteran programs. It also includes a number of significant improvements for female veterans and the health care and services VA provides to them, which are VFW priority goals. Click on the link below for information on the bill and to contact your Senators today:
http://capwiz.com/vfw/issues/alert/?alertid=14009536 3. Unemployed OEF/OIF at Record High: The total number of unemployed current war veterans almost equals the total number of troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to August unemployment data released last week by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. The BLS data increased the nationwide unemployment average to 9.7 percent for the general population, and dramatically increased the unemployment rate of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans from 9.8 percent in July to 11.3 percent in August. Equally disturbing, said new VFW National Commander Tommy Tradewell, is the number of unemployed current war veterans increased from 160,000 to 185,000, which almost equals the total U.S. military strength currently serving in the wars. Tradewell said the VFW strongly believes that any entity that accepts federal stimulus money, regardless of amount, should be required to adhere to federal veterans' laws, in particular the Jobs for Veterans Act and the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act. To read the VFW press release, go to
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=news.newsDtl&did=5195.
4. House Subcommittee Looks at GI Bill IT Progress: The House VA Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity discussed progress between VA and its government contractor, the U.S. Navy's Space Naval and Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR), who was hired to implement Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits. The Interagency Agreement was the topic of a recent VA Inspector General's report that highlighted many contracting irregularities between SPAWAR and the VA. The contractor was named to help VA's IT department design new software to implement the Chapter 33 regulations. GI Bill benefits rolled out Aug. 1 with some kinks that are still being worked out. Subcommittee members voiced their concerns that quality controls and short and long-term goals are not being met. For more on the hearing, visit the House VA website at
http://veterans.house.gov/.
5. Tarawa MIA Search: A survey team from the Hawaii-based Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command is scheduled to depart this weekend for the Pacific island of Tarawa, with hopes of finding enough evidence to launch a recovery operation of buried Americans who died in the November 1943 World War II battle. Nearly 1,000 U.S. Marines and 700 sailors died in the three-day battle. Researchers from the privately-funded History Flight organization claimed last year to have found almost 140 unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar. More than 78,000 Americans are currently listed as missing and unaccounted-for from World War II.
6. National POW/MIA Recognition Day: The third Friday in September is set aside as National POW/MIA Recognition Day. On Sept. 18 this year, VFW Posts around the country will host ceremonies to remember those 88,000 Americans who remain missing and unaccounted-for since World War II, and to honor those 138,000 Americans who were captured. To aid in preparations, the VFW website contains a recommended speech and POW/MIA Awareness Brochure, which contains instructions for the Missing Man Table of Honor ceremony. Go to
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=caphill.leveld&did=3700
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