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June 28, 2010 By Troy
Posted in Veteran Benefits
A bill that would allow veterans to use Montgomery GI Bill benefits to start or run their own businesses is causing controversy between veteran groups. The nation’s largest group, the American Legion, came out in support for the Veterans’ Entrepreneurial Transition Business Benefit Act, a bill with a precedent-setting idea of allowing education benefits to be used for something other than training and education. The nation’s largest group of combat veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Veterans Affairs Department (VA) opposes the legislation. The bill has been pending before the panel since January 9, 2009, until the differences can be reconciled. The VA is willing to work with Congress and with the Small Business Administration to find another way to help veterans start up businesses. One concern is that the bill would require VA to make judgments on whether a veteran has a good enough business plan to warrant using GI Bill benefits for temporary financial support. To read this article in full, please go to:http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/06/military_gibill_businesscosts_061010w/
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June 25, 2010 By Troy
Posted in Life in the Military, Spouse and Family, Why We Serve
Staff Sgt. Michael Mulligan, a truck commander with A Troop, 1st Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) and a Trezevant, Tenn., native, said when his wife found out she was pregnant, he knew he was going to miss the birth.
After determining that he would definitely be in Iraq when the baby was due, Lorrie, his wife, asked her doctor if he would allow her to share the birth with her husband via video chat on the Internet. “Our doctor said it went against hospital policy,” Mulligan said. “He had never done this before, but he thought this was a perfect opportunity to do it.”
Mulligan, was able to monitor the progress of the birth on the Internet March 10 from Contingency Operating Base Taji, Iraq, but the doctor put the chat on hold when Lorrie received epidural anesthesia. “I was going crazy for 40 minutes, wondering what was going on,” Mulligan said. When they turned the video back on, Mulligan said his sister appeared on his computer screen: “Get ready,” she said, “the doctor said she (Lorrie) is going to deliver in 10 minutes.”
Ten minutes later Mulligan’s daughter, Candyce, was born. “The doctor held her up for me to see,” he said. Mulligan said the doctor checked on the baby, checked on Lorrie, walked by the camera, looked down and thanked him for being in Iraq and congratulated him on a new baby girl.
The baby was named Candyce Brianna after Mulligan’s mother, who died in 2003. Mulligan said he talked about his wife’s pregnancy with Capt. Patrick Carneal, commander of A Troop, last September. The commander of the Tennessee Army National Guard unit based out of Huntington and Waynesboro, Tenn., “was very upfront about it,” said Mulligan.
“I understood that I wasn’t going to be able to come home from the deployment for the birth,” he said. “But the captain assured me that he would do everything in his power to see that I was in front of my computer when the baby was born.” The night Candyce was born, the Carneal allowed Mulligan to stay back from the mission he was scheduled to be on. Michael and Lorrie Mulligan now have three children.
Staff Sgt. Michael S. Mulligan, a truck commander with A Troop, 1st Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) and a Trezevant, Tenn., native, attempts to communicate with his wife Lorrie March 10 during the birth of his daughter, Candyce.
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June 24, 2010 By Troy
Posted in Life in the Military
Active-duty cases of obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that causes people to stop breathing as they sleep, have increased nearly 600 percent since 2000, with the biggest jumps coming after the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Data from the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center show that 3,563 active-duty members had the disease in 2000, while 20,435 were diagnosed in 2009. The majority of those cases were diagnosed in Servicemembers older than 40, but rates went up for all age groups. To read this article in its entirety, please go to: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/06/military_sleepapnea_060710w/
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By Troy
Posted in Patriotism, Veteran Benefits
Sears is honoring America’s service people (Military, Veterans, Police, Firefighters, Teachers and Hospital Staff) with an in-store Salute To Heroes sale this Saturday, June 26, 11 AM-2 PM.
Local heroes can get an extra 10% off of regular, sale and clearance items in-store. It’s nationwide except for a handful of cities, where it will be held on July 10: Boston, MA; Seattle, WA; Miami, FL; Raleigh-Durham, NC; Dallas, TX and Cincinnati, OH.
You will need to bring ID to show off your local hero status. You can also check out http://www.sears.com/salute or http://www.sears.com/ue/dap/6-26SalutetoHeroesflyer-online.pdf for more details.
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June 22, 2010 By Troy
Posted in Life in the Military, Veteran Benefits
According to a new study conducted by researchers at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, one in ten Soldiers returning from Iraq report mental health problems. Between 2004 and 2007, researchers distributed anonymous surveys to four active duty brigade combat teams and two National Guard combat team three months and 12 months after deployment. The surveys screened Soldiers for PTSD, depression, alcohol misuse and aggressive behavior and asked them to report whether these problems impacted their ability to get along with others, take care of things at home or perform their job duties. “A high number of those that had symptoms of PTSD and depression also reported some aspect of impairment,” said Jeffrey L. Thomas, one of the study’s co-authors. The study also found that of the Soldiers who had PTSD or depression, about half of them reported problems with alcohol or aggressive behaviors. This increased between 3 months and 12 months after deployment among National Guard Soldiers, but stayed about the same among full-time, active duty veterans. To read this article in its entirety, please go to: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/10-soldiers-fought-iraq-mentally-ill/story?id=10850315&page=2
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June 21, 2010 By Troy
Posted in Spouse and Family, Veteran Benefits
An amendment to end the military’s long-established ban on allowing abortions in its overseas hospitals was passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee in late May. It would require women to pay for abortions upfront and without government funds, but would allow doctors at military hospitals to perform the procedures if those conditions are met. The amendment would overturn a policy put into place by Congress in the mid-1990s that restricted abortions at military hospitals only to cases of rape, incest, or when the woman’s life is in danger. To read more on this issue, please go to: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jun/7/military-abortion-issue-returns/
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June 19, 2010 By Troy
Posted in Spouse and Family, Veteran Benefits
In alliance with the Department of Defense and supported by patriotic NFL and MLB players, eKnowledge is donating $200 SAT and ACT PowerPrep Programs to military Servicemembers and their extended families. eKnowledge has donated over 142,000 PowerPrep Programs with a value of $32 Million to military families worldwide. Eligible recipients include Servicemembers from all branches of eth military who are active duty, retired, Veterans, Guard, Reserve, DoD employees, and civilians performing military support. Also eligible are relatives and dependants of anyone who otherwise qualifies from the prior list. Research indicates that there are millions of military Servicemembers who are unaware of the donated educational material. For further information, please contact Lori Caputo at mailto:LoriCaputo@eknowledge.com or visithttp://www.eknowledge.com/USA
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June 18, 2010 By Troy
Posted in Spouse and Family
The Military.com and CinCHouse.com 2010 Spouse of the Year Award, sponsored by Armed Services Mutual Benefit Association (ASMBA) and TriWest HealthCare Alliance, will give away $5,000 to a spouse who has gone above and beyond to serve his/her family, country and the military community. Nominations are open through June 30, 2010. Get contest details and enter today at:http://www.cinchouse.com/Articles/SpouseoftheYear/tabid/8377/Default.aspx?ESRC=vr.nl
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June 17, 2010 By Troy
Posted in Veteran Benefits
On June 4, 2010, Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced a $3 million workforce development initiative for military personnel and veterans that will affect those studying allied health occupations at district colleges.
Students who have served in any of the Armed Forces will be eligible for college credit for military experience toward degrees in allied health occupations, which are in demand in Texas.
Governor Perry contends that the “program will accelerate veterans’ transfer from the military’s top-quality training environment into helping Texans.. The program will fund demonstration grants in San Antonio, Houston and Temple-Killeen, three areas of the state with high veteran populations and help with job search assistance and training for military families., To read this article in its entirety, please go to:http://www.theranger.org/news/governor-announces-new-program-to-fund-health-careers-for-vets-military-1.2272256#5
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June 16, 2010 By Troy
Posted in Veteran Benefits
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is reviewing the Traumatic Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (TSGLI) program started by Congress in 2005. Like commercial accidental death and dismemberment policies for civilians, it was intended to provide a quick lump sum benefit to help address the financial burdens facing Servicemembers before they start receiving veterans’ benefits. The benefits can range from $25,000 to $100,000 depending on the type of injury.
A 2009 GAO audit raised several concerns about how the program is administered and the denial of claims. It found a lack of quality assurance that claims decisions were accurate, consistent and timely, and that the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which both administer the program, lacked reliable data for overseeing claims.
Representatives of TSGLI said improvements have been made in reviewing claims. For fiscal year 2009, the overall approval rate is 73 percent, with the Marines, Air Force and Navy rates between 73 and 81 percent. The Army, which files the most claims, has an approval rate of 67 percent. There are no incentives for a branch of service to deny or approve claims. To read this story in its entirety, please go to:http://www.military.com/news/article/insurer-denies-payment-to-wounded-vet.html?wh=news
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