Overall, the report shows the national unemployment rate is 9.1 percent, with little change in the last month because the economy created only 54,000 net jobs in May.

The May report, released on Friday, shows a worsening job market for veterans.

For veterans of all generations, the unemployment rate for May was 8.3 percent. For veterans who left the military after 2001, the Iraq and Afghanistan generation, the May unemployment rate is 12.1 percent. For April, the overall unemployment rate for veterans was 7.7 percent, and the unemployment rate for Iraq- and Afghanistan-era veterans was 11.7 percent.

Marshall Hanson of the Reserve Officers Association said the unemployment picture is even worse for some segments of the veterans’ population. For veterans ages 20 to 24, the unemployment rate has been about 27 percent. For Army National Guard units returning from deployment, unemployment rates are “as high as 45 percent,” Hanson said June 1 in testimony before the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

Tackling unemployment is the top priority for veterans’ service organizations, which met earlier this week with House Republican leaders to press the point. The lawmakers reacted immediately, with Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., announcing he was working on legislation to find jobs for 400,000 veterans over two years or less to drop the overall veterans’ unemployment rate to 4.5 percent.

There also is large and growing bipartisan support for a bill, the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, that takes a comprehensive approach to changing Labor, Veterans and Defense Department programs aimed at helping veterans find jobs. The chief sponsor of that bill is Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairwoman.

By Rick Maze

militarytimes.com

The Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 was signed into law May 5 and was supposed to take effect Jan. 20. So far, nothing has happened — not even the development of an implementation plan that was supposed to be complete by the end of November.

“To date, the Obama administration has failed to even set out its initial plan to carry out the law,” says a statement issued by the office of Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairwoman and one of the 18 senators who fired off a letter Monday asking Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and Jack Lew, director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, what is taking so long.

Ten Democrats, seven Republicans and one independent signed the letter.

VA had no immediate comment about the senators’ letter or about the status of caregiver benefits. However, VA did announce shortly after the letter was received that it was opening a new toll-free support line for caregivers.

The support line, 855-260-3274, is intended to be a resource and referral center for caregivers and veterans, VA officials said. Licensed social workers and health technicians will staff the line, which will be open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., VA officials said.

The unimplemented law, Public Law 111-163, promises training, support services and, in some cases, payments for family or friends taking care of severely wounded veterans.

Backed by major military and veterans groups, the final law provides training, education, counseling and mental health services to the primary caregivers of veterans whose disabilities are so great that they likely would be institutionalized if they did not have someone to provide daily care. There are provisions for caregivers to become certified, and subsequently paid the same amount that a home health-care provider would receive for the same work. The law also promises in-home respite care for veterans so caregivers can have a break.

The law leaves many details up to VA — including how much caregivers might be paid — because Obama administration officials had asked for flexibility.

The outrage at the delay is bipartisan. “The long delay in getting this program up and running is a disservice to veterans and their families. Caregivers need training and instruction so they can provide the men and women who were severely wounded while serving our country a better quality of life,” said Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, ranking Republican on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and a co-signer of the letter.

By Rick Maze

www.militarytimes.com

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the suit seeks $22.5 million in damages for 22-year-old widow Tiffany Anestis and the couple’s 2-year-old daughter, Isabelle, in the death of Marine Corps reservist Cameron Anestis.

Anestis was 21 when fatally shot himself at his Scott County home on Aug. 17, 2009.

The suit claims he developed mental and emotional problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder, after extensive combat in Iraq.

Shortly before his death, Cameron Anestis went to a Lexington VA medical center for a mental health evaluation and treatment, but he was told the treatment was not available there, according to the suit.

Officials directed him to a second VA hospital in the city where he was again turned away, this time because the hospital did not have sufficient information in its computer system or admission system to entitle him to treatment.

Plaintiff’s attorney Al Grasch said Anestis’ family was told that a form to enroll him in the VA system was not properly completed by military officials. But Grasch said the explanation was odd because Anestis had previously received care at a VA in California.

The lawsuit claims the negligence of VA officials directly led to Anestis’ death.

Lexington VA medical center spokeswoman Desti Stimes told the paper she could not comment on the pending litigation.

But Grasch provided the Herald-Leader with a copy of an Aug. 21, 2009, VA intranet blog titled “A Battle Lost.” It was posted by someone listed as a Lexington VA administrator and talks about a young reservist who killed himself after seeking treatment. It mentions that changes are being made because of what happened.

Grasch said Anestis was an outgoing young man before serving in Iraq. He attended The Citadel military school in South Carolina before enlisting in the Marines, becoming a lance corporal.

“He was a strong believer in doing what was right and he saw himself as a ‘protector’ of those less fortunate or those who were not capable of standing up for themselves,” father Manny Anestis wrote in an e-mail to the newspaper.

Tiffany Anestis said the couple met in high school ROTC class. They both joined the military in 2007. She joined the National Guard. They married in 2008 and their daughter was born just before his deployment.

“I was induced a week early so he could be here to see her,” she said. “He only had a week with her before he left for Iraq.”

After he returned, Cameron Anestis told his family he had killed many people, including some civilians, Grasch said. Anestis became withdrawn, was extremely impatient and had temper outbursts.

Manny Anestis said the memories of what his son experienced haunted him and wouldn’t allow him to get close to his daughter.

“He couldn’t bond with her,” Manny Anestis said. “He couldn’t even be around Isabelle when she would cry. He would hand her to me and jump in his car and drive off.”

Tiffany Anestis, who moved to Lexington after her husband’s death, said she still supports the military.

“I just think they fail their soldiers sometimes when they come back from overseas,” she said. “I think they forget about them. I don’t understand it.”

The suit was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Lexington. Tiffany Anestis is asking the court for $10 million in damages for Cameron Anestis’ estate for his pain and suffering, funeral expenses and loss of earnings, and $5 million for herself and $7.5 million for her daughter for their “loss of companionship, services, love and affection.”

The Associated Press

The call by a commission of current and retired military officers to let women be front-line fighters could set in motion another sea change in military culture as the armed forces, generations after racial barriers fell, grapples with the phasing out of the ban on gays serving openly.

The newest move is being recommended by the Military Leadership Diversity Commission, established by Congress two years ago. The panel was to send its proposals to Congress and President Obama.

It is time “to create a level playing field for all qualified service members,” the members said.

Opponents of putting women in combat question whether they have the necessary strength and stamina. They also have said the inclusion of women in infantry and other combat units might harm unit cohesion, a similar argument to that made regarding gays. And they warn Americans won’t tolerate large numbers of women coming home in body bags. Those arguments have held sway during previous attempts to lift the ban.

Congress recently repealed the “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban on gays serving openly, and the Navy changed its rules over the last year to allow women to serve on submarines for the first time. Women are barred from certain combat assignments in all the services but face the broadest restrictions in the Army and Marines.

Anu Bhagwati, a former Marine captain and executive director of the advocacy group Service Women’s Action Network, said the prohibition on women in combat “is archaic, it does not reflect the many sacrifices and contributions that women make in the military, and it ignores the reality of current war-fighting doctrine.”

Although thousands of American women have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and been exposed to great danger — 134 of them have been killed — they have been largely restricted to combat support jobs such as medics or logistical and transportation officers.

Defense policy prohibits women from being assigned to any unit smaller than a brigade whose primary mission is direct combat on the ground.

The new report says that keeping women out of combat posts prohibits them from serving in roughly 10 percent of Marine Corps and Army occupational specialties and thus is a barrier to advancement.

“The Armed Forces have not yet succeeded in developing leaders who are as diverse as the nation they serve,” said the report. “Minorities and women still lag behind white men in terms of number of military leadership positions.”

Women generally make up about 14 percent of the armed services. Of the roughly 2.2 million troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 255,000 have been women, said Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez.

Supporters of the change say women essentially have been in combat for years, even if they are nominally removed from it.

“It’s something whose time has come,” said Lory Manning of the Women’s Research and Education Institute. She said ending the ban would be “a logical outcome of what women have been doing in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the Army and Marines have been essentially ducking the policy.”

She said, for example, that military officials have employed terms of art to skirt the ban, for example “attaching” women to a combat unit instead of “assigning” them.

The new report says there has been little evidence that integrating women into previously closed units or military occupations has damaged cohesion or had other ill effects. It says a previous independent report suggested that women serving in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan “had a positive impact on mission accomplishment.”

Defense leaders have said they see the change coming someday. For example, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in September that he expects women to be let into special operations forces eventually, and in a careful, deliberate manner.

The advisory commission recommends a phased-in approach. The Army is doing its own internal study of women in combat as well.

Pentagon figures show that as of Jan. 3, 110 women had been killed in the war in Iraq compared with about 4,300 men. In the Afghanistan campaign, 24 women have been killed compared with more than 1,400 men.

Lainez said the department will review the recommendations when the report is delivered.

But regardless of what becomes of the policy, she noted that women will continue to be drawn into combat action, “situations for which they are fully trained and equipped to respond.”

By Pauline Jelinek – The Associated Press

The Army says 22 soldiers have either killed themselves or are suspected of doing so last year at Fort Hood, Texas, twice the number from 2009.

That is a rate of 45 deaths per 100,000, compared to 20-per-100,000 rate among civilians in the same age group and a 22-per-100,000 rate Army-wide.

The Army had boosted staffing and psychiatric services to address the problem, particularly after the fatal shootings of 13 people on the post in November 2009. The Army says that Maj. Nidal Hasan, a psychiatrist, fired his pistol indiscriminately at soldiers waiting for routine medical care.

Fort Hood now has one of the largest counseling staffs in the Army with more than 170 behavioral health workers.

“Any time they’ve asked for it, the Army has done everything it can to provide assistance,” said Army Col. Christopher Philbrick, deputy commander of an Army task force on reducing suicides.

Philbrick said it “has been very frustrating for us to figure out what we haven’t done right.”

Many of the 48,000 soldiers at Fort Hood have either returned from war zones or are on their way to them.

“It’s like a chain reaction,” says Maxine Trent, director of a free mental health clinic for soldiers in Killeen, Texas, near Fort Hood. “Being the front and back door to [wars in Iraq and Afghanistan], on top of having had a massacre on post, we’ve got some pretty psychologically fragile folks.”

The number of suicides at Fort Hood is far greater than at other large Army posts. Fort Bragg, N.C., reported the second highest with 12 cases. The previous high in recent history was 21 suicides in 2009 at Fort Campbell, Ky.

All the victims at Fort Hood were men; three killed themselves after serving in combat zones.

One was Army Sgt. Douglas Hale Jr., who had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after completing his second tour in 2007. He texted his mother, Glenda Moss, on July 6 asking forgiveness before shooting himself to death in a restaurant bathroom near Fort Hood.

During the last week of September, four soldiers committed suicide.

“It’s just devastating really because they’re all so young, with their lives ahead of them,” says Linda Chupik, a marriage family therapist who contracts with TRICARE, the Pentagon health care system, to treat soldiers at Fort Hood.

For the first time in several years, most soldiers assigned to Fort Hood were home from deployment in 2010. The Army believes that problems relating to combat strains and family separation often surface during the months immediately after a soldier comes home.

While final numbers have not been released, the Army was hopeful that suicides among active-duty soldiers might be tracking lower than 2009. However, overall numbers — when suicides among non-active members of the National Guard and Reserve are included — will make 2010 a record year for Army suicides, it says.

“I think the military is busting their butts trying to get some answers on what the best practices will be for this population,” Trent says. “It’s a bloody learning curve.”

By Gregg Zoroya – USA Today

VA HEALTH CARE AND BENEFITS PROVIDED FOR MANY VIETNAM VETERANS

WASHINGTON – Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving in Vietnam and other areas will have an easier path to access quality health care and qualify for disability compensation under a final regulation that will be published on August 31, 2010 in the Federal Register by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  The new rule expands the list of health problems VA will presume to be related to Agent Orange and other herbicide exposures to add two new conditions and expand one existing category of conditions.

“Last October, based on the requirements of the Agent Orange Act of 1991 and the Institute of Medicine’s 2008 Update on Agent Orange, I determined that the evidence provided was sufficient to award presumptions of service connection for these three additional diseases,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.  “It was the right decision, and the President and I are proud to finally provide this group of Veterans the care and benefits they have long deserved.”

The final regulation follows Shinseki’s determination to expand the list of conditions for which service connection for Vietnam Veterans is presumed. VA is adding Parkinson’s disease and ischemic heart disease and expanding chronic lymphocytic leukemia to include all chronic B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia.

In practical terms, Veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a “presumed” illness don’t have to prove an association between their medical problems and their military service.  By helping Veterans overcome evidentiary requirements that might otherwise present significant challenges, this “presumption” simplifies and speeds up the application process and ensure that Veterans receive the benefits they deserve.

The Secretary’s decision to add these presumptives is based on the latest evidence provided in a 2008 independent study by the Institute of Medicine concerning health problems caused by herbicides like Agent Orange.

Veterans who served in Vietnam anytime during the period beginning January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides.

More than 150,000 Veterans are expected to submit Agent Orange claims in the next 12 to 18 months, many of whom are potentially eligible for retroactive disability payments based on past claims.  Additionally, VA will review approximately 90,000 previously denied claims by Vietnam Veterans for service connection for these conditions.  All those awarded service-connection who are not currently eligible for enrollment into the VA healthcare system will become eligible.

This historic regulation is subject to provisions of the Congressional Review Act that require a 60-day Congressional review period before implementation.  After the review period, VA can begin paying benefits for new claims and may award benefits retroactively for earlier periods.  For new claims, VA may pay benefits retroactive to the effective date of the regulation or to one year before the date VA receives the application, whichever is later.  For pending claims and claims that were previously denied, VA may pay benefits retroactive to the date it received the claim.

VA encourages Vietnam Veterans with these three diseases to submit their applications for access to VA health care and compensation now so the agency can begin development of their claims.

Individuals can go to a website at http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/AO/claimherbicide.htm to get an understanding of how to file a claim for presumptive conditions related to herbicide exposure, as well as what evidence is needed by VA to make a decision about disability compensation or survivors benefits.

Additional information about Agent Orange and VA’s services for Veterans exposed to the chemical is available at www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange.

The regulation is available on the Office of the Federal Register website at http://www.ofr.gov/.

The passage of the Post 9/11 GI Bill was a hard fought and long awaited victory for servicemembers and veterans. Giving nearly 500,000 veterans this year the opportunity for a first class future, the New GI Bill will shape a generation and invest in the future of this nation.

However, our work is not done. The application process is complicated and many of its provisions are nuanced. Nearly half a million veterans are taking advantage of the New GI Bill this year alone and many veterans in will have questions about their benefits. IAVA is continuing our commitment to America’s veterans, by launching the most comprehensive GI Bill resource on the web at www.newgibill.org.

NewGIBill.org is the definitive resource for navigating the Post 9/11 GI Bill, and will provide service men and women with the most up to date information about their new benefits. The website features:

1. A comprehensive section of frequently asked questions;
2. A blog that provides real-time updates about the bill;
3. Three of the most accurate benefit calculators for calculating benefits, eligibility, and transferability;
4. A streamlined checklist for applying for benefits;
5. An information section for colleges and universities to help make their campuses more veteran-friendly.

Frequently Asked Questions regarding GI Bill Benefits
IAVA has provide tools and information to help veterans navigate GI Bill benefits. Visit www.newgibill.org for more information. Please also take a look at Quick Facts and a Full Issue Report written by IAVA.

What do we mean by Invisible Wounds?

There are over 35,000 soldiers who have been wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although injuries that veterans endure today are comparable to that of their military predecessors, the massive use of explosive devises can cause devastating wounds. The physical wounds from IED’s or suicide bombers include TBI, traumatic amputation, shrapnel wounds, burns and other very complex injuries.

Many others suffer physical wounds and injuries that are not always visible. Because of improvements in evacuation techniques, body armor, and battlefield medicine, many who would have died can now be saved. We are, however, experiencing an influx of service members returning home from war and needing specialized long term care. Many of these wounds are often accompanied by relentless physical pain, and may often be complicated by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Depression .

Witnessing the death and injury of friends and peers can prove to be both psychologically and physically damaging. Repeated deployments in extremely unstable and unpredictable environments have resulted in very high levels of traumatic exposure for all service members, regardless of gender or job title.

Untreated or undertreated, these invisible wounds can affect not only the individual, but their families and caregivers as well. They can impact physically, psychosocially, economically, and spiritually, taking away quality of life.

What is the CIAV doing?

The American Pain Foundation and the Military and Veterans Initiative provides information, support, resources, for individuals, family members and caregivers of those who suffer from chronic pain. APF also works to advance legislation to improve pain care for all Military and Veterans.

The Coming Home Project offers a range of free services: residential retreats; psychological counseling; education, training and consultation; self-care for service providers; and community forums. Their programs address the emotional, spiritual, relationship, and reintegration challenges faced by veterans and families before, during and after deployment.

Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship Foundation provides four-year “life scholarships” to help severely injured veterans become self-sufficient. Their mission is to provide life-changing opportunities for members of the U.S. Armed Forces who have suffered severe injuries and need the support of grateful communities to realize their dreams.

Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund is currently designing a new center to provide support for military personnel and veterans with TBI, post traumatic stress disorder, and/or complex psychological health issues including the most advanced services for advanced diagnostics, initial treatment plan and family education, introduction to therapeutic modalities, referral and reintegration.

Vets4Vets provides free weekend workshops that focus on peer support. During these weekend workshops, veterans get to relive the camaraderie that was experienced throughout our service in the military. At the same time, they can discuss their experiences and potential hardships in a confidential setting with fellow service members who understand, and may have shared similar experiences.

What are the issues?

The American Psychological Association reports that “3 out of 5 service members have family responsibilities that include a legal spouse or children.” The toll of multiple deployments is felt by the family members at home as well. Some military families have support systems, while others may be isolated in civilian communities.

While service members are deployed for the Global War on Terror, their families at home need support and services from the American public. As service members leave their uniforms behind, their spouses or parents may become more involved advocates and caregivers in their care. The challenges of being the spouse, parent, child, or loved one of a combat veteran all too often go unseen and unnoticed by the civilian population. Multiple deployments are challenging for both the military member and their loved ones at home.

The responsibility of family members are not alleviated upon separation from the military; and in fact, the burden of care intensifies after the commitment to the military is complete. Given that the wait for health care and disability benefits can be long, even if received in the near term, families are ultimately responsible for the care of their veteran.

What the CIAV is doing:

Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) provides educational, recreational, social and religious programs and services for military personnel and their families.

California National Guard Family Program offers services focused on encouraging the well-being of the family, including: State Advocacy Program, Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), Emergency Placement Care, Family Member Employee Assistance Program, Relocation Assistance Program, Emergency Financial Assistance, Food Locker, Family Referral and Out Reach, and Consumer Affairs and Financial Assistance. Visit http://www.guardfamily.org/Public/Application/Welcome.aspx for more information.

Coming Home Project offers many free services such as psychological counseling, workshops and retreats, training for care providers, and community forums which address the mental, emotional, spiritual, and relationship challenges faced by veterans and their families. Click here to see a calendar of upcoming retreats and forums in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond: http://www.cominghomeproject.net/calendarch/

Fisher House Foundation donates “comfort homes” built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. Housing for families while the military members recuperate is a healing and integral part of recovery.

Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund has a Handbook for Families of a Deceased Servicemember to assist survivors by providing a brief summary of the resources available from the military and other government and private institutions, and a discussion of certain issues surviving family members are likely to confront.

Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation provides financial assistance in the form of scholarships to children of current or former Marines in their pursuit of higher education. Find out more about eligibility requirements and deadlines here.

National Military Family Association (NMFA) provides a voice for military families. Their programs include fun activities for kids as well as practical services for spouses. Community members can also nominate military families to recognize their commitment and sacrifice.

Our Military Kids provides grants for enrichment activities and tutoring to foster and sustain development during parent deployment. Find out more about grant offerings and how to apply at www.ourmilitarykids.org/

Salvation Army’s Liberty Program in Los Angeles helps OIF/OEF active duty, veterans, Guard, Reserve, and their families by providing: individual, group & family counseling and a variety of services for children.

Scholarships for Military Children Program was created to celebrate the role of the commissary in the military family community. Dependent unmarried children under age 21 (23 if enrolled as a full time student) of active duty personnel, reserve/guard and retired military members, or survivors of deceased members, may apply for a scholarship. You must be planning to attend a college or university on a full-time basis.

Sesame Street Workshop offers free bilingual (English and Spanish) multimedia kits designed to support military families with children between the ages of two and five who are experiencing deployment, multiple deployments, or a parent’s return home changed due to a combat-related injury. To download a free kit, visit Military OneSource.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation’s Unmet Needs Program seeks to alleviate the stress on the family while a spouse is deployed through mortgage assistance, home repair, transportation assistance, help with medical expenses, etc.

Operation Uplink is a program of Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation which provides free prepaid phone cards to active-duty military personnel and hospitalized veterans.

United Through Reading Military Program allows deployed servicemembers to read to any child in his/her life (e.g. son or daughter, younger sibling, younger niece or nephew, grandchild) through video. To view their current list of available program site locations, visit their website at http://www.unitedthroughreading.org/united.htm.

Zero to Three’s Military Projects provide a wealth of resources to strengthen the resilience of young children and their families who are experiencing separation or grief during deployment or loss.

What is TBI?

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is caused by blunt force injury to the head and/or the concussive force of explosions which cause the brain to push against the skull. TBI results in a broad range of physical, cognitive, behavioral, emotional and social challenges. Diagnosis can be difficult because there need be no obvious injury or penetration of the skull and the symptoms are diffuse and mimic those of PTSD.

Indeed, PTSD and mild to moderate TBI are often co-occurring because the veteran remembers the trauma which resulted in the injury. For example: witnessing an IED explosion which killed and injured friends and peers. Survivors may appear normal but their memory is diminished; they act irrationally, lose their temper, and have difficulty maintaining concentration, family relationships and employment.

Prevalence: Recent screening of returning troops show that 20% of infantry and 10% of other troops have at least mild brain injury.

What the CIAV is doing:

Project Victory and the Memorial Hermann TIRR Challenge Program have joined together to provide rehabilitative care for military service members injured in OIF/OEF. TIRR’s Project Victory, seeks to enable soldiers with a traumatic brain injury regain skills and functions that were lost through their injury.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is dedicated to educating the public about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, advocating on behalf of those who have served, and fostering a community for troops, veterans, and their families. The IAVA has a comprehensive issues library on their website.
Check out their TBI research, as a veteran or advocate here.