What's New
| Congressman Mitchell: Pausing to Consider People Who REALLY Matter |
Chairman Harry Mitchell is a Hero to Veterans Nationwide August 20, 2010 (Arizona Republic) - It's been a month since I spoke to Rep. Harry Mitchell about suicides among military veterans and I'm just getting around to writing something. |
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| What Obama Won't Say Tonight About US Withdrawal from Iraq |
| August 31, 2010 (ConsortiumNews) - President Barack Obama’s aides say his speech this evening marking the end of "combat operations" in Iraq will avoid the vainglorious aspects of President George W. Bush’s infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech in 2003. We’ll see. |
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| Lawsuit Update: Prudential's Half-Billion in Dirty Secret Profits |
Families of Dead Soldiers Sue Insurer Over Its Handling of Survivors’ Benefits August 29, 2010 (New York Times) - Vickie Castro’s only child was killed six years ago just before Christmas, when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside an Army mess tent in Mosul, Iraq, killing more than 20 people. |
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| Op-Ed: Cost of War Must Also Include Caring for Our Veterans |
Overlooked Cost of Iraq / Afghanistan Wars: Our Veterans' Healthcare and Benefits August 15, 2010 (San Francisco Chronicle) - Two years after an Army specialist saw half his platoon torn apart in Iraq, he hanged himself in a California backyard. |
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| VA Secretary Shinseki's Open Message to Gulf War Veterans |
| August 11, 2010, Washington, DC (VA Press Release) - August 2010 marks the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Gulf War, launched with Operation Desert Shield and followed by Operation Desert Storm. VA honors this milestone with a renewed commitment to improving our responsiveness to the challenges facing Gulf War Veterans. |
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Breaking News: Top VA Claims Official Quits - VCS Issues Statement
Written by VA
Friday, 20 November 2009 09:53
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Patrick W. Dunne, VA Under Secretary for Benefits, to Step Down November 20, 2009, Washington, DC (VA Press Release) - Patrick W. Dunne, the Under Secretary for Benefits for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), today announced his resignation for early next year. Dunne, who attained the rank of rear admiral while in the U.S. Navy, has been with VA since 2006. Please read New York Times article quoting Veterans for Common Sense. As Under Secretary for Benefits since October 2008, Admiral Dunne has directed the administration of VA's disability compensation, pension, education, home loan guaranty, vocational rehabilitation and employment, and life insurance programs through a nationwide network of 57 regional offices, other special processing centers, and Veterans Benefits Administration headquarters. "I've appreciated the wonderful opportunity VA has given me to serve our nation's Veterans and their families," said Dunne. "We have an obligation to care for our heroes and their dependents, and I will fully support the transition of my successor to meet that moral responsibility." "Pat Dunne has guided the Veterans Benefits Administration through a number of challenges during his tenure as Under Secretary. I applaud his service and loyalty to our team and thank him for his unfailing commitment to our nation's Veterans," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Troy, N.Y., Dunne earned his undergraduate degree in mathematics from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis and earned a master's in mathematics from the Naval Postgraduate School and is a graduate of the Navy's nuclear power training program. ### VCS Statement on Resignation of Under Secretary Dunne November 20, 2009 - Veterans for Common Sense hopes VA Secretary Eric Shinseki moves forward quickly to find a strong advocate to replace the departing Dunne at the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). Unfortunately, too many veterans still face significant obstacles obtaining VA medical care and disability benefits. To learn more about the serious problems at VA, please visit our web site dedicated to our landmark lawsuit on behalf of all veterans.
The facts are grim: veterans wait, on average, six months for an initial answer from VBA about a disability claim. Veterans who appeal a VBA decision wait, on average, another four or five years for a final answer. This is overwhelming evidence that VBA's claim system - with nearly one million backlogged claims - remains broken and in need of an overhaul.
VCS hopes President Barack Obama and VA Secretary Shinseki will name a replacement who can implement the urgently needed reforms at VBA so the harmful delays end.
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