Author Archives: Team VCS

Shinseki Wants Electronic System to Deal with Claims Backlog

Posted on February 9, 2009 by Team VCS

February 5, 2009 –  The Veterans Affairs Department needs an electronic claims system if it is ever to eliminate its massive claims backlog, new VA Secretary Eric Shinseki told a House committee Wednesday. “If you go into the adjudication rooms … Continue reading →

Posted in VA Claims Updates, Veterans for Common Sense News | Tagged , | Comments Off on Shinseki Wants Electronic System to Deal with Claims Backlog

Utah VA Creating Movie to Help Police Deal with Combat Veterans

Posted on February 9, 2009 by Team VCS

February 6, 2009 – There’s a training video in the works, targeting a troubling trend among American combat veterans. Some who struggle with mental health issues end up in deadly standoffs with police, and the state Department of Veterans Affairs … Continue reading →

Posted in Veterans for Common Sense News | Tagged | Comments Off on Utah VA Creating Movie to Help Police Deal with Combat Veterans

Feb 9, Part Two of Salon Suicide Series: Coming Home to Fort Carson – Profile of Adam Lieberman

Posted on February 8, 2009 by Team VCS

“The Death Dealers took my life!” Adam Lieberman tried to kill himself when he returned from Iraq. Only then did the Army take his mental health seriously. Salon Editor’s note: This is the first story in a weeklong series called … Continue reading →

Posted in Veterans for Common Sense News | Tagged , | Comments Off on Feb 9, Part Two of Salon Suicide Series: Coming Home to Fort Carson – Profile of Adam Lieberman

Army Re-Opens Iraq War Electrocution Investigations – Soldiers Possibly Killed by Faulty Contractor Wiring

Posted on February 7, 2009 by Team VCS

February 6, 2009 – Amid an escalating controversy that has lawmakers and family members clamoring for answers into the electrocution deaths of soldiers in Iraq, Army criminal investigators have re-opened three additional cases that initially had been ruled accidents. Army … Continue reading →

Posted in Veterans for Common Sense News | Comments Off on Army Re-Opens Iraq War Electrocution Investigations – Soldiers Possibly Killed by Faulty Contractor Wiring

Editorial Column: The Empire v. The Graveyard

Posted on February 7, 2009 by Team VCS

February 5, 2009 – It is now a commonplace — as a lead article in the New York Times’s Week in Review pointed out recently — that Afghanistan is “the graveyard of empires.” Given Barack Obama’s call for a greater … Continue reading →

Posted in Veterans for Common Sense News | Tagged | Comments Off on Editorial Column: The Empire v. The Graveyard

Parents of Ex-Marine Who Killed Himself Sue VA

Posted on February 7, 2009 by Team VCS

February 5, 2009 – The Oak Beach parents of a 21-year-old ex-Marine who died of a heroin overdose are suing the Department of Veterans Affairs, saying admissions personnel at a VA hospital in Pennsylvania incorrectly advised their son that he … Continue reading →

Posted in Veterans for Common Sense News | Comments Off on Parents of Ex-Marine Who Killed Himself Sue VA

Private Hospital Executive: Soldiers’ Treatment for PTSD and Drug Addiction Needs Funds

Posted on February 7, 2009 by Team VCS

February 7, 2009 – A former chief executive of Beth Israel Medical Center says a federal law that blocks Defense Department funding for methadone and other treatment programs is jeopardizing the health of soldiers battling post-traumatic stress disorder or pain-related … Continue reading →

Posted in Veterans for Common Sense News | Tagged | Comments Off on Private Hospital Executive: Soldiers’ Treatment for PTSD and Drug Addiction Needs Funds

Feb 7, Head of Associated Press Blasts Pentagon’s $4.7 Billion Propaganda Campaign and Restrictions on Reporters

Posted on February 7, 2009 by Team VCS

Associated Press Chief Executive Officer Urges Better Press Access to Military Operations February 7, 2009, Lawrence, Kansas (AP) — The Bush administration turned the U.S. military into a global propaganda machine while imposing tough restrictions on journalists seeking to give … Continue reading →

Posted in Veterans for Common Sense News | Tagged , | Comments Off on Feb 7, Head of Associated Press Blasts Pentagon’s $4.7 Billion Propaganda Campaign and Restrictions on Reporters

Movie Review: Unembedded Truth – ‘Road to Fallujah’ Iraq War Documentary

Posted on February 7, 2009 by Team VCS

February 5, 2009 – It was with profound shame that I left the theater after the Film Festival showing of The Road to Fallujah – a hatred of myself for not having devoted every minute of my life these past … Continue reading →

Posted in Veterans for Common Sense News | Comments Off on Movie Review: Unembedded Truth – ‘Road to Fallujah’ Iraq War Documentary

Feb 6, Iraq and Afghanistan War Toll Rises: Army Active Duty Suicides Skyrocket to 24 During January 2009

Posted on February 6, 2009 by Team VCS

February 6, 2009 – Seven soldiers committed suicide in January and the cause of death in 17 other cases is still pending, Army officials announced Thursday, marking a significant increase in soldier suicides from the same time period in previous … Continue reading →

Posted in Veterans for Common Sense News | Tagged | Comments Off on Feb 6, Iraq and Afghanistan War Toll Rises: Army Active Duty Suicides Skyrocket to 24 During January 2009