VA Assistant Secretary Raises Awareness About Post-9/11 GI Bill - Yesterday, L. Tammy Duckworth, the assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, made a successful visit to Vermont to promote the Post-9/11 GI Bill and meet with veterans. (7/1/09)
Bakersfield National Cemetery Begins Burials - The Department of Veterans Affairs officially opened its 130th national cemetery today with first burials at Bakersfield National Cemetery. (7/1/09)
VA Begins Stimulus Payments to Veterans - The Department of Veterans Affairs has requested the Department of the Treasury to make $250 payments to eligible Veterans as part of President Obama’s recovery plan. The first payments were sent Monday, June 22. All payments will be distributed by June 30. (6/25/09)
VA Secretary Hits the Road to Highlight “United We Serve” Effort - Heeding President Obama’s call for Americans to commit themselves to meaningful, long-term service to their communities as part of the “United We Serve” campaign, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki spent part of his morning today transporting patients to the Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center. (6/22/09)
VA Launches 10-Year Health Study of 60,000 New Veterans - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has initiated a large, long-term study to look carefully at a broad array of health issues that may affect Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) Veterans and their counterparts who served during the same time period. VA’s “National Health Study for a New Generation of U.S. Veterans” will begin with 30,000 Veterans deployed to OEF/OIF and 30,000 comparison Veterans who were not deployed. (6/22/09)
VA Reopening Health Care Enrollment to Thousands of Veterans - The Department of Veterans Affairs, which now has nearly 8 million Veterans enrolled in its award-winning health care system, is poised to welcome nearly 266,000 more Veterans into its medical centers and clinics across the country by expanding access to health care enrollment for certain Veterans who had been excluded due to their income. (6/19/09)
Secretary Shinseki Announces Strict Accountability Process for IT Project Management - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that it is implementing a new IT management approach department-wide. Effective immediately, all new IT programs and projects at VA must be implemented using the Project Management Accountability System (PMAS). PMAS is an incremental development approach that ensures frequent delivery of new functionality to customers, coupled with a rigorous management approach that halts programs that fail to meet delivery milestones. This new system will ensure early identification and correction of failing IT programs. (6/19/09)
VA’s Suicide Prevention Message Carried on 21,000 Buses - The telephone number for the suicide prevention “lifeline” of the Department of Veterans Affairs is now being carried on more than 21,000 city buses in 124 communities across the United States and will run until Sept. 1, 2009. (6/19/09)
Secretaries Shinseki and Donovan Host First Meeting of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness under the Obama Administration - The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) met today for the first time under the Obama Administration. U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki chaired the meeting, at which U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan was elected rotating Chair for the upcoming year and U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis was elected Vice Chair. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Melody Barnes, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, attended the meeting. (6/18/09)
VA Dedicates New Veterans Benefits Office in New Orleans - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today formally dedicated its new 65,000-square-foot office for assisting Louisiana Veterans with VA financial benefits. The new office uses refurbished space in downtown New Orleans. (6/12/09)
VA Transferring 85.4 Acres from North Chicago VA Medical Center - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced plans to transfer 85.4 acres of land from the North Chicago VA Medical Center to the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. (6/11/09)
Two VA Employees Finalists in “Service to America” Awards - Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs W. Scott Gould congratulated two employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on becoming finalists for the 2009 Service to America Medals, the top award to federal workers for their contributions to the nation. (6/9/09)
Massachusetts Veterans Cemetery to Expand - To expand burial capacity at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded a Boston firm a design contract to develop another section of the cemetery. (6/8/09)
VA Awards $3.7 Million for New Hampshire Veterans Home - To ensure high-quality health services for Veterans at the state home in Tilton, N.H., the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is awarding a grant of up to $3.7 million for upgrades there, including energy enhancements and asbestos abatement. (6/8/09)
Over 700 Schools Partner with VA to Help Veterans Pay for Education - The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that it has entered into more than 700 agreements with institutions of higher learning across the nation to participate in the Post-9/11 GI Bill’s “Yellow Ribbon Program.” (6/5/09)
VA Secretary Shinseki Marks D-Day Anniversary in France - Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki joins President Obama in honoring the bravery of those who stormed the beaches of Normandy 65 years ago in a commemorative visit to France this weekend. (6/5/09)
Assistant Secretary Duckworth Honored with Women of Distinction Award - Yesterday, the Department of Veterans Affairs Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs L. Tammy Duckworth was honored by AAUW/NASPA along with four other women at the University of Maryland, College Park. She accepted the Women of Distinction Award during the 2009 National Conference for College Women Student Leaders. (6/5/09)
VA Awards $38.3 Million for Hospital Modernization - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded a $38.3 million contract to the Walsh Construction Company of Chicago to construct an Ambulatory Care Center for the VA Pittsburgh Health Care System. (6/4/09)
North Dakota Veterans Home Receives Funds for Nursing Facility - To support high-quality health services for North Dakota’s Veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded a $14.7 million grant to build a replacement nursing home care and domiciliary facility at the state Veterans home in Lisbon. (6/4/09)
VA Awards $5.2 Million for Minnesota Veterans Homes - To support high-quality health care for Minnesota Veterans at the state’s Veterans homes, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is awarding two grants totaling $5.2 million for improvements at the state-run facilities in Minneapolis and Silver Bay. (6/4/09)
VA Enhancing Brain Injury and Recovery Lab for Veterans Suffering from Traumatic Brain Injuries - To improve the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)’s capabilities to conduct research that will benefit America’s Veterans and their families, VA will combine its Brain Injury and Recovery Laboratory in Austin, Texas, with the VA’s Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans in Waco, Texas. (6/4/09)
