Veterans
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Air Force Airman Anthony R. Silva has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.
The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.
Silva is the son of Tammi Silva of Palm Drive, Lakeport, Calif.
He is a 2010 graduate of Clear Lake High School in Lakeport, Calif.
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WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Veterans Affairs has published a regulation officially amending VA’s medical benefits package to include up to seven days of medical care for newborns delivered by women veterans who are receiving VA maternity care benefits.
“The regulation change makes formal the commitment VA made to women veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Erik K. Shinseki. “This falls in line with the broad range of services VA is proud to offer women veterans who have served this nation.”
Newborn care includes routine post-delivery care and all other medically necessary services that are in accord with generally accepted standards of medical practice.
The effective date of the rule is Dec. 19, 2011, but the regulation applies retroactively to newborn care provided to eligible women Veterans on or after May 5, 2011.
VA has women veterans program managers at every VA medical center to help women veterans learn more about the health care benefits they have earned with their service.
For more information about VA health care for women veterans, visit www.womenshealth.va.gov.
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“This provision helps ensure eligible veterans continue to get the emergency care they need when VA facilities are not available,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.
The new regulation extends VA’s authority to pay for emergency care provided to eligible veterans at non-VA facilities until the veterans can be safely transferred to a VA medical facility.
More than 100,000 veterans are estimated to be affected by the new rules, at a cost of about $44 million annually.
VA operates 121 emergency departments across the country, which provide resuscitative therapy and stabilization in life-threatening situations. They operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
VA also has 46 urgent care units, which provide care for patients without scheduled appointments who need immediate medical or psychiatric attention.
For more information about emergency care in non-VA facilities, visit www.nonvacare.va.gov.
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The award will be given to an outstanding military child from each Service – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.
The winners, who each will receive $5,000, will be flown with a parent or guardian to Washington, D.C., for special recognition ceremony on April 5.
Nominations are being accepted online until Jan. 15 at www.OperationHomefront.net/MCOY.
Ideal candidates for the Military Child of the Year Award demonstrate resilience and strength of character, and thrive in the face of the challenges of military life.
They demonstrate leadership within their families and within their communities.
“The sons and daughters of America’s service members learn what patriotism is at a very young age,” said Jim Knotts, chief executive officer, Operation Homefront. “Children in military families understand sacrifice and live with the concept of service. This is what the Military Child of the Year Award honors.”
Nominees must:
Must have valid military ID or currently be enrolled in DEERS.
Must be between the ages of 8-18.
Must be able to travel to Washington, D.C., for the ceremony on April 5.
Finalists must have a background check to confirm the information provided in the nomination and must provide references.
Recipients of the 2011 awards are profiled in the book “Our Youngest Heroes,” available through Amazon.com.
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“I chose to name the department’s new MLPs Montford Point, John Glenn and Lewis B. Puller as a way to recognize these American pioneers and heroes both collectively and individually,” said Mabus. “The courage shown by these Marines helped forge the Corps into the most formidable expeditionary force in the world.”
The USNS Montford Point honors the approximately 20,000 African American Marine Corps recruits who trained at the North Carolina facility from 1942-1949. Their exceptional service prompted President Truman to sign an executive order in 1948 ending segregation in the U.S. military services.
These 20,000 Marines were recently recognized with our nation’s highest civilian honor for distinguished achievement, the Congressional Gold Medal.
The USNS Montford Point will be the first-of-class ship. It is expected to deliver in fiscal 2013 and be operational in fiscal 2015.
The second MLP, the USNS John Glenn, honors Col. John Glenn, a decorated Marine Corps pilot, distinguished astronaut, Congressional Space Medal of Honor recipient and U.S. Senator.
During his time with the Marine Corps, Glenn flew 59 combat missions during World War II and a combined 90 missions over the course of two tours in the Korean War.
The final auxiliary support ship, the USNS Lewis B. Puller, is named in honor of Lt. Gen. Lewis “Chesty” Puller, the most decorated Marine in history and the only one to be awarded five Navy Crosses.
The MLP is a flexible platform that will provide capability for large-scale logistics movements such as the transfer of vehicles and equipment from sea to shore.
It will significantly reduce dependency on foreign ports and provide support in the absence of any port, making it especially useful during disaster response and for supporting Marines once they are ashore.
The MLP in its basic form possesses a core capability set that supports a vehicle staging area, sideport ramp, large mooring fenders and up to three landing craft air cushioned vessel (LCAC) lanes.
The three ships will be constructed by General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. in San Diego.
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The net collective result is 216 fewer reservists activated than the previous week.
At any given time, services may activate some units and individuals while deactivating others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease.
The total number currently on active duty from the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 66,935; Navy Reserve, 4,421; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 10,180; Marine Corps Reserve, 5,220, and the Coast Guard Reserve, 769.
This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been activated to 87,525, including both units and individual augmentees.
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WASHINGTON, DC – Veterans of the Persian Gulf War with undiagnosed illnesses have an additional five years to qualify for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“Not all the wounds of war are fully understood,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “When there is uncertainty about the connection between a medical problem and military service, Veterans are entitled to the benefit of the doubt.”
A recent change in VA regulations affects veterans of the conflict in Southwest Asia. Many have attributed a range of undiagnosed or poorly understood medical problems to their military services. Chemical weapons, environmental hazards and vaccinations are among the possible causes.
At issue is the eligibility of veterans to claim VA disability compensation based upon those undiagnosed illnesses, and the ability of survivors to qualify for VA’s Dependency and Indemnity Compensation.
Under longstanding VA rules, any undiagnosed illnesses used to establish eligibility for VA benefits must become apparent by Dec. 31, 2011.
The new change pushes the date back to Dec. 31, 2016.
Veterans or survivors who believe they qualify for these benefits should contact VA at 1-800-827-1000.
Further information about undiagnosed illnesses is available online at www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/gulfwar and www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/oefoif/index.asp.
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Covering fiscal 2009, the report documents successes and improvements in the Army sustainability areas of human capital, training and operations, materiel and acquisitions, services and infrastructure.
Released by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, the report is a key component in publicly communicating Army sustainability initiatives and accomplishments by providing an overview of Army operations and presenting a quantitative and qualitative assessment of Army progress according to Global Reporting Initiative framework and other sustainability indicators.
The report also begins publicly communicating the Army’s progress in implementing presidential Executive Order 13514 - Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance. The Army is the first department in the Federal government to align GRI and EO 13514 reporting.
In releasing the report, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Katherine Hammack said the report will serve as a road map to relate ongoing and new sustainability efforts.
“The Army Sustainability Report highlights our actions and accomplishments,” said Hammack. “To accelerate our progress, the Army's senior leadership initiated a comprehensive sustainability campaign plan to institutionalize sustainability throughout the Army’s core enterprises: human capital; training and operations; materiel and acquisitions; and services and infrastructure.”
She noted the report is oriented to these four tenets of sustainability. Each section of the report addresses topics of note, reports on EO 13514, DoD and Army sustainability metrics and highlights successes. The successes span the sustainability spectrum from reduced accidents to increased recycling, quality of life improvements, and increased cooperation with communities.
The report shows that the Army built 127 new Child Development Centers and 23 new Youth Centers between fiscal 2008 – 2009 in support of soldier and family quality of life. Operating hours at these and similar facilities were also extended.
The number of supporting communities signing community covenant support agreements increased by 297 percent with 338 covenants in place at the end of fiscal 2009, up from only 85 at the end of fiscal 2008.
In 2009, the Army reduced hazardous waste disposal by 28.4 percent, compared to calendar year 2008.
The recycling rate for solid waste and construction demolition debris increased from 58 percent in fiscal 2008 to 60 percent in 2009.
New environmental enforcement actions were reduced by 42.3 percent with only 75 new actions received in fiscal 2009 as compared to 130 new actions the year before.
The number of acres protected by the Army compatible use buffer partnerships increased by 120,607; a 25.3 percent increase from fiscal 2008.
“Our plan is to appropriately manage our natural resources with a goal of net zero to ensure success of our primary mission of securing, protecting, and defending this nation, while reducing costs and sustaining or increasing overall performance,” Hammack said.
She noted an increase in number of installations having strategic sustainability plans, or having integrated sustainability considerations into their Installation Strategic Plan, saying 30 installations have plans in place, a 42.9 percent increase when compared to 21 installations at end of fiscal 2008.
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The report also contains the results from the “2011 Service Academy Gender Relations Focus Groups.”
“One sexual assault is one too many,” said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
“Whether it’s in our academies or our ranks, at sea or ashore, there’s no place for this unacceptable behavior,” Panetta said. “We treat each other with dignity in this institution. I expect everyone in this department to live up to that high standard. This is a leadership issue, first and foremost, so I also expect us to lead with integrity and with energy to eliminate sexual assault and harassment from our culture. I’m confident the steps we are taking are the right ones, but we must continue to improve.”
One of the department’s strategic priorities is to address the increase in the number of reports made to authorities to ensure victims obtain needed support and services.
Supporting victims is also the focus of two new DoD policies. Under a new policy on expedited transfers, service members who have been the victim of sexual assault and have filed an unrestricted report now have the option to request an expedited transfer from their unit and/or installation.
The service member must receive a response to the transfer request from the unit commander within 72 hours, and can request a review of any denied request by a general/flag officer (or SES equivalent) in the chain of command and receive that response within the next 72 hours.
The second new policy standardizes the retention periods for sexual assault records across the military services. In unrestricted cases, specified documents will be retained for 50 years and in restricted cases, for five years, to ensure victims have extended access to documents related to the sexual assault.
The academies saw an overall increase in the number of sexual assault reports made to authorities in APY 2010-2011. During the evaluation period, a total of 65 reports of sexual assault involved cadets and midshipmen compared to a total of 41 reports in the prior APY.
“We know that the military academies are similar to college campuses around the country in that sexual harassment and assault are challenges that all faculty, staff and students need to work to prevent,” said Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog, director, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. “However, when it does occur, we owe it to those who have been victimized, and to every cadet and midshipman, to do everything possible to provide needed support and to hold those who commit sexual assault appropriately accountable.”
As part of the comprehensive review, DoD officials conducted site visits at the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy, reviewed academy policies, trainings, and procedures, and held focus groups with cadets and midshipmen.
Based on information obtained during these site visits, DoD officials found that most academy programs fulfilled, and in some cases, surpassed the requirements of existing DoD policies and directives. For example, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point established the superintendent as the chair of the Sexual Assault Review Board to ensure the highest-level awareness of the academy’s cases.
The U.S. Naval Academy created a model therapist-led support group. The U.S. Air Force Academy developed an eSARC program to increase reports and improve its 24/7 response capability.
“We also identified areas for improvement to enhance programs and ensure compliance with the department’s policies,” said Hertog. “In our oversight role, my office will follow up with the academies every six months to ensure the necessary improvements are implemented in a timely manner.”
One of the required improvements is for each academy to establish evaluative processes and metrics to assess their sexual harassment and assault prevention program initiatives. Additionally, the academies should continue to collaborate and share best practices to improve their programs.
The complete report is available at http://www.sapr.mil .
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