CONGRESS
U.S. House
*On 8/22, the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee will hold a subcommittee hearing on “Housing our Heroes: Addressing the Veteran Homelessness Crisis”
OTHER
New FVAP Report: “Data on the State of the Military Voter”
Article/Video: “From intel analyst to a military ‘Uber’: Inside Mayor Pete Buttigieg's Afghanistan deployment”
U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) sent an 8/8/19 letter to the Dept. of Veterans’ Affairs calling on the VA to reconsider their stay on processing claims of Agent Orange exposure submitted by veterans who served off the coast during the Vietnam War and in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) during the Korean War.
Article: “More Vets Will be Headed to Nursing Homes, and VA May Not Be Ready: Report”
Article: “Military children have more health care needs, but less access and lower quality, study finds”
Article: “Voting changes lead to more military participation”
Article: “Cracking the code: The new frontier in confronting veteran suicide”
Opinion: “We can do more: Suicide prevention cannot be the only strategy”
Article: “Veteran dies by suicide in North Carolina VA hospital’s parking lot”
Article: “After veteran’s death, inspector general finds numerous safety issues at San Diego VA”
Article: “Hoosier veterans no longer have to pay state taxes on their military retirement benefits”
New GAO Report: “VA Health Care: Goals and Related Measures Needed to Better Assess the Impact of Same-Day Services”
In New Jersey: Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver signed into law S 2447, the “Securing Electronic Records for Veterans Ease” (SERVE) Act, which will require landlords to count federal military or veteran housing allowances as income when determining whether a prospective tenant meets minimum income qualifications for rent
In Illinois: Gov. Pritzker signed into law HB 120, a bill to create the Veterans Service-Related Ailments Task Force to review and make recommendations regarding veterans' service-related ailments not recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, including exploring why certain service-related ailments are not recognized and determining what may be done to have them recognized.
In Illinois: Gov. Pritzker signed into law HB 1652, a bill to expedite professional licenses for current and former service members and their spouses. To go into effect on January 1, 2020.
From the White House: Trump signed into law H.R. 2196, a bill to reduce the credit hour requirement for the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship program of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Currently waiting to be signed into law is S. 679, the Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need (HAVEN) Act, a bill amend current bankruptcy law to support veterans experiencing financial burdens
Article/Video: “Back to school can be intimidating for students from military families”
Article/FYI: “Senator Tillis (R-NC) to host town hall on military housing”
Article/Video: “For decades, military spouses weren't reimbursed for job-finding costs that come with moving. Now, Congress is considering doubling their benefits”
Article: “Veterans unemployment rose slightly in July, still sits below national estimates”
Article: “US military families face challenges getting healthcare for kids”
FYI: The organization “Future Majority” is calling for Americans to sign its online petition for a Veterans Bill of Rights
Article: “Meet the Army veteran behind the iconic 'Smokey Bear' campaign”
Article: “Death at Biloxi VA hospital triggers investigation by inspector general”
Article: “Mattis is back exactly where he left from before being secretary of defense”
Opinion: “Brady: Vets can lead the discussion on gun violence”
Article: “Wreath Laying at the Memorial to Federated States of Micronesia Veterans of U.S. Armed Forces”
Article (from July): “Most Veterans Say America’s Wars Are a Waste. No One’s Listening to Them.”
VFW Press Release: “VFW Helps Veteran with Disability Claim in Record Time”
Opinion: “Thanks long overdue for Vietnam War-era veterans”