More Agent Orange Research Needed on Vietnam Veterans Kids

Researchers call for more study of Agent Orange's effects on Vietnam veterans and their kids
The Virginian-Pilot
By Mike Hixenbaugh
and Charles Ornstein, ProPublica
March 10, 2016

”Although progress has been made in understanding the health effects of exposure to the chemicals,” the committee members wrote near the end of the 1,115-page report, there are still “significant gaps in our knowledge.”

More than two decades of studying Agent Orange exposure hasn’t produced a solid understanding of how the toxic herbicide has harmed Vietnam War veterans and possibly their children, according to a report released Thursday.

Additional research is long overdue, the report said, but the federal government hasn’t done it.

Those are among the conclusions of a committee of researchers that, since 1991, has been charged by Congress with reviewing all available research into the effects of Agent Orange, which the U.S. military sprayed by the millions of gallons in Vietnam to kill forests and destroy enemy cover.

Over the years, the biennial reports produced by the committee have identified numerous illnesses linked to the herbicide, in some cases leading the Department of Veterans Affairs to extend disability compensation to thousands more veterans.

The committee members’ parting thoughts about the lack of necessary research offered a wake-up call to a federal bureaucracy and researchers who have largely moved on from studying the health consequences of a war that ended 40 years ago.
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Troops welcomed home to Daytona with hugs, tears

National Guard members return after 1-year deployment
Troops welcomed home to Daytona with hugs, tears
Daytona Beach News Journal
By Jim Abbott
Published: Thursday, March 10, 2016

Michelle Rivera kisses her husband SPC Osvaldo Rivera Jr. as he arrives from Afghanistan along with 200 other soldiers at Daytona Beach International Airport on Thursday.

News-Journal/LOLA GOMEZ

DAYTONA BEACH – Nearly 200 local troops deployed to Afghanistan were welcomed home to Volusia County on Thursday with banners, lingering hugs and tears of joy and gratitude.

“My world is complete,” said Misty Creech, wiping away tears after a long hug with her husband, Sgt. Josh Creech, on the tarmac at Sheltair Daytona at Daytona Beach International Airport.

Adorned in homemade “Team Creech” T-shirts, the Creech family — including the couple’s three children and Josh’s parents — were among hundreds of family members and area residents on hand to salute soldiers in the 1st Battalion of the 265th Air Defense Artillery Unit of the Florida Army National Guard.
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"Wounded Warrior Project must provide real answers"

Can't Get No Satisfaction With Wrong Questions
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 11, 2016

"Wounded Warrior Project must provide real answers" from the Florida Times Union Editorial Board seems to have a lot out on the questions that do in fact need to be answered but doesn't seem as if they know what to ask.

Ok, so Nardizzi and Giordanon are out while the Board of Directors thought it was unnecessary to explain how they let all this happen. It isn't as if it was a one time thing that blindsided them. 

The Board of Directors, just like Congress, have been put into seats to insure things are done right.  Seems to be a lot of avoidance issues on that end and veterans suffered. Oh, did I forget to mention that members of Congress have heard complaints about this group too but managed to have them testify in Washington as if everything was always fine and dandy.

CBS report said WWP was the "largest veterans charity" but they should have said it was the largest money raiser since compared to other charities like the DAV 1.3 million, the VFW with 1.4 million and the American Legion with 2.4 million, they are pretty small.

"According to the board's statement, participation in Wounded Warrior Project programs for injured veterans, their caregivers and family members rose from 1,850 to 144,000 from 2010 to 2015."

The really crazy thing is since news broke from CBS last month, it seems their membership went way up. Wiki still has the numbers up.

As of June 1, 2015, WWP serves 71,866 registered Alumni and 11,494 registered members, defined as family or caregivers of a registered Alumnus.

DAV A Legacy of Service, Hope for the Future

DAV is a nonprofit charity that provides a lifetime of support for veterans of all generations and their families, helping more than 1 million veterans in positive, life-changing ways each year. The organization provides more than 700,000 rides for veterans attending medical appointments and assists veterans with more than 300,000 benefit claims annually. In 2015, DAV helped attain more than $4 billion in new and retroactive benefits to care for themselves and for veterans, their families and survivors.

DAV is also a leader in connecting veterans with meaningful employment, hosting job fairs and providing resources to ensure they have the opportunity to participate in the American Dream their sacrifices have made possible.

With almost 1,300 chapters and nearly 1.3 million members across the country, DAV empowers our nation’s heroes and their families by helping to provide the resources they need and ensuring our nation keep the promises made to them.

So, no they are not the largest in terms of taking care of veterans. Isn't that what we really care about?

Readers of Wounded Times know I am a lifetime member of the DAV Auxiliary and spend a lot of time with the VFW, as well as the simple fact they are all about all generations of veterans and unlike what's been going on in this country lately, they do in fact care about all our veterans. This all goes to show that all the corporations donating millions to WWP should have known what was going on but didn't bother to look. They also didn't bother to think about the other groups treating veterans as equally worthy of their donations.

Ok, so now we also have all the colleges and other charities donors have no clue about since they don't really read press releases.

Wounded Times does and here are just a few of them.

UCLA Operation Mend receives $15.7 million for mental health program for wounded warriors WWP and Warrior Care Network partners will commit a total $100 million over three years to fund the initiative, including $7.5 million each that the medical centers will contribute through their own fundraising efforts.

Rush University Medical Center's veterans program is set to receive $15 million from the Wounded Warrior Project, securing a spot as the Midwest's only hospital to receive such a grant.

OSU named Wounded Warrior Project grant subcontract recipient $250,000.

Dignity Receives $65,000 Grant from Wounded Warrior Project

And there are more but you get the idea.


The really crazy thing is, when news came out a few years ago, it didn't seem to bother any of the folks hot under the collar now.

According to the Beast's report, the Wounded Warrior Project said it was serving more than 56,000 veterans; however, less than two thirds of those registered have interacted at all with the organization so far this year.

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Breaking News: Steven Nardizzi and Al Giordano Fired from WWP

Wounded Warrior Project Executives Fired After CBS Investigation 
CBS News 
March 10, 2016 5:49 PM

BOSTON (CBS) – The CEO and COO of the Wounded Warrior Project have been fired following a CBS News investigation over lavish spending.

CBS News has confirmed that CEO Steven Nardizzi and COO Al Giordano were fired after criticisms from employees about how it spends its more than $800 million raised in donations in the past four years. 

More than 40 current and former employees of the prominent veterans charity told CBS about lavish parties, $2500 bar tabs and expensive resort trips for employees.
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Wounded Warrior Project execs ousted Investigative reports raise questions about charity's spending, culture

Sources connected to the WWP board said several elements in the News4Jax investigative reports were heavily considered in the board's decision, including two lawsuits filed against Wounded Warrior Project employees and injured veterans, employee yearbooks, a major donor pulling his support, and Silva taking to social media to call the allegations and subsequent review “bull****.”

VA Puts Deadline on VA Claims

VA gives deadline to veterans who have applied for health care
KCENTV
By Brandon Gray
Updated: Mar 09, 2016

The VA inspector general in September found extensive problems with the VA's health applications, including evidence that employees lost 10,000 applications and that more than 245,000 veterans on the pending list actually were deceased.

(MILITARY TIMES) - The Veterans Affairs Department has figured out how to fix a backlog of health care applications that dates back at least four years: Enforce a law requiring veterans to furnish the necessary paperwork, or the applications will be closed.

In a press release issued on Monday, VA officials said the department will “extend the healthcare enrollment application for one year” to 545,000 veterans who have applied for VA health care to allow time for VA to contact them and for the veterans to furnish the required information.

By law, VA must notify applicants with incomplete applications, and if the veteran receives the notice but does not provide the information, the department closes the request.

In the past, the VA's Health Eligibility Center has not tracked the status or timing of applications, resulting in an applications backlog that includes the applications of 545,000 living veterans and 245,000 deceased veterans.

“What happened is there had been a lot of deferred maintenance on this system ... and the HEC did not have the proper leadership making sure these records were being actively case-managed," said VA acting director for member services Matthew Eitutis.

According to VA, officials will reach out by mail and phone to all veterans on the pending list, as it has for 30,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who were mistakenly on that list.

These veterans automatically are entitled to health care for five years following their transition to the civilian community, but in many cases, the VA's software system mistakenly labeled their applications as needing signatures or income information.
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