The Legion System Worth Saving Task Force begins a two-day tour of the VA medical center in Gainesville, Fla. Legion inspectors will examine the facility’s physical plant and medical treatment areas, and interview its administrators and staff to determine the level of care being offered to its patients.
“System Worth Saving” task force members, including Past National Commander Ron Conley, will be assessing the facilities and operations of the VA Caribbean Healthcare System. The system provides care for 150,000 veterans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It has just begun a $47.5 million renovation and expansion of its outpatient-clinic building in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The American Legion is making a presentation to the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference in Washington. The Legislative Division is discussing programs and efforts aimed at bolstering federal benefits for veterans, especially those who are incarcerated.
The Legion System Worth Saving Task Force begins a two-day tour of the VA medical center in Gainesville, Fla. Legion inspectors will examine the facility’s physical plant and medical treatment areas, and interview its administrators and staff to determine the level of care being offered to its patients.
National staff are sending out Square Knot Award certificates and letters to department headquarters to recognize members of the American Legion family who are dedicated to and actively involved in furthering the Boy Scouts of America program.
Legion representatives are on hand as the House Veterans Affairs Committee discusses the portion of the proposed VA budget that funds Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) and Local Veterans’ Employment Representative Program (LVER) grants to states.
Legion representatives are attending a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting. Senators are examining the U.S. Army’s portion of the fiscal 2012 Defense Authorization bill.
The Americanism and Children & Youth Division continue to process Temporary Financial Assistance applications. To date, more than $66,410 have been distributed to assist the minor children of eligible veterans in maintaining basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing and utilities.
The Legion’s Legislative Division is being represented today at a key Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington. Senators are considering the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2012 defense budget request for SOCOM (U.S. Special Operations Command) and CENTCOM (U.S. Central Command), under which our military forces operate in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In Los Angeles today, a Legion System Worth Saving task force begins a two-day inspection of the city’s VA medical facilities.
The American Legion's National Security/Foreign Relations Director Barry Searle is attending the launch of a lengthy study on PTS in Washington. The four-year “Assessment of Ongoing Effects in the Treatment of Post-traumatic Stress” is sponsored by the Department of Defense and will examine the effects of PTS treatment by the DoD and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Searle will report his observations to the next meeting of the Legion’s ad-hoc committee on traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress in mid-March.
