An important message from IAVA

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America has released a new ad. It brings light to a dark subject..how to talk to a loved one that is returning from one of Bush’s wars. Watch it below, its only 32 seconds of your life ok?

They want to keep the conversation going about our returning soldiers and what they need to cycle back into our society here after a tour (or two or three) in a middle east warzone.

The goal is 100k worth of views before Mutha’s Day. Help em out if you can please and post it on your blog or site.

We might not support the war, but don’t tell me we don’t support those coming home from the war. They are our friends, family and neighbors. They are people that need help sometimes but are afraid to ask.

It’s heavy duty shit..but it is important.

VA wrongfully demanding money from Veterans widows

Christ, what a load of crap. I know I should not be shocked or surprised, but I am. From the CQ link:

The Veterans Affairs Department has been wrongfully recovering money from widows of deceased veterans over the last 12 years by demanding reimbursement for final benefits checks in violation of federal law.

Sen. Daniel K. Akaka , D-Hawaii, the chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, confronted the department last week about the problem, which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of senior citizens losing pension and disability money received during the month of their spouse’s death.

“This flawed practice has caused serious hardship for many widows,” Akaka said. “I suspect that the improper procedures have harmed thousands of widows and widowers over the last 12 years.”

Congress granted veterans’ spouses the right to keep their partner’s final month of benefits when it passed the Veterans’ Benefits Improvements Act of 1996. The law instructed the department to treat disability and pension checks issued during the month of a veteran’s death “as being payable to a surviving spouse.”

But the department never adjusted its systems to follow the law. As a result, the department has routinely either refused to send checks or taken active measures to retrieve money already sent, including collection actions.

Rotten bastards.

VA says there are fewer homeless Vets..

This FindLaw writeup cites the Veterans Administration as saying:

The Veterans Affairs Department estimates that on any given night last year, 154,000 veterans were homeless, about a 20 percent decrease from 195,827 in the agency’s 2006 estimate.

Although I am happy the numbers have decreased..the fact remains that even one homeless veteran is too fucking many. As the article notes, using the VA’s own numbers:

Today, it is estimated that about one in five people who are homeless are veterans.