The American Legion Department of Colorado Blog

The Department of Veterans Affairs is implementing a telephone support program to help spouses of returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans after a pilot telephone support program showed significant reduction in stress for the spouses.

The spouse telephone support program, which is part of VA’s Caregiver Support Program, builds spouses’ ability to cope with the challenges that reintegration to civilian society can bring, helps them serve as a pillar of support for returning veterans, and eases the transition for families after deployments. Spouses in the pilot program reported decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety, with an increase in social support.

Local caregiver support coordinators are available to assist veterans and their caregivers in understanding and applying for VA’s many caregiver benefits. VA also has a website, www.caregiver.va.gov, with general information on spouse telephone support and other caregiver support programs available.

Unless Congress moves quickly, limits for Department of Veterans Affairs home loans in America’s high-cost counties will soon be reduced.

The American Legion is calling upon congressional representatives to make good on their commitment to ensure veterans and servicemembers have access to sustainable and affordable housing. If Congress doesn’t act before Dec. 31, limits for the VA Home Loan Guaranty program in high-cost counties will drop.

“We worked long and hard, then saw a wave of support just before Veterans Day to pass a jobs bill for veterans and other related initiatives,” American Legion National Commander Fang A. Wong said. “It’s a genuine disappointment to see that momentum fail, now that Veterans Day has passed.”

VA loan limits for high-cost counties were raised in the wake of the financial crisis but are scheduled to roll back on Dec. 31, from $729,750 to $625,000 per applicant. A lower cap in high-cost markets means some military families will face untenable down payments that put home ownership beyond their reach.

“Veterans returning from America’s longest war should have full access to the safest loan guarantee program in our nation,” Wong said. “These limits help level the playing field for military families who are stationed in costlier parts of the country, or who simply want to put down roots in communities they’ve come to call home.”

Twice this fall, Congress included proposals to extend limits for VA loans –“ only to pull them from consideration later. The most recent occasion was in the VOW to Hire America’s Heroes Act, signed into law last week by President Obama.

“The VA home loan program helps fund the law just signed by the president,” American Legion Legislative Division Director Tim Tetz said. “If we drop the loan limits, that may mean fewer veterans will apply for these loans, and thereby put programs to hire more veterans in jeopardy.”

Tetz said that recently passed legislation to extend Federal Housing Authority (FHA) loan limits would do little to help most military borrowers in high-cost counties, where the minimum FHA down payment on a $650,000 home would be nearly $23,000. “The average VA borrower has less than $7,000 in assets, and 90 percent get their VA loans without any kind of down payment,” he said.

American Legion Economic Division Director Joe Sharpe said thousands of veterans and active-duty servicemembers live in VA’s 140 high-cost counties, spread across 19 states and the District of Columbia. “We shouldn’t be forcing these individuals, who are middle-class Americans living in high-cost districts, to either make higher down payments or else use the FHA program,” he said.

A tight credit climate has made the VA Home Loan Guaranty program even more important. VA loan volume has soared 135 percent since 2007. At the same time, these flexible, no-down-payment loans continue to exhibit the lowest rate of foreclosure of any major loan product on the market.

“We urge Congress to keep its bargain with our nation’s veterans and extend these loan limits without delay,” Wong said. “We’ve asked so much of our veterans, especially the most recent generation. To reduce these limits is tantamount to a slap in the face for their sacrifices.”

By: PNC Tom Bock, Your faithful Watch Dog,

I do not want to throw cold water on the “exciting times” we are having enjoying the much touted contract signing between the Department of VA and their construction contractor, but. . .

Then again maybe it’s just me. But am I the only one that saw the “celebration” hosted by the Department of Veterans Affairs on November 21 to recognize the signing of a contract to begin construction on the replacement VA Hospital on the site of the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center as dajavu all over again?

I saw the same familiar faces. I heard the same familiar speeches. I heard the same familiar old story. I felt the same familiar feelings that I felt when they celebrated the purchase of the land and the “Official Ground Breaking” on the same property under a very similar white tent. They actually were “Party in a Tent” – Versions 1.0 and 2.0.

Maybe my expectations were too high. But, I thought someone should have said “I’m sorry for all of the unnecessary delays in building your hospital.” to the veterans and the families of veterans who have died without having a replacement VA Hospital in Denver, and to those who still wait to see its completion.

You see, according to government statistics somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 World War II veterans are dying every day. If that estimate is true, then during the 27 month delay since the “Official Ground Breaking Ceremony” in August 2009 and the Nov. 21, 2011 celebration (that is 820 days – 2 years at 365 days plus 3 months at 30 days), somewhere between 820,000 and 1,230,000 WWII Veterans have died. And have you noticed that the projected completion date of the hospital has been changed from 2014 to sometime in 2015? That completion delay is at least 365 days. So, the 27 month delay has resulted in an additional 365,000 and 547,500 WWII veterans that will not see their hospital being completed.

Why? Who is at fault? Who is accountable? Who should be saying “I’m Sorry”?

For a while during the celebration, I felt that the VA should have provided some of those soft casts for some of the speakers. You know, the ones, that are used to immobilize an athlete’s leg or arm when they think it might be broken. I actually thought for a while that some of the speakers might break their arm, dislocate a shoulder or somehow hurt themselves while they patted themselves and each other on their respective backs. They all seemed that they have been doing such great things and promised to continue to keep an ever watchful eye on the progress of the construction of the hospital. Who was watching for the last 27 months?

It appeared to me that there was a lot left unsaid. I didn’t hear where the construction would begin. Which of the eight buildings would they start first? Would they begin with a parking garage? And by the way, when would they begin construction at all?

They might have mentioned the estimated completion date would be sometime in the year 2015.

Hey, we didn’t hear from the construction contractor! Representatives from the Kiewit-Turner construction team were in attendance. I thought it took two parties to sign a contract. And who has the schedule anyway? Are there timelines, target dates or a measurable performance schedule? Why did we only hear from one side?

Actually for me, the highlight of the event was that we have raised $1,500 for the construction of the new Fisher House that is to be built on the South end of the proposed VA Hospital site. This money is being raised through contributions that are rewarded with a “Golden Shovel” lapel pin with the initials B T D T on them. The letters stand for “Build The Damn Thing” and is rapidly becoming the mantra for veterans when it comes to building the replacement VA Hospital at Fitzsimons. If you want a pin, let me know.

I don’t know. Maybe I’m just an ol’ fuddy duddy and being too skeptical. Perhaps, I should just trust more and believe the promises. After all. . . the money has been appropriated. . . the land purchased. . . a fence is in place. . . signs are up proclaiming the “Future site of a new VA Hospital”. . . and we have had “Party in a Tent – Version 3.0”.

Well, just in case, I will continue to monitor the progress and holler, once again when it slows or stops.

“National commander “profoundly disappointed” by impasse, concerned about national security consequences”

American Legion National Commander Fang A. Wong says he is “profoundly disappointed” that the bipartisan Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (the so-called “supercommittee) failed to reach an agreement to cut $1.2 trillion from the federal budget over the next decade.

“They were given an important job to do, and they failed,” Wong said. “What this means to the future of our military and our veterans remains to be seen, but the challenges have now intensified for those who believe in a strong national defense and want to protect the hard-earned benefits of veterans. We are profoundly disappointed in the work of this committee.”

The failure to reach an agreement triggers $1.2 trillion in budget cuts set to take effect in January 2013. Among the reductions is an automatic $492 billion in defense spending.

In a letter to the ranking Republican member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, John McCain, R-Ariz., Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said the automatic cuts would roll back ground forces to pre-World War II levels, leave the Navy with a fleet the size of the one in the years before World War I, and reduce the Air Force to its smallest size ever.

“That may be the worst-case scenario, but it could certainly occur unless these automatic cuts are rolled back between now and 2013,” Wong said. “There is still time to avoid Panetta’s nightmare, but we need to use it wisely in pressuring our lawmakers to make sure the Department of Defense has adequate funding to do its vital job.”

The deadlock also triggers another $492 billion in federal cuts starting in 2013 from health, education, drug enforcement, national parks, agriculture programs and social programs.

“Even if VA is OK, that doesn’t mean all veterans’ support programs are necessarily protected, because not all of them are administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs,” American Legion Legislative Division Deputy Director Ian de Planque explained. In recent remarks to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, de Planque noted the vulnerability of veterans’ jobs and homeless programs within the Departments of Labor and Housing and Urban Development.

“That,” said Tim Tetz, director of the Legion’s Legislative Division, “is another good reason to keep up strong post-supercommittee pressure on Congress. Restricting Labor and Housing and Urban Development efforts on behalf of veterans could really damage VA Secretary (Eric) Shinseki’s efforts to end homelessness among veterans, and even the president’s work to curtail veteran joblessness.”

“Because the supercommittee failed to do its job,” Wong said, “it is critically important for us to do ours as advocates. It is vitally important to the future of our nation that Congress does what it must to protect the safety of our nation and the rights of our veterans.

“Spouse Telephone Support Program Demonstrates Improved Quality of Life”

The Department of Veterans Affairs is implementing a telephone support program to help the spouses of returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, after a pilot telephone support program showed significant reduction in stress for spouses.

“Returning to civilian life after living in constant combat readiness can be a shocking transition, and it is the immediate family, the spouses and children, who bear that brunt of that transition with those who served,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The more support we can provide to the family, the better the outcome will be for our Veterans.”

The spouse telephone support program, which is part of VA’s Caregiver Support Program, builds spouses’ ability to cope with the challenges that reintegration to civilian society can bring, helps them serve as a pillar of support for returning Veterans, and eases the transition for families after deployments. Spouses in the pilot program reported decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety, with an increase in social support.

Spouses participate in 12 telephone support groups over six months. The focus is on problem-solving and communication, relationships, mental health and resilience. A trained, nationwide team of VA medical center staff members, including many caregiver support coordinators, will lead the support groups.

Typical issues spouses and Veterans face after deployment include communication difficulties, the need to renegotiate family roles and responsibilities and the added stress of combat related injury. Spouses of Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have reported feeling overwhelmed, depressed, anxious and frustrated.

“Providing support to family caregivers is the right thing for VA to do,” said Dr. Robert Petzel, VA’s under secretary for health. “A simple series of phone calls can do so much good. Certainly, those who fought for our nation and the spouses who allowed them to make that sacrifice deserve this support.”

The program is based on research by VA researchers Dr. Linda Nichols and Dr. Jennifer Martindale-Adams, of the Memphis VA Medical Center and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Both researchers developed and studied interventions for family members of Veterans and military personnel. Their work with spouses of post-deployed and deployed military personnel is funded through the Defense Health Program, managed by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command.

Local caregiver support coordinators are available to assist Veterans and their caregivers in understanding and applying for VA’s many caregiver benefits. VA also has a Web page, www.caregiver.va.gov, with general information on spouse telephone support and other caregiver support programs available through VA and the community.

“Cause for Celebration – Not Shovels”

Denver, CO – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter and Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet commended the Department of Veterans Affairs and joint venture contractor Kiewit Turner for finally signing the contract to begin construction for the new VA Medical Center at Fitzsimons in Aurora, Colorado. After over two years of delays since the official groundbreaking ceremony with Secretary Shinseki, dirt will finally be turned on this new state-of-the-art medical center to replace the existing Denver Medical Center. The new 182 bed VA Medical Center will have a dedicated spinal cord injury unit, nursing home and comprehensive in and out-patient services.

“It’s time to turn dirt and build this hospital we’ve promised our Veterans for over a decade,” said Perlmutter. “I look forward to witnessing this project in action on Monday with veterans from around the region. Thankfully, we will be there to celebrate and not shovel. I’m glad the VA and Kiewit Turner worked through the contract details, signed the agreement and are ready to proceed with construction.”

“I’m glad the VA and Kiewit-Turner put pen to paper so that actual digging can finally start on the facility. The veterans, the surrounding community and elected officials have put a lot of time and work into this project and it’s heartening to see our efforts pay off to get the process moving again,” Udall said. “Colorado veterans deserve to get a medical center that can adequately take care of them, and I’ll keep watching to make sure they get what they were promised.”

“Now that the contract is signed, we need to start turning dirt and provide Colorado veterans with a state-of-the-art, stand-alone hospital to call their own,” said Bennet. “It’s taken far too long to get to this point, but I’m pleased the VA is making good on its promise to provide Colorado veterans with the world-class medical facility they have earned, fought for and deserve.”

Perlmutter will join veterans from around the region at the construction site of the new VA Medical Center on Monday, Nov. 21. Below are details of the event:

WHAT: Veterans Administration Hospital Construction Event

WHEN: November 21, 2011 – 11:00 am

WHERE: West Lot, 13929 E. 17th Place Aurora, Aurora, CO

Parking will be provided — details to follow.

“Spinal Cord Injury Center to Be Part of the Complex”

The Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded a $580.2 million construction contract to build the Denver VA Medical Center (VAMC) replacement facility on the same campus as the University of Colorado Hospital complex in Aurora, site of the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center.

“This new medical center will not only help provide Veterans with the care they have earned, it will create good-paying jobs that benefit the local economy,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

The new 182-bed medical center will include inpatient tertiary care and ambulatory care, a 30-bed Spinal Cord Injury/Disorder Center, a 30-bed nursing home community living center, a research building, and parking structures.

The medical center will employ approximately 2,000 people and serve approximately 82,700 veterans.

The construction component of the contract totaling $580.2 million was awarded to Kiewit-Turner Joint Venture from Englewood, Colo., on Nov. 17. The facility will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certified, making the most of renewable energy initiatives. More than 6,300 jobs will be created during the construction of the medical center.

The completion date of the hospital is scheduled for early 2015.

Gen. John J. Pershing facilitated the creation of The American Legion by permitting Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., and three other line officers of the American Expeditionary Forces to call upon their comrades to gather in Paris in March 1919 to consider ways to improve morale among troops still stationed there, months after the armistice that ended World War I.

Pershing whittled a list of 40 to 20 for a February 1919 meeting to discuss the morale issue, which led to the calling of the Paris Caucus in March of that year. One of history’s most celebrated military leaders, Pershing proved to be one of The American Legion’s earliest and most stalwart supporters, not merely because of the caucus he authorized but also due to the spirit behind it.

His words appeared on the cover of the first issue of The American Legion Magazine, published on July 4, 1919. “The Legion is destined to be of tremendous value in fostering the ideals and purposes for which we fought, and in spreading among our people the lessons learned in the war period.”

At the eighth American Legion National Convention in Philadelphia, Pershing received a rare honor. He was named an honorary national commander of the organization. Not normally willing to speak extemporaneously before crowds, the general made an exception, as Legionnaires cheered his name, a band played, and he was called forward. “Legionnaires, it is a great pleasure to be here, and I want you all to know you can always count on me as one of you, as standing shoulder to shoulder, as we did together during the war,” he told the crowd. “We are not a political organization, but political affairs must interest

Legionnaires because they stand for the things that are right, they stand for good environment everywhere. But it is especially important that you interest yourselves in your local communities to see that your representatives are fine, upstanding, alert, honest men, intelligent and efficient, and not slackers nor demagogues.”

American Legion Resolution No. 334, passed by the eighth National Convention of The American Legion in 1926, conferred upon Pershing, commander-in-chief of the AEF, the title of “Honorary Commander of The American Legion.”

Similarly honored at the same convention, in the same resolution, was Marshal Ferdinand Foch, commander-in-chief of the allied armies of the world war.