FW: VVA Web Weekly - What's New on vva.org: September 5, 2014

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Subject: VVA Web Weekly - What's New on vva.org: September 5, 2014
From: webmaster@vva.org
To: vva17nv@outlook.com
Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2014 18:35:53 +0000

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In This Issue September 5, 2014 SecDef Addresses Suicide Prevention What Is a Firing Offense at the VA? Deaths and VA Wait Times: Facts vs Claims Older Vets Dying by Suicide at Alarming Rate Women Vets Less Likely to Drink September Is National Suicide Prevention Month DoD News ADVERTISEMENT Support Senate Bill S.2738 Click Here For More Info & To Take Action SecDef Addresses Suicide Prevention From a September 2 DoD News article: "Preventing military suicide is one of DoD's highest priorities, and something I'm personally committed to as Secretary of Defense. As we observe Suicide Prevention Month, we must rededicate ourselves to actively working, not only every month, but every day, to fulfill our collective responsibility to watch out for each other and take care of each other." Read complete article here From the Montgomery (AL) Advertiser What Is a Firing Offense at the VA? From an August 28 House Veterans Affairs bulletin: According to an editorial in the August 19 Montgomery (AL) Advertiser, a VA police officer found that a Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System employee took a patient to a crack house and helped the patient buy illegal drugs. As if that weren't bad enough, the investigation also found that the employee was guilty of patient abuse, misusing government vehicles, filing false requests for overtime pay, and multiple ethics violations. Yet the employee is still on the payroll and is still being paid with the taxpayers' money more than a year after this conduct occurred. Read complete story here As Reported by The Washington Post Deaths and VA Wait Times: Facts vs Claims From a September 2 article by Glen Kessler on the Washington Post Fact Checker blog, there is a difference between the claims and facts surrounding the allegations that veterans had died at the Phoenix VA because they could not get an appointment. Read complete story here  As Reported on Military.com Older Vets Dying by Suicide at Alarming Rate From an August 31 article on Military.com by Bryant Jordan, veteran suicide numbers have gone up in recent years with much of the attention focused on veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan killing themselves. However, almost seven out of ten veterans who have committed suicide were over the age of 50, according to a Department of Veterans Affairs study.  Read complete story here As Reported by the British Psychological Society Women Vets Less Likely to Drink In a September 2 article in the journal of the British Psychological Society, a new study finds that women who have served in the military are less likely to drink than their counterparts in the civilian world. Research published in "Armed Forces & Society" noted that many female service personnel are conscious of the negative link between alcohol use and the threat of sexual assault and harassment. Read complete article here ADVERTISEMENT Spread The Word September Is National Suicide Prevention Month Did you know: According to the VA's 2012 suicide report, over 70 percent of veteran suicides occur in age cohorts 50 years and older? The following link goes to information, PSAs, News Articles, and Blog information on "Spreading the Word about the Veterans Crisis Line": http://spreadtheword.veteranscrisisline.net/

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