About 50 veterans will travel to Washington, Ill., this week to provide disaster relief services to the tornado-ravaged town, NPR reported.
Members of Team Rubicon, a nonprofit organization composed mostly of veterans dedicated to helping others through crises, will spend the next three weeks in the Illinois town clearing out the rubble. The news outlet reported that by doing so, the veterans will save the homeowners who had their houses destroyed by the tornado about $10,000 in clean-up costs.
The veterans volunteering with Team Rubicon have become known as "second responders," the news source stated. In many ways, it makes sense that servicemembers who have recently returned from war would be well-suited for disaster relief services: The highly trained servicemembers have already been in war zones, so they're equipped with the skills and resources needed to tackle the destruction.
"One of the reasons they allow us in first is that a lot of the cities don't have 100 people to send out to do [property] assessments," Team Rubicon member and Marine veteran David Casler told the news outlet. "I can give you in real time what's going on, on the ground."
Many veterans told NPR that giving back through their service with Team Rubicon can be a healing experience, especially for those with post-traumatic stress disorder.
A new website has made military car insurance more accessible for active-duty servicemembers looking for auto coverage.
Auto Pros USA launched an online system this week that allows military personnel to access a database of car insurance providers that offer military policies and discounts.
"There are few companies in the U.S. able to provide coverage for vehicle insurance that include military specific discounts and we're bringing all of these providers into one search system," an Auto Pros spokesperson said in a press statement. "The providers that we're featuring are specific to the military car insurance industry."
Through the programmed system, both current and former servicemembers can search and enroll in military insurance plans without the hassle of paperwork. The only information servicemembers need when using the system is a zip code, which will instantly bring up rates, taxes and other fees for obtaining auto insurance.
According to Military.com, auto insurance costs on average about $870 per year. Many insurance companies offer special discounts and programs to members of the military. For instance, GEICO, which has a partnership with AFBA, provides a military center with staff dedicated to helping servicemembers find the most affordable insurance policies for them.
The Men's Trauma Recovery Program at the Palo Alto VA Hospital has introduced a new form of therapy to its rehabilitation system – man's best friend.
According to The San Jose Mercury News, the program is using Golden and Labrador retrievers to help treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder through Paws for Purple Hearts, an organization that strives to provide healing to servicemembers with military-related mental illness. The news source reported that the dogs have shown the ability to reduce negative feelings such as depression and anxiety, as well as alleviate insomnia and irrational impulses and emotions.
"It's like they have a sixth sense about stress,"Jon Tyson, an Iraq war Army veteran from North Carolina, told the news outlet. "I'm sure [the dog] knows he has a purpose, and it's to make people like us feel better. It's unconditional love. When you have a hard time loving yourself, he will love you."
However, it's hardly a one-sided benefit. As the dogs help the former servicemembers soothe their symptoms of PTSD, the patients are training the four-legged creatures to become service dogs for veterans with disabilities that limit their mobile ability. According to the Paws for Purple Hearts website, the dogs need to undergo training for at least 18 months before they are passed on to the veterans.
Are long waits and delays in treatment at VA hospitals putting veterans at risk? A recent investigation conducted by CNN showed that just might be the case.
The investigation looked into the deaths of veterans at VA hospitals across the country, finding that a majority of them could have been prevented with timely diagnosis and treatment. According to the news source, the worst culprit is Williams Jennings Bryan Dorn Veterans Medical Center in Columbia, S.C., where an estimated 20 veterans passed away from cancer due to either a late diagnosis or a delay in simple, yet potentially life-saving, procedures.
"(Veterans) paid the ultimate price," Columbia-based physician Stephen Lloyd told the news source. "People that had appointments had their appointments canceled and rescheduled much later. … In some cases, that made an impact where they went into a later stage (of illness) and therefore lost the battle to live."
According to the report, the waiting list at Dorn included more than 3,800 patients by the end of 2011, even though funding was granted to the VA to treat those on the waiting list. Long waits and canceled appointments, however, are not only limited to the Dorn VA. The investigation also found that the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Ga., had a waiting list with more than 4,000 patients and three deaths attributed to delays in treatment.
Family members of U.S. military personnel received some relief last week with a recent announcement from the Department of Homeland Security.
The federal agency announced in a memo released Nov. 15 that it will stop deporting the relatives of servicemembers because it places "stress and anxiety" on both active-duty troops and veterans, according to USA Today.
"We as a nation have made a commitment to our veterans, to support and care for them," DHS said in the memo. "It is a commitment that begins at enlistment, and continues as they become veterans."
According to the memo, relatives of servicemembers will not be deported if they have a clean criminal record, but will be labeled "parole in place," making them eligible to apply for permanent legal status while remaining in the U.S. instead of returning to their home countries. Currently, undocumented immigrants are able to apply for a Green Card only if they return to their native country.
While many are celebrating the new directive from Homeland Security, not every relative of a military member is exempt. According to the news source, those with criminal backgrounds still face deportation.
A newly opened outreach center in Fitchburg, Mass., is lending a helping hand to veterans with the help of those who've been through it before.
According to the Sentinel & Enterprise, the New Patriots Veteran Outreach Center was started by a group of parishioners of the New Patriots Christian Congregation Church after plans to partner with the Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center in Gardner, Mass., fell through. The parishioners – most of whom are former servicemembers – were determined to start a center of their own for veterans seeking assistance with health care, education and finances.
"It took me a long time to figure out what was going on, so if I was out there for that amount of time, I know there's a lot of other people out there that just won't discuss anything, they won't come out of that shell that they're in," John Lyle, one of the center's founding members, told the newspaper.
An Air Force veteran who served in the Vietnam War, Lyle was brought to the group through his father, Robert, a Korean War veteran. Together, they hope to reach out to former servicemembers who are either unaware of the benefits available to them or afraid to ask for help.
The news source stated that the group will hold meetings on the fourth Friday of each month at the local church, where veterans can come and receive support. Plans to move the center into its own building are currently in the works, according to the news outlet.
Although the Department of Defense changed its policy last summer regarding spousal benefits for same-sex military couples, the National Guard and Reserves in several states have been resistant to adopt the new system. The Texas National Guard, for instance, has refused to provide the benefits, which include military photo identification and survivor assistance, to its gay servicemembers since last September, when the DOD first enacted the rewards. Now, The Washington Post reported that the Guard is continuing to defy the Pentagon, denying its members in same-sex relationships military housing allowance.
According to the news source, the Texas Military Force – which includes the state's National Guard – is not processing the paperwork of same-sex couples needing military housing allowance at their state offices. Instead, same-sex military couples are being forced to travel to a federal office to have their paperwork processed.
"By refusing to treat same-gender military couples equally, the Texas Military Forces … is creating a hostile climate of discrimination and has sent a strong message that Department of Defense policies and direct orders by the secretary of defense will not be followed," Stephen Peters, president of the American Military Partner Association, told the news source.
Basic allowance for housing – also known as BAH – is granted to uniformed servicemembers so that they can afford shelter where they live, Military.com states. The allowance is based on the market prices for civilian homes and apartments, and also factors in renter's insurance and cost of utilities. According to the website, the allowance typically varies from region to region.
Both the VA and nonprofit organizations provide many health care options for veterans, yet oftentimes, those who need assistance the most do not ask for help.
According to the The Daily Mail – Charleston, a recent report presented to the state's legislative committee found that at-risk veterans were the least likely to seek medical assistance. The news source stated that the primary reason these veterans – particularly those who were most likely to commit suicide – did not receive counseling or treatment was because of the stigma attached to mental illness.
The research presented to the committee was compiled from a 2012 survey of more than 1,200 former servicemembers residing in West Virginia, the news outlet reported. Many of the veterans responded that they ignored medical assistance because they believed treatment wouldn't help or that others wouldn't comprehend their needs.
About 40 percent of the veterans surveyed have symptoms of depression, the report stated, while 25 percent have post-traumatic stress disorder. Another 20 percent were at-risk for inflicting self-harm. None of these former servicemembers have sought assistance for their mental illnesses.
In 2012, the Department of Veterans Affair released a report stating that nearly 30 percent of Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans treated in VA hospitals and medical centers had PTSD.
After being commissioned by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel earlier this week, the USS George Washington reached the Philippines the evening of Nov. 14. Stars and Stripes reported that the Naval carrier, which was previously at a port visit in Hong Kong, arrived at the Leyte Gulf equipped with rescue aircraft full of medical supplies, drinking water, food and other disaster relief aid.
According to a statement released by the Pentagon, the USS George Washington hosts the Carrier Air Wing Five, an aircraft unit designed for humanitarian relief services. The news source added that the flight wing flew to Japan earlier this week to make room on the carrier's flight deck for helicopters.
Along with the USS George Washington, Naval aircraft carriers USS Antietam, USS Mustin and USS Cowpens also arrived at the Philippines the same day, the news outlet reported.
"We have ships conducting a variety of missions," strike group commander Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery told the news source. "The USNS Bowditch is surveying water conditions in the Leyte Gulf. USNS Charles Drew and USS Lassen have helicopters that are bringing emergency supplies into Tacloban."
While Marines are already on the island, providing aid and support to the stricken country, officials from the Obama administration told the news source that the number of ground troops is expected to increase.
Servicemembers, veterans and military family members who are currently covered by TRICARE are exempt from an important provision of the Affordable Care Act, Opposing Views reported.
TRICARE holders are not eligible to remain on their parents' health insurance plans until their 26th birthday – a new policy that was enacted under the ACA in 2011. According to the news source, in an attempt to reduce spending, the Department of Defense has set a cut-off age for young people dependent on their parents' health insurance. The cut-off age is currently 21, while full-time students are eligible to stay on their parents' plans until age 23.
However, the young adult children of servicemembers and veterans do have other options. The TRICARE website states that "qualified adult children" who are unmarried and over 21 but younger than 26 can buy the TRICARE Young Adult plan, which guarantees minimal essential coverage under the ACA. Those interested in purchasing the Young Adult plan must also be ineligible for an employer-based health insurance plan, according to the website.
While the TRICARE Young Adult is a viable option for many servicemembers, veterans and their families, several veterans expressed disappointment over the new health care plan to Fox News.
"It'd be nice if they leveled with everybody and let them know so that people could make plans, because this is going to hit all, I mean it's going to hit thousands of retirees over time," Air Force veteran Eddie Grooms told the news source.