http://www.airforcetimes.com en-us Copyright 2013, airforcetimes.com SaxoTech Online Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400 Fri, 24 May 2013 00:59:43 -0400 15 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130523/NEWS05/305230030 In a pre-Memorial Day push to show their concern about the backlog of veterans' disability claims, House Republicans are calling for an independent task force to recommend a solution while House Democrats pushed the idea of providing temporary benefits to Thu, 23 May 2013 16:30:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130523/NEWS05/305230030 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130523/NEWS05/305230028 The Defense Department is abandoning its plans to build a single, joint electronic health record system with the Veterans Affairs Department in favor of developing its own system using commercial software. Thu, 23 May 2013 15:44:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130523/NEWS05/305230028 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130522/BENEFITS/305220028 A Veterans Affairs Department effort to spend six months concentrating on its oldest benefits claims is having some success, but lawmakers are concerned that the improvements might be temporary. Wed, 22 May 2013 16:40:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130522/BENEFITS/305220028 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130522/NEWS/305210044 A key House panel rejected the idea that budget cuts must mean pain for service members, retirees and their families. Wed, 22 May 2013 16:19:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130522/NEWS/305210044 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130522/EDU02/305220025 Student veterans applying to use GI Bill benefits would be better served by the Veterans Affairs Department if they were warned of how long it might take to receive those benefits, according to a new congressional report. Wed, 22 May 2013 15:43:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130522/EDU02/305220025 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130522/NEWS/305220015 A U.S. official says the Pentagon has decided to buy a new computerized health records system that will allow the department to better share and merge its data with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Wed, 22 May 2013 12:39:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130522/NEWS/305220015 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130521/NEWS/305210022 Thousands of Minnesota soldiers are returning from war with chronic pain from injuries that leave many of them impaired and even disabled, and there's been a steep increase in such injuries over the past decade. Wed, 22 May 2013 08:45:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130521/NEWS/305210022 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130521/NEWS/305210019 Dirtier bathrooms. Longer grass. Taking out your own trash. Tue, 21 May 2013 19:01:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130521/NEWS/305210019 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130521/NEWS/305210040 Annual cost-of-living adjustments in veterans' disability and survivor benefits would become automatic - just like Social Security - beginning in 2014 under a bill passed by the House on Tuesday. Tue, 21 May 2013 16:13:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130521/NEWS/305210040 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130521/NEWS/305210042 The Veterans Affairs Department is 240 people shy of meeting a goal to hire 1,600 new mental health professionals by June 30, VA officials said Tuesday. Tue, 21 May 2013 15:53:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130521/NEWS/305210042 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130521/BENEFITS04/305210024 The Veterans Affairs Department's latest initiative to try to reduce the backlog of compensation claims is a partnership with the American Legion and Disabled American Veterans to help veterans make sure their file has all the essential information. Tue, 21 May 2013 13:46:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130521/BENEFITS04/305210024 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130521/NEWS/305210013 The Small Business Administration says it has lined up pledges from more than 120 banks to increase lending to veterans. Tue, 21 May 2013 08:40:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130521/NEWS/305210013 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130520/BENEFITS/305200031 Tricare Prime beneficiaries in the West region are still facing delays in obtaining specialty care, prompting Pentagon officials to extend the waiver period for getting treatment without a referral through June 18. Mon, 20 May 2013 16:07:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130520/BENEFITS/305200031 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130520/NEWS/305200016 More than 85,000 veterans were treated last year for injuries or illness stemming from sexual abuse in the military, and 4,000 sought disability benefits, underscoring the staggering long-term impact of a crisis that has roiled the Pentagon and been conde Mon, 20 May 2013 14:13:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130520/NEWS/305200016 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130520/NEWS/305200003 Veterans treated at Veterans Affairs Department medical facilities for post-traumatic stress disorder often receive highly addictive sedatives even though the department's own guidelines issued in 2010 recommend against their use for the condition. Mon, 20 May 2013 09:03:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130520/NEWS/305200003 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130517/BENEFITS07/305170008 Concerned that teenage obesity has dramatically reduced the number of people eligible for military service, Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., has introduced legislation to create an education program about healthy lifestyles. Fri, 17 May 2013 10:30:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130517/BENEFITS07/305170008 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130516/BENEFITS/305100012 New technology is helping active-duty troops, family members and veterans take advantage of more discounts. Thu, 16 May 2013 15:42:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130516/BENEFITS/305100012 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130516/BENEFITS06/305160015 Q. I am a retired Marine with Tricare Prime for myself and my family. My daughter, 19 and a full-time student, is pregnant by her boyfriend, also a full-time student. Thu, 16 May 2013 15:30:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130516/BENEFITS06/305160015 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130516/NEWS/305160008 In an expanding effort to eliminate the benefits claims backlog, the Veterans Affairs Department announced Wednesday it is putting its claims processing staff on mandatory overtime through the end of the fiscal year. Thu, 16 May 2013 10:20:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130516/NEWS/305160008 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130515/NEWS/305150020 The Defense Department could run out of health care money in August, with a risk of disruption in Tricare coverage, according to a new congressional report that looks at the governmentwide impact of sequestration. Wed, 15 May 2013 14:36:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130515/NEWS/305150020 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130515/BENEFITS06/305150019 Two Republican lawmakers introduced a bill Tuesday that would require the Defense Department to offer the Tricare Prime managed health care option in places where the department plans to discontinue the program on Oct 1. Wed, 15 May 2013 14:29:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130515/BENEFITS06/305150019 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130515/NEWS/305150002 Liquor producer Brown-Forman Corp. and Fort Knox are mixing two Kentucky traditions - bourbon and the military - at the famed Army post. Wed, 15 May 2013 07:36:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130515/NEWS/305150002 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130514/BENEFITS06/305140016 Fully electronic veterans' benefits claims, a necessary ingredient for the Obama administration to fulfill its pledge to eliminate the claims backlog by the end of 2015, is showing only modest results in initial stages. Wed, 15 May 2013 08:53:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130514/BENEFITS06/305140016 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130514/NEWS/305140019 Nearly 8,800 civilians working in the Defense Department's medical community - including mental health specialists - will not have to take the mandatory 11-day furlough announced today by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Tue, 14 May 2013 17:35:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130514/NEWS/305140019 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130514/NEWS05/305140017 Military child care centers and schools for military children will get some relief from the Defense Department's civilian furloughs. Tue, 14 May 2013 16:51:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130514/NEWS05/305140017 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130513/NEWS/305130033 Student veterans who were overpaid on their GI Bill benefits would get more time to repay the money under a bill introduced Monday by Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo. Mon, 13 May 2013 16:44:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130513/NEWS/305130033 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130513/NEWS/305130022 Hiring veterans to process claims could be part of the solution to eliminating the backlog of disability claims, the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee chairman believes. Mon, 13 May 2013 11:12:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130513/NEWS/305130022 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130510/BENEFITS04/305100018 The Veterans Affairs Departments views as unnecessary a House committee-passed bill to change evidentiary rules for veterans filing disability claims related to sexual assaults. Fri, 10 May 2013 13:44:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130510/BENEFITS04/305100018 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130510/NEWS/305100010 Service members married to other service members, or dual-military couples, no longer are automatically enrolled in the Family Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance program. If they want that coverage, they now must opt in. Fri, 10 May 2013 11:16:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130510/NEWS/305100010 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130509/NEWS/305090029 The threat of furloughs for 180,000 Air Force civilian employees could leave airmen scrambling to find child care. Fri, 10 May 2013 09:00:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130509/NEWS/305090029 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130509/BENEFITS/305090035 Help for military families is not confined within the gates of military installations. That's a good thing, since about two-thirds of families live outside the gates. Thu, 09 May 2013 16:06:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130509/BENEFITS/305090035 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130509/BENEFITS/305090034 Q. I've received numerous awards and decorations during my time in service. Thu, 09 May 2013 16:04:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130509/BENEFITS/305090034 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130508/NEWS/305080005 The House Veterans' Affairs Committee passed six bills Wednesday, including a measure aimed at making it easier for victims of sexual assault and rape in the military to receive veterans' disability benefits and a provision barring Veterans Affairs Depart Wed, 08 May 2013 10:32:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130508/NEWS/305080005 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130508/BENEFITS04/305200001 Building new veterans hospitals is an 'abysmal' process filled with delays and cost overruns, says the chairman of a House panel investigating how the Veterans Affairs Department spends money. Wed, 08 May 2013 10:30:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130508/BENEFITS04/305200001 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130508/NEWS/305080004 Several times a week, Ernso Auguste sends text messages or calls Brian Laughlin seeking advice or wanting to discuss an idea or issue. Wed, 08 May 2013 08:58:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130508/NEWS/305080004 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130507/BENEFITS04/305070009 The Veterans' Affairs Department initiative to quickly and dramatically reduce the claims backlog is making it a priority to process files that have been pending for two years or longer. Tue, 07 May 2013 16:14:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130507/BENEFITS04/305070009 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130507/BENEFITS04/305070012 Fathers would be treated the same as mothers when it comes to receiving federal hiring preferences if they have a child who is a totally disabled veteran, under a bill introduced May 6. Tue, 07 May 2013 11:58:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130507/BENEFITS04/305070012 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130506/BENEFITS07/305060019 Commissary officials are conducting at least three short-fuse cost-cutting reviews, each of which could significantly reduce access to the benefit by either shutting down some stores or shortening their hours. Mon, 06 May 2013 06:50:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130506/BENEFITS07/305060019 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130503/NEWS/305030006 The backlog of veterans' disability claims will not disappear in 2015, as promised by the Obama administration, the Republican chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee predicts in an interview to be broadcast Sunday. Fri, 03 May 2013 09:48:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130503/NEWS/305030006 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130502/BENEFITS06/305020029 The Defense Department reacted swiftly to congressional concerns and press reports of massive customer service problems facing Tricare West region customers, issuing a memo Thursday saying it will allow Prime beneficiaries to receive recommended specialty Thu, 02 May 2013 17:23:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130502/BENEFITS06/305020029 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130502/NEWS/305020023 A. Your staff sergeant is incorrect. Once you marry your fiancée, the baby's Thu, 02 May 2013 16:25:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130502/NEWS/305020023 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130502/NEWS/305020021 April was a bad month for an Army captain's family at Fort Carson, Colo. Thu, 02 May 2013 16:21:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130502/NEWS/305020021 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130502/BENEFITS06/305020019 When it comes to health habits, the Marine Corps appears to be the 'work hard, play hard' service while the Air Force seems to be staffed by straight arrows, a new military survey shows. Thu, 02 May 2013 15:39:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130502/BENEFITS06/305020019 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130501/NEWS/305010022 The Defense Department on April 25 moved a step closer toward reshaping the Tricare Management Activity into a broader Defense Health Agency, naming and promoting Air Force Maj. Gen. Douglas Robb to head the new three-star directorate. Thu, 02 May 2013 09:57:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130501/NEWS/305010022 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130501/NEWS/305010009 About a third of veterans considered to be at high risk for suicide don't receive the recommended follow-up care after they've been discharged from Veterans Affairs Department inpatient mental health care, according to a new report from the VA inspector g Wed, 01 May 2013 11:36:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130501/NEWS/305010009 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130501/BENEFITS02/305010007 CFPB releases list of troop complaints Wed, 01 May 2013 10:54:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130501/BENEFITS02/305010007 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130430/BENEFITS06/304300025 A military family's push to convince Tricare to pay for their daughter's equine therapy is now in the hands of Congress. Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:27:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130430/BENEFITS06/304300025 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130430/BENEFITS06/304300011 An Indiana lawmaker wants to expand military suicide prevention programs to include an annual mental health assessment for active and reserve members, with reports from supervisors about any relationship or financial issues that might trigger stress or su Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:05:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130430/BENEFITS06/304300011 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130429/BENEFITS04/304290020 As part of an ongoing campaign to appeal to female veterans, the Veterans Affairs Department last week established a hotline exclusively for women to answer questions about services like health care, education benefits and claims. Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:01:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130429/BENEFITS04/304290020 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130425/BENEFITS07/304250039 For Jaeda, an eighth-grader at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., the expression of a military child was one simple, profound sentence: 'I don't dream, for I have too much on my mind.' Thu, 02 May 2013 17:09:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130425/BENEFITS07/304250039 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130425/BENEFITS06/304250038 Q. My husband is an active-duty Marine and we're in the early stages of filing for divorce. We have two children, one the biological child of my husband, the other his stepchild (my son), not adopted. Thu, 02 May 2013 17:05:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130425/BENEFITS06/304250038 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130425/BENEFITS/304250037 A.This has been a hot issue since an Air Force commander this year granted clemency to a pilot convicted of sexual assault, overturning his verdict and allowing him to return to active duty. Thu, 02 May 2013 17:01:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130425/BENEFITS/304250037 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130425/NEWS/304250031 A House panel Thursday gutted a bill that would have ordered the Veterans Affairs Department to relax evidence requirements for veterans' claims related to rape and sexual assault. Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:56:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130425/NEWS/304250031 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130425/BENEFITS04/304250029 Leaders from the veteran and nonprofit communities gathered during a Wednesday Senate hearing to discuss how to improve the flow of resources and support services to veterans. Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:52:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130425/BENEFITS04/304250029 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130424/NEWS/304240030 Military families and their advocates are battling an Obama administration proposal to limit troops' pay raises to 1 percent in 2014, the lowest increase in half a century. Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:00:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130424/NEWS/304240030 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130424/NEWS/304240019 Confederate flags are flying again at a southwestern South Dakota veterans hospital, upsetting two patients who first complained about the flags and then say officials allowed them to complete a hospital program early. Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:50:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130424/NEWS/304240019 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130424/JOBS/304240028 New transition workshops for separating service members are getting high marks from participants, but results of the real test - finding jobs - remain unclear. Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:54:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130424/JOBS/304240028 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130423/BENEFITS04/304230019 A House committee is concerned that the Veterans Affairs Department may be underestimating the cost and burden of national health care reform for veterans' hospitals and clinics. Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:28:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130423/BENEFITS04/304230019 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130423/NEWS/304230015 The Veterans Affairs Department will help fewer veterans as it aims to prevent errors in reducing its backlog of disability claims by awarding temporary ratings to the oldest claims. Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:40:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130423/NEWS/304230015 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130421/NEWS/304210014 VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Quinn Cuskey said it's like the Navy knows when he's about to perform in a school concert. That's always when his dad deploys. Sun, 21 Apr 2013 17:36:00 -0400 http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130421/NEWS/304210014