U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs CWV - News Update

November is now just days away, and that means it’s almost Veterans Day. [From ABC 36]

Commentary – On this Veterans Day, let’s take an opportunity to dispel a few misconceptions about Veterans. [From Los Angeles Times]

“I Am Not Invisible,” a traveling photo exhibit featuring portraits and bios of 20 Oregon women Veterans from diverse backgrounds and eras of service, is on display in the nation’s capitol this week. [From KVAL 13]

In October 2017, the Veteran unemployment rate was 2.7 percent, down from 4.3 percent last October.  In comparison, the non-Veteran unemployment rate for October 2017 was 3.8 percent (not seasonally adjusted).  Additionally, Gulf War II-era Veterans (those who served after September 11, 2001) showed a rate of 3.6 percent for the month. [From Department of Labor]

A group of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans is demanding the Department of Veterans Affairs change its motto, which they argue is sexist, outdated and exclusionary. [From Stars and Stripes]

The state’s congressional delegation praised administrators at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Manchester for providing women better access to care at the facility. [From New Hampshire Union Leader]

Veterans group claims motto ‘symbolizes the agency’s resistance to gender equity.’ [From The Washington Times]

Officials at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America are hoping that Veterans Affairs leaders will change the department’s “sexist motto” in time for this year’s Veterans Day celebrations. [From Military Times]

Houston is home to 14,000 women Veterans, a number that has doubled in just 10 years.  “Texas, overall, has the largest number of female veterans in the nation, but the majority do not seek care at the VA,” said Rola El-Serag, M.D., medical director of the Women Veterans Health Program at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center Houston. [From TMC News]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Navy Veteran Sandra K. Carter Pedersen.  Sandra served in the Navy as a cryptologic technician (administrative) from 1975 to 1997.  She earned the rank of E-9 master chief. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Sandra!

VA announced that it will launch the Rapid Appeals Modernization Program, or “RAMP,” with the goal of providing Veterans with the earliest possible resolution of their disagreement with VA’s decision on their benefit claims. [From VAntage Point]

It’s never been easy to be a woman in the Marine Corps, which is the most physically demanding branch of the military and the one with the smallest percentage of female service members:  7.6 percent. [From The Washington Post]

Today, VA secretary Dr. David Shulkin joined President Donald Trump in the Oval Office for the president’s signing of a proclamation establishing November as Veterans and Military Families Month.  This is the first time that America will celebrate Veterans and military families for the entire month and not just on Veterans Day. [From VAntage Point]

Last year on a fourth-grade field trip, I noticed that all the boys stood in the front and raised their hands while most of the girls politely stayed in the back and were quiet.  It made me upset. [From The New York Times]

An influential group of young Veterans is challenging the Department of Veterans Affairs to change its mission statement, arguing the decades-old mantra diminishes the contributions of women service members. [From Bustle]

It has been eight months since Kathy Daniels gave birth to her daughter, but thousands of dollars in bills remain unpaid as Veterans Affairs has refused to pay. [From WFTV 9]

For the second year in a row, Military Times has expanded its traditional Veterans Day coverage to the entire month of November, putting service members past, and present, in the spotlight. [From Military Times]

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian will accept design submissions beginning Nov. 11 for a memorial that will honor the military service of Native Americans. [From Military Times]

On the eve of Veterans month, the VA, in collaboration with Got Your 6 and local Community Veteran Engagement Boards, will host a nationwide series of StorytellersX events in November and December.  These events feature Veterans sharing their stories of post-military life. [From VAntage Point]

On Oct. 21, I participated in the Women In Military Service for America Memorial’s 20th anniversary celebration in Arlington, Virginia.  The son of a member of the Greatest Generation, who served in the Navy during WWII, I was also given the distinct privilege and honor of creating the fine art that now hangs in the main gallery of this unique memorial as part of WIMSA’s recognition of contemporary women in the military. [From VAntage Point]

After years of extensive research, planning and coordination with state, federal, military and international governments, supporters of the World War I Memorial will break ground for the site just prior to Veterans Day.  The groundbreaking event is scheduled for Nov. 9 at 11 a.m. at Pershing Park in Washington, D.C. [From VAntage Point]