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

Sen. Jon Tester sent his 21st bill to president’s desk for signature just before the Christmas break, including legislation to honor Native American Veterans and increase protections for student Veterans. The Veterans Benefits and Transition Act passed the Senate last week. [From Missoula Current]

Women Veterans may be at a higher risk of breast cancer due to unique service-related exposures, such as burn pits, depleted uranium, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, results from a recent pilot study presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) suggested the alternative possibility of an innate or genetic risk, particularly among female African American Veterans, who have been traditionally under-represented in breast cancer research. [From Clinical Advisor]

Hawaii outperformed most West Coast states and the nation overall - percentage-wise - in getting homeless Veterans off the street this year, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. While the nation saw an overall 5.4 percent decrease in homeless Veterans, Hawaii’s homeless Veteran population dropped 13.5 percent compared with last year, according to HUD data released Thursday. [From Star Advertiser]

At 11pm Hawai’i time on December 23, it’s already Christmas Eve in Vietnam. About 60 veterans – most of them from the Vietnam War -- gathered with their supporters and loved ones at the Korea/Vietnam Memorial on the Ewa side of the State Capitol grounds. Attorney Tom Stirling was an intelligence officer in Vietnam. [From Hawai'i Public Radio]

On Dec. 20, 2018 President Trump signed into law the Chinese-American World War II Veteran Congressional Gold Medal Act, which had been passed unanimously on Sept. 12, 2018, by the U.S. Senate (S. 1050) and unanimously on Dec. 12, 2018, by the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 2358). The bill passed the House five days before the 75th anniversary of the 1943 Magnuson Act, which repealed the regrettable Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. [From White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders]

The first woman to serve as commissioner for Tennessee's Department of Veterans Services says she will retire in January. The department says Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder retired as a Colonel in the Tennessee National Guard in 2011 to accept Gov. Bill Haslam's appointment [From WATE.com]

Doug Domenech, U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, has moved to authorize $392,716, for the first quarter of fiscal year 2019, which represents a partial funding amount for the Four Atoll Healthcare Program in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Leadership at the Department of the Interior appreciates the importance of the continuity of healthcare services under this program for the people of Bikini, Enewetak, Rongelap, and Utrok. [From U.S. Department of the Interior]

The Guam Office of Veterans Affairs on Wednesday buried a decorated Air Force Veteran whose family could not be found to claim his remains.  Virgilio Visaya Colcol, 64, was laid to rest at the Guam Veterans Cemetery in Piti with full military honors. [From The Guam Daily Post]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Charles Rodriguez. Charles served as part of Merrill’s Marauders during World War II. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Charles!