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

The new eligibility criteria will be a major improvement over existing criteria in terms of making things simpler: currently, eligibility criteria vary between VA’s community care programs. When the new criteria go into effect, Veterans can expect better access and greater choice in their health care, whether at VA or through a community provider. [From VAntage Point]

With more than 180,000 the Lone Star State has the largest population of Women Veterans in the nation; however, according to a Texas Veterans Commission’s website, many Women Veterans, “continue to face significant barriers and challenges in accessing necessary health care and other services, while experiencing a lack of recognition unlike their male counterparts.” In an attempt to help raise more awareness of such challenges and concerns facing Women Veterans, two VA employees from VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System (VCB) were selected to be part of a special photo project. [From VAntage Point]

During the month of April, the Center for Women Veterans is highlighting, “Women Veterans with Disabilities are Valued.” The purpose is to raise national awareness of the contributions of women Veterans with disabilities and to tell their story of resilience. Though not always easy, these women Veterans demonstrate that they WILL NOT allow their disability to prevent them from living their best life. Our goal is to increase awareness of women Veterans, in both VA and in the public, and to encourage women Veterans to choose VA for their total body wellness.

According to the Women Veterans Office, there are over 93,000 women Veterans in Georgia. Women Veterans are often invisible as a population because American society perceives Veterans as predominantly men. [From GPB Radio News]

A Fort Hood-based pilot program that pays for soldiers to get civilian licenses and professional credentials could expand beyond Texas by the end of September, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Dan Dailey said recently during congressional testimony. Speaking to a House Appropriations Committee subpanel, Dailey said the Credentialing Assistance Program, which is now only offered to roughly 36,000 soldiers of the regular Army, Army Reserve and Texas Army National Guard at Fort Hood, is expected to expand to all installations across the service in fiscal year 2020, which begins Oct. 1. [From Stars and Stripes]

A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers has reintroduced the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps Service Recognition Act, a bill aimed at honoring the women who served in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II with honorary Veteran status. The bill would recognize former cadet nurses’ service to the country and provide them with honorable discharges, ribbons and medal privileges, as well as certain burial privileges. [From Stars and Stripes]

For decades, most female pilots in the Air Force have been forced to wear flight suits and other gear that was designed for men, and extensively altered to fit their bodies. But finally, the Air Force and Air Combat Command are working on redesigning the flight gear worn by women. [From Air Force Times]

Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, the commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service who made history as the service’s first female fighter pilot, was one of 23 general officers nominated Tuesday to receive their second star. Leavitt was at the top of her class when she finished pilot training in 1992, and was given her first choice of aircraft to fly – as long as it wasn’t a fighter, bomber, special operations aircraft, or any of the other planes that were off-limits to women at the time. [From Air Force Times]

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is giving Veterans new training options to potentially land a job in the high tech industry. The VA is planning to launch their Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses (VET TEC) program this year. [From Black Hills FOX]

Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) is an annual observance in April to raise public awareness about sexual assault. VA’s SAAM campaign focuses on sexual assault and sexual harassment occurring during military service – also known as military sexual trauma or MST. [From VAntage Point]

There was a time when Christina Meredith slept in her two-door Chevy Cavalier every night for more than a year. Even in her homelessness, Meredith always had her eye on the future. [From Stars and Stripes]

The Marine Corps’ brief and limited experiment integrating female recruits into an all-male unit for their initial training at boot camp came to an end Friday. And as the recruit class graduated at Parris Island, S.C., officials said they were undecided about whether the Corps, which has long refused to fully integrate its recruit training, will ever do it again. [From Marine Corps Times]

For the first time, a state’s National Guard command staff is entirely female. The Maryland National Guard’s four top leaders are all women, and three are African American. [From Military Times]

While there is no “silver bullet” solution, the Coast Guard should develop more equitable personnel policies to address the large number of women leaving the service, a new study says. The Coast Guard wanted to find out why women are leaving at a much higher rate than men, so it hired the RAND Corporation to study the issue and come up with recommendations to better retain women. [From Military.com]

The Air Force announced Friday that it has selected 43 majors in the Nurse Corps for promotion to lieutenant colonel. The Air Force Personnel Center said it provided the names of those who were selected to their senior raters in advance, so their commanders could give them the good news. [From Air Force Times]