VA Opening Burn Pit Registry

VA Press Release

The VA is committed to caring for the needs of Veterans who have lung and other health conditions possibly related to their deployment to the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations. The Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry <http://naus.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT00MTAyMjMyJnA9MSZ1PTEwMDAwODA4MjAmbGk9MjM0NDM5Mzc/index.html> will enable VA to better assess the health of veterans exposed to burn pits and other airborne hazards.

Families still feeling effects of Agent Orange

Tony Musolino (from left), Mack Mitchell and Rossi Nance take part in a planning meeting for an upcoming town hall meeting about the effects of Agent Orange at the Vietnam Veterans of America offices in Wilmington on Tuesday. The town hall meeting is scheduled for June 28 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Elks Lodge at 5102 Oleander Drive in Wilmington.

Click here to view the event web site

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Vietnam Veterans of America Responds to Sen. Burr Open Letter to America's Veterans

May 27, 2014

The Honorable Richard Burr

825 A Hart Senate Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator Burr:

On behalf of the membership of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), we write to express our astonishment at your insulting remarks about the testimony and staff of VSOs in your May 23 “Open Letter to America’s Veterans.”  Clearly you were neither present, nor listening when you were present, to our testimony and that of our colleagues, none of whom defended “the status quo within the VA,” or spoke to “protecting our relationships within the agency and securing access to the Secretary and his inner circle.”  

And similarly, for you to state that VSO executive staff “ignored the constant VA problems expressed by their members and is more interested in their own livelihoods and Washington connections…,” is blatantly false and, in reality, is perhaps more reflective of your lack of knowledge of the character, integrity, and honor of these fine people who serve their membership. The VVA staff is known for their candor and bluntness when discussing problems with health care and other vitally needed veteran services, either with VA officials or with Members or Senators in the Congress.

May 23, 2014 - 3:51 PM

Senator Burr Releases an Open Letter to America’s Veterans

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today, U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, released the following open letter to America’s veterans:

May 23, 2014

To the Nation’s Veterans,

Over the course of the last few weeks, there has been a great deal of media coverage—rightly so—of the still-unfolding story coming out of the Department of Veterans Affairs regarding secret wait lists and other problems related to appointment scheduling at VA facilities. Last week, the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs heard from Secretary Shinseki, representatives of some of the Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs), and others.

A MESSAGE TO VETERANS FROM THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Fellow Veterans and Family Members

After 38 years in The Army, I am now honored and privileged to serve as your Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA).  VA remains committed to providing the high quality benefits you have earned and deserve.

Allegations of VA employees' misconduct have surfaced over the last several weeks, beginning with scheduling delays at the Phoenix VA Health Care System. As I testified before Congress on May 15, I take any allegations about patient safety or employee misconduct very seriously.  The reports of Veterans' negative experiences while seeking VA care are of great personal concern to me. I fully agree with President Obama's statement on May 21, 2014: "If these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable, it is disgraceful . . . ."