Iowa veterans
Iowa Veterans On Whether Or Not They Think Iowans Support Veterans
|
Veterans from different backgrounds answer in this podcast the question: What would you like the response to be when supporting a veteran in Iowa?
homeless Iowans
Inside The Reporter’s Notebook: IowaWatch’s Report On Homeless Veterans
|
As military veterans leave their positions in the armed forces, some face daunting reality of homelessness, a summer IowaWatch report revealed. We take you into the reporter’s notebook for this podcast interview with the project’s author, Thomas Nelson.
Homeless Veterans in Iowa
Why Getting An Accurate Homeless Veterans Count In Iowa Is An Elusive Task
|
No one knows for sure how many homeless veterans are on the streets in Iowa because only four of Iowa’s 99 counties are surveyed for a total statewide count. Meantime, some of the homeless veterans make it hard to be found.
Government & Politics
Some Homeless Veterans Are Missing In Action When It Comes To Assistance
|
Iowa’s homeless veterans are missing services available to help them because many do not know about the services, which include financial and housing assistance. Others simply choose not to use them.
Government & Politics
Michael Washington: Veteran Sees Opportunity To Escape Homelessness In Quad Cities
|
Depression and anxiety led Michael Washington down a route to homelessness. He said he still struggles adapting to civilian life but has a home and job, and wants to attend college again.
Government & Politics
Jarome Thompson: Homeless Travels Bring Veteran To Iowa For New Start
|
Jarome Thompson has been homeless three times since being discharged from the Army in 1983. He lives in Marion, Iowa, now and is getting help to stay off the streets.
Education
Governor Puts Focus on Veterans, Student Debt Reduction, Broadband Expansion In Legislative Program
|
Branstad Also Lays Out Hopes For A Better-Wired Iowa And Anti-Bullying Proposal In Condition Of State Address
Government & Politics
CIR Report: Overtime, New Computer System Putting Sizable Dent In VA Benefits Backlog
|
Far fewer veterans are facing long waits for disability compensation after the Department of Veterans Affairs spent the past six months focusing on the backlog, including mandating case worker overtime and rolling out a new computer system. In Iowa, 4,743 veterans were waiting at the beginning of November for disability benefits. On Nov. 12 the number was down to 4,678. Both totals are down from 6,714 at the beginning of this year.
Government & Politics
VA and Defense Department Hope Electronic Records System Moves Cases Faster
|
The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense spent at least $1.3 billion during the last four years trying unsuccessfully to develop a single electronic health-records system between the two departments — leaving veterans’ disability claims to continue piling up in paper files across the country, a News21 investigation shows. This does not include billions of other dollars wasted during the last three decades, including $2 billion spent on a failed upgrade to the DOD’s existing electronic health-records system. For a veteran in the disability claims process, these records are critical: They include DOD service and health records needed by the VA to decide veterans’ disability ratings and the compensation they will receive for their injuries. Stacks of paper files — including veterans’ evidence from DOD of their military service and injuries — sit at VA regional offices waiting to be processed instead of being readily accessible in electronic files. Although Congress repeatedly has demanded an “integrated” and “interoperable” electronic health-records system, neither the DOD nor the VA is able to completely access the other’s electronic records.
Government & Politics
News21 Investigation Finds A Nation Ill-Prepared To Deal With War Vets
|
Veterans who survived Taliban and al Qaida attacks, roadside bombs, mortar fire and the deaths of fellow soldiers told reporters from the News21 project they have returned home to a future threatened by poverty, unemployment, homelessness and suicide.