Benefit Issues and Updates

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Found a few articles with a slight positive spin on it for those whol want to know.

USSVI Veterans News
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Posting Date: 05 July 2006
From: John Dudas
VA Opens 25 New Clinics

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The Secretary of Veterans Affairs has announced plans to open 25 new community-based clinics in 17 states and American Somoa.

The new facilities, called community-based outpatient clinics, or CBOCs, will start becoming operational this year.

The new clinics will be located in Alabama, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Local VA officials will keep communities and their veterans informed of milestones in the creation of the new CBOCs.

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More

USSVI Veterans News
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Posting Date: 05 July 2006
From: John Dudas
TRICARE Continues to Enhance Benefits

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Enhancements to the TRICARE benefit for this year include:

(1) colorectal cancer screening for beneficiaries age 50 and older who are at normal risk;

(2) the TRICARE Reserve Family Demonstration Benefit extension through Oct. 31, 2007;

(3) medically necessary obstetrical ultrasounds;

(4) dental implants and related prosthetics covered at a 50-percent cost share.

In addition, the National Defense Authorization Act authorized a number of additions to the TRICARE program, effective Oct. 1.

For the most up-to-date information on the current benefit and changes, visit www.TRICARE.osd.mil

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Latest feedback on an important issue:

USSVI Veterans News
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Posting Date: 31 May 2006
From: John Dudas
New Treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

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Post-traumatic stress disorder, like any other psychological trauma, is difficult to diagnose, and often, even more difficult to treat.

But a team of psychotherapists at the North Chicago VA Medical Center's PTSD Treatment Clinic is finding that a somewhat physical procedure may indeed offer some success.

Physically, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is as simple as a therapist waving a hand in front of a patient's face, but it is what happens at the psychological level that is much more complicated and controversial.

EMDR is currently endorsed under the VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a treatment of "significant benefit."

[Boats]

I should give you the site I'm finding this data as there is much more that may be of interest to others.

http://www.ussvi.org/veterans/top.htm