Nothing worse to me than those who prey on the weak or those who manipulate the generosity, compassion and kindness of humans to exploit them. Glad to see that the initial efforts by Operation Stand Down Nashville to expose this group as a bunch of phony thiefs has met with such great success, and I'm hoping this is just the first domino to fall for them, as they've been stealing the money honest, caring people have been misled into thinking was going to vets for a lonnnngggg time now, in many many states.
A big thanks to channel 5 and everyone else who worked to expose these creeps, as well as Todd Kelley, director of Tennessee's Charitable Solicitations Division, who put some teeth into the demand to stop stealing from the public under the guise of assisting veterans.
If you happen to see these clowns out collecting, please call the State of TN Solicitations Division at (615) 741-2555.
Tennessee's Charitable Solicitations DivisionState Cracks Down on Veterans Fundraiser Group
NewsChannel 5 Investigates first exposed the practices of a group claiming to raise money for veterans. Now, that group has been ordered to stop collecting donations in Tennessee and has been hit with a hefty fine by the state.
It's the latest fallout from our undercover investigation.
Back in February, NewsChannel 5 Investigates first exposed how the Veterans Support Organization was collecting money in Middle Tennessee. And, we found that what our undercover crews were told by the men dressed in fatigues wasn't always true.
One man collecting donations told us, "We can help get a homeless or needy veteran off the street and into our shelter."
That same man also told us he was out there volunteering his time, even though NewsChannel5 Investigates later discovered he was, in fact, getting paid.
"We believe that they were making false statements to the public about what they're using contributions for," said Todd Kelley, director of Tennessee's Charitable Solicitations Division.
Now, the state of Tennessee has come down hard on the VSO, ordering the group to pay $50,000 in penalties for 10 separate violations of the state's Charitable Solicitations Act.
Back in February, Hank Edney, the head of the Tennessee VSO office at the time, assured NewsChannel 5 Investigates, "All of the funding raised here will stay in Tennessee."
The group's own brochures made similar claims.
Now, the state is going after the group for falsely claiming that the VSO provides veterans in Tennessee with things like furnished apartments, permanent housing, and employment assistance and that it has a "professional partnership with the VA Health Care System."
According to state regulators, that is all untrue.
"I think it's quite serious," Todd Kelley said. "I mean, anytime a charitable organization misrepresents itself when appealing to the public for contributions, we take that very seriously."
After our investigation, the group's national leaders insisted that what we uncovered were a few isolated incidents. They even put out a press release insisting that the individuals soliciting donations that we talked with shouldn't be believed because they suffered from "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other mental health disabilities."
But the man who regulates charities in Tennessee said his office's investigation found false claims also coming from the group's higher-ups.
"In this case, these printed materials were clearly coming from the organization," Kelley explained.
Since moving into Tennessee in January, the VSO has collected tens of thousands of dollars in the name of veterans. State regulators say it's important for folks to ask questions before they give to find out exactly who they're giving to and what the money will be used for.
Kelley added, "And, this (the VSO) is proof positive of why they need to do that."
A spokesperson for the VSO told NewsChannel 5 Investigates that the group plans to appeal the violations because she said they do provide the services. However, they're available only in Florida.
She insisted the VSO never claimed to offer them here. The state disagreed and said the letter spelling out the violations speaks for itself.
The Veterans Support Organization is also being fined because it never registered with the state to raise money here, even after being told by regulators that they had to do so before collecting any more donations.
Oh my GAWD it's freakin hot, even for the South! The only other time I've had to deal with this kind of heat was when I spent time in Death Valley, California!
It's so hot that when I stepped off the porch and into the direct sun yesterday, the temperature had weight to it and you could feel the heat pressing on you; and I mean pressing on you, like it had some physical presence against your body.
Folks on the street are staggering around, looking for respite in damned near any place they can find it, and many of us who normally try to spend time on the streets helping others are finding any excuse we can not to go out in it. This is a rare change because most of the time, folks are out in every kind of weather, but I'm telling you, this heat is beyond ridiculous.
I submitted a piece to the homelessness resource center recently that should come out there soon and I'll share it here, because it deals with outreach in the heat and may help some of you in your efforts.
Beating the Heat on the Street
As an outreach worker and a formerly homeless person in recovery, I know firsthand the impact hot summer days can have on those of us who must survive almost continual immersion in the natural elements. Much has been written on the clinical symptoms of hyperthermia and the signs and symptoms of exposure to extraordinarily hot summer days are important to know and recognize.
Heat-related illness occurs when a person’s body is unable to compensate for the increase in temperature and properly cool off. Cooling occurs normally by sweating and evaporation but in some situations an individual’s perspiring is simply not enough to get the job of cooling the body done. When this occurs, a person's internal temperature can quickly rise into the danger zone and if left unchecked, the high body temperature may damage the brain or other vital organ and could result in death. Joseph Rampulla explains that “heat waves account for more deaths than all other natural disasters combined in the USA (2004). He reminds us that the poor, elderly, children and those individuals who isolate themselves are both at very high risk and are “disproportionately affected” by extreme heat.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) states that “Extreme heat is marked by temperatures that stay 10° or more above the average high for a region over a period of weeks” and provides the following information to recognize heat related emergencies:
• Heat cramps are painful spasms of the leg or stomach muscles that may be accompanied by heavy sweating. They do not require medical attention, but the person should stop all activity, sit quietly in a cool place, and drink water, juice, or a sports drink.
• Heat exhaustion is marked by extreme fatigue, heavy sweating, thirst, headache, dizziness, fast and shallow breathing, nausea and vomiting, pale and moist skin, and a fast, weak pulse. If untreated, the symptoms may progress to heat stroke.12,14 Cooling measures may include rest in an air conditioned environment; light weight clothing; cool, nonalcoholic beverages; and a cool shower or bath.
• Heat stroke is a life-threatening hyperthermic condition caused by breakdown of the body’s thermoregulation. The skin no longer sweats and becomes red, dry, and very hot. Body temperature is above 103°F and can rise rapidly to 106° F in as little as 15 minutes.14 Chest pain, shortness or shallowness of breath, and abdominal pain may be present along with confusion, anxiety, a rapid pulse, and throbbing headache. Until emergency medical care arrives, caregivers should start to cool the person rapidly with whatever methods are available: remove extra layers of clothing, fan, wrap in a wet sheet, sponge with any cool liquids, or spray with cool water from a garden hose.
While the medical aspects of over-exposure to heat are certainly important to understand, they are not the only issues individuals face when the mercury rises. Sweltering days may cause significant difficulties in the daily routine of individuals while increasing overall risk factors to those who must endure them. My own anecdotal street experience in dealing with the heat on the street has found that when the weather turns oven-hot for days at a time, cities get even hotter, thanks to heat-absorbing properties of asphalt and concrete, creating the “urban heat phenomenon” (Rampulla, 2004).
People experiencing homelessness are already under significant stress from difficult living conditions and adding unbearable heat for long periods can reduce coping mechanisms; tempers may increase as patience and tolerance can shorten. Several other troublesome issues arise; insomnia increases among many people experiencing homelessness due to intolerable sleeping conditions; the heat increases the risk of food spoilage and resultant illnesses for those without access to refrigeration; and hot temperatures also causes some to take increased risks in order to beat the blazing heat by swimming in dangerous and/or polluted waters, trespassing to access cool areas, drinking alcohol more heavily than normal, using drugs to escape the misery, etc. Alcohol and coffee are diuretics which can quickly deplete the body of available fluids, while certain drugs, especially amphetamines or cocaine, create hyperthermic responses in the body under normal conditions; using speed, crack or cocaine during heat waves can spell disaster for the individual.
I approach outreach differently during very hot days. If one is available, I try to use a large air conditioned van and fill several coolers with ice and bottled water. I make my rounds around the city and offer “cool seats” inside the van when I encounter people on the street. I have a small dvd player and a selection of comedies that folks can watch as they take 30 minutes to sit in a cool environment and rehydrate themselves. I also provide free “shuttle service” to the local libraries and day shelters so folks don’t have to walk to “cooling centers” in the heat. I try to regularly visit those people I know to have serious and/or chronic health issues that make them more susceptible to the heat. Finally, I purchase extra daily bus passes and hand them out so individuals can escape the heat by riding air conditioned public transportation.
Summertime brings with it additional dangers and problems for those on the streets, but it also brings new opportunities for outreach and engagement as well. A kind face, a cool seat, a short ride, a bottle of iced water, and a bus pass will be remembered by those you’ve helped for a long time to come, and you may just save a life in the process.
CDC. (2007). Emergency Preparedness & Response. (2007). Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/heat-guide.asp
Rampulla J. (2004). Hyperthermia & Heat Stoke: Heat-Related Conditions, In The Health
Care of Homeless Persons: A Manual of Communicable Diseases and Common Problems in
Shelters and on the Streets, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.
http://www.bhchp.org/BHCHP%20manual/pdf_files/ Part2_PDF/Hyperthermia.pdf
Several months ago, I was approached by Dr. Bennett Fletcher who works for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Some quick background: NIDA established the Criminal Justice-Drug Abuse Treatment Studies (CJ-DATS) project in 2002 to reduce substance abuse and recidivism among offenders following their release from jail or prison.
"Dr. Bennett Fletcher serves as CJ-DATS program scientist and provides NIDA input to the network's planning and decision-making. According to Dr. Fletcher, 'As many as half of the individuals serving sentences in the Nation's jails and prisons have drug problems. The transition from detention or incarceration is a period of high risk for relapse to drug use, acquisition and transmission of infectious diseases, and drug-related recidivism. In its first 5 years, CJ-DATS identified a range of effective practices to reduce these risks.'"
Dr. Fletcher is no slouch when it comes to research and effective policy formation, and one of the things he is interested in addressing is the fact that that the last several major disasters that occurred in our country, especially Katrina, brought with them an interesting sub-population that experienced displacement; opiate addicts.
Now I'm sure this is nothing new; disasters have happened and displaced folks for as long as humans have wandered nekkid and hungry on the earth, and opium/opiates and those who've used the drug excessively have been suffering withdrawals when their stash ran out or they were forced to leave their stash - and their connections - behind since the first person ate a poppy and fell in love with the buzz that followed.
The problem of course is that first responder disaster teams have no idea how to handle these kinds of folks, and frankly, most typical medical units aren't really equipped to address the issues related to withdrawals either, which, if one has been using opiates, especially high quality, big gun junk like China White or the more prevalent and oh so popular Mexican Black Tar heroin (that's the one that grabbed me by the short hairs and didn't let go for many many years), is going to be very bad indeed.
I've heard people who really have no idea tell me that withdrawing from heroin or opiates is like dealing with the flu. Yeah, right.
Maybe if user was using low-grade peashooters like vicodin or codiene, I'd agree. Or perhaps if the flu also brought with it Dante's nine circles of hell and a couple of dozen World of Warcraft Ogres who repeatedly smashed your body with wood mallets, I'd concur.
But it doesn't and it's NOT at all like the goddam flu because I've had the real flu at least a couple of times in my life, and I've been "dopesick" dozens of times and I'm here to tell you, unequivocally and with absolute certainty that withdrawing from a serious opiate addiction is definitely not like the flu, got it?
What makes it different from the flu, and any junkie will tell you this, isn't the severity of the body aches, the diarrhea and vomiting, the wickedly disgusting potency of usually benign and familiar smells, the vicious "running legs" and insomnia, the sweats, chills and shakes, although they are all doubly bad enough to move a withdrawal far outside the realm of flu illness.
It's the mindfuck that moves it into a hellish world all its own....
I was withdrawing one time in a small northeastern California town and it was definitely a very bad kick. I had been using heavily and daily for many months when I ran out of chiva (street slang for black tar heroin). The first 24 hours were merely agonizingly miserable, but as I moved into the height of the withdrawal, the real fun began.
I was laying on the floor of my bedroom because the smell of the sweaty, filthy sheets made me vomit nonstop. I had a fan on to blow-dry the sweat pouring off my body and as I lay there, the fan began to make stange woowooowooo sounds, long, drawn out, like an engine slowly winding up, then down. I opened my eyes and was suddenly in a very demonic place, and I'm definitely not one to bring religion or religious images into the forefront of my thinking. I knew I was still in that bedroom, but the room itself had transformed into a large, greyish green area made up of moldy large blocks and had, at bizarre, skewed angles, these big iron doors like castle doors; rounded at the top, with what appeared to be big rivets going up one side, across the top and then dropping down to the floor on the other side.
As I lay there, with this damned fan woowooing me into psychosis, my mind's eye traveled to the first door and I heard a loud, clanging bell, like a very large church steeple bell, that clanged and clanged. As the bell clanged, I heard a very deep and dark, sort of Vincent Price voice call out: "Hear ye, Hear ye, all who enter here enter the gates of hell!" The door then flew open under this truly evil and maniacal laughter, exposing hundreds of living dead people all in various stages of using; some fixing their dope, some injecting themselves, some helping others, and all of them looking at me with this horrid grin while beckoning me to come join them.
I have no idea how long it lasted but I was forced somehow to visit every door, and in each of those rooms I was waved in by these....damned demons, all of whom could have taken a role in a zombie flick without any need for makeup or wardrobe.
Through it all I knew it wasn't really happening, but it was so powerful, so real and so terrifying that it caused a 'flashbulb" moment for me and it has been forever burned into my memory in all its detail so much so that I can clearly see it in my mind as I write this.
Granted, that was by far the worst mindfuck I've ever experienced, but the manipulation of one's thought processes and emotions while undergoing a strong opiate withdrawal is a very powerful and mentally painful separator from the flu.
The other aspect of this is the desperation in which one operates as they struggle to "get well" and search for dope. I would drive 100 mile an hour down Highway 70 (the Feather River bypass), which is a twisty canyon road following the Feather River, hauling ass to get to a connection in Marysville or Oroville and not caring whether I lived or died in a crash on the way. I surely ran people off the road and often was driving while puking and sick sick sick as I drove maniacally down that highway in a desperate drug seeking run.
I know too how someone could rob a store or a person at gunpoint, although thank the Gods I never stooped to that level, but the fear of that sick is so strong that some people are driven to actions they'd never ever consider under any other circumstances.
So I will spend today enlightening "first responders" to the challenges and pitfalls in dealing with displaced opiate addicts under the tutelage and supervison of Dr. Fletcher. I'm excited that I can turn the worst part of my life's history into something positive and helpful for others, and I owe a huge thank you to BigWillyC for referring Dr. Fletcher to me. Ought to be a real hoot today....
On Monday, July 12, 2010, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is scheduled to publish a final regulation that will make access to care and the claims process easier for Veterans seeking compensation for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The rule reduces the evidence needed if the PTSD stressor claimed by a Veteran is related to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity and is consistent with the places, types, and circumstances of the Veteran’s service.
PTSD is a recognized anxiety disorder that can develop from seeing or experiencing an event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury to which a person responds with intense fear, helplessness or horror, and is not uncommon among war Veterans.
Under the new rule, VA will not require corroboration of a PTSD stressor related to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity if a VA psychiatrist or psychologist confirms that the stressful experience recalled by a Veteran adequately supports a diagnosis of PTSD and the Veteran's symptoms are related to the claimed stressor.
Previously, VA required non-combat Veterans to corroborate the fact that they experienced a PTSD stressor related to hostile military activity. This final rule simplifies the development that is required for these cases.
VA expects this rulemaking to decrease the time it takes VA to decide disability claims and access to health care, falling under the revised criteria and for Veterans to access health care. More than 400,000 Veterans currently receiving compensation benefits are service connected for PTSD. If service connection for PTSD is established under the new rule, a Veteran disabled by PTSD will be entitled to disability compensation, which is a tax-free benefit paid to a Veteran for disabilities that are a result of -- or made worse by -- injuries or diseases associated with active service.
Quick Facts:
·The new rule will simplify and streamline the processing of PTSD claims, reducing the time and frustration traditionally involved when Veterans apply for disability compensation for PTSD and access for mental health care.
·Veterans who do not otherwise meet eligibility requirements for enrollment in the VA health care system cannot receive mental health treatment at a VA facility without a disability rating from VA.
·This new rule is for Veterans of any era.
·This decision is consistent with recent Institute of Medicine studies of scientific data.
·The new rule will apply to claims:
oreceived by VA on or after July 12, 2010;
oreceived before July 12, 2010 but not yet decided by a VA regional office;
oappealed to the Board of Veterans' Appeals on or after July 12, 2010;
oappealed to the Board before July 12, 2010, but not yet decided by the Board; and
opending before VA on or after July 12, 2010, because the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims vacated a Board decision and remanded for re-adjudication.
·Not all combat wounds are visible. For decades, VA has led the health-care community in treating and researching the psychological wounds of war, especially PTSD.
·Since the start of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, VA has dramatically expanded the number of its mental health professionals to care for returning Veterans, including 1,000 just last year alone.
·VA will continue its world-class research program and its aggressive outreach to returning Veterans. The Department is committed to continuing to improve its processes to meet the needs of our newest generation of heroes.
·VA will continue to verify war deployments with the Department of Defense (DoD) to protect our Veterans from the backlash against any attempts at fraud.
·VA is the largest integrated health care system in the Nation and consistently ranks at the top, or near the top for quality and safety by various sources to include seven US News World Reports’ “Top US hospitals,” and HHS’s & Medicare Hospital Comparison metrics.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
For VA Final Rule AN 32
“Stressor Determinations for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder”
1.What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition resulting from exposure to direct or indirect threat of death, serious injury or a physical threat. The events that can cause PTSD are called "stressors” and may include natural disasters, accidents or deliberate man-made events/disasters, including war. Symptoms of PTSD can include recurrent thoughts of a traumatic event, reduced involvement in work or outside interests, emotional numbing, hyper-alertness, anxiety and irritability. The disorder can be more severe and longer lasting when the stress is human initiated action (example: war, rape, terrorism).
2.What does this final regulation do?
This final regulation liberalizes the evidentiary standard for Veterans claiming service connection for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Under current regulations governing PTSD claims, unless the Veteran is a combat Veteran, VA adjudicators are typically required to undertake extensive record development to corroborate whether a Veteran actually experienced the claimed in-service stressor. This final rulemaking will simplify and improve the PTSD claims adjudication process by eliminating this time-consuming requirement where the claimed stressor is related to “fear of hostile military or terrorist activity,” is consistent with the places, types, and circumstances of their service, and a VA psychiatrist or psychologist, or contract psychiatrist or psychologist confirms that the claimed stressor is adequate to support a diagnosis of PTSD.
3.What types of claims for VA benefits does the final regulation affect?
The final regulation will benefit Veterans, regardless of their period of service. It applies to claims for PTSD service connection filed on or after the final regulation’s effective date, and to those claims that are considered on the merits at a VA Regional Office or the Board of Veterans’ Appeals on or after the effective date of the rule.
4.Why is this final regulation necessary?
The final regulation is necessary to make VA’s adjudication of PTSD claims both more timely and consistent with the current medical science.
5.How does this final regulation help Veterans?
The final regulation will simplify and streamline the processing of PTSD claims, which will result in Veterans receiving more timely decisions. A Veteran will be able to establish the occurrence of an in-service stressor through his or her own testimony, provided that: (1) the Veteran is diagnosed with PTSD; (2) a VA psychiatrist or psychologist, or a psychiatrist or psychologist with whom VA has contracted confirms that the claimed stressor is adequate to support a PTSD diagnosis; (3) the Veteran's symptoms are related to the claimed stressor; and (4) the claimed stressor is consistent with the places, types, and circumstances of the Veteran’s service and the record provides no clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. This will eliminate the requirement for VA to search for records, to verify stressor accounts, which is often a very involved and protracted process. As a result, the time required to adjudicate a PTSD compensation claim in accordance with the law will be significantly reduced.
5. How does VA plan to monitor the need for examiners in various regions of the country, and how does VA plan to respond if is determined that more examiners are needed in a particular region?
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has written in to the FY11-13 Operating Plan the need for additional staff to support doing adequate, timely exams. VHA proposes: “A8. Increase mental health field staff to address the increase in C&P examinations and develop monitoring system to ensure clinical delivery of mental health services does not decrease in VHA.“ Specifically, VHA has requested 125 clinicians for FY11 with additional 63 staff in FY12 if the need exists. If the Operating Plan and the proposed budget are approved, VA proposes asking the Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) to develop plans for distributing the funds in order to ensure adequate coverage at sites based on number of claims being processed; the VISNs are well positioned to determine these regional needs.
6. How does the regulatory revision affect PTSD service connection claims where an in-service diagnosis of PTSD has been rendered?
The new regulation does not apply to the adjudication of cases where PTSD has been initially diagnosed in service. Rather, under another VA rule, 38 CFR § 3.304(f)(1), if a Veteran is diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder during service and the claimed stressor is related to that service, in the absence of clear and convincing evidence to the contrary, and provided that the claimed stressor is consistent with the circumstances, conditions, or hardships of the Veteran's service, the Veteran's lay testimony alone may establish the occurrence of the claimed in-service stressor.
7.Is the new regulation applicable only if the Veteran's statements relate to combat or POW service?
No. The rule states that the stressor must be related to a “fear of hostile military or terrorist activity,” and the claimed stressor must be “consistent with the places, types, and circumstances of the veteran’s service.”
8. What circumstances will still require stressor verification through DoD’s Joint Services Records Research Center (JSRRC) , VBA’s Compensation &Pension Service (C&P Service), or other entity if a Veteran claims that his or her stressor is related to a fear of hostile or terrorist activity?
The regulatory revision will greatly lessen the need for undertaking development to verify Veterans’ accounts of in-service stressors. Now, stressor development may only need to be conducted if a review of the available record, such as the Veteran’s service personnel and/or treatment records, is inadequate to determine that the claimed stressor is “consistent with the places, types and circumstances of the veteran’s service.” In such circumstances, the Veterans Service Representative (VSR) will determine on a case-by-case basis what development should be undertaken.
However, it is anticipated that in the overwhelming majority of cases adjudicated under the new version of § 3.304(f), a simple review of the Veteran’s service treatment and/or personnel records will be sufficient to determine if the claimed stressor is consistent with the places, types, and circumstances of the Veteran’s service. We also believe that, in some cases, a Veteran’s separation document, DD-Form 214, alone may enable an adjudicator to make such a determination.
9. As the regulatory revision seems to require an enhanced role for the examining VA mental health professional, whose role is it to determine whether the claimed stressor is consistent with the Veteran’s service?
VA adjudicators, not the examining psychiatrist or psychologist, will decide whether the claimed stressor is consistent with the Veteran’s service.
10. Is a Veteran's testimony about “fear of hostile military or terrorist activity” alone sufficient to establish a stressor?
Yes, if the other requirements of the regulation are satisfied, i.e., a VA psychiatrist or psychologist confirms that the claimed stressor is adequate to support a PTSD diagnosis and that the Veteran's symptoms are related to the claimed stressor, and the stressor is consistent with the “places, types, and circumstances of the Veteran’s service.”
11. Are the stressors accepted as adequate for establishing service connection under new § 3.304(f)(3) limited to those specifically identified in the new regulation?
No. The examples given in the revised regulation do not represent an exclusive list in view of the use of the modifying phrase “such as” that precedes the listed examples. Any event or circumstance that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of the Veteran or others, would qualify as a stressor under new § 3.304(f)(3).
12. How will the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) work with Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) on the new regulation?
VHA was actively involved in discussion with VBA of the new regulation and fully supports the new regulation.
The new regulation will provide fair evaluation for Veterans whose military records have been damaged or destroyed, or for whom no definitive reports of combat action appeared in their military records, even though they can report such actions and it is reasonable to believe that these occurred, given the time and place of service.
This will be especially beneficial to women Veterans, whose records do not specify that they had combat assignments, even though their roles in the military placed them at risk of hostile military or terrorist activity.
This means that more Veterans will become eligible for VA care and thus be able to receive VA care for mental illness related to their military service, as well as receiving full holistic health care.VHA will work actively with VBA on implementing the regulation. VHA staff’s main role is as clinicians conducting C&P interviews to establish diagnoses and obtain other information to be used by VBA raters to determine the outcome of claims.
The new regulation will not change the diagnostic elements of the C&P interview, but may change what additional data are collected for use by VBA raters.
I've lived in a lot of places of the past 50 years, from the disgusting dirt floor basement of a house full of hookers in Lansing Michigan to a nasty trailer in Port Orange Florida that was literally crawling with roaches and palmetto bugs. I wintered in the Sierra Nevada mountains in a handbuilt lodgepole Teepee, then moved to a Chinese Cook's cabin on a ranch under Spanish Peak in Meadow Valley, California. I've lived right on the Feather River in a dot of a town in Northeastern California and grew more pot in the spare bedrooms than most folks could smoke in three lifetimes. I've lived in the upper peninsula of Michigan on the shore of Lake Superior, ran nekkid with my lovely wife the back yard desert of my home in the Washoe mountain range of Nevada, and lived next to a guy in Philadelphia who told me he was going to introduce me to "Pink" of Pink Floyd (I'm still waiting to meet ol Pink....). I've hunkered down with junkies in abandoned flats from Detroit to San Francisco and the single common theme for every one of those places I've lived in the past 50 years - when I wasn't wandering streets, alleys and towns homeless - is that I'd never be able to own any one of them.
Until now.
After 12 years of meticulous attention to my credit, I had a score high enough to qualify for a THDA first time homebuyer's loan. I got prequalified and made an offer on a little house in the Mt. Juliet area yesterday.
Today the owner accepted my offer.
I'm thrilled....
But I think you all need to excuse me while I go throw up now....
I know why it takes elections to generate enough interest in those suffering along through "unenjoyment " to restore or extend their benefits; it's all about trying to get votes, we all know that.
What I don't know or understand is how anyone can argue against providing unemployment benefits to people who have lost their jobs and are actively seeking alternative employment opportunities.
The sheer idiocy of comments like the one GOP Sen. Kyl tossed onto the Senate floor during a debate - "Unemployment Benefits Make People Not Want To Get A Job" - gives me at least an inkling into the stinkling thinkling some have when it comes to this issue, but in every single case I've had in front of me over the past year, not one of those persons was making a go of it on their unemployment bennies when compared to what their salaries were when they were working full time. In fact, the very vast majority of them were in my office with eviction and cutoff notices, hoping we'd be able to provide at least a little relief as they downsized their lives and eliminated every budget item that wasn't an absolute necessity in their lives.
I was discussing this issue with a colleague the other day and the conversation eventually settled on the idea that we will never understand this kind of thinking, since it defies the rational, logical mind, especially if one has had the opportunity to work with people who are barely surviving on their benefits and who are desperately trying to find work before the money runs out completely. It's akin to the rational mind trying to understand what motivates a child molester, a rapist, an arsonist, a murderer, it's so out of the scope of logic, compassion and respect for one's fellow human neighbors in this world that it defies the ability to grasp it enough to create a rationalization.
I don't mean to call Senatory Kyl any of these things and I certainly don't intend to suggest his statement is on par with the heinousness of these acts. I'm merely arguing here that it's as impossible for me to understand his thought process here as it is for me to understand why someone would commit a serious crime against another human being.
And what's even scarier to me is the fact that it's not just Sen Kyl who thinks like this, but apparently so too do enough Americans - my fellow countrymen and women who most certainly have in at least some way been negatively impacted by the current economic situation in the United States - to get this guy elected into political office.
I guess ultimately this bring me to the conclusion that ignorance breeds contempt and at times, gross incompetence and stupidity in terms of actions either taken or prohibited. That we need education and awareness on a scale so large that it reaches the entire nation is a task so daunting to lil ol me that I can barely fathom that, either. But rather than giving up and sticking my gnarled old head in the sand, like so many of us do on issues like this, I'm saying something about it. Raising awareness, dontchakno, because I believe that even if we've got to do this - raise awareness and understanding - one person at a time, it's too important to ignore because so many are counting on us to provide a voice that's been silenced by poverty....
Senate Close to Restoring Jobless Benefits As Midterm Election Approaches
Friday, July 16, 2010 By Stephen Ohlemacher, Associated Press
Washington (AP) - More than 2 million workers who have been laid off for long stretches could get their unemployment benefits restored as early as next week.
The Senate plans to take up a measure Tuesday to restore the extended benefits, right after a new Democratic senator from West Virginia is sworn in, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday.
With the death of Sen. Robert Byrd, Senate Democrats had been a vote short of the 60 needed to overcome a GOP filibuster. West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin has said he could name a temporary replacement to fill Byrd's seat as early as Friday.
The House already has passed a bill to extend the benefits through November, at a cost of about $34 billion. The money would be borrowed, adding to the national debt.
About 2.5 million people have lost their benefits since the last extension ran out at the end of May. The bill would add up to 73 weeks of extra benefits, paid for by the federal government, on top of the 26 weeks typically provided by states.
Reid, D-Nev., said Byrd's replacement will be sworn in Tuesday afternoon, and a bill to extend the jobless benefits will be up for a vote immediately afterward.
Lawmakers have been sparring for weeks over extending the benefits. Some Democrats have argued that lawmakers have a moral obligation to extend the benefits while the unemployment rate hovers above 9 percent. Many Democrats also see the benefits as insurance against the economy sliding back into recession because laid off workers typically spend their payments quickly, stimulating the economy.
Republicans, tapping into voter anger about the growing national debt, said they would support extending the benefits if the bill was paid for. They have proposed using unspent money from President Barack Obama's massive 2009 economic recovery package, a plan Democrats oppose
Channel 5 news is reporting that a "homeless man" was struck by several vehicles as he attempted to cross I-65 under the Rosa Parks bridge.
The reporters were wondering why someone would be on the interstate after midnight and I instantly flashed on the two gentlemen I picked up a couple of days ago, drenched in sweat and about to pass out from heat exhaustion. Yesterday's weather was the same, if not worse, and even my oldtimer, Kuma, who normally loves loves loves the heat on his ol bones, just sits inside the on an ac vent and looks away when I try to coax him outside to do his bidness. He's no fool.
So here's a very plausible scenario: Man has some appointment to make over in Metro Center, which happens to house a number of government agencies, as well as the Mental Health Cooperative. Man makes it over there during business hours but doesn't want to have to deal with midday furnace temperatures. Man waits until it's dark to walk anywhere. Man avoids bridge due to chance encounter with police vehicle and decides to cross freeway instead. Man may or may not have had a few beers, bottles of "wash" or other intoxicating substance. Man misjudges speed of oncoming vehicles and gets smucked. End of story.
See? If ya just think about it for a sec, it's pretty simple to consider how the gentleman wound up on the freeway around midnight on one of the hottest days of the summer so far.
