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Here are some of today's top stories and happenings at IAVA. Prefer to receive real-time updates about major stories and legislation that IAVA is tracking? Follow us on Twitter @IAVAPressRoom or subscribe to receive the brief in your inbox each morning at www.iava.org/dailynewsbrief.

MUST READS

1) Vets battle disability claims backlog

Veterans groups, including Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, have launched a lobbying offensive to ensure that veterans have access to the benefits they have earned. As Politico highlights, part of that effort was IAVA's "Storm the Hill 2010" campaign, which brought veterans from across the nation to ask policymakers, among other issues, to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs outdated disability claims system.

2) Rep. Nye: VA recouping GI Bill pay too fast

Virginia lawmaker Rep. Glenn Nye, D-Va. says the Veterans Affairs Department is not giving student-veterans enough time to repay the $3,000 GI Bill advance payments given out last fall when VA was having problems processing claims.

3) Army works to assist soldiers with rising rates of alcoholism

The Army is in the midst of a nationwide search for additional counselors in an effort to help troops struggling with rising rates of alcoholism. The hope is to reduce the wait time for help from days down to hours, as there is currently one counselor for every 2,000 soldiers. Army officials say 85 percent of the soldiers who seek outpatient substance abuse treatment are because of alcohol.

4) New push to protect custody rights of troops

Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio) is working for a fifth time to pass legislation that protects deployed servicemembers from losing custody of their children while deployed. Turner has vowed to try once again to attach the legislation to the annual defense policy bill provision. Turner hopes a promised meeting with Defense Secretary Robert Gates will result in objections to his legislation being dropped.

AFGHANISTAN

U.S.-NATO commander General Stanley A. McChrystal apologized to Afghan President Hamid Karzai for a NATO airstrike that killed at least twenty-seven civilians in southern Afghanistan, and ordered an investigation into what happened.

Police say a suicide bomber has killed 15 people in eastern Afghanistan, including a key tribal leader who played a major role in a failed attempt to capture al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden at Tora Bora in 2001.

IRAQ

The top U.S. general in Iraq said Monday he could slow the exit of U.S. combat forces this year if Iraq’s politics are chaotic following elections next month.

Eight members of one Shiite family were killed south of Baghdad on Monday in the worst incident of a bloody day across Iraq that left at least 23 dead.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

Sara Jenkins, the chef-owner of the New York City sandwich shop Porchetta, managed to fill a unique request by deep-freezing 150 pounds of pork and shipping her famed sandwiches to feed 300 Marines stationed in Afghanistan.

Even as it conducts round-the-clock exercises to support two wars, Fort Stewart spends as much as $3 million a year on wildlife management, diligently grooming its 279,000 acres to accommodate five endangered species that live here.

In changes driven by economics and demographics officers' and enlisted clubs have been closing at bases around the nation, the buildings transformed into other uses, or converted into all-ranks cafes, sports bars, restaurants and meeting places.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

Connecticut Independent Senator Joe Lieberman will be the chief sponsor of Senate legislation to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that bars openly gay men and women from serving in the military.

CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE

THE SENATE

The Senate will convene at 10:00 a.m.

SENATE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

The Senate will resume consideration of the House Message on H.R.2847, the legislative vehicle for the Jobs bill.

COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

No issues today

FUTURE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST



February 26, 2010 SVAC Hearing: VA’s FY 2011 Budget 9:30 a.m.; 418 Russell

March 3, 2010 SVAC Oversight Hearing: Mental Health Care and Suicide Prevention for Veterans 9:30 a.m.; 418 Russell

March 24, 2010 SVAC Oversight Hearing: VA's Plan for Ending Homelessness among Veterans

THE HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES



The House convenes at 12:00 p.m.

HOUSE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

H.Res. 1066 - Recognizing the bravery and efforts of the United States Armed Forces, local first responders, and other members of Operation Unified Response for their swift and coordinated action in light of the devastation wrought upon the nation of Haiti after a horrific 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Port-Au-Prince and surrounding cities on January 12, 2010 (Rep. Meek - Armed Services)

HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST



February 23, 2010 HVAC Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and Office of Information Technology Budget Requests for Fiscal Year 2011. 10:00 a.m.; Cannon 334

February 23, 2010 HVAC Subcommittee on Health Hearing: The Veterans Health Administration’s Fiscal Year 2011 Budget , with a special interest in construction.

FUTURE HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST



February 24, 2010 House Veterans' Affairs will hold a hearing entitled, "Exploring the Relationship between Medication and Veteran Suicide." 10:00 a.m.; Cannon 334

February 24, 2010 House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Hearing will hold a hearing entitled, " Examination of the VA Benefits Delivery at Discharge and Quick Start Programs." 2:00 p.m.; Cannon 334

March 3, 2010 HVAC Subcommittee on Health Hearing: Legislative Hearing on H.R. 4241, regarding State Veterans Home reimbursement 2:00 p.m.; 340 Cannon HOB

March 4, 2010 House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies hearing: VA’s budget requests for Fiscal Years 2011 and 2012. Time and Location: TBD.

A wide-range of views, positions, and publications are represented in these articles. These views, positions and publications are not endorsed by nor do they necessarily represent the views of IAVA .