Blog post

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) House bill expands benefits for female vets and caregivers

The House has unanimously passed a bill that provides assistance to financially strapped family members of severely wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who care for them. The $1.7 billion in caregiver benefits is part of comprehensive legislation that would open the door wider for the Veterans Affairs Department to offer assistance to family members of veterans. Click here to read IAVA’s statement on the sweeping legislation.

2) Amid new GI Bill woes, VA says fix is coming

As new problems surface with Post-9/11 GI Bill payments, Veterans Affairs Department officials told a Senate committee they are hoping for faster claims processing and more accurate payments by December, when they deploy a fully automated claims system. The VA has already deployed parts of its new program.

3) Germany honors 14 U.S. troops

Fourteen U.S. troops who braved fire from Taliban fighters to help bring wounded Germans to safety near the city of Kunduz in northern Afghanistan have received Germany’s highest military honor for valor. The American troops are the first foreign troops to have ever been given the “Gold Cross” medal.

AFGHANISTAN

Australian and Afghan forces captured Mullah Faqir, a Taliban commander who coordinated improvised bomb attacks in the Mirabad Valley in southern Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province, Australia’s military said.

The command directive to limit U.S. tactical air support in Afghanistan to better avoid civilian casualties has translated into less ordnance being delivered in support of ground troops, the commander of one of two Air Force wings in the country said.

A little more than half U.S. adults support the war in Afghanistan while 39 percent oppose it, a poll released Wednesday indicated.

IRAQ

An Iraqi electoral official said Wednesday that a court-ordered recount of Baghdad votes from last month's inconclusive election could begin as early as next week.

Opening arguments began Wednesday in the court-martial of a Navy SEAL accused in the abuse of an Iraqi prisoner suspected of masterminding the killings in 2004 of four U.S. private security contractors.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

U.S. military aircraft took to the skies over much of Europe on Wednesday after being grounded for nearly a week by fears that the Icelandic volcano ash cloud could damage aircraft engines.

The Department of Defense plans to deploy a threat reporting system and a law enforcement information sharing system in order to help prevent events similar to last November's shootings at Fort Hood.

A group of retired military officers said that 9 million young adults, or 27 percent of all Americans ages 17 to 24, are too fat to join the military. The retired officers were on Capitol Hill advocating for passage of a wide-ranging nutrition bill.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

Military spouses living in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands can delay paying their federal tax returns until Oct. 15 if they meet two requirements, the Internal Revenue Service has announced.

President Barack Obama’s top military adviser said U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are missing out on cutting-edge treatment, education and family services, even as 50,000 more head home this year.

CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE

THE SENATE

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

SENATE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

No issues today

COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

No issues

FUTURE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST

May 5, 2010: Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Hearing: VA Disability

May 19 2010 Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Hearing: Pending Legislation 9:30 a.m.; 418 Russell

THE HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES 



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

HOUSE FLOOR ACTIVITY of INTEREST

No issues today

HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST 



April 22, 2010 House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Hearing: Examining VA’s Fiduciary Program: How Can VA Better Protect Vulnerable Veterans and Their Families? 2:00 p.m.; 334 Cannon HOB

FUTURE HOUSE COMMITTEE HEARINGS of INTEREST 



May 5, 2010 House Veterans' Affairs Committee Hearing: Status Update on the National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study 10:00 a.m.; 334 Cannon House Office Building

May 6, 2010 House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Hearing: Quality vs. Quantity: Examining the Veterans Benefits Administration‚s Employee Work Credit and Management Systems

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 .