On behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs and our Nation's Veterans, I extend our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences to Senator Kennedy's wife and family.

With the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the Nation has lost a forceful, compassionate voice for Veterans. Senator Ted Kennedy knew there are many ways to serve our country and one was through military service. His life-long support for homeless Veterans enabled VA to develop the Department's programs into a viable, nationwide campaign.

A staunch advocate for education, he lent his voice and energy to the improvement of educational benefits for generations of military members and Veterans, most recently with the new Post-9/11 GI Bill. His forethought to broaden access to health care was important to VA when the Department undertook a major reorganization of its health care system earlier this decade.

Senator Kennedy's voice may have been silenced, but his message remains and his commitment to public service will be an example for generations to come.

Round table discussion at Portland State University on the Post 9/11 GI Bill

Secretary Shinseki, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Governor Kulongoski (D-OR) participated in a round table discussion at Portland State University on the Post 9/11 GI Bill. More than 100 Veterans and representatives from various service organizations attended the event. The Secretary emphasized his commitment to ensuring Veterans are aware of the benefits to which they are entitled. The Governor, who received his undergraduate education and a law degree as a beneficiary of the GI bill was emphatic in his support as was the Senator.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki addressing Blinded Veterans Association Convention Opening in Portland, Ore.

Secretary Eric Shinseki addressed blinded veterans, their families, and some 250 VA Blind Rehabilitation Service employees at the 64th annual gathering of the Blinded Veterans Association in Portland, Oregon. The convention was highlighted by the participation of 17 recently blinded service members from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom as part of the Association's Operation Peer Support initiative. The group was seated in the front row for Secretary Shinseki's keynote speech that officially began the five-day event.

VA Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs Speaks at the Jewish War Veterans National Convention

Tammy Duckworth, VA assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs, addresses the Jewish War Veterans national convention in New Orleans, telling conferees that "VA is committed to ensuring it has the necessary resources to meet the health care needs of our Veterans. We have already begun the process of transforming VA into a 21st century organization."

Secretary Shinseki Addresses the 110th Veterans of Foreign Wars Annual National Convention

Secretary Shinseki spoke to veterans at the 110th Veterans of Foreign Wars Annual National Convention in Phoenix. He discussed issues that are important to today's veterans and shared his vision for transforming VA into a high-performing 21st century organization that serves Veterans by increasing access to services and benefits, providing the highest quality of healthcare available, and controlling costs.

Philadelphia Forum Focuses on Veterans' Issues

Senator Arlen Specter (PA) and Secretary Shinseki participated in a Veterans Forum Monday, August 17, at Drexel University in Philadelphia. The event attracted more than 200 attendees and was the first of two Veterans town halls held the same day in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - the second coming some three hours later and 300 miles away in Pittsburgh. The forum included VA health care, disability and retirement benefits, and education. Drexel University also held a Veterans educational fair, with information for prospective students about the post-9/11 GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon program.

Statement on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS):

Last September the Secretary of Veterans Affairs made amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) a presumptively compensable illness for all Veterans with 90 days or more of continuous active service in the military. As a result, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can now pay disability compensation to Veterans with ALS. Their survivors are also eligible for VA benefits.

In an effort to provide Veterans this new and much-needed support, VA sent notification letters to Veterans with ALS advising them of their potential eligibility for disability compensation benefits. On August 13, 2009, VA sent outreach letters to 1,864 Veterans and survivors across the country. Unfortunately, VA made a coding error and a number of Veterans who should not have received this letter did. The Department is reviewing individual claims files for all the recipients of this letter to identify those who received it by mistake.

VA employees are calling Veterans and survivors to ensure that they understand the purpose of the letter, explain why they mistakenly received the letter, and express VA's sincere apologies for the distress caused by this unfortunate and regrettable error.

Q + A:

How many Veterans have been affected?

• Approximately one third of the letters VA sent were miscoded.

Will VA be issuing a formal apology?

• Yes, the Department is calling all affected Veterans and will also be issuing them a formal letter of apology.

Why did Veterans who do not have ALS get letters?

• VA used data and information from its data base to identify Veterans diagnosed with ALS or who had filed a claim for ALS, but were not currently receiving disability compensation benefits for the condition. However, as a result of problems in the codes VA used to identify these Veterans, VA sent the letter to some Veterans who do not have ALS.

What is VA doing to correct the mistake?

• We are working to identify the specific problems that caused the misidentification of Veterans records. We will ensure any future data extracts for similar outreach purposes are properly formulated and independently validated to prevent these types of problems in the future.

Will Veterans be reimbursed for medical expenses incurred?

• VA will reimburse Veterans who incurred expenses for medical evaluations conducted as a result of receiving an erroneous notification.

What will VA do to prevent this from happening again?

• As a result of this incident, VA is creating a more rigorous process that includes thorough and careful screening of the data, comprehensive review and approval process that will include involvement from our stakeholders before release of notifications letters.

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