VFW Action Corps Weekly

Senate Round Table on Women Veterans: Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Jon Tester hosted a roundtable with veteran organizations to discuss improving health care and resources for women veterans. VFW National Legislative Deputy Director Kristina Keenan presented the VFW's views on challenges women veterans experience with VA health care, disability claims related to military sexual trauma, improvements needed during transition from military to civilian life, and suicide prevention. She noted, "At the last hearing before this committee, VA officials stated that women veteran enrollees in VA health care have tripled since 2001. VA must take this into consideration when requesting funding, especially for more health care providers, peer support specialists, and training."

VFW Member Testifies on Anomalous Health Incidents: The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence held a hearing on Anomalous Health Incidents (AHI). Commonly known as “Havana Syndrome,” these inexplicable medical conditions first occurred in U.S. Embassy personnel in Havana, Cuba, in 2016. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, cognitive impairment, nausea, insomnia, and hearing loss. VFW member Lieutenant Colonel Greg Edgreen, U.S. Army (Ret.), testified about his knowledge and experiences pertaining to AHI, and the importance of full implementation of Public Law 117-46, Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks (HAVANA) Act of 2021. This legislation was passed to ensure appropriate compensation payments for certain affected individuals. Edgreen also recommended the creation of a diagnostic code for VA disability benefits as AHI has been reported in and around other embassies throughout the world, and in the vicinity of Washington, D.C, affecting service members, veterans, and their families. Watch the hearing, which begins at the 7:06 mark.

Electronic Health Record Satisfaction Results: Results from DOD’s 2023 annual user satisfaction survey reflect lower satisfaction with the new electronic health record in comparison to legacy and private sector systems. The survey sought information concerning patient-centered care, efficiency, downtime, response time, and quality of care. As of March 2024, DOD and VA have reached some milestones and completed critical tasks to jointly implement the new system, and are continuing with further integration. The VFW is advocating for the passage of S. 1125, EHR Program RESET Act of 2023, and S. 1037, Department of Veteran Affairs EHRM Standardization and Accountability Act. Learn more.

MIA Update: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced six burial updates for service members who have been missing and unaccounted for from World War II and the Korean War. Returning home for burial with full military honors are:

-- Navy Fireman 1st Class Everett C. Titterington, 21, of Milford, Iowa, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 7, 1941. He was among 429 crewmen killed that day. He will be buried on Sept. 5, 2024, in Bloomington, California. Read about Titterington.
-- Army Pvt. 1st Class Lemuel Dent Jr. was assigned to the Company L, 3rd Battalion, 366th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division. He was killed in action on Feb. 8, 1945. Interment services are pending. Read about Dent.
-- Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Allan W. Knepper, 27, of Nez Perce County, Idaho, was with the 49th Fighter Squadron, 14th Fighter Group. On July 10, 1943, his airplane crashed during heavy anti-aircraft fire, and he was subsequently declared missing in action. Interment services are pending. Read about Knepper.
-- Navy Coxswain Harley E. Alexander was assigned to the destroyer USS Glennon. He went missing in action on June 10, 1944, and was deemed non-recoverable on May 4, 1949. Interment services are pending. Read about Alexander.
-- Army Corporal John A. Spruell, 19, of Cortez, Colorado, was a member of Battery B, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division. Following his unit’s engagement in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, he was declared missing in action on Dec. 6, 1950. He will be buried in his hometown on a date to be determined. Read about Spruell.
-- Army Corporal Richard Seloover, 17, of Whiteside, Illinois, was a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He went missing in action on Sept. 6, 1950, and the Army issued a presumptive finding of death on Dec. 31, 1953. He will be buried in Rock Falls, Illinois, on a date to be determined. Read about Seloover.

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