In This Issue: July 24, 2020

Welcome Home, 1st Lt Alva Ray Krogman

Congress Approves Bill Giving Federal Support to Veterans Treatment Courts

VA Would be Forced to Add 3 Illnesses to Agent Orange Presumptive List Under Senate-passed Plan

Lawmakers, Advocates Urge Change After Killing of Spc. Vanessa Guillen

94% of Vets at VA Don’t Qualify for Dental Care. Congress is Considering a Change.

National Mounted Warrior Museum planned at Fort Hood, Texas

Documents from the MACV Command Historian’s Collection Now Available Digitally

VA First to Have Medicare & Medicaid Services Codes for Chaplain Care

Final 2020 Census Reminder Postcards to Arrive Before Nationwide Rollout of Census Takers Visiting Homes

Things to do At Home

Welcome Home, 1st Lt Alva Ray Krogman

On July 7, 2020, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency identified the remains of 1st Lt Alva Ray Krogman, missing from the Vietnam War. He had joined the U.S. Air Force from Wyoming and was a member of the 504th Tactical Air Support Squadron.

On January 17, 1967, while on temporary duty with the 23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron, 1st Lt Krogman took off from Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Base in an 0-1F Bird Dog (tail number 52-2789, call sign “Nail 48”) on a visual reconnaissance mission over Savannakhet Province, Laos. His aircraft was struck by enemy fire and crashed in the target area. He was killed in the incident, and his remains could not be recovered at the time of his loss. On February 14, 2019, a Scientific Recovery Expert working at 1st Lt Krogman’s crash site in Ban Kok Mak, Laos, reported the recovery of possible remains and material evidence.

Congress Approves Bill Giving Federal Support to Veterans Treatment Courts

In a July 21 article for Military Times, Harm Venhuizen reports that a bill that would help give a second chance to veterans who’ve committed nonviolent crimes has moved to the president’s office to be signed into law. The Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act of 2019 (H.R. 886) directs the Department of Justice to create a program that would provide funding and technical assistance to state, local, and tribal governments with veterans treatment courts or the intent to begin one.

VA Would be Forced to Add 3 Illnesses to Agent Orange Presumptive List Under Senate-passed Plan

As reported July 23 by Leo Shane III for Military Times, Senate lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to force the Department of Veterans Affairs to add three serious illnesses — bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, and Parkinson’s-like symptoms — to the list of conditions presumed linked to chemical defoliant exposure in Vietnam. The move has the potential to extend veterans disability benefits to tens of thousands of veterans, but still faces a long legislative road ahead. The proposal was added to the Senate’s draft of the annual defense authorization bill, which still must survive negotiations with the House in coming months. But the 94-6 vote sent a strong message of support from lawmakers to administration officials, who have resisted the change in recent years because of the potential costs of the move.

As reported July 21 by Nikki Wentling for Stars and Stripes, lawmakers and advocates — all women — called for change Tuesday to the military’s handling of sexual harassment and assaults and described the recent killing of a female soldier as a “watershed moment” and a “reckoning” against a scourge of sexual violence in the armed forces.Lawmakers, Advocates Urge Change After Killing of Spc. Vanessa Guillen

As reported July 23 by Abbie Bennett for Connectingvets.com, about 534,000 veterans qualify for dental care from the VA. But that leaves about 94 percent of veterans without dental care from VA. Members of Congress want to change that, but VA leaders objected, arguing the department doesn’t have the capacity, staff, or money to provide more dental care, which they said could cost tens of billions. Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif., introduced a bill, H.R. 96, which would require VA to furnish dental care to eligible veterans like any other medical care.

A previous VA report also showed that providing dental services “could result in a reduction of overall medical costs,” Brownley said. That report noted that neglecting oral health can contribute to health problems, cardiovascular diseases, some cancers. and other health concerns.

National Mounted Warrior Museum planned at Fort Hood, Texas

As reported July 17 by Rose L. Thayer for Stars and Stripes, plans to build the first phase of the $11 million National Mounted Warrior Museum at Fort Hood, Texas, have been approved after nearly 10 years of planning, fundraising, and designing. Slated to open in 2022, the museum will feature the story line of America’s warfighting from the Revolutionary War to the conflicts of today. Construction will take about a year and could begin as early as September, said Bob Crouch, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and vice president of the National Mounted Warfare Foundation, which has led efforts to build the museum.

Documents from the MACV Command Historian’s Collection Now Available Digitally

The US Army announced this week that historically significant papers from the 1960-70s Vietnam era are now available for review and research online. The documents are part of the Military Assistance Command-Vietnam Command Historian’s Collection at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center. This unique holding reveals much about all levels of the simultaneous high intensity and irregular warfare efforts in Southeast Asia, and the joint, combined, and interagency coordination occurring behind the scenes. The MACV collection is just one of the 5,600 manuscript collections the USA Heritage EC is digitizing in the first effort to make available the historical materials that enhance and guide our understanding of current and future national security issues.

Veterans, their families, and staff members are urged to take everyday precautions to protect against respiratory illness caused by COVID-19. Those exhibiting symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath should call their VA medical center before going to a clinic to limit risk of exposure.

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VA First to Have Medicare & Medicaid Services Codes for Chaplain Care

The VA announced this week it has been approved to establish three new Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes for chaplain spiritual care. The new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services healthcare settings provide 15-minute sessions each for chaplain pastoral and spiritual assessment services, individual counseling, and group therapy. The new HCPCS codes further enable a comprehensive bio-psycho-social-spiritual approach. They facilitate outlining a patient’s intrinsic and extrinsic spirituality, spiritual preference, practices and health, coping mechanisms, and well-being. The three new CMS HCPCS codes will go into effect October 1. More information about the codes can be found at CMS Summary for Bi-Annual 2020 Meeting pages 45-46.

Final 2020 Census Reminder Postcards to Arrive Before Nationwide Rollout of Census Takers Visiting Homes

The U.S. Census Bureau has announced this week it is sending reminder postcards this week to an estimated 34.3 million households. This will be the final mailing before census takers begin visiting nonresponding households across the nation in mid-August. Responding now minimizes the need for census takers to visit homes to collect responses in person.