VA Sec’y Shinseki hopeful delays in checks to recent vets under new GI bill will be resolved

October 13th, 2009 VA expands benefits status for Vietnam vetsWASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department said Tuesday it plans to make it easier for Vietnam veterans exposed to the agent orange herbicide who suffer from certain medical conditions to qualify for VA benefits. The conditions are B cell leukemias, Parkinson's disease, and ischemic heart disease.

October 13th, 2009 Iraq vets at treatment plant asked to get examWASHINGTON — Six years after nearly 1,200 U.S. soldiers in Iraq were potentially exposed to a sometimes deadly chemical linked to cancer, the military and Veterans Affairs Department have been tracking them down and asking them to get a medical exam.

September 25th, 2009 VA to issue emergency checks for GI benefitsWASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department said Friday it would begin issuing emergency checks of up to $3,000 to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans whose payments under the new GI Bill have been delayed. Tens of thousand of veterans from the recent wars have been waiting for payments under the newly enacted Post 9/11 GI Bill, which was the largest expansion of education benefits since World War II.

September 21st, 2009 Mass. Senate again delays Kennedy succession billBOSTON — The Massachusetts Senate is again delaying debate on a bill allowing the governor to appoint an interim replacement for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Edward Kennedy.

September 1st, 2009 New GI Bill housing checks flowing but some delaysFacing a rush of last-minute claims, the Department of Veterans Affairs has cut housing checks to tens of thousands of veterans returning to college under the newly expanded GI Bill but officials acknowledge several thousand may get their money later than expected. With the academic year recently under way, Tuesday was the first day many veterans were due their first monthly housing stipends, which range from under $1,000 to upward of $2,500 depending on factors including location.

August 31st, 2009 Sen. Grassley hopeful on limited health reformDES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Republican Sen. Charles Grassley said Monday he remains hopeful a limited health care reform measure can be negotiated but a small group working on the issue agrees a government-run public option won't be part of a package.

August 21st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - A bill reserving four seats in the lower house of parliament and one seat in each of the four provincial assemblies for overseas Pakistanis will be introduced in the National Assembly once the law ministry vets it. "The bill is under consideration of the ministry of law and the Election Commission, Online news agency quoted Overseas Pakistanis Minister Farooq Sattar as saying.

August 19th, 2009 White House hopeful about North KoreaWASHINGTON — The White House is hopeful about improved relations with North Korea after a delegation from the communist country met in the U.S. with New Mexico Gov.

August 17th, 2009 In Pa., Shinseki pledges to modernize VA systemPHILADELPHIA — The nation's top veterans affairs official says medical benefits for veterans will not change under the health care reforms being considered in Washington. U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki spoke Monday at a town hall meeting with veterans in Philadelphia, where he pledged to modernize the Veterans Administration for the 21st century.

August 7th, 2009 Obama aide hopeful of better relations with NKoreaWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's national security adviser says he's hopeful that former President Bill Clinton's trip to North Korea to secure the release of two American journalists will lead to "other good things" between the two countries. James Jones said Thursday the relationship between the United States and North Korea hasn't changed because of Clinton's trip, which he described as a "humanitarian mission." But he said the Obama administration is delighted it produced the release of the two journalists and "we certainly hope it will lead to other good things." Jones commented in response to a question during a White House briefing on Obama's trip to Mexico next week.

June 23rd, 2009 Philly VA to research homelessness among vetsPHILADELPHIA — A new federal agency dedicated to eliminating homelessness among veterans has been established in Philadelphia. The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans plans to provide data, research and analysis to policymakers in hopes of ending the problem within five years.

June 22nd, 2009 Immigration agency says backlog virtually goneDALLAS — FBI name checks on people seeking to work or live in the United States or become citizens are getting completed more quickly, slicing through a backlog that had left some petitions pending for more than a year, immigration officials said Monday. The FBI hired more workers, beefed up its training programs and upgraded its technology to handle the average of 6 million to 7 million applications that stream through the agency each year, U.S.

April 30th, 2009 Obama hopeful for resolution in Chrysler caseWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says he is "very hopeful" for a resolution that keeps Chrysler a viable auto company. Chrysler has borrowed $4 billion from the government since the beginning of the year and could soon be in danger of running out of cash without more help.

April 30th, 2009 Obama praises vets at bike ride kickoffWASHINGTON — It's called the "White House to Lighthouse" ride for wounded warriors from Iraq and Afghanistan. President Barack Obama says like a lot of great ideas, it originated in a bar.

February 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A crucial bill aiming to transform emigration into an orderly economic process could not be introduced in parliament because of bureaucratic delays in the Law Ministry, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said here Friday. The Emigration (Amendment) Bill, 2009 had been earlier cleared by the union cabinet.