Your morning veterans news report for Monday, 7/21:
Even when the VA does act, it’s still failing our veterans (The Washington Post)
Commentary: We owe our veterans—and all those who are socially marginalized—adequate support without undermining their freedom.
How to get veterans the psychiatric care they need (Seattle Times)
Commentary: No matter their branch of service, their age or their background, it’s well-documented that veterans face significant challenges, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance-use disorders.
In the hot seat: Veterans Affairs secretary nomination (The Washington Post)
The Senate does have several high-ranking Obama administration officials testifying this week, including the confirmation of former Procter and Gamble executive Robert McDonald to be veterans affairs secretary.
McDonald must clean house at the VA, experts say (Stars & Stripes)
Bob McDonald, President Barack Obama’s pick to head up the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs, faces such a hidebound bureaucracy that experts say the way forward is clear: He must clean house.
Iraq veteran cited for owning 14 therapeutic ducks (Stars & Stripes)
An Army veteran who hurt his back during the Iraq War is worried a citation will result in him losing his 14 pet ducks, which he says are therapeutic. Officials in the village of West Lafayette, Ohio, told him to get rid of the ducks in May and cited him for a minor misdemeanor on June 23 for failing to comply. Walker is scheduled to appear in Coshocton Municipal Court for a hearing Wednesday and could face a $150 fine.
At veteran homeless center, sketches of war, regret and mistakes (Stars & Stripes)
At Fort Lyon in Colorado, a reporter talks with homeless veterans and spends time sketching their stories.
She is a whistleblower with a passion for the truth (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Kristen Ruell, a 39-year-old from Philadelphia, became a national voice in the call for accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs last week when she spoke before Congress about mismanagement at the Germantown VA center where she works.