VA Distributing Checks To Students.  In continuing coverage, George W. Reilly, in the lead item for his Providence (RI) Journal (10/5) "Veterans' Journal" column, reports, "Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has taken extraordinary action in authorizing checks for up to $3,000 to be given to students who have applied for educational benefits and who have not yet received their government payment. The check distribution to eligible students began Friday at VA regional benefits offices across the country." The VA "has about 25,000 claims pending that may result in payments to students." The St. Joseph (MO) News-Press (10/5), meanwhile, reports, "VA officials emphasize that $3,000 is the maximum payment, with many veterans receiving smaller amounts based on their monthly education benefits."
Impact: GI bill

Experts: Brain-Injured US Civilians Could Benefit From Research On War Wounded.  The Chicago Tribune (10/5, Healy) reports, "A world away from the roadside bombs and combat injuries of Iraq and Afghanistan, Americans are suffering the same type of brain injury seen in troops coming home from those war-torn countries." Because of those injuries to troops, the "nation's military branches" and the US Veterans Affairs Department "have stepped into a virtual funding void, investing heavily in research on brain injury and its aftermath. The combined surge of public attention and military largesse, experts say, promises to bring civilian and military victims alike better means of diagnosing and treating brain trauma and limiting its toll on lives." The Los Angeles Times (10/5) publishes the same story on its front page.
Impact: TBI research

VA System To Augment CDC's Monitoring Of Swine Flu Vaccine Side Effects.  On its website, NPR (10/5, Knox) reports, "The first doses of vaccine against swine flu - officially known as H1N1 of 2009 - will start arriving at hospitals, doctors' offices and clinics around the country Tuesday." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "is planning to watch more closely than ever for serious side effects among those who get the new vaccine, says Dr. Beth Bell of the agency. The CDC will use, among other things, its own Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System," which "will be augmented by surveillance in the military services, the Veterans Affairs system, and a new 'real time' monitoring system that involves health plans covering 15 percent" of the US population.
Impact: H1N1 monitoring