http://www.chcoc.gov/Transmittals/TransmittalDetails.aspx?TransmittalId=2502

Describes the educational benefits available to active duty military and veterans as a result of recent legislation. Covers the Post 9/11 GI Bill, enhancements to the Montgomery GI Bill, and new authority for the Department of Defense to oversee transfer of benefits from active military to dependents. From the Office of Personnel Management.

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/104xx/doc10453/08-13-VHA.pdf

Reviews how the Veterans Administration has used a variety of means including expanded use of health information technology, tracking quality performance measures, coordinating care by different providers and use of evidence-based medical practices to improve medical care for veterans and how this may have implications for improving other components of the U.S. health care system. From the Congressional Budget Office.

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12662

Finds suggestive but limited evidence that exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides used during the Vietnam War is associated with an increased chance of developing ischemic heart disease and Parkinson's disease for Vietnam veterans. From the Institute of Medicine.

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12632

Argues that the Departments of Defense and Veterans Administration should implement a comprehensive strategy to achieve the goal of a tobacco free military. Use of tobacco harms the health of soldiers and veterans, impairs military readiness, and imposes a financial burden on the U.S. government. From the Institute of Medicine.

http://www.va.gov/oig/54/reports/VAOIG-07-01148-109.pdf

Reports results of national review of animal research in connection with Veterans Administration health programs. Reports overall good compliance with requirements and recommends that VHA animal research programs require university affiliates' compliance with the requirements of the Use of Animals in Research, VHA Handbook 1200.7. From the Office of the Inspector General of the Veterans Administration.

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/102xx/doc10261/TRICARE.pdf

Examines proposals to increase fees, deductibles, and copayments for the health benefits program for military forces personnel, military retirees and their families, and assesses how such proposals might affect other federal health programs and contribute to cost controls in health care. From the Congressional Budget Office.

http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2009182

Provides baseline data to compare undergraduate enrollment and student characteristics of current military undergraduates with their future counterparts who will enroll under the new GI bill. From the National Center for Education Statistics.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/Citizens_Briefing_Book_Final.pdf

Presents the leading ideas from citizens about what the Obama Administration should do. From 44,000 ideas submitted by 125,000 participants, these ideas received the most citizen "votes." Organized by nine broad categories: economy, education, energy & environment, foreign policy, health care, homeland security, service, technology, and veterans. From the White House.

http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/supplement/2008/

The major annual statistical compilation on U.S. social insurance and welfare programs. Covers the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance and the Supplemental Security Income Programs of the Social Security Administration plus major health care programs--Medicare and Medicaid--and social insurance programs such as workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, temporary disability insurance, Black Lung benefits, and veterans' benefits. From the Social Security Administration.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/vet.pdf

Reports that the unemployment rate for all veterans was 4.6% in 2008, but the jobless rate for those who served since September 2001 was 7.3%. Offers 4 tables with data by service period, gender, and ethnicity. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

https://www.nationalresourcedirectory.org/nrd/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=6006

Subtitled: An Online Partnership for Wounded, Ill, and Injured Service Members, Veterans, Their Families and Those Who Support Them. Provides a directory of valuable resources and services of federal, state, and local government agencies for ill or injured veterans, their families, and families of the fallen. From the Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs Department.