Members of Occupy Grand Rapids are planning to spend Friday protesting state plans to privatize careworker positions at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans.

In a Facebook post the group says that it will gather from 4:00 – 7:00 pm at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans on 3000 Monroe Avenue Northeast.

Lets stand up on Veterans Day. Lets stand up for our vets who deserve the best care we can offer. Lets stand up and say we will not be held hostage by these profits before people policies. Tell Snyder that we will not stand for experienced, hard working, public health care employees being replaced by inexperienced and underpaid workers. Caring for our vets is such an important job that it should be compensated with benefits and a fair living wage.

The Grand Rapids Press reports the state is trying to privatize 170 unionized caregiver postions at the facility, which is one of only two in the state for veterans.

A five-year contract worth nearly $6.6 million has been awarded to Grand Rapids-based J2S Group HealthForce. State officials have argued the move will save more than $4.2 million, an estimate union leaders dispute because of turnover, training and other costs.

A resident of the Grand Rapids home has sued to stop the privatization and an Ingham County judge issued a temporary restraining order against the shift. State leaders are challenging that court ruling.

If the law, Senate Bill 5, is not repealed, Ohio’s veterans in public service could be impacted to a much greater degree than the average teacher, firefighter or police officer, as The American Independent previously reported.

“For public employees that are also veterans, this is just like a double-whammy against them,” said Shelli Jackson, a veteran and former music teacher now serving as a labor relations consultant for the Ohio Education Association.

SB5 could have a major impact on the pay, benefits and job security of veterans in the public sector, even more so than their colleagues without military experience.

The legislation ends the long-running practice of awarding veterans entering the teaching profession with a slight entry-level pay increase for years served in active duty. The form of veteran’s preference is designed to bring the pay scale of teachers that fought for their country in parity with those that did not serve and could, in the meantime, accumulate experience in the classroom.

“The average veteran isn’t your typical entry-level teacher. They have families for the most part. So they need that additional compensation, I think, to establish themselves,” said Jackson.

If the bill stands after Nov. 8 and collective-bargaining rights are eroded, opponents are concerned those public sector union members that also serve in the Ohio National Guard of Reserves could lose pay, or even their jobs, if deployed.

With virtually all bargaining powers stripped, public-sector unions may not be able to guarantee members that could be deployed overseas will continue to receive the difference in pay from their civilian job and military job.

“Unfortunately the military pay doesn’t always reflect what they are making in their communities,” said Air Force veteran Mike Weinman, a former Columbus police officer now serving as the director of governmental affairs for the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police. “So that’s a hardship on those individuals when they can’t have that differential pay.”

The bill also mandates that pay raises be based on merit, and are no longer determined by seniority.

“If you’re deployed for a year and you’re a Cleveland police officer, you’re not making any arrests in the city of Cleveland that year,” said Weinman. “How exactly are they going to determine merit pay if people are deployed overseas?”

Those serving their country could also be top targets when budgets get tight and cuts are made. Currently, most of Ohio’s public-sector unions operate under a “last in, first out” policy when it comes time to determine layoffs. Under SB5, that, too, would change to a system based on merit.

“I could really see veterans and those that are service members that are out on deployment to be targets as the first ones to be cut and lose their job,” said Jackson.

It’s unclear exactly how many of Ohio’s 350,000-plus public-sector workers have military backgrounds. But Weinman said at least 30 of his colleagues in the Columbus Police Department were veterans.

He believes that fewer veterans will decide to enter public service if SB5 is not repealed.

“I wanted to continue to serve in whatever capacity,” he said. “That’s what a lot of veterans do. But when you find yourself being vilified by these extremist politicians just because you are a public worker, I could imagine some people do take that into consideration when deciding whether to continue serving the community.”

Weinman, who is a registered Republican, said few Ohioans are aware of the how the legislation not a single Democrat voted for will affect the state’s veterans. Those that do are not sure how Ohio went from honoring its veterans for their service to their country with cash bonuses to being on the verge of stripping their basic collective-bargaining rights.

“Its part of this extremist political agenda,” he said. “There seems to be a disconnect between these extremist politicians and respect for men and women in uniform.”

The bill, which voters will have the chance to repeal on Nov. 8 via the veto referendum Issue 2, ends the long-running practice of allowing service members going into teaching to count some of their active-duty service towards classroom tenure. It could limit the ability of unions to negotiate for additional protections for their members that serve in the National Guard and Reserve.

“It’s a failure to acknowledge the service and commitment that many of us have had to go through. It’s a slap in the face is really what it is,” said Zach Roberts, the veterans outreach coordinator for We Are Ohio, a citizen-driven, community-based, bipartisan coalition that has come together to repeal SB5 by voting ‘no’ on Issue 2. “It’s not enough to support the soldier; you have to support the veteran, too. You don’t get half of us, you get all of us.”

Currently, veterans hired as public school teachers in Ohio can count every eight consecutive months of active duty military service towards one year of tenure in the classroom, for up to a maximum of five years. Doing so provides a minor bump in salary for veterans that go into the education field.

For some veterans, it can amount to up to $2,000 in annual salary, according to Roberts. The extra pay is designed to encourage veterans to enter the field and, for those who do, to level the playing field with their colleagues that had the opportunity to gain experience while servicemembers were active.

“They missed out on going into that career field because they were serving their country at that point. That’s really what it’s all about,” said Roberts. “Veterans Preference is really about nothing more than giving a veteran an equal opportunity.”

If SB5 is not repealed, that provision of existing Ohio law would be removed.

The legislation could also result in uncertainty for veterans in public service that are members of the National Guard or Reserves. By stripping public sector unions of most of their collective bargaining powers, those teachers, firefighters and police officers deployed overseas could have to worry about their families transitioning to a new health-care plan.

Prior to SB5, public sector unions could bargain for protections that allow those returning from duty to return to the exact position they left. The ability to negotiate such terms could be endangered by SB5.

“Health insurance is one of these things where you want consistency. You don’t want to have to switch up your doctors; you don’t want to have to change up anything that could complicate a treatment that a family member may be having,” said Roberts, who is both a veteran and member of the Ohio National Guard. “This provision is critical for that continuity and consistency and that’s not something that a union will be able to negotiate for in the future given the restrictions placed on the collective bargaining process.”

Paul Worley, who was recently honorably discharged from the Army after seven years of active duty that included two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, decided to volunteer for We Are Ohio after learning about the ways that SB5 could affect Ohio’s veterans.

Through his conversations with fellow veterans, he’s learned that few are aware of the impact the legislation could have on the community. When they do learn, they are not particularly happy, he said.

“You wouldn’t call it discriminatory towards veterans, but it definitely doesn’t put them in that higher echelon and give them an advantage,” Worley said. “We want veterans working these public sector jobs because they know what self-sacrifice is. They’ve seen things and done things and had training that the average citizen hasn’t.”

For Roberts, defeating SB5 is a matter of looking out for Ohio’s nearly 1 million-strong veteran community and the countless others that depend on them.

“Voting ‘no’ on Issue 2 protects Ohio’s veterans, military service members and their families. This law disrespects our experience, it dismisses what we have to offer to those in our communities,” he said. “People should be voting no on this to maintain the protections that we have in place for National Guard members and Reservists and to maintain the opportunity that it provides veterans to be able to move into public service.”

The ad is embedded below:

The Paul campaign has said the full ad time buy is in excess of $1 million. The spot will run nationally Thursday, prior to the GOP debate set to take place in Orlando, Fla. Afterward, it will run in the four early states — Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina — on both regular and cable stations.

After 10 days of airtime, the campaign intends to offer a new message, and continue in that way for a total of four weeks. This offering marks the fourth time during the 2012 campaign season that Paul has reached out to Iowa caucus-goers by paid television advertisement.

Jesse Benton, Paul’s national campaign chairman, notes that his candidate has garnered more donations from active-duty military than all the other GOP presidential candidates combined, and more than President Barack Obama as well. Benton believes this is due to Paul’s continued calls to bring the troops home and his overall stance on foreign policy.

Filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois, the suit alleges Walgreens breached its contract and staged an aggressive campaign targeted toward end users of both company’s services.

Walgreens sent out a letter to Tricare members this summer, which very directly provided the drugstore’s viewpoint regarding the dispute. More recently, the company has launched a website, ichoosewalgreens.com, to further get its side of the story before customers.

Military families and retirees have been confused by the outreach, many believing that Tricare has decided to no longer do business with Walgreens, says Patricia Kime of the Military Times.

Express Scripts spokesman Thom Gross issued a media statement concerning the lawsuit saying that “Walgreens has crossed a line and is not negotiating in good faith” and is instead hoping to “mislead and manipulate” customers using Express Scripts.

Walgreens flatly denies such charges, saying the company needed to do outreach to help their pharmacy customers understand what might happen if the impasse between the companies continues.

Tricare proper is not involved in the negotiations or the lawsuit, according to Rear Adm. Christine Hunter, deputy director of the Tricare Management Agency. She said her agency has received calls from concerned health care providers and wants patients to understand they have time to switch prescriptions, if it becomes necessary, and explore other options if they currently use Walgreens.

“There are 56,000 other pharmacies [in our network] where they can obtain prescriptions. They also have mail order and home delivery,” Hunter said.

In July Walgreens officials said they wouldn’t sign the proposed contract because they believe Express Scripts’ reimbursement rates fall below market rates, and the proposal gives Express Scripts an unfair advantage in future decisions.

Express Scripts officials say Walgreens’ payment rates are higher than industry standards and they believe the company should be more competitive.

Negotiations remain at a standstill and, if no agreement is reached, Walgreens will leave the Tricare pharmacy network on Jan. 1, 2012. It’s also worth noting that the two companies — Walgreens and Express Scripts — were involved in a similar standoff in 2008 and ultimately reached an agreement.

The bottom line from Hunter is that Tricare users shouldn’t “let that advertising, letter and Internet outreach campaign scare you.” Regardless of the ultimate outcome, she said, members will be able to have access to the medications they need.

“There is no emergency, and there is time for people to understand and consider their options.”

In addition to Tricare, some private insurers and government medical insurance programs utilize Express Scripts. If the companies are unable to reach agreement, all prescription plans managed by Express Scripts would no longer have Walgreens in the provider network.

A coalition of more than 70 regional organizations joined forces Friday to care for homeless and nearly homeless veterans and other community members. From haircuts to medical screens to winter clothing, the coalition, organized by the Linn County Department of Veteran Affairs in cooperation with other groups combating homelessness, served more than 150 people during its sixth annual “Stand Down” event.

Over the years the scope of the event has grown, but the mission has remained mostly the same, said Don Tyne, Linn County VA director. “We want to connect people who are homeless or near-homeless with the groups and services that can give them a hand up, get them back on their feet.”

Volunteer Sarah Castelein scrubs down a table as part of the prep work for a free lunch served to veterans and other at-need residents. (Photo: Lynda Waddington/The Iowa Independent)

Although initially created as a service just for veterans and their families — and hosted from the back of a truck — the event, Five Seasons Stand Down, is now open to all who are challenged and this year took up the entire concourse at the ballpark as well as a portion of the parking lot.

“Stand Down” is a term historically used in times of war in which exhausted combat units come off the battlefield to rest and recover in a place of safety. Today the same term refers to this type of community-based program that provides food, shelter, clothing, basic medical exams, general legal services, and other assistance and referrals to the homeless or near-homeless.

According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, the very first such event was held in San Diego, Calif. in 1998. Since that time, Stand Downs have been used an effective took in reaching out to homeless veterans, extending services to more than 200,000 veterans and their family members throughout the nation.

The events have worked well, Tyne said, because military veterans are, in general, people of pride and the Stand Down events don’t carry the same stigma that a veteran may experience by walking into a traditional substance abuse or behavioral health service.

“Just like the name implied historically, this is a safe place,” he said.

A wide range of services and referrals were offered to those who attended the Five Seasons Stand Down event. (Photo: Lynda Waddington/The Iowa Independent)

Earlier this year two federal agencies joined forces to offer Congress and the nation a first-ever report of its kind on homeless veterans. According to that report, each state in the nation has some level of homeless veterans — nearly always a disproportionate number when compared to veterans in the overall population. In the Midwest, for instance, veterans comprise 7.7 percent of the total population. Veterans, however, represent 9.5 percent of all of those seeking homelessness services. In the nation’s western states, the figures have even more contrast with veterans making up only 7.2 percent of the population, but 13.2 percent of those homeless.

Duncan Hunter

U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), a long-time opponent of open service in the military for gays and lesbians, is drafting legislation, according to Army Times, that wouldn’t seek to reinstate the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy set to end this month, but would allow military personnel to voice their opposition to serving with such individuals.

Speaking with National Public Radio in February 2010, Hunter gave his reasons for opposing repeal of DADT:

… I think that its bad for the cohesiveness and the unity of the military units, especially those that are in close combat, that are in close quarters in country right now. Its not the time to do it … [T]he folks who have been in the military that have been in these very close situations with each other, there has to be a special bond there. And I think that bond is broken if you open up the military to transgenders, to hermaphrodites, to gays and lesbians. …

It’s not just gays and lesbians. Its a whole gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual community. If you’re going to let anybody no matter what preference – what sexual preference they have that means the military is going to probably let everybody in. Its going to be like civilian life and the I think that that would be detrimental for the military. …

The Hunter proposal is expected to specifically address sensitivity training that is being conducted by the military branches in preparation for the Sept. 20 repeal date of DADT.

“We’ve heard the training is really pushing the line for people who believe homosexuality is wrong on religious and personal grounds,” an aide, who asked not to be identified, told Army Times. “It is a legitimate concern, under the circumstances, with the services working on disciplinary policies for people who don’t agree with this decision.

“The military always falls in line, but that doesn’t mean that the men and women who serve in its ranks should suddenly be forced to personally accept something that is contrary to their own principles,” the aide said.

The proposal has not yet been submitted for consideration, but it is believed that if such a measure is going to be considered, it would need to be one of the first proposals viewed by Congress when it reconvenes on Sept. 7.

Hunter, who was first elected to Congress in 2008 as the successor to his 14-term father of the same name, served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan as a member of the Marine Corps. He is the first Marine combat veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan elected to Congress.

Since DADT was first introduced in 1993, the military has discharged more than 13,500 soldiers for being gay.

“In a decade of war, they have borne an extraordinary burden, with more than two million of our service members deploying to the war zones,” Obama said. “Hundreds of thousands have deployed again and again, year after year—never before has our nation asked so much of our all-volunteer force.”

A policy of shorter deployments and draw-down of troops in Afghanistan has removed some soldiers from harm’s way, Obama said, although there’s a “moral obligation” to provide support for those who’ve already served, including extending the reach of health care, especially for rural veterans and women.

He referenced the tough job market for returning soldiers. Minnesota has one of the nation’s worst unemployment rates for veterans who’ve served since Sept. 11, according to a recent congressional report. Obama vowed to create 100,000 jobs for veterans, through the creation of the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits for companies that hire veterans.

“For the sake of our veterans, for the sake of our economy, we need these veterans working and contributing and creating the new jobs and industries that will keep America competitive in the 21st century,” Obama said.

Obama said mental health care was also a priority for his administration — long waits for mental health treatments have drawn criticism.

“The days when depression, PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder] were stigmatized must end. That’s why I made the decision to start sending condolence letters to the families of service members who take their lives while deployed in a combat zone,” Obama said. “These American patriots did not die because they were weak — they were warriors, they deserve our respect — every man and woman in uniform, every veteran, needs to know that your nation will be there to help you stay strong.”

U.S. Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison also spoke Tuesday. U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann is scheduled to speak to the convention Thursday.

District Court Judge Brad McCall earlier ordered Phoenix-based Americans with Disabilities, L.L.C., a for-profit company, and its owner, Dale R. Sieck, from future telephone and mail solicitations to Iowa consumers. The company was ordered to pay a $2,000 penalty to a state elderly victim fund that benefits the investigation and prosecutions of frauds against older Iowans.

On Tuesday, District Court Judge Artis Reis issued a consent judgment that barred telephone solicitor Jeffrey A. Balke, who worked on behalf of the company, from future telephone and mail solicitations to Iowans.

Miller’s lawsuit against Americans with Disabilities, filed June 3, came after the state’s Consumer Protection Division recorded the following phone call in which Balke, soliciting for the company, weaves a very tragic story about how he, supposedly a native of Dubuque, is blind, uses a seeing eye dog, is a Vietnam veteran who was exposed to Agent Orange and had a daughter die on Thanksgiving Day from cystic fibrosis. (LISTEN)

A Consumer Protection Division investigation determined that none of Balke’s claims were grounded in reality. He only passed through Dubuque one time; wears eyeglasses but is not blind; was 13 years old in 1971 and never served in Vietnam; and has three very healthy adult children.

Judge Reis indicated in his order than each future violation by Balke should be penalized “in the highest amount provided” by the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act.

Americans With Disabilities sells products by phone, including $45 tins of cookies, saying it uses its profits to help disabled people. A company produce insert stated that it makes “a special effort to enable handicapped or otherwise disadvantaged workers” by paying “a great percentage” of sales proceeds to workers who “have had trouble in obtaining employment in the mainstream workforce.”

In the wake of the suit, Miller reminds Iowans to continue giving to charity, but to give wisely by being aware of such fraud. His advice includes being leery of a sympathetic name or sales pitch, asking specific questions about how the organization spends its money and requesting written information. More information avoiding charity fraud is available on the Attorney General’s website.

They found that all the service members had low omega-3 levels, and that suicide risk was greatest among individuals with the lowest levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHS), the major omega-3 fatty acid concentrated in the brain.

Capt. Joseph R. Hibbeln, M.D., led the NIAAA team, and full results of the study are being reported in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

The findings, according to Hibbeln, add to an extensive body of research that points to a fundamental role of DHA and other omega-3 fatty acids in protecting against mental illness problems and suicide risks.

“For example, an previous placebo-controlled trial demonstrated that two grams of omega-3 fatty acids per day reduced suicidal thinking by 45 percent as well as depression and anxiety scores among individuals with recurrent self-harm,” said Hibbeln.

“In a prior study we found that low blood levels of DHA correlated with hyperactivity of brain regions in a pattern that closely resembles the pathology of major depression and suicide risk. While omega-3 fatty acids are generally recommended by the American Psychiatric Association as an adjunctive therapy for mood disorders, more research is needed to establish a definitive role for their use in the stand alone treatment of depression.”

It is believed that the identification of low DHA status as a significant risk factor for suicide deaths should complement ongoing efforts in the U.S. military to study modifiable risk and protective factors related to mental health and suicide among personnel. The study presents new information on the potential usefulness of omega-3 fats in reducing risk for suicide and optimizing mental health, which can be taken into account when designing U.S. military diets.

The question of whether omega-3 fats can enhance stress resilience, wellness and military performance was part of a workshop co-hosted by the Samueli Institute, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the NIAAA and NIH. Presenters at that workshop advocated that such fats may play a role in reducing inflammation, improving blood flow, enhancing immune function, general mood, cholesterol reduction, lessening obesity risk and assisting in the prevention of cancer cell growth.

A videocast of day one of that workshop is embedded below:

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Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseeds, walnuts, fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna and herring), cloves, oregano, mustard seeds, broccoli, cauliflower, raw tofu, soybeans, shrimp, scallops, winter and summer squash, green leafy vegetables, strawberries, raspberries, and brussel sprouts. Of those foods listed, all except flaxseeds, walnuts, salmon, mackerel and herring require more than a 100 gram portion.

The research is important not only as suicide prevention but due to the fact that psychiatric disorders — mood, substance abuse, anxiety — currently account for four of the top 10 causes for hospital stays among U.S. military personnel.

Most recent suicide data for military personnel — from last year, which included National Guard and reservists — showed an average of 25 soldiers killed themselves each month. Overall, the Army suicide rate has more than doubled since 2004 from 10 per 100,000 to 20 per 100,000 active-duty personnel.