December 7, 2011 – Marine Times

In light of a Veterans Affairs Department study showing that one-third of female Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder report being raped, sexually assaulted or harassed, and one in 100 military men say they’ve experienced unwanted sexual contact, VA issued guidelines to regional offices Dec. 2 on assessing claims for PTSD caused by military sexual trauma.

Most VA disability claims require a statement from the veteran, along with objective documentation such as a doctor’s statement or evidence of a traumatic event, a diagnosis or participation in combat for supporting a claim.

The sexual trauma guidelines encourage examiners to look for evidence that an assault or harassment occurred, including requests for reassignment, pregnancy tests, seeking treatment for depression and other signs that something happened in addition to considering statements from the veteran.

“VA is aware that, because of the personal and sensitive nature of the [military sexual trauma] stressors in these cases, it is often difficult for the victim to report or document the event when it occurs,” the guidelines state.

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December 9, 2011 - ombudsman.ed.gov

Find help resolving federal student aid disputes.

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December 9, 2011 - www2.ed.gov

Was your college enrollment interrupted when you were called to Active Duty? For information on returning to the college you previously attended, review the Q & A for guidance on approaching your school when you’re ready to reenroll.

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December 12, 2011 – American Forces Press Service

Military leaders are committed to reducing suicides in the ranks, Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, the Defense Department’s top enlisted leader, said here Dec. 9.

Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service reporters after the recent release of a report on military suicides by the Center for a New American Security.

The report concludes that suicide among service members and veterans challenges the health of America’s all-volunteer force. From 2005 to 2010, service members took their own lives at a rate of about one every 36 hours, according to the report. It also states that while only 1 percent of Americans have served during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, former service members represent 20 percent of suicides in the United States. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates 18 veterans die by suicide each day.

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December 11, 2011 – WTDV ABC

A family known in the Ft. Bragg community for giving of themselves has been a victim of a grinch just two weeks away from Christmas.

The Jacobson family says they came home Friday night to find their home ransacked after burglars broke in and made off with some of the family’s prized possessions.

Some of the items that were missing included computers, televisions and their autistic son’s Playstation. When Army SSG Patrick Jacobson went in his bedroom he noticed a safe was missing with family momentos and $1,000 cash inside, money that he had saved to visit his other children in N.Y.

“He worked hard. He sold his truck to get that money. And he gets to see them twice a year and – that’s the most upsetting part,” his wife Shannon Jacobson said.

In just two months SSG Jacobson will be deployed to Afghanistan. He was hoping to spend part of the holiday season with his other children before he leaves. Now he is not sure what will happen.

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Anyone who would like to help the Jacobson family can contact Shannon at swjacobson@nc.rr.com.