Despite progress by VA in providing “timely information” to Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom servicemembers and their families, according to a new Government Accountability Office report, the agency still faces hurdles in electronically accessing necessary DOD medical records, says Rep. Michael Bilarkis (R. Fla.) The report notes that the records are crucial in providing follow-up care for veterans and servicemembers getting treatment at VA facilities. Bilirakis, who is chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, declares, “There is no reason that DOD today cannot share all medical information on our severely wounded service members with their VA polytrauma rehablitation center staff counterparts. I fully intend to follow up with VA and DOD to determine if the obstacles are technical or cultural.”
The Air Force's highly classified Long-Range Stand Off nuclear cruise missile program is running ahead of schedule and could enter the engineering and manufacturing development phase in May—as much as nine months ahead of schedule, the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration said Jan.…