Shaft Notes
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced the appointment of five new members to the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans. The committee was chartered on November 2, 1994, and advises the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on the needs of the nation’s 4.7 million minority Veterans with respect to compensation, health care, rehabilitation, outreach and other benefits and programs administered by the VA.   The Committee assesses the needs of Veterans who are minority group members and recommends program improvements designed to meet their needs. The committee members are appointed to two or three-year terms. Minority Veterans comprise nearly 21 percent of the total Veteran population in the United States and its territories.

• Patricia Jackson-Kelley: Lt. Col. (US Army-Ret) of Los Angeles, California; Served as one of the first full time Women Veteran Program Coordinators at the Los Angeles VAMC.  Currently serves as a member of the LA County Veterans Advisory Council; Board Member of Military Women in Need Organization and LA County Council Commander of the American Legion.
• Librado Rivas: Command Sgt. Maj. (USA-Ret) of Manassas, Virginia; State Commander of the DC Chapter, American GI Forum of the United States; National Liaison Officer in Washington, DC,  for the National Office of the American GI Forum, and Director of the Army Lean Six Sigma.
• Rebecca Stone: Staff Sgt. (USA-Ret) of Columbia, Maryland; served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was medically retired under the Wounded Warrior Program through Warrior Transition Units.  She is a certified suicide negotiator/first responder.  She was also the recipient of the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE) Women of Excellence Award. 
• Cornell Wilson, Jr.:  Maj. Gen. (USMC-Ret) of Charlotte, North Carolina; currently serves as Military Advisor to the Governor of North Carolina, where he also advises state agencies and Veteran’s organizations on the needs of Veterans. 
• Anthony Woods: Army Veteran of University Park, Maryland; currently serves as the Senior Manager at Cisco System’s Consulting Services and consults with the Department of Defense and the Army on IT transformations. Mr. Woods also volunteers with organizations such as Got Your 6 and Hiring Our Heroes.   

"For instance, this spending bill will ensure Veterans will still have access to the care they have earned and deserve.  The VA will enjoy an increase of $1.8 billion, including $209 million for implementation of the recent VA reforms passed by Congress, $40 million of which will be used to reduce the claims backlog. It is vital Veterans receive timely access to quality care. This bill also makes sure that, by providing an increase in military salaries, the brave Americans who are willing to make any sacrifice in the defense of our liberties get every penny they deserve. Our troops and their families must never be pawns in partisan posturing. The spending bill also protects our seniors by providing $1.4 billion to fight fraud in Social Security and $672 million to combat fraud in Medicare, preserving these much-needed programs for current seniors and future beneficiaries. Additionally, H.R. 83protects taxpayers from bailing out insurance companies through the risk corridor program in the President’s disastrous health care law," Bilirakis continued.