Miramar National Cemetery Dedicated

/PRNewswire/ -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) held a dedication ceremony today in San Diego for the Miramar National Cemetery.

"Offering more burial options for Veterans in southern California is a top priority," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "With this cemetery, we are keeping our commitment to provide a final resting place and lasting tribute to the men and women who sacrificed to protect our Nation."

VA's Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs, Steve L. Muro, gave the keynote address and was joined by elected officials as the dedication plaque was unveiled. Military honors included a firing salute and the ceremony ended with the playing of "Taps."

The 313-acre Miramar National Cemetery will include both gravesite and columbarium development, providing a full range of burial alternatives to approximately 235,000 Veterans in the San Diego County area.

The nearby Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery closed to first interment casketed burials in 1966, although it stays active with casketed interments of family members of those already interred and inurnments of cremated remains. Riverside National Cemetery, 90 miles from Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, is currently the nearest national cemetery offering full burial options.

The design contract for $961,004 was awarded to Van Dyke Landscape Architects, a small business firm in San Diego.

The first phase of construction will include approximately 11,500 conventional gravesites; 4,500 in-ground cremation sites; 10,000 columbarium niches; an administration building and maintenance complex; two committal service shelters; and a public assembly area. The project will also include systems for water distribution, roads, utilities, signs and landscaping.

VA chose Kirk Leopard as director of the cemetery. He will continue as the director of Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, a position he has held since 2007. Prior to that appointment, he was director of Baltimore National Cemetery and assistant to the director at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in Alabama. In June 2006, he completed 12 months of training as a cemetery director intern at VA's National Cemetery Administration training center in St. Louis. Leopard is a 21-year Navy Veteran, having served as a hospital corpsman, medical laboratory technician and medical research technician during his military career.

Veterans with a discharge other than dishonorable, their spouses and dependent children are eligible for burial in a national cemetery. Burials in VA-run national cemeteries are also open to military personnel who die on active duty, their spouses and eligible dependents.

Other burial benefits for eligible Veterans include a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate and a government headstone or marker - even if the burial is not in a national cemetery.

In the midst of the largest cemetery expansion since the Civil War, VA operates 131 national cemeteries in 39 states and Puerto Rico and 33 soldiers' lots and monument sites. More than 3.4 million Americans, including Veterans of every war and conflict -- from the Revolutionary War to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- are buried in VA's national cemeteries.

Information on VA burial benefits can be obtained from national cemetery offices, from the Internet at www.cem.va.gov or by calling VA regional offices toll-free at 800-827-1000. Additional information about the Miramar National Cemetery is available by calling the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at 619-553-2084. To make burial arrangements at the time of need at any VA national cemetery, call the national cemetery scheduling office at 800-535-1117.

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Humana Military Healthcare Services Financially Supports the Creation of the Fisher House for Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, GA

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) – Humana Military Healthcare Services (HMHS), TRICARE contractor for the South Region, announces its sponsorship of a new Fisher House being built in Augusta, Georgia at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center. This medical center is the only VA facility with an active duty rehabilitation unit, the largest spinal cord injury unit and one of 10 facilities with a Blind Rehab Center. The new Fisher House in Augusta will offer twenty suites within walking distance of the medical center for families of Active Duty Service Members and veterans receiving inpatient medical care.

“Families play an important role in the recovery of these brave men and women who have sacrificed so much,” said Dave Baker, president and CEO of HMHS. “Humana Military is pleased to help deserving military and veterans’ families through our support of a new Fisher House in Augusta. During a time of need, this home will provide them a place to stay near their loved ones, at no cost to them. It’s a gift that will keep on giving for years to come, and we are proud to be involved.”

The Fisher House program recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. The “comfort homes” are built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers and allows family members to be close to their loved ones while they are receiving treatment. Annually, the Fisher House program serves more than 10,000 families, and has made nearly 2.5 million days of lodging available to family members since the program originated in 1990.

Currently, the nearest Fisher House is located at the Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Fort Gordon, Georgia. For more information, please visit www.fisherhouse.org.

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Military Order of the Purple Heart Supports New Initiative for Veterans

(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) issued a strong statement today in support of a new Veteran benefit initiative by U.S. Rep. Steve Buyer, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs. According to National Commander Jeff Roy, “The MOPH applauds Chairman Buyer’s efforts to accelerate construction of the needed VA Medical Centers and facilities as not only improving health care to veterans but also stimulating the economy by accelerating the construction schedule of these facilities. This is particularly true for the VA Medical Centers in New Orleans and Denver.”

Representative Buyer’s initiative would also provide $2 billion to the Veterans Administration over the next two years to once again allow the VA to guarantee loans for veteran-owned small businesses. It also proposes an additional $375 million for job training and placement programs for veterans, especially homeless female Veterans. MOPH feels this initiative could not be better timed or more deserved.

This year, the MOPH joined the VA in implementing a new program to help locate and assist homeless Veterans in accessing the benefits they earned while serving in the defense of their country. According to Roy, “We are proud that through the MOPH Service Program, we currently advise all veterans on their benefit entitlements and we are actively assisting Veterans by hosting job fairs, conducting job training and job placement. However, we cannot do it all, and Rep. Buyer’s proposal for increased funding for these programs in the VA will go a long way toward rewarding our Veterans for the sacrifices they have made.”

“The MOPH urges the Congress to include America’s Veterans as they deliberate new measures to stimulate the economy and recommends funding of these new initiatives,” said Commander Roy.

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