The TAPS Daily - October 23, 2020
Welcome to The TAPS Daily - curated news and resources relevant to military, veterans, and their families. For more news and resources, visit our Government Resources page.
Today's Highlights
- New Law Extends VA Mental Health Counseling to More Guard and Reserve Members
Military.com
The Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act extends VA mental health services to Guard and Reserve who didn’t deploy but participated in certain domestic operations. - VA poised to help women veterans fight their battle against cancer
Connecting Vets
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the Department of Veterans Affairs is developing a National Women Veterans Oncology System of Excellence. - 241 service members died today 37 years ago in the Beirut barracks bombing
Connecting Vets
On October 23, 1983, a suicide bomber killed 241 service members in an attack on barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. - Silent killers: These are the invisible, respiratory dangers that put our service members at risk
We Are The Mighty
The operational tempo of the last two decades has exposed military personnel to a myriad of dangers on and off the battlefield. - U.S. Tops 70,000 Coronavirus Cases In 1 Day — Heights Not Seen Since July
NPR
U.S. cases have been rising sharply since the middle of September. - Study: Universal mask-wearing could save 130,000 lives by spring
The Hill
Universal mask-wearing could prevent nearly 130,000 deaths from COVID-19 through February. - Pizza to the Polls offers free pizza in exchange for your democratic responsibility
The Hill
Pizza to the Polls is planning to deliver free food to polling places with long lines. - NASA astronauts cast 2020 election votes from space
FOX 5 DC
NASA is proving nowhere is too far to exercise your right to vote. - An Upcoming Tom Hanks Flick Follows a Civil War Vet Through the Wild West
Military.com
Tom Hanks reunites with "Captain Phillips" director Paul Greengrass for the new movie "News of the World," due for release by Universal Pictures on Christmas Day.
TAPS In the News
- Staying in Touch - Real Touch
Understand our need for physical touch and discover tips for feeding your touch starvation during this time of social distancing. - Not the Funeral I Wanted
Dr. Kenneth Doka offers suggestions to help make your memorial meaningful despite feeling empty after saying good-bye to a loved one during this pandemic. - Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors Upcoming Events
Make plans to join your TAPS Family at an upcoming event. - TAPS News Archive
Catch up on all the TAPS news stories over the years on the TAPS media resource page.
Government Relations / Benefits
- Have Army Emergency Relief Debt? It Could Soon Be Canceled
Military.com
Soldiers and families who received loans this year from Army Emergency Relief are about to get a windfall, as the nonprofit forgives those debts, converting them instead to grants. - Bill introduced allowing disabled veterans to use HOV lanes
SIlive.com
Soon those who’ve risked life and limb for our country could be in for a quicker commute. - Senators Want Upgraded C-130s Assigned to Western Firefighting Mission
Military.com
A group of senators has again requested the Air Force consider stationing upgraded C-130 Hercules firefighting aircraft in Nevada due to worsening wildfire seasons. - Landlords, housing industry sue CDC to overturn eviction ban
The Hill
Landlords and housing industry members have filed a lawsuit to overturn the CDC eviction ban. - Former VA nurse pleads guilty to stealing dying veterans' morphine
Connecting Vets
A former VA nurse pled guilty to stealing morphine from dying veterans. - Feds still make three quarters of private sector pay
Federal Times
Some military housing tenants are seeing incremental progress in getting more of the remaining four provisions in the tenant bill of rights.
Grief / Mental Health / Wellness
- Video: Is It Depression Or Is It Grief?
TAPS
Strategies to distinguish normal grief from depression and how to respond to each. - 9 Ways to Ease Anxiety During Halloween
Healthline
Haunted houses and scary movies can trigger a response that isn’t fun. - Beware of Trauma Triggers This Halloween
Promises Behavioral Health
For trauma survivors, Halloween can present a perpetual minefield of trauma triggers at every ghoulish turn. Read advice from a trauma expert on this issue and ways to alleviate such triggers. - Halloween Fun or Horror?
Psychology Today
Supporting veterans and survivors of trauma during the Halloween season. - 9 Election Mental Health Resources You Can Start Using Now
Self
Mental health resources to help with election stress, from guided meditations to self-care tips. - Here 12 ways to cope with anxiety during this crazy year
CNN
You're not nuts. This really is a crazy time. Here are a dozen ways to cope. - Seasonal depression amid coronavirus pandemic: Symptoms, treatment
USA Today
Health experts caution seasonal depression could be amplified this year as 2020 winds to a close.
Military News
- Operating at home: How to make SOF troops' transition to civilian life easier
Military Times
It may be surprising, then, to learn that making the transition back to civilian life can be one of the scariest things some SOF personnel ever do. - Soldier killed on base at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in non-training incident
Stars & Stripes
A 24-year-old Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier was killed in a non-training related incident. - NCOs Can Now Rank Their Assignment Preferences Under a New Army System
Military.com
The Army will now allow noncommissioned officers to rank where they would like to be assigned. - Meet the refugee who escaped civil war and became an American soldier
Task & Purpose
At 20 years old, Army Spc. Poe Hsee understands selfless service more than others. - ‘Battle: Los Angeles’ is actually the best post-9/11 military movie
Task & Purpose
Battle: Los Angeles’ unbridled and unapologetic motivation — what Marines call “being moto” — is where Jonathan Liebesman’s 2011 sci-fi military action flick shines.
Veteran News
- VA failing to track health issues for LGBT vets: report
Military Times
VA physicians may be missing significant medical issues among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender veterans because they do not have any standard approach to tracking them. - Interview with Brian Hanson: From Ranger deployments to Hollywood directing
We Are The Mighty
He’s succeeded in unique endeavors: earning a Ranger tab and making a movie. - Office Depot and OfficeMax Are Giving a 3-Day Veterans Day 2020 Military Discount
Military.com
A special Office Depot and OfficeMax Veterans Day discount will give qualifying shoppers a big discount off qualifying purchases over a three-day window in November.
Military Family News
- How Military Families Can Prepare for a No Spend November
Military.com
Some people are using November to save up for holiday spending, while others are working toward a year-end savings goal and some are looking to pay off debt.
Banner photo courtesy of the School of Advanced International Studies | John Hopkins University.