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CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A Cincinnati woman impersonated her own mother for nearly half a century in a successful effort to steal nearly half a million dollars from the federal government, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Irene Ferrin, who is now 76, impersonated her dead mother on several occasions and once lied to a U.S. Bankruptcy Court to help hide her scheme, according Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Landry. Ferrin pleaded guilty on Aug. 11, 2022. U.S. District Court Judge Douglas Cole on Thursday sentenced 76-year-old Irene Ferrin to five years of probation including one year of home detention....

The State Department is lying when it says it didn’t know until it was too late that Hillary Clinton was improperly using personal e-mails and a private server to conduct official business — because it never set up an agency e-mail address for her in the first place, the department’s former top watchdog says. “This was all planned in advance” to skirt rules governing federal records management, said Howard J. Krongard, who served as the agency’s inspector general from 2005 to 2008.

In the battle between bureaucrats and veterans, the Obama administration stands with the bureaucrats. Last week the White House threatened to veto the VA Accountability Act, a bill that would moderately streamline the process for firing incompetent Department of Veterans Affairs employees. Under the terms of the act, the VA secretary can’t place employees on paid administrative leave for more than 14 days per year, employees’ initial-hire probationary period is extended to 18 months, and terminated employees have seven days to file an appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board. But these streamlined termination provisions — which still provide far...

The Office of Inspector General for Veterans Affairs just found staffers with the Los Angeles VA Regional Office improperly shredded numerous disability claims, tossing them in the trash rather than giving them proper review. ... The IG report also stated: “The shredding of these documents would have prevented the documents from becoming part of the veterans’ permanent record and potentially affect veterans’ benefits.” Examples of the documents that were shredded included disability-compensation claims submitted by two homeless veterans, and a letter from a medical provider confirming a veteran was unemployable due to “service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder,”

A divided Senate on Thursday derailed Democratic legislation providing $21 billion for medical, education and job-training benefits for the nation’s veterans, as the bill fell victim to election-year disputes over spending and whether to slap sanctions on Iran. With each party coveting the allegiance of the country’s 22 million veterans and their families, Republicans and Democrats blamed each other for turning the effort into a chess match aimed at forcing politically embarrassing votes. Republicans used a procedural move to block the massive bill after Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chided GOP senators for their priorities. …

Yesterday afternoon, as I was leaving my office just east of Faggy Bottom, I tuned in Larry O'Connor on WMAL's "Drive at Five." He had Chris Van Hollen on the air and asked him , in short, why retired and disabled veteran's are the only people taking a haircut among Federal employees or retires under the pending budget deal. The answer from Van Hollen was that he, and his fellow DemocRats did not want to cut the COLA on disabled vets and retirees, but that the Pubbies wouldn't agree to a decrease in agricultural subsidies. I have been searching online...

The United States Senate has approved additional funding of $162bn (£82bn) for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill includes significant extra funding for US war veterans' education and unemployment benefits. It is a victory for President Bush, and does not include any timetables for withdrawing US troops from Iraq, something Mr Bush vigorously opposed. With the new funding, the total US budget for Iraq and Afghanistan now stands at more than $800bn (£400bn). The bill allows the Pentagon to pay for US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan until mid-2009. It also envisages a significant increase in college education...

Lawmakers want information on use of nerve gas in '60s * By David Goldstein, The Kansas City Star * WASHINGTON - Two members of Congress intend to call for an investigation into the secret testing of nerve gas and chemical and biological agents on U.S. servicemen in the 1960s. *  Rep. Mike Thompson of California and Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, both Democrats, plan to introduce legislation in their respective chambers next week, urging that the Pentagon reveal more information about the tests, known as Project SHAD. *   "If it's classified, we can deal with classified material," said Nelson,...

Some interesting material here on this subject. Any comments.

WASHINGTON - The Army has identified 129 wounded soldiers who mistakenly received bills for expenses upon returning home from wars - in some cases instead of final paychecks - and it has forgiven their debts. After learning of the first such cases, Army Gen. Richard A. Cody said, an audit team determined that other wounded soldiers "experienced pay issues" and the Army has made changes it hopes will prevent other instances. "We are dedicated to the well being of our soldiers and strive to provide the absolute best for America's sons and daughters," Cody, the Army's vice chief of staff,...

Disabled vet claims gay bias in tax bill NEWARK - A gay, disabled veteran of two wars claims he is being denied a property tax break afforded straight veterans because he owns his home with his longtime partner, not a wife. Louis Paul Hennefeld and his companion contend they are being treated unfairly by their hometown of Montclair because they received half the tax break that would be granted to a similarly disabled straight man and his wife.The case, which appears to be the first of its kind in New Jersey, is an example of marriage-based discrimination, according to one...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congress on Tuesday sent President Bush three wartime bills to help veterans cope with injuries, jobs, homeownership and death benefits for spouses. In what is expected to be the final week of this Congress, the House gave voice approval to the benefits bills that had already moved through the Senate. Lawmakers lined up to express their support for men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The first, H.R. 3936, includes such provisions as increasing assistance for homeless veterans and establishing new Veterans Affairs Department research centers to develop treatments for complex multi-trauma injuries suffered in combat....

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said Thursday he offers more to military veterans than "wrapping yourself in the flag," pledging to mandate funding for veterans health care in response to what he said were broken promises by President Bush. Kerry said that while Bush talks tough about patriotism and honor, he shortchanges veterans by cutting their programs. Concluding a four-day campaign focus on health care, the Massachusetts senator proposed a series of cost-cutting measures to assist veterans and their families. "I will see to it that the first definition of patriotism is not talking about it,...

Some military voters may abandon Bush President might be losing support among veterans, service members and their families By WILLIAM DOUGLASKnight Ridder Newspapers WASHINGTON — When the Bush campaign asked James McKinnon to co-chair its veterans steering committee in New Hampshire — a job he held in 2000 — the 56-year-old Vietnam veteran respectfully, but firmly, said no. “I basically told them I was disappointed in his support of veterans,” said McKinnon, who served two tours in Vietnam with the Coast Guard. “He’s killing the active-duty military. ... Look at the reserve call-ups for Iraq, the hardships. The National Guard...

John Kerry -- running in part on his record as a Vietnam veteran -- insists President Bush -- "[has] not kept faith with veterans across the country, and one of the first definitions of patriotism is keeping faith with those who wore the uniform of our country." Kerry specifically accuses the president of cutting the Veterans Administration budget. But, in fact, that funding is now higher than at any point in the past ten years, and it's going up twice as fast under President Bush than under President Clinton. What's more, according to the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy...

War and Disabilities Michael Arnold Glueck and Robert J. Cihak Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2004 New Diagnoses and Strategies Create Both Short- and Long-term Problems for Medicine and the Military War is hell and becoming even more hellish. The "advancement" of technology has provided new ways to live and terrible ways to die. Those who live because of body armor now face hellish injuries to what's left of limbs and looks. These in turn provide new challenges to medicine and the military. The Body Armor Trap While there has been a generational decline in infantry skills, the American infantry still widely...

Howard Dean and the boys might have just lost one of their favorite anti-Bush lines on the stump -- "He can't even find Saddam Hussein" -- but not to worry. Dean still has another biting criticism of Bush national-security policy echoed by other Democratic candidates as well -- that President Bush has supposedly slashed veterans off of their benefits and cut combat pay. As it happens, these charges have as much merit as the can't-find-Saddam taunt in the wake of the dictator getting pulled from a hole. Dean has said of Bush routinely on the campaign trail: "One night, Friday...

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. We hope to provide an ongoing source of information about issues and problems that are specific to Veterans and resources that are available to Veterans and their families. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood...