The Veterans Business Directory: The Top Veteran Stories in Today's News

We encourage you to browse our list, so that you can take what you want, and keep what you need. 1. GAO: Lowered standards inflated ratings of Afghan forces. Reported improvements in the effectiveness of the Afghan security forces are partly due to coalition forces lowering standards, according to a report by the US government's main oversight body.  2. Carter calls devastating sequester cuts to military collateral damage of political gridlock. With just 16 days left to dodge the doomsday scenario of sequestration's automatic cuts, top military brass painted a bleak portrait Tuesday, of how military readiness could reach a crisis point, if a compromise in Congress isn't struck before March 1.  3. Hirono: "Devastating cuts could cost Hawaii 11,000 jobs. US Senator Mazie Hirono warned Monday of "devastating" sequestration budget cuts that could cost Hawaii 11,000 jobs, result in furlough days for 18,000 defense civilians, and cut into defense contracts that average $2.3 billion a year.  4. Daughter's salute at Fort Drum deployment ceremony goes viral. A photo of a young girl's salute at Fort Drum ceremony has reached the national airwaves and has gone viral online. 5. Analysts: Even China may not be able to stop North Korea. While North Korea's latest nuclear test shows it is making progress toward a deliverable nuclear weapon, it is not clear whether the international community or China, its greatest trading partner and ally, have enough influence to persuade it to stop, analysts say.  6. Is IEHR Really dead? Government Health IT "Is the highly anticipated joint iEHR that the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have been working on ready for burial? Or not?" VA CIO Roger Baker said, "We remain committed to the common data, application, and GUI standards we committed to at the start of the program." Baker added that "there has been in a shift in strategy in that the VA will 'use existing EHR technology to jump start the iEHR,' rather than building one from the ground up." Also, the VA's CTO Peter Levin on February 8 tweeted that 'the iEHR, "reports are incorrect." Baker summed up the project saying. "Our goal is to make certain that we are creating a single medical record for all patients."