The DOD and the VA have decided to start 'work on a uniform registration system that will enroll all service members in the VA upon entry into the military,' says Sec of the VA Eric Shinseki testifying before a House Veterans Affairs committee. Addressing the problem of the backlog of claims, he says he's working on them with 'brute force' - hiring more people. Next year a new paperless system is being tested. [Nextgov.com]

The rule in the Warrior Transition unit at Fort Bragg, N.C. is tough love. The Warrior Transition units, created to help veterans recovering from injuries, are held to the same standards are regular Army which has caused difficulties for the wounded veterans. [AP via the Idaho Statesman]

One aspect of the new proposed Veterans Administration budget increase is 'a proposal to raise money by billing veterans’ private health insurance for some of the cost of treating service-connected injuries, illnesses and disease.' [Navy Times]

A woman in Kansas is asking for automobile licence plates for those who have had a family member killed in military service - a Gold Star family. [Wichita Eagle]

A follow story to yesterday's, CBS checks in with a veteran from two years before, Jason Scott, who is worried about getting lost in the Veterans Admin. back then. Now, he's even more worried since the inspector general has uncovered evidence of lost mail.

He looks forward to graduating, getting a job and getting 'real healthcare.' [CBS]

Belinda Finn, the VA's assistant inspector general for auditing, testified in front of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee regarding the problems with the VA claims processing.

On top of this: 'Auditors also found that the dates recorded for receiving claims, which in many cases determine the effective date for benefits payments, are wrong in many cases because of intentional and unintentional errors, Finn said.' [Federal Times.com]

George Washington University in Washington DC has joined the Yellow Ribbon Program to help more veterans on its urban campus.

The Yellow Ribbon Program is "a voluntary agreement in which the U.S. Veterans Administration will match any financial aid that colleges provide to veterans." It was born out of the GI Bill passed in late 2008.

The University has also released more information on tuition help for veterans. [The GW Hatchet]