Watch Secretary Shinseki's video on remembering 9/11 here.

On the tenth anniversary of the most devastating attack on American soil in history, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs remembers those we lost and pays tribute to the 3 million men and women who have served in our military since September 22, 2001, all volunteers who signed up knowing they were likely to see combat.

President Obama called on the American people to come together in the spirit of service on the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks

See more video remembrances of September 11 from Cabinet members
Attorney General Eric Holder
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta

When speaking with Veterans living with PTSD, we were told that they wanted and needed a convenient way to learn more about the services and resources available to them, as well as an app that could help them manage symptoms of PTSD at any given moment.  The PTSD Coach is a cutting edge app which provides information and tools that Veterans and service members can use to cope with their PTSD symptoms any moment of the day—24/7.

This new tool is useful for anyone who is receiving treatment for PTSD.  It is also an anonymous resource that will be important for Veterans and service members, who may not be in treatment now, but who may be seeking quick, accessible information about PTSD.  It’s available now on iTunes and will be online soon for Android phones, as well.  I recommend it for anyone, who wants to learn more about PTSD, and we’ll look forward to introducing additional apps over the course of the coming year. This is just one more way that VA and DoD are working together to provide 21st Century tools for the men and women who are serving, and have served, our great Nation.

Eric Shinseki is the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs – enshrined in our building – is “to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan.”  For our men and women in uniform who have fought for our country – serving them is a privilege and responsibility we take very seriously.  At the VA, we are committed to continuing to meet and surpass our highest standards of care for each and every veteran, each and every day. Open government helps us do this: the publication of key health-related data to increase transparency, the creation of technological tools helping veterans to participate, and the harnessing of new ideas for innovation and collaboration, all fuel our mission.

During Sunshine Week we are reflecting on our accomplishments – not so we can rest, but so we can take inspiration to build on our successes. We’re on a deliberate and thoughtful path to become an even more people-centric, results-driven, and forward-looking organization. I invite you to visit http://www.va.gov/open/ to see for yourself.  Here is a sample of important steps we have taken:

Health-Related Transparency Open Government Initiatives and Technical Tools

• Blue Button: In September 2010, we launched "Blue Button" capability that allows Veterans to download their personal health information from their My HealtheVet account. We developed Blue Button with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Defense, along with the Markle Foundation’s Consumer Engagement Workgroup. Since its launch, VA has had 125,000 unique Blue Button users; our partners have had over tens of thousands additional users. Incredibly, several industry partners have already created applications for mobile devices or web-based platforms to enhance users’ experience of Blue Button information. This is just one example of how the promise of open government can be realized – freeing the flow of information so that ordinary citizens (and extraordinary heroes) can benefit in their daily lives.
• Fast Track: In August 2010, we published the regulation that makes Veterans who served in Vietnam and who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, ischemic heart disease, or hairy-cell leukemia eligible for health care and disability compensation benefits. After the Congressional review period, we started processing claims on October 30, 2010. With our industry partner, we developed the first end-to-end electronic claims processing system and are scaling this capability so all Veteran claims can be processed within 125 days.
• Data on Data.gov: We at VA take seriously the need to be transparent in the performance of VA Medical Centers. In November 2010, we published the ASPIRE tool, where Veterans can review how their hospital is performing against set goals. All these efforts to release health-related information show our determination to be open and accountable. As a health care organization, information transparency is key to providing quality care.

Participation and Collaboration Initiatives

• VA Innovation Initiative: We also conducted employee competitions, inviting colleagues to share their ideas to improve benefits claims processing and delivery of health care services for Veterans and their families. These contests – using web tools that make it easy, convenient, and electronically safe to submit and vote on original ideas – allow best ideas to bubble to the top. Over 50,000 VA employees contributed 10,000 ideas, and we are currently implementing 35 of these ideas and are planning our next employee innovation competition.
• Last June, we launched the VAi2 Industry Competition, this time asking our industry and academia partners to address six VA challenges:
  • Developing next-generation telehealth solutions
  • Improving polytrauma care
  • Preventing adverse drug events
  • Finding new models of care for dialysis and chronic kidney disease
  • Enabling Veteran entrepreneurship through Business Accelerator services
  • Deploying innovative housing solutions to reduce Veteran homelessness

We received about 300 proposals and selected over 20 after a careful review for further exploration and implementation.

• New Media: Communication is key to open government. In October 2010 we launched our first blog, VAntage Point, to enable a two-way dialogue with Veterans, their families, and citizens. VA continues to lead on other social media platforms with over 81,000 fans on Facebook and 10,000 followers on Twitter.

Our work on open government has helped us with better ways of doing business, harnessing the best information technologies, cutting red tape, and breaking through the bureaucracy. We owe it to our courageous military men and women to do better, and open government work is taking us there.

Eric Shinseki is the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Heavily sprayed areas included the inland forests near the Demilitarized Zone; inland forests at the junction of the borders of Cambodia, Laos, and South Vietnam; inland forests north and northwest of Saigon; mangrove forests on the southernmost peninsula of Vietnam; and mangrove forests along major shipping channels southeast of Saigon.
 
The issue of Agent Orange’s toxic effects on Veterans, who served in Vietnam, has simmered for decades.  Its insidious impact on those exposed to it has become increasingly apparent.  That growing awareness has resulted in the Congress’, this Department’s, and the Institute of Medicine’s previous validations of some 12 diseases, which, to date, have been granted presumption of service connection for those exposed to Agent Orange.
 
Last October, based on the requirements of the Agent Orange Act of 1991 and the Institute of Medicine’s report, “Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2008,” I determined that the evidence provided was sufficient to support presumptions of service connection for three additional diseases: Parkinson’s Disease, Hairy Cell and other Chronic B-Cell Leukemia, and Ischemic Heart Disease.  After a public rulemaking process, we are now issuing a final regulation creating these new presumptions.
 
This action means that Veterans who were exposed to herbicides in service and who suffer from one of the “presumed” illnesses do not have to prove an association between their medical problems and their military service.  This action helps Veterans to overcome the evidentiary requirements that might otherwise make it difficult for them to establish such an association in order to qualify for healthcare and other benefits needed as a result of their diseases.  The “Presumption” simplifies and accelerates the application process and ensures that Veterans will receive the benefits they deserve.
 
As many as 150,000 Veterans may submit Agent Orange claims in the next 12 to 18 months. Additionally, VA will review approximately 90,000 previously denied claims from Vietnam Veterans for service connection for these three new diseases. All those who are awarded service-connection, and who are not currently enrolled in the VA health care system, will become eligible for enrollment.
 
Veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam, including its inland waterways, between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975, are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides.  If you know a Veteran who may have been exposed to herbicides in service and who suffers from one of the diseases that may be presumptively service connected, the Veteran or the Veteran's family can visit our website to find out how to file a claim for presumptive conditions related to herbicide exposure, as well as what information is needed by VA to determine disability compensation or survivors’ benefits.  Additionally, VA’s Office of Public Health can answer questions about Agent Orange and VA’s services for Veterans exposed to it.
 
This rule is long overdue.  It delivers justice to those who have suffered from Agent Orange’s toxic effects for 40 years.  I have been invited to testify before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on 23 September to explain these decisions, and I am happy to do that.  It was the right decision, and the President and I are proud to finally provide this group of Veterans the care and benefits they have long deserved.
 
VA is committed to addressing the health care needs of Veterans from all eras.  Forty years from today, a future Secretary of VA should not be adjudicating presumptive disabilities associated with our current conflicts.  Change is difficult for any good organization, but we are transforming this Department to advocate for Veterans.  We will not let our Veterans languish without hope for service-connected disabilities resulting from their service.

Eric K. Shinseki is Secretary  of Veterans Affairs