2018 Midterms

WASHINGTON — Congress last week abandoned plans to try to reform how pharmacy benefit managers operate, casting aside bipartisan proposals many had hoped would be included in the package being taken up this week to fund the federal government. Drugmakers... Read More

CHELSEA, Mass. — A new state-of-the-art Veterans Home unveiled Friday in Massachusetts is fossil-fuel free and composed of green spaces, 145 geothermal wells and a rooftop solar array. Located across the Mystic River from Boston on Chelsea’s Powder Horn Hill,... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs and National Institutes of Health have launched a joint study to gain a better understanding of the chronic symptoms of Gulf War Illness. The disease is known to affect about one-third of the... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration and the Veterans Health Administration have entered into a new level of collaboration intended to help accelerate American medical device innovation.  Under the auspices of a memorandum of understanding signed last week, the... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs has published a new guidebook for caring for Veterans suffering from long COVID-19. The guidebook, entitled, “Whole Heath System Approach to Long COVID,” outlines a whole health, patient-centered approach to treating long COVID,... Read More

WASHINGTON — The $1.5 trillion omnibus spending package signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 15 includes funds to modernize the VA infrastructure and allow registered nurses and physician assistants in the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs to... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sandra Day O'Connor was nervous when she joined the Supreme Court in 1981 as the nation's first female justice. "It's all right to be the first to do something, but I didn't want to be the last... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veteran Affairs is seeking public comment on a proposal to waive copayments for medications and health care services for veterans who have been identified as being at a high risk for suicide. According to a... Read More

WASHINGTON — Michael “Rod” Rodriguez, the former head of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation, is returning to the role of president and CEO as the effort to build the memorial picks up steam, the organization announced Monday. As... Read More

WASHINGTON — The heartrending subject of veteran suicide was again front and center on Capitol Hill Wednesday as a House panel heard one heartbreaking story after another about young people who placed themselves in harm’s way for their country only... Read More

WASHINGTON — Navy veteran Tim Keefe told a congressional panel Wednesday about how he was willing to give his life for his country when he enlisted in the military. After he left the Navy, he had trouble finding a sandwich... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Mission Act was launched in 2019 to protect veterans' access to health care, but now health policy experts are finding that the legislation may actually be preventing access. “Veterans who need to go to [into] the community... Read More

WASHINGTON — It hasn’t happened in close to one hundred years and isn’t likely to ever happen again, but for two full days in advance of Veteran’s Day, the public has been invited to approach the Tomb of the Unknown... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas-- In Texas this week, a bipartisan bill to develop a study on the use of psychedelic therapy to treat post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate.  “We are losing over 20 veterans a day... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America on Thursday cheered Senate passage of the Deborah Sampson Act, which directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to carry out the three-year pilot program to assess how best to provide assistance... Read More

About Chris: Pappas serves on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee where he chairs the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, focused on holding the Department of Veterans Affairs accountable. He also serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee where he is working... Read More

About Galvin: Galvin is a third-generation Alaskan and a proud mom of four. She grew up in an Alaskan family that battled addiction, mental illness, and abuse, but broke that cycle. Galvin has served Alaska under Republican and Independent governors... Read More

About Young: In 2018, Don Young was re-elected to the 116th Congress to serve his 24th term as Alaska’s only representative to the United States House of Representatives. He was first sworn in as a freshman to the 93rd Congress... Read More

WASHINGTON - Right now, it's just a hub of activity behind a construction area awning at the foot of Capitol Hill, but come Nov. 11 the site, on the grounds of the National Museum of the American Indian, will be... Read More

LANGHORNE, Pa. — Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, D-Pa., Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., and Gerry Connolly, D-Va., brought forth a bill that would ensure disabled veterans can fully utilize their benefits following disruptions in veterans’ health care due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Back... Read More

SAN JOSE, Calif. — After weeks of growing speculation, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden answered on Tuesday the most highly anticipated question of his campaign, naming California Sen. Kamala Harris to be his running mate. “Back when Kamala was Attorney... Read More

WASHINGTON — When Rosie Torres first knocked on Congress’ doors almost a decade ago, asking for help for her husband and other veterans who became sick following exposure to military burn pits, she gained little traction. What she heard: More... Read More

Since Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Electoral College defeat, public sentiment towards presidential polling numbers often centers around skepticism. Although many were blindsided by that year’s election results, exit polling data tracked closely with popular vote results. Presidential polling leading up to... Read More

As the U.S. struggles to fight off a lingering coronavirus pandemic, the full impact of the crisis on the lives of Americans is just starting to come into view. But for the veteran community -- as for many other groups... Read More

WASHINGTON - America's veteran population is changing, with its overall size declining, the number of women in its ranks on the rise, and a generation of Post 9-11 vets who are far more likely to suffer from a service-connected disability... Read More

WASHINGTON - At a time when experts instruct at-risk persons to avoid large crowds and to social distance to protect their health, the United States’ electoral process is getting more attention than ever.  Senator Jon Tester, D-Mont., Senator Tammy Duckworth,... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate’s top Democrat on Sunday called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to explain why it allowed the use of an unproven drug on veterans for the coronavirus, saying patients may have been put at unnecessary risk. Sen. Charles... Read More

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has signed into law bipartisan legislation that enables veterans to virtually attend Department of Veteran Affairs claims hearings from home. The legislation was introduced by Reps. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C, and John Katko, R-N.Y. in October.... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is expanding its highly regarded rapid response program to provide aid and comfort to even more veterans during the coronavirus pandemic. Newly rebranded as the IAVA's "Quick Reaction Force," the initiative... Read More

WASHINGTON - Proving that acrimony wasn't the only emotion felt on Capitol Hill this week, Reps. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J. and Steve Stivers, R-Ohio delivered a unanimous House vote Wednesday in favor of granting access to treatment derived from working with... Read More