Veterans

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., is pressing Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough to address serious concerns raised by staff and others about the department’s facilities in Colorado. Complaints of problems surrounding the... Read More

A group of transgender veterans filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to force the Department of Veteran Affairs to begin providing and paying for gender-affirming surgeries. The lawsuit from the Transgender American Veterans Association seeks to compel the VA to codify... Read More

WASHINGTON — A mandate that the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs use two existing programs to help service members leaving the armed forces overcome risk factors for suicide would cost a modest $500,000 through 2028, the Congressional Budget Office... Read More

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A federal judge in Virginia on Tuesday cleared the way for the removal of a Confederate memorial from Arlington National Cemetery, just one day after a temporary restraining order had halted work to remove it. In his... Read More

WASHINGTON — The House on Monday unanimously passed the Caregiver Outreach and Program Enhancement Act, which would increase mental health resources available to caregivers of America’s veteran population. Alternately known as the COPE Act, the bipartisan legislation sponsored by Reps.... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a case that could significantly revise federal benefit regulations and potentially provide millions of veterans with additional funding for their education. The case revolves around how the Department of Veterans... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs announced Tuesday that it is relaxing face mask requirements at all of its medical facilities. Beginning Tuesday, face masks were no longer required in most clinical areas of these facilities. “Now that the... 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 — Eligible Native American and Alaska Native veterans are no longer required to make copayments for health care and urgent care received through the Department of Veterans Affairs. The new rule is estimated to impact approximately 25,000 Native American... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Dept. of Veterans Affairs is relaxing COVID-era masking rules at its medical facilities in an attempt, it says, to better accommodate individual preferences. Moving forward, the department said it will base its masking guidelines on the Veterans... Read More

WASHINGTON — Allison Jaslow, an Iraq War veteran who later served as chief of staff to former Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., has been named the new chief executive officer of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Jaslow is the... Read More

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan bill intended to benefit service dogs working with disabled veterans has been reintroduced by Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C. H.R. 807, The Working Dog Commemorative Coin Act, would direct the Treasury Department to mint a three-coin commemorative... Read More

WASHINGTON — A new scholarship program has been established by the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist individuals pursuing graduate degrees in psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, or mental health counseling. The new initiative is called the Vet... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Jill Biden will host a Veterans Day breakfast at the White House as she announces new support for children who live with wounded service members and veterans. The initiative, known as the Hidden Helpers Coalition, is designed... Read More

WASHINGTON — The bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus on Tuesday endorsed the VA Zero Suicide Demonstration Project Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at improving suicide prevention and mental health care for veterans. In 2019, there was an average of more... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday in the case of a Navy veteran seeking an exception to the Department of Veterans Affairs post-service claims filing deadline. Adolfo Arellano served in the Navy from 1971 to 1981,... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs has submitted an interim final rule to the Federal Register that will allow the agency to provide access to abortion counseling and — in certain cases — abortions to pregnant veterans and VA... 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 U.S. Senate, in a broadly bipartisan 86-11 vote on Tuesday night, approved a measure to provide health care and benefits for millions of veterans injured by exposure to toxins, from Agent Orange in Vietnam to burn pits... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is continuing the rollout of the electronic health record modernization program, despite 14 reports from the Inspector General’s Office revealing a number of patient safety issues at the five sites where the... Read More

WASHINGTON — A non-profit known as Operation Hat Trick has supported the recovery of wounded service members and veterans since 2008 by taking a portion of the sales of baseball caps and other sports gear and funding resources and programs... Read More

WASHINGTON — The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated food insecurity among veterans and the recovery to get adequate nutrition into former service members' hands has been sluggish. “There are gaps and there are inconsistencies in the data, and the participation of the... Read More

WASHINGTON — A Supreme Court ruling Wednesday broadens the rights of veterans to sue state agencies for employment discrimination based on their military service. The ruling revives a lawsuit by a former Texas state trooper who said he was forced... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted Thursday on the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022, a bill that addresses health care for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances during military service.  The vote count... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is continuing to roll out the electronic health record modernization program, despite concerns from some members of Congress and reports which show unresolved patient safety issues.  “Implementing a new electronic health record... Read More

WASHINGTON — The House Rules Committee on Monday rejected an amendment to the Guard and Reserve G.I. Bill Parity Act that would guarantee Armed Services members discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine are eligible for G.I. Bill education benefits. The... 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 — A bipartisan initiative crafted by Reps. Nancy Mace and Derek Kilmer would provide much needed grant money to support the construction of tiny homes for homeless veterans. Six years after the Veterans Community Project started building tiny homes... 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 —Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., are leading a bipartisan effort to increase transparency surrounding the Department of Veterans Affairs Electronic Health Record Modernization program. This past summer, the VA’s Office of Inspector General released a series... Read More