Veterans

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 — Rep. Yvette Herrell, R-N.M., is urging her colleagues to support the Veterans’ Affairs Canine Reporting Act of 2021, which would speed up the process for America's veterans who need service dogs from the VA.  "Tragically, since the Vietnam... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden saluted the nation’s military veterans as “the spine of America” on Thursday as he marked his first Veterans Day as president in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. "There's nothing low risk or... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden, whose son Beau was an Iraq war veteran, is using his first Veterans Day in office to announce an effort to better understand, treat and identify medical conditions suffered by troops deployed to toxic... Read More

WASHINGTON — The White House recently issued evidence-informed guidance for reducing the tragedy of veteran suicides, as 65,000 veterans have died by suicide since 2010.  "Suicide among service members, veterans, and their families is a public health and national security... 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

WASHINGTON — The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted veterans' access to food, leading to greater food insecurity, and according to officials from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, telehealth is now helping to combat the issue.  “The COVID-19 pandemic certainly... Read More

Jake Harriman, a veteran Marine who was deployed abroad for almost 15 years, did not recognize the country he left to fight for when he returned to the U.S. in 2015.  During two combat tours in Iraq, the now CEO... Read More

As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the Department of Veterans Affairs and many of the Iraq and Afghanistan-era war veterans they serve are bracing for a surge in the need for mental health and post-traumatic stress care. In response,... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Veterans Affairs is offering a new COVID-19 Refund Modification option to assist Veterans who require a significant reduction in their monthly mortgage payments because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In some cases, veterans can receive a... Read More

WASHINGTON- The Department of Veterans Affairs released data about its involvement with the national coronavirus response. According to the data, it provided thousands of personal protective equipment, admitted hundreds of non-veterans to its facilities, and performed thousands of tests across... Read More

WASHINGTON - Sen. Patty Murray, a senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, is pushing for future investments in long-term care, improving VA’s relationship with state veterans homes, and expanding the care veterans residing in state-run veterans homes receive.... Read More

WASHINGTON - By late 2020 over 2800 formal Equal Employment Opportunity complaints of discrimination - by race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and more - were submitted to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The fact that there are that... Read More

WASHINGTON - Reps. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., are leading a bipartisan effort to award so-called “Dust Off” crews of the Vietnam War with the Congressional Gold Medal.  Dust Off crewmembers - helicopter air ambulance pilots, crew... Read More

WASHINGTON - If 94% of individuals completing a Registered Apprenticeship program through the Department of Labor are retained by their employers, U.S. Navy Officer Michael Pruitt asked yesterday, why are there not more veterans or transitioning military service members taking... Read More

CHARLESTON, S.C.- The VA says that a recent approval granted to them for a 3D printed hearing aid is an early step in establishing a way to provide inexpensive, patient-led care for veterans that suffer from unique maladies.  The U.S.... Read More

WASHINGTON – It used to be that veterans’ organizations were simply part of the landscape of small-town America.  You might cross the threshold of an American Legion or VFW hall as a child – somehow most likely in connection with... Read More

NEW YORK - The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America kicked off veteran education week this morning, continuing a six-week campaign to highlight the priority issues of its members. Over the course of this week, IAVA is highlighting its advocacy... Read More

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America CEO Jeremy Butler issued a statement Tuesday condemning Department of Veterans Affairs officials in response to the administration’s handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Butler’s statement was released in response to a MilitaryTimes report... Read More

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting 9/11 veterans, recently praised the 116th Congress for backing the National Defense Authorization Act. The passage of the NDAA comes after Congress recently overrode President Trump’s veto... 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

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., celebrated the recent passage of the bipartisan Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act, included in a package of veterans’ legislation, the Veterans’ COMPACT Act.  The Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act, co-introduced by Sen.... Read More

WASHINGTON - The head of the nation's largest advocacy group for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans predicted Tuesday that 2021 will be a very good year for those who have long sought comprehensive aid for soldiers harmed by burn pit... Read More

WASHINGTON -- A congressional panel sought assurances Wednesday that veterans’ claims of illnesses from exposure to toxins in the Middle East will be addressed promptly. A House Veterans Affairs subcommittee was responding to a National Academy of Sciences report this... Read More

As a veteran advocacy organization, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) focuses on non-partisan priority issues all Americans can support, like combating veteran suicide and access to post military education. These priorities are driven by veteran responses to IAVA’s... Read More

WASHINGTON - Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America called on Congress and the Inspector General of Veteran Affairs to look into VA oversight of state-run veterans homes in the wake of a ProPublica investigation casting light on the grave consequences... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Age Discrimination and Employment Act allows federal employees to sue over any age bias inferred by an adverse employment action -- even when that bias isn't the driving factor behind... Read More

WASHINGTON - A pair of veterans service organizations are calling on Congress and the National Governors Association to re-examine the nation's current medical credentialing system to allow veterans with medical experience to join in the fight against COVID-19. Both the... Read More

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs has established a National Artificial  Intelligence Institute in an effort to further advance the health and well-being of veterans. In a statement, the department said the new Institute will incorporate input from veterans... Read More