Veterans News - benefits, health, medical, Tricare, transition

Transgender vets call for more protections from Congress, VA

Advocates want VA to move ahead with plans to provide gender-affirming surgery to transgender veterans, a policy change first promised in summer 2021.

15 hours ago

Vet agency chief calls onboarding times for new hires ‘indefensible’

Physicians can wait as long as a year to start working even after they've been hired, department officials acknowledged.

22 hours ago

Pentagon & Congress

Senate votes to repeal Iraq war authorizations

Some Iraq war veterans have rallied around the bipartisan vote to repeal the 2002 authorization as Congress seeks to reassert its war powers authorities.

Vet Agency hopes for more state-run cemeteries for burial options

Nearly 17 million veterans live within 75 miles of a national or state cemetery they can choose for burial.

2 days ago

Lawmakers move to save VA’s high-tech job training program

The VET TEC program is set to expire this year.

3 days ago

This week in Congress: Top military leaders head to Capitol Hill

Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of March 27, 2023.

4 days ago

VA leaders aren’t worried about looming budget fights ... yet

Lawmakers are skeptical of the White House's plan for $325 billion in department funding next year.

7 days ago

VA change will lower home loan rates for some Native American vets

Changes to the VA Native American Direct Loan program would drop interest rates from 6% to 2.5% for some home purchases.

8 days ago

Transgender troops warn GOP bill could upend lives, weaken military

Senior military leaders to face questioning on transgender, diversity issues.

8 days ago

Dept. of Veterans Affairs, union spar over staffing

VA officials said hiring and retention levels are at record highs, but workers groups say even more staff is needed to keep up.

9 days ago

Which college majors are student veterans pursuing and why?

Many of the veterans who pursue a four-year degree are choosing majors similar to non-veteran students.

10 days ago

This week in Congress: SecDef defends the White House budget

Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of March 20, 2023.

13 days ago

A Marine author uses fiction to dig into the Corps’ mythology

His debut short story collection won the 2021 Veterans Writing Award.

13 days ago

VA to change its motto, dropping male-only language

The new statement will note VA's goal is "to care for those who have served in our nation’s military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.”

14 days ago

VA plans to deploy new health records to more sites in June

The program has been delayed since last fall because of problems with software reliability and staff training.

2 weeks ago

GOP senator blocks Biden nominee to force answers from VA

Sen. Chuck Grassley said he is upset with both VA leadership and the nominee to oversee department benefits operations.

2 weeks ago

VA aims to help 38,000+ homeless veterans again this year

The department is repeating its goal from last year in 2023, with some additional benchmarks for outreach.

2 weeks ago

Military transition classes are ‘falling short,’ lawmakers warn

Research shows most troops don't begin transition classes until they are in their final months of military service.

2 weeks ago

Plan to boost visas for Afghan allies isn’t enough, advocates warn

The White House hopes to increase the number of Afghan visas to 20,000 in its fiscal 2024 budget plan.

2 weeks ago

This week in Congress: Military personnel plans take center stage

Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of March 13, 2023.

3 weeks ago

Veterans

News that informs military veterans on topics such as benefits, healthcare and Tricare, transition assistance and more.

Advocates want VA to move ahead with plans to provide gender-affirming surgery to transgender veterans, a policy change first promised in summer 2021.

Physicians can wait as long as a year to start working even after they've been hired, department officials acknowledged.

Some Iraq war veterans have rallied around the bipartisan vote to repeal the 2002 authorization as Congress seeks to reassert its war powers authorities.

Nearly 17 million veterans live within 75 miles of a national or state cemetery they can choose for burial.

The VET TEC program is set to expire this year.

Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of March 27, 2023.

Lawmakers are skeptical of the White House's plan for $325 billion in department funding next year.

Changes to the VA Native American Direct Loan program would drop interest rates from 6% to 2.5% for some home purchases.

Senior military leaders to face questioning on transgender, diversity issues.

VA officials said hiring and retention levels are at record highs, but workers groups say even more staff is needed to keep up.

Many of the veterans who pursue a four-year degree are choosing majors similar to non-veteran students.

Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of March 20, 2023.

His debut short story collection won the 2021 Veterans Writing Award.

The new statement will note VA's goal is "to care for those who have served in our nation’s military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.”

The program has been delayed since last fall because of problems with software reliability and staff training.

Sen. Chuck Grassley said he is upset with both VA leadership and the nominee to oversee department benefits operations.

The department is repeating its goal from last year in 2023, with some additional benchmarks for outreach.

Research shows most troops don't begin transition classes until they are in their final months of military service.

The White House hopes to increase the number of Afghan visas to 20,000 in its fiscal 2024 budget plan.

Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of March 13, 2023.