Category Archives: News
Military Survivor Benefits update – H.R.1911 | Gold Star and Military Survivors Act:
When Sgt. 1st Class Ofren Arrechaga was killed in Afghanistan in 2011, his wife Seana vowed to follow the plan the couple had for their family: She would remain a stay-at-home mom to raise their son, now 11. She continues … Continue reading
VA presumptive Agent Orange diseases update – H.R.2201 | Keeping Our Promises Act:
Recent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine reports have found an association between exposure to Agent Orange and bladder cancer, hypertension, and Parkinson’s-like symptoms. This week, Representatives Westerman (R-AK), Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Tipton (D-CA), Stefanik (R-NY), Cunningham (D-SC), Boyle (D-PA), … Continue reading
VA announces improvements to veteran community care under Mission Act:
The new eligibility criteria will be a major improvement over existing criteria in terms of making things simpler: currently, eligibility criteria vary between VA’s community care programs. When the new criteria go into effect, Veterans can expect better access and … Continue reading
Supreme court delays final ruling on ‘Blue Water’ Vietnam veterans benefits:
As reported by Leo Shane III for Military Times, the Supreme Court this week granted a 30-day extension to Department of Justice officials contemplating an appeal of a lower court ruling in January which extended presumptive benefits to tens of … Continue reading
VA disability ratings – Post-9/11 vet ratings far higher than prior generations:
According to a government report, Post-9/11 active-duty veterans have disability rates significantly higher than those of previous generations. About 41 percent of those who served after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, in Afghanistan, Iraq and other war zones … Continue reading
VA Telehealth – virtual clinics | mental health & primary care treatment:
The Department of Veterans Affairs, which already has the biggest telehealth program in the United States, is expanding its coverage to fill critical gaps in areas such as mental health and primary care. In fiscal 2018, VA conducted more than … Continue reading
S. 374 and H.R. 1092, the Service members and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act of 2019:
This legislation will codify VA regulations regarding the adjudication of claims for mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder, associated with experiencing Military Sexual Trauma (MST). It would also add technological abuse, defined as “behavior intended to harm, threaten, intimidate, … Continue reading
Veterans Access to Child Care Act
Representative Julia Brownley introduced H.R. 840, the Veterans’ Access to Child Care Act, authorizing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to pay for or provide child care for veterans traveling to and returning from a VA facility for regular or … Continue reading
VA disability system update – proposed reform to reduce medical exams:
Administration officials this year are re-upping a series of reforms to the veterans disability system they estimate would cut down on tens of thousands of unneeded medical exams and save billions of dollars. The moves, part of President Donald Trump’s … Continue reading
VA Agent Orange benefits update:
Three years after a scientific body recommended that the Department of Veterans Affairs consider adding three conditions — bladder cancer, hypothyroidism and Parkinson’s-like symptoms — to the list of qualifying diseases tied to Agent Orange, affected veterans may soon find … Continue reading