NATIONAL HARBOR, MD — A year after a massive earthquake occurred off the coast of Japan, resulting in a large tsunami that caused nuclear-plant meltdowns, the U.S. military is creating a database to help track possible radiation exposure for troops who participated in relief efforts and for  servicemembers and their beneficiaries who were stationed or living in Japan at the time of the disaster.

WASHINGTON — Combining military medical services, a controversial issue that first came up more than 60 years ago, is being debated again, with a Pentagon task force examining the governance issue, and the topic being discussed at a recent legislative hearing.

MEMPHIS, TN — A pilot program in Memphis is bringing VA closer to meeting what perhaps is the greatest desire for its 42,000 veterans with spinal-cord injuries and disorders: more control of their environment.

During the Sundance Film Festival, held in January in Park City,UT, the documentary “Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare” was debuted by Matthew Heineman and Susan Froemke. I have not had the opportunity to see the 98-minute documentary, yet I was enthralled with descriptions of the project on the Internet.

WASHINGTON — Recent investigations conducted by oversight committees have revealed serious flaws in VA’s fiduciary system, which, according to legislators and many veterans’ advocates, is plagued by fraud and lack of oversight.

WASHINGTON — When Eric Schoomaker, MD, was named Army surgeon general in 2007, military medicine was facing an administrative and public relations nightmare.

Tracking down former patients with serious mental illnesses (SMI) such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and bringing them back into the VA healthcare system can save lives, according to a recently published study.

WASHINGTON — The DoD organization at the forefront of efforts to improve care for psychological health and traumatic brain injury (TBI) is falling short of its mission, a watchdog agency found.

WASHINGTON — After American Indian and Alaska Native veterans initially tried telemental health services, their use of any health services significantly increased, as did the proportion receiving psychotropic medication, a new study found.1

WASHINGTON — If the Obama Administration has its way, the Military Health System (MHS) will tighten its belt — and its wallet — next fiscal year.