DoD officials advocated for the firing of Richard Thomas, MD, DDS, president of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
Denis McDonough Gets Bipartisan Confirmation as New VA Secretary
After what was a relatively easy, bipartisan confirmation process, Denis McDonough, President Joe Biden’s pick for VA secretary, is expected to be sworn in by early February.
Gen. Lloyd Austin Becomes First African American Defense Secretary
Lloyd J. Austin III made history when the retired four-star general was confirmed as the first African American Secretary of Defense last month.
Biden Administration Expected to Focus More on Military Burn Pit Effects
Legislators in the past few years have been pushing VA and DoD to work together to better understand the toxic effects of burn pit exposure on servicemembers.
National Guard Gives States’ Vaccine Distribution Plans a Shot in the Arm
The National Guard has stepped up again to help states in their battle against the novel coronavirus.
New NDAA Expands Presumptive Conditions Linked to Agent Orange
In a rare New Year’s Day vote, the Senate voted to override President Donald Trump’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)—the $740 billion military spending bill, which includes a number of healthcare provisions for veterans, servicemembers, and the general public.
VA Was Excluded in Early Discussions of COVID-19 Strategic Response
VA was initially left out of strategic decisions made by the U.S. Coronavirus Task Force, the group ostensibly coordinating the nation’s response to the pandemic, the agency revealed in a recent report.
Court Settlement Will Ease Way for ‘Bad Paper’ Veterans to Get Benefits
Tens of thousands of less-than-honorably discharged veterans will have an easier avenue to have those discharges reconsidered and possibly adjusted, making it more straightforward for them to access VA services.
VA Plagued by Data Breaches, Hacks – Including One Recently
WASHINGTON—A data breach exposed the personal information of more than 46,000 veterans this summer, the VA recently revealed. Hackers gained access to VA’s Financial Services Center (FSC), diverting payments meant for community care providers. According to VA...
Rethinking Pharmacy Access Improves Care for Homeless Veterans
Housing and mental health have always been intrinsically intertwined in the VA’s efforts to care for homeless veterans. As its original name—the Homeless Chronically Mentally Ill Program—made clear, the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program focuses on providing services to veterans with serious mental health diagnoses.
Surgical Mask Use Not Dangerous, Even in Veterans With COPD
Medical advice urging the use of face masks to help bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control has become a political flashpoint in the United States, but a new VA study refuted some of the arguments against the strategy.
Bills Push VA to Presumptively Cover Cancer Treatment in New Groups of Veterans
Veterans who have developed illnesses after serving in recent conflicts have enlisted powerful supporters in their fight to gain presumptive coverage for their conditions.
Key Veteran Legislation Appears to Escape Mire of Political Season
Last month, Congress passed a collection of sweeping legislation designed to help prevent veteran suicide. This came as a pleasant surprise to veterans’ advocates, who feared that the bills would be caught up in partisan gridlock and had been predicting only weeks earlier that no agreement would be reached.
Are State Veterans Homes Falling Through Cracks of Oversight?
What responsibility does VA have for state veterans homes and the tsunami of COVID-19 infections and deaths that have swept through facilities nationwide?
Nursing Assistant Pleads Guilty to Insulin Deaths at Johnson VAMC
A VA nursing assistant has pleaded guilty to seven counts of second-degree murder and one count of assault with intent to commit murder in the deaths of eight veterans at the Louis A. Johnson VAMC.
VA Whistleblower Protection Office Takes Action in Only 2% of Its Cases
The Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection has followed through with only a small fraction of the cases it has investigated.
VA Surgical Quality Meets or Exceeds Nearby Community Hospitals
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT—Under the MISSION Act, veterans who meet certain criteria can opt to receive medical care—including surgery—from community providers instead of the VA. Based on the results of a new study, they might not want to, however. A new study...
‘Bad Paper’ Discharges Keep Many Veterans From Receiving VA Care
WASHINGTON—While most servicemembers receive honorable discharges, as many as 7% discharged since 1980 have what are commonly known as “bad paper” discharges. Since 1980, 575,000 servicemembers have received bad paper discharges, many of which relate to minor...
VA Plans for the Unimaginable: A Natural Disaster During the Pandemic
WASHINGTON—Hurricane season officially began on June 1, and VA officials were asked by legislators to reassure the American public that the department was capable of dealing with another natural disaster while remaining on a pandemic footing. VA leaders expressed...
VA Touts Lower CLC COVID-19 Rates vs. Community Nursing Homes
WASHINGTON—While attention has been focused on the challenges VA faced during the first wave of the pandemic, the department has logged two notable successes compared to its civilian counterparts: Low infection rates in its community living centers (CLCs) and low...
VA’s IG: Unrealistic EHR Rollout Could Have Put Patients at Risk
WASHINGTON — The VA Inspector General released two long-awaited reports last month examining problems with the roll-out of VA’s new electronic health record system at its pilot site, the Mann-Grandstaff VAMC in Spokane, WA, and the news was not good.
VA/DoD Take On Extensive Research Roles as Coronavirus Cases Wane
WASHINGTON—As the number of cases of COVID-19 seen in hospitals in many states decline, the VA and DoD have turned from active support of overwhelmed facilities to building deeper understanding of the disease and its impacts through new research studies and continued...
VA Defends Use of Hydroxychloroquine in Veterans With COVID-19
WASHINGTON — Legislators and veterans advocates are concerned about VA’s continued use of hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial also commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, on COVID-19 patients.
VA Faces Critical PPE Shortages After Orders Diverted by FEMA
Masks, Other Protective Equipment Went Into Federal Stockpile WASHINGTON—While early in the pandemic VA leaders repeatedly said that their facilities had enough personal protective equipment for its staff to weather the crisis, reports began circulating last month of...
Open for Business: How VA Is Coping With COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON—On March 4, VA announced its first coronavirus patient—a veteran at the Palo Alto VAMC. Seven weeks later, the system had 6,363 reported cases and 400 inpatient deaths nationwide. As of press time in late April, at least 132 VA facilities had treated...
VA Prepares Pharmacy Operations to Respond to COVID-19
WASHINGTON—VA publicly released its plans to adapt its medical and pharmacy operations to meet the challenges of the coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, pandemic in the United States late last month. The crisis response plan includes management and deployment of...
VA Dramatically Alters Operations in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic
VAMCs Also Called on to Backstop Overwhelmed Civilian Hospitals WASHINGTON—While most of the country was nearing the end of its second full week of lockdown due to COVID-19, VA was in the midst of two massive administrative undertakings. The first was familiar to many...
A Third of Women Treated in VA System Perceive Gender-Based Discrimination
PITTSBURGH—Almost 492,000 women veterans used the VA health care system in fiscal year 2017, a nearly 150% increase since fiscal year 2003, according to VA statistics. Those numbers are only expected to increase. While the Veteran Population Projection Model 2016, the...
Many Questions Remain Unanswered Nine Months Into VA’s MISSION Act
Agency Not Sure How Many Veterans Are Using the Program WASHINGTON—Nine months after the MISSION Act went live, VA is still unsure how many veterans are taking advantage of the revamped community care system and how much it will cost the department in its first year,...
SNAP Nutrition Program Changes Affect Hungry Veterans, Military Families
A Quarter of Recent Veterans Have Faced Food Insecurity WASHINGTON — Tim, a Navy veteran living in Maine, was injured on the job and found himself unable to return to work. With no income, he applied for benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program....
