Mortality rates are lower for veterans who receive all of their post-kidney transplant care within the VHA than those who receive care outside the VA through Medicare coverage, according to a recent study.
Pandemic Limitations Fuel Increase in Pending VA Disability Claims
The rise in backlogged claims at the Veterans Benefits Administration is creating concern.
Lawmakers Seek to Expand VA Coverage Related to Fertility Issues
Veterans who have service-connected infertility issues should have access to the full range of fertility services science now available, especially in vitro fertilization, without the constraints imposed by antiquated and sometimes nonsensical regulations, legislators and veterans’ advocates argued last month.
Early Discharge Follow-Up Improves HF Outcomes
The benefit of early post-discharge hospital followup for heart failure patients was demonstrated in a new approach at the Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System.
House VA Committee Engages in Partisan Squabbling Over Funding
In its first meeting of the 117th Congress, the House VA Committee advanced a proposal that would allocate $17 billion for VA as part of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
VA Doctors Sentenced for Crimes Committed Against Veteran Patients
The first months of 2021 saw the progression of a number of high-profile criminal cases involving VA employees charged with harming the patients they were tasked to serve.
VA Officials: Pandemic Recovery Expected to Strain VA Funding
The aftermath of the pandemic at VA will require as much emergency funding, if not more, than was required during the actual pandemic, according to VA leadership.
GAO Finds Problems With Oversight of Community Healthcare Providers
MISSION Act critics have raised alarms about the legislation consolidating and expanding VA’s community care program– that healthcare provided by non-VA providers would fail to meet VA’s standards.
Trump Administration’s Last-Minute Attempt to Fire USU President Went Nowhere
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.
New Veterans Health Care Act Seeks to Improve Women’s Healthcare at VA
One of the last pieces of legislation to make it through the 116th Congress was the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, MD Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020.
Debate Continues on Overhaul of VA’s Eligibility Criteria
Is it time to overhaul VA’s eligibility rules? According to some legislators, the process is long overdue for an update, although veterans’ service organizations are split on the issue.
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.
VA: Missions Achieved, Lessons Learned during a Pandemic Year
On Jan. 11, 2020, China reported the first known death from a novel coronavirus. Ten days later, the U.S. announced its first confirmed case. By mid-January, VA’s infectious disease and public health experts initiated regular updates about the new virus to department leadership.
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.
Recipients of the Inaugural AMSUS Sustaining Member 2020 Tip of The Spear Award
The Tip of the Spear Award is AMSUS Sustaining Members most prestigious award presented to the Federal Health Professional/Leader that exhibited the highest standard of ethical public/private partnership in advancing federal health in 2020 and the AMSUS Sustaining Member Company who best exhibited the highest standard of ethical public/private partnership in support of federal health in 2020.
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...
