A massive VA omnibus bill is facing unexpected hurdles in Congress and has split veterans service organizations, with some saying it sets a dangerous precedent for how medical disability is calculated, while others argue that its current benefits outweigh future dangers.
Capillaroscopy Is Critical in African-American Evaluations of Raynaud’s Phenomenon
Nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) is a crucial tool for assessing diagnostic microvascular abnormalities in patients with Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP). A recent study sought to determine whether skin pigmentation affects the interpretability of nailfold evaluation.
Frailty Can Predict Incident Osteoporotic Fractures in Veterans with RA
While rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is known to be associated with an increased risk of frailty and osteoporosis, the relationship between frailty and incident osteoporotic fractures in RA has been less clear, according to a recent study.
Care for Pregnant Veterans With RA ‘Fragmented’
Although they receive strong support from maternity care coordinators (MCCs), pregnant women veterans with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experience fragmented care across systems, according to a new review.
2026 Dyslipidemia Guideline Expanded Statin Recommendations to Another 21.5 Million Americans
The 2026 dyslipidemia guideline significantly expanded the U.S. population recommended for primary prevention statin therapy, especially in adults at lower risk.
Clinicians Question DoD’s Testosterone Screening Mandate
Beyond the political fight over the DoD’s new testosterone screening mandate remains a clinical question: Does population-level screening of a mostly asymptomatic, young military population offer significant benefit or simply raise risk?
GLP-1RAs Don’t Work Better Than Oral Agents to Enable Insulin Discontinuation in T2D
With all of the hype surrounding glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) for Type 2 diabetes, some proponents have questioned whether patients using the drugs could eventually discontinue their use of insulin for glucose control.
Million Veterans Database Used in Large-Scale Analysis for Cardiometabolic Traits
Noting that studies linking mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with complex traits are often limited by small sample sizes or focused on specific phenotypes in clinically selected cohorts, researchers recently reported data from more than 600,000 participants in the Million Veteran Program (MVP) to perform a multiancestry analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation and cardiometabolic phenotypes across European (EUR), African (AFR), Admixed American (AMR) and East Asian (EAS) populations.
Problematic Alcohol Use, Anxiety Disorders Appear to Share Genetic Architecture
While it is understood that problematic alcohol use (PAU) and anxiety disorders (ANX) often co-occur, suggesting some type of shared genetic and neurobiological foundations, the directionality of potential causal relationships and the specific mechanisms have remained unclear.
In VA EDs, Female Physician Slightly More Likely to Order Scans, Tests and Admit Patients
Female and male physicians have different practice patterns, according to past studies mainly focused on primary care.
Military Health System Sees Signs of Renewed Surgical Disparities Following COVID-19
The Military Health System (MHS) is often cited as a model for reducing healthcare disparities because every beneficiary is covered by the same insurance.
Postoperative Hypertension Treatment Only Recommended for Symptomatic Inpatients
Using medication to lower asymptomatic postoperative hypertension, a common clinical condition in admitted surgical patients, can have adverse outcomes, so postoperative hypertension should only be treated in inpatient surgical patients when it’s symptomatic, according to a recent review article.
VA Payments for Community Care Continue to Increase Substantially
The VA recently announced that it had made more than $36 billion in payments to local healthcare providers across the country in fiscal year 2025 as part of the VA MISSION Act.
Binge Drinking Declined in Some Veterans, While Heavy Drinking Increased in Midlife Veterans, Study Finds
Binge drinking declined from 2016 to 2024 in younger and older age groups among U.S. veterans, but, at the same time, heavy drinking increased significantly in midlife veterans, according to a recent study.
AI Helps VA Decrease Claims Backlogs; GAO Warns of ‘Unintended Consequences’
VA announced recently that its disability claims backlog fell below 70,000 for the first time since February 2020. That success has been partially attributed to technology modernization, which includes the use of AI in early stages of the benefits process.
Very Low Percentages of Veterans Have Received Contraception Information from Providers
In U.S. veterans of reproductive age, having greater healthcare engagement and more reliance on providers as trusted sources of contraceptive information could improve their knowledge, according to a recent study.
Which Veterans With Cancer Are Most Likely to Attempt Suicide?
In recent years, the conventional wisdom has been that patients at risk for suicide after being diagnosed with cancer usually were older white males with advanced or poor-prognosis cases.
Many Female Veterans Unaware They Can Get Menopause Symptom Care at VA
Nearly half of women veterans who receive VA healthcare are at an age when menopause is most likely to occur. But, while VA offers care for menopause symptoms, like hot flashes and issues with memory, mood and sleep, an investigation by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that the majority of women veterans are unaware those services exist.
VA Community Care Vascular Costs Surge as PAD Referrals Triple, New Data Show
Referrals for vascular surgery through the VA Community Care program nearly tripled over five years, driven overwhelmingly by endovascular interventions for peripheral artery disease, according to a comprehensive cost analysis presented at the Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM26) in Boston, June 10–13.
Concerns Raised Over New Limitations for SAMHSA Grants; Federal Group Also Has Faced Severe Staff Cuts
New limitations on how Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) grant can be used has sparked confusion and concern, as has a campaign by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. urging providers to limit psychiatric medications which have been proven effective in combatting depression and preventing suicide.
Multimodal Exercise Program Promising for Reducing Frailty in MS Patients
Frailty not only is a prevalent and debilitating condition in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients; it also is linked to poorer health outcomes.
More Veterans Screening Positive for Depression and PTSD
More veterans are screening positive for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), even as measures of suicide risk and alcohol-use disorder show modest improvement, according to a large new study of more than 3.6 million veterans receiving care through the VA.
Pediatric Acute Respiratory Infections Lead to Lost Workdays for Active-Duty Servicemembers
Pediatric acute respiratory infections result in absenteeism for both children and their caregivers who are active-duty servicemembers, leading to lost duty days and reduced military readiness, according to a recent study.
VA Eliminates LGBTQ Care-Coordinator Positions in Response to Executive Order
VA is eliminating its LGBTQ care coordinator positions, as well as all activities dealing with veterans’ gender identity, according to a leaked internal memo.
Heart Failure Duration Linked to Cardiac Remodeling, Dysfunction
A new study proposed that pathophysiologic features associated with increased risk in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) might reflect distinct phenotypes or disease stages related to heart failure (HF) duration and then set out to document that.
Catheter Ablation Safe, Career-Preserving for Servicemembers with Tachycardia
Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) is the most common supraventricular tachycardia, and treatment for U.S. active-duty servicemembers (ADSM) can have unique career implications and might affect military retention.
More Treatment of High LDL-C Critical at VA to Avoid ASCVD
Pointing out that elevated serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a major risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), a new study decried that only one-third of veterans with ASCVD have LDL-C treated to goal despite the availability of effective drugs to lower the condition.
Geriatric Surgery Program Enhances Care Coordination, Promotes Safer Surgeries for Older Veterans
A program developed to address the challenges that older adults experience when undergoing surgery has improved the coordination of care for older veterans and promoted safer, more goal-aligned surgery for older adults, according to a recent study.
Diabetes Staging System Improves Care for Type 2 Diabetes Patients In VA Primary Care Clinics
Guideline-concordant care for veteran Type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients improved with use of the Diabetes Staging System to guide treatment, predict survival and create a shared language for care in VA primary care clinics.
COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Significant Protection Against MACE in Veterans 75 or Older
Past research has demonstrated that receipt of vaccines was associated with reduced COVID-19–associated cardiovascular risk. A new study took that a step further, finding evidence of vaccine effectiveness against the broader outcome—all-cause major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), suggesting that “likely reflects the hidden burden of undetected SARS-CoV-2 and associated complications that are amenable to reduction by COVID-19 vaccination.”