VA Secretary Reminds Committee He Sought Investigation WASHINGTON, DC—A member of the House VA Committee has called on VA Secretary Denis McDonough to resign over the nearly $11 million in bonuses inappropriately paid to senior VA Central Office (VACO) officials....
A recent audit of VA’s Medical Surgical Prime Vendor Program (MSPV) found that lack of oversight of the system, which is meant to save VA money by better leveraging the department’s buying power, is costing VA hundreds of millions a year.
The long-term effects of COVID-19 might last longer and manifest themselves later than was previously thought, according to a new study that followed patients for three years after their initial illness.
The VA covers the veterinary care and the equipment costs of service dogs for veterans with physical disabilities such as blindness or vision impairment, but the use of service dogs for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health issues has remained controversial.
In U.S. veterans with incident hyperkalemia, the risk of recurrent hyperkalemia within one year is higher in Black and Hispanic patients, according to a recent study.
Dietary supplements for weight loss are widely promoted online and through social media, with many claiming to have the added benefits of building lean muscle and enhancing energy and performance.
After a serious illness, veterans who received medical care via the Post-Acute Recovery Center (PARC) model experienced fewer deaths and more days outside of the hospital compared to those not treated with PARC, according to a recent study.
Veterans who underwent VHA lung cancer screening were more likely to be diagnosed at an earlier stage and had higher cure rates than those who were not screened, according to a new observational study.
Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have been found to have prospective memory (PM) deficits. A new study sought to better understand how and why that occurs.
In veterans who were on active duty during the Vietnam War era, exposure to Agent Orange was associated with a small increase in the risk of developing prostate cancer, but not metastatic prostate cancer or fatal prostate cancer, according to a recent study.
Even though smoking is a risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS) development, symptom burden, decreased medication efficacy and increased disease-related mortality, veterans with the disease continue to smoke at critically high rates, according to a new study.
Only a small proportion of patients infected with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) develop multiple sclerosis (MS). A new military study sought to determine why that is and what the underlying mechanisms are.
In 2017, almost no healthcare personnel at VA hospitals reported in a survey that they had received mandatory influenza vaccinations. By 2021, almost all VA respondents said they had.
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved an amendment to H.R. 8580, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act to prohibit the VA from processing claims for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Health Service Corps at the Department of Homeland Security.
Could using the drug combination sacubitril/valsartan, an angiotensin receptor/neprilysin inhibitor, in heart failure patients increase their risk of cognitive impairment?
Influenza is a significant contributor to coronary and cerebrovascular events in U.S. veterans and exacerbates underlying conditions, according to a new study.
Is chronic kidney disease (CKD) diagnosed based on a single estimated glomerular filtration rate measurement significantly different from that diagnosed using the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guideline?
A disorder related to military service in the 1991 Gulf War (GW), Gulf War illness (GWI)/Chronic Multisymptom Illness (CMI), includes symptoms such as fatigue, pain and cognitive dysfunction.
American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) patients have lower overall survival rates from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and at least part of the reason is that they are less likely to receive guideline-concordant care, according to a new study.
The quality of life for many breast cancer patients is affected by skeletal muscle dysfunction, which is estimated to appear in about 39% of cases.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States and worldwide, with about 4,000 cases diagnosed each year in the VA alone. While the rate of colorectal cancer among older individuals—who traditionally were at greatest risk—has decreased in recent years, the incidence in younger people has been increasing at an “alarming rate,” according to a recent study.
A new metric, so-called colon age, has been developed to help estimate the risk for early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) in male veterans.
Veterans are reporting disability exam experiences with third-party contractors that are “inadequate and unprofessional,” and it has a leading Democratic senator asking what the VA plans to do about it.
Aging can lead to the development of cutaneous symptoms and disorders, and in many older adults the effects often are not limited to the skin, according to a new VA study.
The Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders (SCID) system, the hub-and-spoke model of care that VA uses to treat some of its most vulnerable veterans, is in danger of collapse, veterans’ advocates are telling lawmakers. According to them, the system is under-financed and understaffed, with patients being turned away because of the lack of resources.
While cognitive decline in older people often raises suspicion of early Alzheimer’s disease, a new VA study underscores the importance of considering how factors beyond Alzheimer’s—including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), pain and sleep difficulties—might also impact cognition in older veterans.
Equations that estimate 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) appear to have overestimated the number of U.S. adults eligible for primary prevention statin therapy, according to a new study.
Gulf War and Iraq/Afghanistan veterans have significantly smaller brainstem volumes compared to healthy civilians, and damage to the brainstem structure of these veterans could potentially lead to sleep disturbances and chronic pain, according to a recent study.
There’s a well-worn quote about how laws are like sausages, in that you should never either being made. In reality, the legislative process can be even messier, more laborious, and require even more hands in its construction.
I have sworn this oath several times throughout my military career, as did my wife and first daughter. A framed print of the oath of office adorned our living room for years. Often, when asked what I did for a living by a new acquaintance, I will state that I spent a career protecting and defending the United States Constitution. It is an occupation my family has been involved in for generations. Except for my family, nothing has been more fundamentally important to my identity and sense of purpose. Defense of our Constitution is the most important endeavor I have performed to protect my family, posterity and my country.
