The James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in Chicago is the only joint DoD/VA healthcare facility in operation—a partnership between VA and the Navy. With a gentle push from Congress, that might change in the not-too-distant future.
Clinical Pharmacy Specialists Help Veterans Keep Diabetes Under Control
Diabetes affects one in four veterans—a rate more than double that of the general population. In an effort to improve glycemic control among veterans with diabetes the VA involves clinical pharmacy specialists (CPSs) in medication management, a strategy that has proven beneficial in a studies at a number of centers.
LGBTQ Veterans Ousted By ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Eligible for VA Benefits
VA Secretary Denis McDonough sent guidance to Veterans’ Benefit Administration adjudicators restating that veterans who were given other than honorable discharges under the military’s former Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy are eligible for the full range of VA benefits.
VA Begins Processing Claims for New Conditions Related to Agent Orange
Last month, VA began processing disability claims for asthma, rhinitis and sinusitis on a presumptive basis for veterans who served in southwest Asia and some other areas.
Despite Delays, NCAA Attorney Donald Remy Confirmed as VA’s Deputy Secretary
Former National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) attorney Donald Remy, an Army veteran, has been confirmed by the Senate to be the VA’s deputy secretary.
Defense Health Agency’s COVID-19 Vaccine Research Sparks Controversy
Research on rare adverse effects from COVID-19 vaccines has thrust the military into the center of the rancorous controversy about vaccination safety, causing some Congress members to question whether immunization against novel coronavirus should be required by the nation’s uniformed services.
VA Recharges Efforts to Tackle In-House Equity, Inclusion, Diversity Issues
VA needs to do more to ensure workforce equity, inclusion and diversity, especially in its senior leadership roles, according to legislators and employee advocates.
Infrastructure Costs to Modernize VA Could Cost Billions Extra
VA might have underestimated the physical infrastructure costs related to its electronic health record modernization effort by billions according to a VA Inspector General report analyzing the project costs.
Legislators Question VA’s Significantly Increased Budget Request
In its FY 2022 budget proposal, VA is asking Congress to provide the department with a 10% increase over 2021 funding levels.
VA’s Integrated Healthcare: A Model for the Future of Healthcare
VA demonstrated the benefits of being an integrated health care system when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. We were able to use our size as an advantage, pivoting quickly to provide care when, where and how it was needed.
DoD Continues to Promote COVID-19 Vaccination; Navy Offers Incentives
The Navy became the first U.S. military branch to change policy so that servicemembers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 have more freedom of movement.
Pandemic Limitations Fuel Increase in Pending VA Disability Claims
The rise in backlogged claims at the Veterans Benefits Administration is creating concern.
GAO Reports Calls for Suspension of VA EHR Rollout to Resolve Problems
The VA should consider pausing the rollout of its new electronic health record system until problems discovered during earlier deployment stages are addressed
VA Seeks to Improve Healthcare Services for LGBT Veterans
With the understanding that the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans is affected by how equitably they are treated, the VA is seeking to improve its services for those groups.
A Third of Military Healthcare Beneficiaries Refuse COVID-19 Vaccine
About one-third of military servicemembers, civilian contractors and military family members are declining to be vaccinated for COVID-19, and that has DoD officials concerned.
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.
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.