Featured News
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One in three gun-owning U.S. veterans don't store weapons safely
September 20, 2018
Tamara Mathias | Reuters
(Reuters Health) - A substantial percentage of U.S. military vets store guns loaded and ready to use, according to an American study that could have implications for suicide prevention.
“American veterans have a higher suicide risk than demographically matched U.S. adults and most of their suicides are actually related to firearm injury,” said lead author Dr. Joseph Simonetti of the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Colorado.
“On average, about 20 veterans die every day by suicide and about two-thirds of those suicides are firearm-related,” he told Reuters Health.
- Topics
- Mental Health
- Suicide
- VA
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VA ready to hire dozens more specialists to give legal help to veterans at medical centers
September 18, 2018
Maria Biery | Washington Examiner
The Veterans Affairs Department announced Tuesday that it is ready to hire an additional 50 outreach specialists to help veterans in the judicial system after President Trump signed into law Tuesday the Veterans Treatment Court Improvement Act of 2018.
The law requires the VA to hire the new specialists over the next year and then place them at VA medical centers in need of their services. They will help veterans impacted by the justice system while working in the Veterans Treatment Courts or other court focused on veterans.
- Topics
- Benefits
- Legal
- Legislation
- Transition
- VA
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Study Finds More Women than Men Veterans with Chronic Pain Use Therapies Like Yoga and Acupuncture
September 17, 2018
AMHERST, Mass. – A recent major shift in practice by the Veterans Health Administration (VA) now means that complementary and integrative health (CIH) therapies such as meditation, yoga and acupuncture are increasingly being offered to VA patients as non-drug approaches for pain management and related conditions, says Elizabeth Evans, an epidemiology researcher in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
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Here’s why your child’s school is asking whether you’re active duty
September 15, 2018
Karen Jowers | Military Times
If you’re wondering why your child’s school asked whether a parent is active duty, it’s because for the first time, schools are being required to collect and report data on assessments of military children.
It’s anticipated that states and school districts around the country will start reporting that data later this year, according to the Department of Education. The data will be based on performance records from the 2017-2018 school year; generally states release their report cards in the winter following the school year, officials said.
- Topics
- Active Duty
- Education
- Family
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VetsAid Selects First Round of Veteran Charities to Benefit From 2018 Concert
September 14, 2018
Juliette Jagger | Celebrity Access
WASHINGTON, DC (CelebrityAccess) – VetsAid, the second annual concert to support veterans and their families sponsored by Eagle’s guitarist Joe Walsh, announced this week the first round of veteran charities that will benefit from this year’s November 11th concert.
- Topics
- Collaboration
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Tricare Updates Rules to Address Concerns About Access to Care
September 13, 2018
Amy Bushatz | Military.com
Tricare officials on Thursday announced an addition to a list of circumstances under which users will be permitted to switch plans after a new rule takes effect late this year.
Currently, military families enrolled in Tricare Select or Tricare Prime can change plans for any reason.
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VA establishes new research center focused on caregivers
September 13, 2018
Leo Shane III | Military Times
WASHINGTON — Veterans Affairs officials are launching a new center of excellence focused on caregivers, a move that advocates say could significantly boost research and support for families caring for ailing veterans.
- Topics
- Benefits
- Caregivers
- Family
- VA
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This change could make it easier to use military spouse preference to apply for DoD civilian jobs
September 5, 2018
Karen Jowers | Military Times
Military spouses will find it easier to apply for Department of Defense civilian jobs using military spouse preference, under new procedures being finalized now, according to DoD officials.
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Delays in Forever GI Bill implementation could affect veterans’ checks
September 5, 2018
Nikki Wentling | Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON — Student veterans starting the 2018-2019 school year could receive incorrect housing payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs because the agency missed a deadline to fully implement changes to how the checks are calculated, lawmakers and veteran advocates said Wednesday.
Last year, Congress approved the Forever GI Bill, a major expansion of veterans’ education benefits, and gave the VA until Aug. 1 to establish its 34 new provisions. One of the changes is to calculate veterans’ housing allowances based on the ZIP code of the campus where they attend classes.
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VA Working to Slash Opioid Use Amid New Research on Painkiller Alternatives
September 4, 2018
Richard Sisk | Military.com
The VA’s efforts to cut prescription rates for opioids have been backed up by encouraging new research showing success for the use of non-opioid alternatives in the treatment of some types of chronic pain.
"Many people do have expectations that opioids are just amazingly effective for pain. You know, it turns out that's probably not true," said Dr. Erin Krebs, a general internist and researcher at the Minneapolis VA Center for Chronic Disease Outcomes Research.
- Topics
- Benefits
- Physical Well-Being
- VA
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