Legislation
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Veterans suicide prevention efforts will include more discussions on firearm safety
Type of content: News
Federal suicide prevention efforts in coming months will include increased focus on veterans’ access to firearms, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said during a Capitol Hill appearance Wednesday.
“It is key,” he said during a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on his department’s recent efforts to address the problem. “Seventy percent of veterans who (die by suicide) do so with firearms. We’re dealing with a population that has a special familiarity with firearms. So we’re working on ways to build time and space … between thoughts and impulsive acts.”
- Topics
- Legislation
- Mental Health
- Suicide
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New VA Policy Aims to Stop Veterans from Hiding Guns in Wheelchairs
Type of content: News
The Department of Veterans Affairs now has a policy requiring veterans in wheelchairs to switch to ones provided by the facility during emergency room visits to make sure they're not hiding guns, a top VA official testified Tuesday.
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VA MISSION Act: What to expect for community care on June 6
Type of content: News
As the one-year anniversary of President Trump’s signing of the VA MISSION Act of 2018 (the MISSION Act) approaches on June 6, Veterans can expect to have more choices than ever in getting timely, high-quality care.
VA is required to implement major parts of the new Veterans Community Care Program under the MISSION Act by June 6, 2019. This new Program will become effective after VA publishes implementing regulations.
- Topics
- Legislation
- Physical Well-Being
- VA
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Defense leaders mull changes to overseas base policies to help military spouses find jobs
Type of content: News
As Congress considers new rules to help military spouses find work stateside, military officials are moving to ease barriers for spouses working overseas.
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The military is getting serious about putting eyes on your mold and other housing problems
Type of content: News
In the wake of reports from military families dealing with problems ranging from mold to mice to lead paint in their housing — and persistent frustrations in getting their concerns addressed — service officials are taking immediate steps to identify
- Topics
- Active Duty
- Benefits
- DoD
- Family
- Legislation
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Supreme Court: Retirees Can Be Court-Martialed for Crimes Committed After Service
Type of content: News
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the Defense Department's authority to prosecute retired service members for crimes they commit, even after retirement.
The court on Tuesday chose not to hear the case of a retired Marine who was court-martialed for a sexual assault he committed three months after leaving the service in August 2015. By not accepting the case, Larrabee v. the United States, the court upheld the status quo: that military retirees are subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
- Topics
- DoD
- Legal
- Legislation
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Veterans are committing suicide in VA parking lots: report
Type of content: News
A new report illustrates a troubling trend of veterans committing suicide on VA hospital campuses after receiving inadequate care from individual facilities.
- Topics
- Benefits
- Legislation
- Mental Health
- Suicide
- VA
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VA Awards Contracts Worth Up to $55 Billion for Private-Sector Care
Type of content: News
The Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded the first of several regional contracts for its new Community Care Network that will replace various private-sector health care programs for veterans with VA health benefits.
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Dog research at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs gets formal review
Type of content: News
Dog research at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is going under the microscope. Yesterday, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) in Washington, D.C., began a formal review of studies involving nearly 100 canines at four VA facilities to determine whether the animals are being properly treated—and whether the work is necessary.
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Connecticut VA Opens Its Doors To 'Bad Paper' Veterans
Type of content: News
Editor's note: This story contains a description of self-harm.
For an estimated 500,000 veterans, being put out of the military with an other than honorable discharge is a source of shame and an obstacle to employment. "Bad paper," in most cases, means no benefits or health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs — even when the problems that got them kicked out were linked to PTSD, traumatic brain injury or military sexual assault.
- Topics
- Benefits
- Legal
- Legislation
- Mental Health
- VA
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