Physical Well-Being
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Afghanistan and Iraq Veterans' Opioid Use Similar to that of Civilians
Type of content: News
Heavy rucksacks, parachuting out of helicopters, combat injuries, and stress result in chronic pain for many service members. In the United States, opioids are commonly prescribed to manage chronic pain, and overprescribing is a concern, particularly for veterans' healthcare.
However, a new study published in Pain suggests that opioid use among Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation New Dawn (OND) veterans is roughly comparable to that of the general U.S. population.
- Topics
- Physical Well-Being
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WRNMMC, VCE Staffs Discuss Care, Rehab With Blind Veterans
Type of content: News
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Vision Center of Excellence staff briefed members of the Blind Veterans Association and Blind Veterans UK about care and rehabilitation capabilities at the nation’s flagship health care facility April 5.
- Topics
- Physical Well-Being
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VA Launches 'New, Unique' Tool to Help Prevent Veteran Suicides
Type of content: News
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs recently unveiled a new program that reviews veterans’ health records to identify which ones might attempt suicide.
- Topics
- Mental Health
- Physical Well-Being
- VA
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Veterans Administration, CVS Test Program to Reduce Wait Times
Type of content: News
WASHINGTON — Some ailing veterans can now use their federal health care benefits at CVS “MinuteClinics” to treat minor illnesses and injuries, under a pilot program announced Tuesday by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The new program, currently limited to the Phoenix area, comes three years after the VA faced allegations of chronically long wait times at its centers, including its Phoenix VA medical center, which treats about 120,000 veterans.
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Exclusive: New VA chief on public scrutiny: Bring it
Type of content: News
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs has a new message on public scrutiny: Bring it on.
President Trump’s pick to lead the agency, VA Secretary David Shulkin, is unveiling a new web site that reveals for the first time exactly how care at VA hospitals compares with nearby private-sector hospitals and national averages. The site has data for roughly 20 hospitals but more will be added soon, the VA says.
- Topics
- Mental Health
- Physical Well-Being
- VA
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VA, Veterans Fighting Opioid Epidemic
Type of content: News
Jason Simcakoski, a 35-year-old Marine, husband and father, died at the Tomah VA Medical Center in Wisconsin in 2014 from a toxic combination of prescription drugs. His overdose sparked national outrage, with some veterans calling VA hospitals “candy factories.” His death eventually led to the passage of the Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act, which created stronger procedures for the prescription guidelines used by VA providers.
- Topics
- Legislation
- Physical Well-Being
- VA
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Congress Advance Bill to Extend Veterans Choice Program
Type of content: News
The Senate and House of Representatives have both passed a bill to extend the Veterans Choice Program, a VA initiative to allow veterans access to non-VA healthcare when facing extraordinary wait times or other barriers to treatment, according to multiple sources.
The Senate unanimously passed the bill earlier this week, according to a statement from Senator John McCain’s office.
- Topics
- Mental Health
- Physical Well-Being
- VA
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Some VAs Are Dropping Veteran Caregivers From Their Rolls
Type of content: News
By the time they cut her from the program, Alishia Graham was angry, but not surprised. Her postman delivered the news in February.
"The letter was sitting at the top — and my stomach dropped because I knew what it was," she says.
The letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs informed Graham that her husband Jim, who sustained a brain injury on his third deployment to Iraq, no longer qualified for a caregiver to help with his daily life.
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Concerns Linger Over Veterans Crisis Line Operations Despite Improvements
Type of content: News
WASHINGTON — Veterans Affairs leaders say staffers at the Veterans Crisis Line have answered every single incoming call for 43 of the last 79 days. Oversight officials say there is still a lot of room for improvement.
“This is the one area where we must aim for perfection,” said House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn. “This is a zero-sum proposition, with lives in the balance.”
- Topics
- Mental Health
- Physical Well-Being
- VA
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Women Veterans Changing VA Care Practices
Type of content: News
IRON MOUNTAIN — The fastest growing demographic in today’s military is women. They make up 14% of America’s active duty personnel.
The number of women Veterans using VA services skyrocketed in recent years, from 159,000 in the year 2000, to 390,000 in 2013.
“When you think about those 13 years, you’ve had 9/11, we’ve had a surge in enlistments” said Brad Nelson, public affairs officer at Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain. “Correspondingly then with more women in the military, they get out and now we have an increase in women Veteran’s seeking VA care.”
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