Latest Veterans healthcare News
Realignment of veterans' healthcare facilities on hold
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Proposed changes in veterans' healthcare facilities in South Dakota and elsewhere are on hold for now. Some U.S. senators, including South Dakota's Mike Rounds and John Thune, have agreed to dismantle a commission tasked by the Department of Veterans Affairs to...
Expanded care in works for vets exposed to toxic substances
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The U.S. Senate has passed a proposal backed by Maine's senators to provide more care for military veterans who were exposed to toxic substances. Republican Sen. Susan Collins and independent Sen. Angus King were among the supporters of the proposal, which is...

Black veteran groups seek policy agenda on racial inequities
As a young man in Memphis, Tennessee, Robert Dabney Jr. wanted to blaze a path that could set his family up for a better life. So two weeks after high school graduation in 1998, at age 18, he joined the U.S. Army. During nine years of service that included two tours in Iraq, Dabney...

Senate OKs enhanced benefits for vets exposed to burn pits
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday approved a sweeping expansion of health care and disability benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in response to concerns about their exposure to toxic burn pits. Passage of the bill by a vote of 84-14 sets a course that could help...

Florida mom channels grief into fight against vet suicides
Janos “John” Lutz was 19 when he enlisted in the Marine Corps out of high school, aiming to do his part for his country in the aftermath of the 911 terrorist attacks. As he hoped, he was deployed to the front lines in Iraq. Janine Lutz recalls the first time that...
Ex-veterans hospital worker sentenced in theft of HIV meds
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A former pharmacy technician involved in the theft of more than $8.2 million worth of prescription HIV medication from a Veterans Affairs hospital in northern New Jersey has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison. Lisa Hoffman, 50, of Orange, had...

Lawmakers reach deal to help veterans exposed to burn pits
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional bargainers announced Wednesday that they have reached a deal on legislation to boost health care services and disability benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. The agreement paves the way for passage of a bill that...
Editorial Roundup: Florida
Palm Beach Post. May 8, 2022. Editorial: Ending Roe v. Wade shouldn’t curb Florida privacy rights In its haste to rid society of abortions, the U.S. Supreme Court appears headed toward weakening a very important constitutional guarantee against undue government...
Army sued over discharges of soldiers with addiction issues
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The U.S. Army is violating veterans' rights, its own regulations and the Constitution by refusing to give soldiers with alcohol and drug use disorders honorable discharges that would qualify them for federal benefits, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday. ...
New York teacher charged with submitting fake vaccine card
MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A high school teacher in suburban New York was charged Wednesday with submitting a forged COVID-19 vaccination card in an effort to get around the school district's rule mandating either vaccination or weekly testing for the coronavirus. Tricia Manno, a teacher...
