News

BY MARK BERMAN, Washington Post
April 7, 2014

WASHINGTON – Continuing the transformation of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) into a 21st century organization, the President has proposed a $163.9 billion budget, a 6.5 percent increase over Fiscal Year 2014, that will support VA’s goals to expand access to health care and other benefits, eliminate the disability claims backlog, and end homelessness among Veterans.  The budget includes $68.4 billion in discretionary spending, largely for healthcare, and $95.6 billion for mandatory programs – mostly disability compensation and pensions for Veterans.

Associated Press | Feb 04, 2014 | by Kevin Freking

WASHINGTON - The House overwhelmingly passed legislation Monday that would require public universities around the country to charge veterans in-state tuition rates or face financial penalty.

Congress intended for veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan era to go to college for free at the public school of their choice. And for most, that's the case.

Friday, January 10, 2014
By CHABELLA GUZMAN Staff Reporter

Area Veterans may be looking at a longer trip for medical attention if the VA Black Hills Health Care System’s Environmental Impact Statement comes back against the VA hospital in Hot Springs, S.D.

“We take about 10 people a week to Hot Springs,” said John Brehm, director of Scotts Bluff County Veterans Service Office. “I know a lot of them drive up on their own, since they don’t want to wait on the van.”

Angela Hunt, the new Stark County Deputy CVSO receives certificate from Tom Sumers the North Dakota Veterans Affairs Training Officer for completion of week long new VSO training.

Some employees have lost faith in inspector general to root out problems at troubled Atlanta office.

By Brad Schrade- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
5:38 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014

Federal investigators with the VA inspector general’s office appear to be in the final stages of an inquiry into alleged mismanagement and mishandling of hundreds of thousands of health applications at the Veterans Affairs national enrollment office in Atlanta.

By Howard Schultz and Rajiv Chandrasekaran
October 31

Tens of thousands of soldiers who are discharged from the military each year are locked out of VA services.

VA launches new identity theft website and toll-free help line

August 5, 2014

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced that it has launched a new campaign to educate Veterans about identity theft prevention. The new campaign, titled More Than a Number, references the personally identifiable information that VA encourages Veterans to protect.

WASHINGTON – In response to the Office of Special Counsel’s recent recommendations for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sloan Gibson today announced that Gerard R. Cox, MD, MHA will serve as Interim Director of the Office of Medical Inspector (OMI).