Department of Veterans Affairs

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VA Fudges Vets&#39; Health Data to Duck Costs
 VA Fudges Vets' 
 Health Data 
 to Duck Costs 
WHISTLEBLOWER SAYS
Mar 13, 2013 12:03 PM CDT

VA Fudges Vets' Health Data to Duck Costs

Former staffer says VA seeks to avoid expensive care

(Newser) - The Department of Veterans Affairs keeps some health data quiet to avoid the financial burden of expensive care, according to a former VA staffer set to testify today before a House subcommittee. If "studies produce results that do not support the office of public health's unwritten policy, they...

Same-Sex Couple Set for National Cemetery Burial

First-time event follows VA waiver

(Newser) - For the first time, a veteran's same-sex partner is due for burial in a national cemetery. Nancy Lynchild, who died in December, will be buried in Willamette National Cemetery in Oregon; her partner, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Linda Campbell, will someday have her ashes buried alongside Lynchild's....

Bin Laden Killer's Plight Not So Desperate: Report

The government does cover 'the Shooter's' health care: 'Stars and Stripes'

(Newser) - Yesterday's Esquire opus on the SEAL Team 6 shooter who killed Osama bin Laden, left the Navy after 16 years, and now finds himself unemployed with no pension or health coverage, made waves. And it continues to today, thanks to the assertion by Stars and Stripes that the piece,...

22 Veterans Commit Suicide Each Day
 22 Veterans 
 Commit Suicide 
 Each Day 
study says
Feb 1, 2013 12:12 PM CST

22 Veterans Commit Suicide Each Day

Rate up 20% from 2007 study

(Newser) - Some 22 US veterans commit suicide on a daily basis, a new VA study finds, marking a jump of about 20% from a 2007 study. And it's unlikely that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are the key factor in the increase: More than two-thirds of the suicide victims are...

700 Possibly Exposed to HIV at Buffalo VA

Insulin pens were accidentally reused at hospital

(Newser) - More than 700 patients at the Buffalo VA Medical Center may have been exposed to HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C because of accidental reuse of insulin pens, says the Veterans Administration. Authorities said there is a "very small risk" for the diabetic patients who may have been exposed...

23% of Female Troops Suffer Sex Assaults in War Zones

And about half report sex harassment, survey finds

(Newser) - Nearly half of US women deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan say they've suffered sexual harassment, and almost a quarter say they've been sexually assaulted, a Department of Veterans Affairs study finds. But far less than that gets reported: Just 115 assaults were reported last year, though as of...

Barefoot NYC Man Isn't Homeless

Veterans program secured housing for Jeffrey Hillman since 2009

(Newser) - Looks like Jeffrey Hillman's problems are a lot more complicated than mere shoelessness: The 54-year-old panhandler given new shoes by an NYPD officer and seen barefoot again days later used to be homeless, but has had an apartment in the Bronx secured by Veterans Affairs since 2009, officials tell...

Number of Homeless Vets Down Sharply

But can administration make it zero by 2015?

(Newser) - The Obama administration has vowed to end homelessness among military veterans by 2015 and while some advocates call that pledge unrealistic, there has been undeniable progress made over the last few years, the AP finds. Veterans Affairs officials estimate the number of homeless vets has dropped by 15,000 since...

20K Troops, Vets Lost Their Homes Last Year

But VA says that number could have been much worse

(Newser) - Last year saw the most military foreclosures since 2003, despite efforts from Veterans Affairs to counsel and assist floundering servicemen. More than 20,000 active-duty troops, reservists, and veterans who’d taken out special government-backed mortgages lost their homes last year, the USA Today reports, and foreclosure filings in the...

Ex-Soldier Takes Hostages at Army Hospital

Demands treatment for behavioral problems

(Newser) - A former Army soldier demanding behavioral treatment at a Georgia military hospital took three workers hostage at gunpoint today before authorities persuaded him to surrender peacefully. No one was hurt and no shots were fired in the short standoff at Winn Army Community Hospital on Fort Stewart, according to a...

What the Iraq War Cost Us
 What the Iraq War Cost Us 
Anne Applebaum
Aug 30, 2010 1:59 PM CDT

What the Iraq War Cost Us

It's too soon to tell how the war went

(Newser) - Anne Applebaum was an outspoken supporter of the war in Iraq. Yet as Barack Obama prepares to announce the official end of combat operations tomorrow, she has mixed feelings. “Even if violence abates, even if all American troops go home, we have still paid a very high price for...

Rules Eased for Vet PTSD Disability

Conservatives wary of $5 billion plan

(Newser) - A new rule will make it easier for American veterans to get disability payments for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD . The $5 billion plan erases the need for warriors to document the specific horror, be it bomb blast or raid, that made them sick. That's especially good news for those...

VA Doctors Can't Prescribe Medical Pot

New Mexico allows it for PTSD, but veterans can't get it there

(Newser) - New Mexico is the only state that explicitly allows people with PTSD to smoke pot under its medical marijuana law—and that's created a conundrum for the VA, which does not allow its doctors to prescribe pot because the drug is illegal in the eyes of the federal government. If...

Palin Charges Obamacare Hurts Soldiers

But 'shocking new questions' she raises are bogus, says VA

(Newser) - After scoring big with her “death panels” whopper, Sarah Palin tried to tweet another monkey wrench into the works yesterday, posting on Twitter: “Shocking new questions re:whether military healthcare plans r protected under Obamacare. How will underpaid troops afford their own purchase?” Palin was apparently unaware that...

VA Mistakenly Tells Hundreds of Vets They Have ALS

'Coding error' to blame for ALS mistake

(Newser) - Because of an error, the Department of Veterans Affairs incorrectly notified 1,200 veterans they had ALS, the fatal neurological condition also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, the AP reports. The letters alerted the veterans to disability benefits available to those who suffer from the disease. Thought the VA...

Long Buried, PTSD Emerges in WWII Veterans

1 in 20 surviving vets affected

(Newser) - For many World War II veterans, decades-old memories of war aren’t as deeply buried as they once believed. The veterans administration estimates that 5% of the 2.5 million US World War II vets suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Older vets came of age...

Army Suicides Hit Record High
 Army Suicides Hit Record High 
Jan 29, 2009 2:07 AM CST

Army Suicides Hit Record High

Army expected to announce new study of post-combat stress

(Newser) - A record 128 US soldiers committed suicide last year, and an additional 15 are suspected of taking their own lives, CNN reports. The previous record was set in 2007. In response to the latest figures, the Army is expected to announce new studies of post-combat stress and why its suicide-prevention...

Senate Likes Shinseki for Veterans Affairs

War, economy burden system former Army general would inherit

(Newser) - Retired Gen. Eric Shinseki garnered bipartisan support for his Veterans Affairs Secretary nomination today in outlining his priorities before Congress, the Military Times reports. The former Army chief of staff admitted to little experience with veterans issues, but his vows to streamline the agency won support from the likes of...

Obama to Tap Shinseki for Veterans Affairs

Ex-general was fired for saying US had to increase troop levels

(Newser) - Democratic officials say President-elect Barack Obama has selected retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki to be the next Veterans Affairs secretary, the AP reports. Shinseki is the former Army chief of staff who upset his civilian bosses in 2003 when he testified to Congress that it might take several hundred thousand...

15% of Women Vets Report Sexual Abuse: Study

Assaults often lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, survey of 125K finds

(Newser) - Some 15% of female Iraq or Afghanistan veterans seeking medical care report suffering sexual trauma, including harassment or assault while on duty, a study finds, with more than half suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The study by the Department of Veterans Affairs surveyed more than 125,000 in 2001-2007, USA ...

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