It can be difficult for veterans to use their health benefits for care outside the federal system. A bill in Congress could ease that. Opponents are wary funds being “siphoned” away from the VA.
Veterans Affairs
Posted inNPR
Trump’s VA strands thousands of veterans by ending a key mortgage program
The VA Servicing Purchase program has helped about 20,000 veterans avoid foreclosure. But Republicans in Congress have been critical of the program, saying it puts too much taxpayer money at risk.
Posted inNPR
VA research brought CT scans and pacemakers into the world. Now it’s at risk of cuts
Researchers at the Department of Veterans Affairs warn that crucial medical research is in jeopardy unless the Trump administration reverses course on cuts.
Posted inNPR
VA officials acknowledge the need for privacy for telehealth therapy
The VA looks like it is changing course on a plan that would have threatened the privacy of veterans receiving mental health care via telehealth, according to documents obtained by NPR.
Posted inNPR
Trump’s back-to-office order will hurt veterans, VA docs and therapists say
The Department of Veterans Affairs embraced telehealth, especially for mental health care, in recent years. Now, staffers hired to give therapy and other health care remotely are ordered to do it from offices lacking privacy, VA clinicians told NPR.
Posted inNPR
The VA will deny gender dysphoria treatment to new patients
While the VA never offered gender-affirming surgery, it did offer treatments like hormone therapy. The agency says less than than 0.1% of the 9 million veterans it provides care for identify as trans.
Posted inNPR
Transgender veterans’ health services in question as VA rescinds guidance on care
In an internal VA memo seen by NPR, the VA says it’s rescinding a directive that contains detailed guidance on the kind of care transgender veterans can receive at VA facilities.
Posted inNPR
Trump’s policies are destabilizing mental health care for veterans, sources say
The Department of Veterans Affairs is one of the largest providers of mental health care in the U.S. Its integrated care model means patients are already feeling the cuts and changes that are underway.
Posted inArticle, Education, Health
Fifty years later, RI Vietnam War veteran advocates for peace and justice
It’s been fifty years since the U.S. officially ended its involvement in the Vietnam War, by withdrawing the last of its troops from the country.
