Military and Veteran News

Military & Veterans News VA names nine additional facilities that will deploy Federal EHR in 2026 The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs today announced the complete list of additional medical facilities at which it will deploy the Federal Electronic Health Record system in 2026 under its accelerated deployment schedule.

Military & Veterans News VA to phase out treatment for gender dysphoria In response to President Trump’s Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government executive order, VA announced today that it will phase out medical treatments for gender dysphoria.

Military & Veterans News VA to complete Federal EHR deployment at nine additional sites in 2026 The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced today it will complete deployment of the Federal Electronic Health Record system at nine additional medical facilities, bringing the total to go live in 2026 to 13, with complete deployment of the EHR at all VA medical facilities as early as 2031.

Military & Veterans News VA to terminate 585 non-mission-critical or duplicative contracts Following a thorough review of nearly 2,000 professional services contracts, the Department of Veterans Affairs today began canceling 585 non-mission-critical or duplicative contracts. These contracts, which will be phased out over the next few days, represent less than one percent of the roughly 90,000 contracts VA currently has in place.

Military & Veterans News VA processes one million disability claims faster than ever before The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today it has processed more than a million disability claims in Fiscal Year 2025, reaching the milestone nearly two weeks faster than it did in FY24.

Military & Veterans News VA dismisses more than 1,400 probationary employees Mission-critical positions are exempt from the reductions, which will enable VA to redirect over $83 million annually to health care, benefits and services for VA beneficiaries

Military & Veterans News VA dismisses more than 1,000 employees The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced the dismissal of more than 1,000 employees.

Military & Veterans News VA Announces New Flag Display Policy The Department of Veterans Affairs today instituted a new flag policy limiting the display of certain flags on VA premises. The policy will establish consistent and clear guidance across the department and among all employees.

Military & Veterans News VA announces return to in-person work policy The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced its return to in-person work policy, which states eligible employees must work full-time at their respective duty stations (agency worksites) unless excused due to a disability, qualifying medical condition or other compelling reason.

Military & Veterans News Veterans get more time to transition to new online login system The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs today announced it will provide Veterans additional time to transition to a new online login system that lets them more quickly and securely access information about their VA health care and benefits.

Military & Veterans News VA ends DEI, stops millions in spending on DEI The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that it has completed its initial implementation of President Trump’s executive order to end DEI within the federal government.

Military & Veterans News VA declares hiring-freeze exemptions Following successful implementation of President Trump’s federal hiring freeze, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced several exemptions to the policy.

Military & Veterans News VA makes several cancers presumptive for service connection – lowering the burden of proof for Veterans to receive no-cost health care and earned benefits Today, in a step that builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s focus to fulfill the nation’s sacred obligation to the nation’s Veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it is making acute and chronic leukemias, multiple myelomas, myelodysplastic syndromes, myelofibrosis, urinary bladder, ureter, and related genitourinary cancers presumptive for service-connection

Military & Veterans News VA proposes to exempt Veterans from paying copays for certain Whole Health Well-Being Services Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced a proposed rule to exempt Veterans from paying copays for certain inpatient and outpatient Whole Health well-being services, which are available at VA facilities nationwide.

Military & Veterans News VA expands access to GI Bill benefits for Veterans who served multiple periods of service Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that — following the 2024 Supreme Court decision — it has updated the process for awarding GI Bill benefits. This change means that many Veterans who served multiple periods of military service (for example, Veterans who reenlisted) will be eligible for up to an additional 12 months of education benefits.

Military & Veterans News VA begins early-stage planning for the next Federal Electronic Health Record rollout in mid-2026, and continues ongoing improvement efforts at existing sites Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it is beginning early-stage planning to deploy the Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR) system to four Michigan facilities — Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Detroit, and Saginaw — in mid-2026.

Military & Veterans News VA releases annual Veteran suicide prevention report, analyzing 2001-2022 data Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs released the National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. The report is the most comprehensive national report on Veteran suicide, analyzing Veteran suicide from 2001-2022 (the most recent years for which we have data).

Military & Veterans News VA lowers life insurance premiums for more than 3 million Veterans, service members, and spouses Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that more than 3 million Veterans, service members, and spouses who receive life insurance from VA’s programs will receive a discount on premiums starting in the spring of 2025.

Military & Veterans News VA proposes rule to expand access to its Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced its intent to expand access to its Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) — a program that provides family caregivers of eligible Veterans access to services and supports, including training and education, financial assistance, health care coverage, beneficiary travel, peer support, and more.

Military & Veterans News Amid concerns about blast exposure, VA launches new outreach campaign to enroll Veterans in health care Today, VA is launching a new outreach campaign to encourage all eligible Veterans to enroll in VA health care – including approximately 1 million unenrolled Veterans who served in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Military & Veterans News VA to pilot interments in green burial sections at three national cemeteries Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced it is now piloting interments in green burial sections at three VA national cemeteries. This pilot provides Veterans interment options that minimize environmental impact.

Military & Veterans News VA and DOD announce updates to improve Veteran and caregiver access to installations Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense (DOD) announced an improved installation access process for Veterans and eligible caregivers for medical appointments, shopping, and certain morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) services. Veteran and caregiver eligibility will now be electronically verified during the installation access process.

Military & Veterans News Veteran homelessness reaches a record low, decreasing by 7.5% since 2023 Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness announced results of the 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, which show a record low in Veteran homelessness since measurement began in 2009 and a 7.5% decrease since 2023. Overall, the data shows a 11.7% reduction in Veterans experiencing homelessness since 2020 and a 55.6% reduction since 2010.

Military & Veterans News VA proposes to eliminate copays for telehealth and expand access to telehealth for rural Veterans Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it is proposing to eliminate copayments for all VA telehealth services and establish a grant program to fund designated VA telehealth access points in non-VA facilities, with a focus on rural and medically underserved communities.