Military and Veteran News

Military & Veterans News DoD Complying with Court Orders to Access Transgender Persons into the Military As required by recent federal district court orders, the Department of Defense recently announced it will begin processing transgender applicants for military service on January 1, 2018. This policy will be implemented while the Department of Justice appeals those court orders. 

Military & Veterans Life 5 Ways to Help Our Troops, Military Families, and Veterans in Need this Holiday Season Many veterans return from duty to lead full lives with successful careers. But it’s important to keep in mind, especially during the holidays, that some military and veterans do not have a strong support system. Many of our brothers and sisters struggle with Post Traumatic Stress, are alone for the holidays or, sadly, have struggled to find employment and don’t even have a home this winter. 

Military & Veterans News VA Exploring Alternative Treatments for TBI and PTSD WASHINGTON — Today the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that it will use two innovative treatments to ease the everyday challenges associated with living with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

Military & Veterans Life After Combat, Time Outside Saved Army Veteran Stacy Bare's Life Bare, who served tours in Sarajevo and Iraq as a Captain in the U.S. Army, never doubted he would enlist. His uncle had been a green beret in Vietnam, and his grandfather, a Seabee in WWII. Raised in eastern South Dakota, Bare spent his childhood exploring Western and Midwestern landscapes, and learned the value of service early on, since “everyone had to pitch in” in his small town. 

Military & Veterans News VA Announces Rollout and Application Process for New Veterans ID Card WASHINGTON — Today the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that the application process for the national Veterans Identification Card (VIC) is now available for Veterans — yet another action honoring their service.

Discounts & Benefits White House VA Hotline Now Fully Staffed and Operational Around the Clock to Serve Nation’s Veterans WASHINGTON — Today the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that the White House VA Hotline, first launched in June as part of President Donald J. Trump’s commitment to reforming VA, is now fully staffed with live agents working to serve Veterans 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. 

Military & Veterans News Presidential Proclamation Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Veterans Advantage would like to share the words of our President, Donald J. Trump, on Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War. Veterans Advantage Co-founder, Scott Higgins, a Vietnam Veteran, worked closely with President Trump for 5 years to build the New York Vietnam Veterans

Discounts & Benefits Veterans Advantage Invites You to Our Free NYC Veterans Day Events! For the sixth consecutive year, Veterans Advantage, PBC, is proud to announce that it will act as the presenting sponsor for Veterans Week NYC, with the VetRewards Card once again the official secure ID card for attending Veterans! We would like to extend a huge Thank You to Avis/Budget for their help making this year's events possible!

WeSalute Awards TopVet: Pat Pacious, Choice Hotels International CEO New CEO and Navy Veteran Navigates Industry Waters of DisruptionEditor's note: Patrick Pacious became President and Chief Executive Officer of Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Military & Veterans News Scott's View: Ken Burns' "The Vietnam War" Debuts on PBS Vietnam will be front and center this weekend as award-winning documentary producer Ken Burns’s “The Vietnam War” premieres Sunday night on PBS. “The Vietnam War” promises to break new ground in the tradition of other fine documentaries produced by Burns. His epic series on the Civil War produced in 1990

Military & Veterans News Invictus Games 2017 - Recognizing Warrior Athlete Heroes Under the leadership of Ken Fisher, last year's Invictus Games at ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World in Orlando was a huge success.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: VA staffing new White House VA Hotline Principally with Veterans Today the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced that the two-month pilot phase of the new White House VA Hotline that began in June has demonstrated that Veterans calling the hotline respond best when their calls are answered by fellow Veterans and others with first-hand experience on their issues.

Military & Veterans News Vet News: VA Honors Outstanding Achievements in Support of Homeless Veterans Programs WASHINGTON — During several award ceremonies across the country in July, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will honor exemplary facilities, employees and civilian providers working to address Veteran homelessness.

Military & Veterans News Benefit News: VA Expands Transparency, Accountability Efforts WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs David J. Shulkin announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is taking a further step on transparency and accountability as a follow-on to the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act signed by the president less than two weeks ago.

Military & Veterans News Scott's View: Remembering Arnold Palmer at the 2017 Masters Tournament As an avid golfer, I have always been an admirer of Arnold Palmer both as a world-class golfer and fellow veteran. He is sorely missed at this year's Masters golf tournament in Augusta, GA.

Military & Veterans Life K9 Vet's Day: Dogs Save Lives in the Field and On the Home Front March 13th is National K9 Veteran Day, and represents the birthday of the U.S. Army Canine Corps. The first military service dogs graduated from the Dogs for Defense program in 1942, following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Today, "war dogs" are primarily used to help our military sniff out Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s), and to provide emotional support for those stationed in war zones.

Military & Veterans News Benefit News: Isakson Statement on Confirmation of Dr. David Shulkin as VA Secretary WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today released the following statement after David Shulkin, M.D., was unanimously confirmed by the Senate to become secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs:

Military & Veterans News Veterans Advantage Supports New Bill to Treat Veterans with PTSD, TBI and Silent Injuries of War Driven by a national obligation to accelerate focus on medical care for military veterans, bipartisan support has emerged in the U.S. Senate for ground-breaking mental health treatments, and Veterans Advantage has joined in supporting the new legislation.

Military & Veterans News Scott's View: November is Military Family Month: Help a Military Family in Need! For 23 years, America has recognized Military Family Month to honor military families through awareness, public and private initiatives and service programs. It's a month for all of us to acknowledge the special service and sacrifices of our military family members.

Military & Veterans News Rio Olympics 2016: Active-duty Athletes to Watch With the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games only a few days away, we’re profiling three USA’s athletes and current military members: Cale Simmons, Nathan Schrimsher, Glenn Eller, and Shadrack Kipchirchir.

Military & Veterans News Benefits News: VA Conducts Nation’s Largest Analysis of Veteran Suicide WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has undertaken the most comprehensive analysis of Veteran suicide rates in the U.S., examining over 55 million Veteran records from 1979 to 2014 from every state in the nation. The effort extends VA’s knowledge from the previous report issued in 2010, which examined  three million  Veteran records from 20 states were available.  Based on the data from 2010, VA estimated the number of Veteran deaths by suicide averaged 22 per day.  The current analysis indicates that in 2014, an average of 20 Veterans a day died from suicide.

Military & Veterans News Rio Olympics 2016: Two Olympians with Military Family Ties Throughout the history of the Olympic Games, there have been many veterans, family members of veterans, and active duty military members who have participated in these fabled competitions, and Rio 2016 is no exception. Some of the athletes with military family backgrounds include Decathlete Ashton Eaton and Gymnast Gabby Douglas.

Military & Veterans News Scott's View: Today We Commemorate Flag Day and Celebrate the U.S. Army's Birthday America’s Army was founded on June 14, 1775, the same day as our U.S. Flag. Today, Flag Day, the official day of commemoration of the founding of our American flag, is celebrated each year on June 14th, the U.S. Army’s Birthday.

Military & Veterans News Memorial Day 2016: Pause for a Moment of Silence Military Appreciation Month in May is an annual celebration of patriotism. It also reaffirms our mission to make sure we honor service every day. From our popular 50% off member “thank you” sale completed last week, to our support of Team USA at the Invictus Games earlier this month, your service to our country is always in our hearts and minds.