Military & Veterans News

Military & Veterans News Department of Defense-Sponsored Cyber Internship Offers Knowledge, Inspiration for College Students The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering-sponsored Cyber-Spectrum internship program, MAVEN, recently celebrated its second internship graduation.

Military & Veterans News New Benefit Gives Military Families More Flexibility in Paying for Dependent Care In coordination with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has expanded eligibility for a benefit that will provide military families with another financial option for reducing the burden of the cost of dependent care, ultimately bolstering military readiness. The Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA) initiative provides accounts that allow eligible service members to set aside up to $5,000 per household in pre-tax earnings for qualified dependent care expenses.

Military & Veterans News VA launches mobile medical units to increase access to health care for homeless Veterans Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it will deploy 25 mobile medical units across the country during the next six months to provide health care and support to homeless and at-risk Veterans.

Military & Veterans News VA and NAACP announce partnership to improve quality of life for Black and minority Veterans Today, VA and the NAACP announced an agreement to work together to advance and improve the quality of life for all Veterans, including minority Veterans.

Military & Veterans News VA and the American Association of Kidney Patients collaborate to enhance quality of life for Veterans with kidney disease Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a new partnership with the American Association of Kidney Patients to improve the everyday lives of Veterans with kidney disease in coordination with VA’s Kidney Medicine Program.

Military & Veterans News VA expands breast cancer screenings and mammograms for Veterans with potential toxic exposures Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that Veterans under 40 who may have been exposed to burn pits and other toxins during their service are now eligible for breast cancer risk assessments and mammograms (as clinically appropriate) at VA.

Military & Veterans News Majority of VA health care facilities receive 4 or 5 stars in CMS quality ratings, outperforming non-VA facilities Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that 67% of VA hospitals included in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) annual Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings received either 4 or 5 stars, compared to only 41% of non-VA hospitals. This was the first time VA hospitals were included in the CMS Star Ratings.

Military & Veterans News SecVA press conference, 6/27/23

Military & Veterans News VA awards $11.5 million in first-of-their-kind grants for legal services for homeless Veterans WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs awarded $11.5 million in legal services grants for Veterans experiencing or at-risk of homelessness as part of its natio

Military & Veterans News VA launches national PACT Act Summer VetFest to encourage Veterans and survivors to apply for new health care and benefits WASHINGTON — In July, VA will kick off PACT Act Summer VetFest to inform Veterans, their families, and survivors about the PACT Act and encourage them to apply for the

Military & Veterans News VA stands up Agency Equity Team to ensure that all Veterans receive the world-class care and benefits they deserve VA also announced that it has created a new Equity Assurance Office within the Veterans Benefits Administration. This office will work in coordination with the I*DEA Council to eliminate any disparities in the delivery of earned benefits to Veterans, including disability benefits, housing benefits, GI Bill benefits, and much more. This office will be led by Laurine Carson and will report directly to the Office of the Under Secretary for Benefits.   

Military & Veterans News New Defense Department Policy Standardizes Exceptional Family Member Program Across the Services The Defense Department has enacted changes to ensure consistency across the service branches for military families with special needs. Previously each service set its own processes and guidelines because there wasn't standard policy guidance from the department.

Military & Veterans News Veterans can now call 1-800-MyVA411 to report sexual assault or sexual harassment at VA Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors can now report incidents of sexual assault or sexual harassment at VA facilities by calling 1-800-MyVA411 (1-800-698-2411, option 9).  

Military & Veterans News Nationwide patient survey shows VA hospitals outperform non-VA hospitals According to Medicare’s latest nationwide survey of patients, VA hospitals outperformed non-VA hospitals on all 10 core patient satisfaction metrics — including overall hospital rating, communication with doctors, communication about medication, willingness to recommend the hospital, and more.

Military & Veterans News DoD Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office Hosts Sixth Global Information Dominance Experiment The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO), in partnership with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, launched its second Global Information Dominance Experiment, known as GIDE. The sixth iteration of GIDE began Jun. 5 and will conclude Jul. 26. The experimentation team is comprised of U.S. military and civilian personnel from all service branches and multiple combatant commands.

Military & Veterans News VA hires at record rates to deliver care and benefits to Veterans This year, VA has hired employees at record rates to help better deliver world-class care and benefits to Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors.

Military & Veterans News VA relaxes masking at health care facilities Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it has relaxed the masking requirement at VA medical facilities. VA facilities will no longer universally require masks in most clinical areas.

Military & Veterans News Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on President Biden's Nomination of a New Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff I enthusiastically support President Biden’s decision to nominate Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., as the 21st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. Brown is an outstanding joint warfighter and a thoughtful, strategic leader who will bring his trademark skill, talent and judgment to this critical role, if confirmed. 

Military & Veterans News VA now working with 1,000+ community-based coalitions to end Veteran suicide Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced it is now working with more than 1,000 local community coalitions engaged in ending Veteran suicide. These coalitions, established through VA’s Public Health Model for Suicide Prevention, now reach more than 7.5 million Veterans nationwide.

Military & Veterans News VA invites Veterans, public to attend Memorial Day ceremonies at 130+ VA national cemeteries Today, VA announced that it will host Memorial Day ceremonies at more than 130 national cemeteries to commemorate those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation.

Military & Veterans News Studies show VA health care is better than or equal to non-VA health care The Journal of General Internal Medicine and the Journal of the American College of Surgeons published articles based on a systematic review of studies about VA health care, concluding VA health care is consistently as good as — or better than — non-VA health care.

Military & Veterans News DOD Updates Overseas Cost-of-Living Allowance Adjustment Process The Overseas Cost-of-Living Allowance (OCOLA) is an allowance that ensures our Service members who are assigned to a permanent duty station outside the contiguous U.S. (OCONUS) (i.e., foreign countries, U.S. territories, Alaska, and Hawaii) maintain the same level of purchasing power as Service members stationed in CONUS locations — not less purchasing power, but not more either. 

Military & Veterans News Veterans and survivors have filed more than 500,000 toxic exposure-related benefits claims under the PACT Act More than 3 million Veterans have received toxic exposure screenings since President Biden signed PACT into law

Military & Veterans News VA to host cross-country march honoring veterans and service members during ‘Memorial May’ VA encourages volunteers to join cross-country march honoring veterans and service members during ‘Memorial May’