Department of Veterans Affairs

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Famous WWII Pic Once More a 'Political Lightning Rod'

Memo said Eisenstaedt's V-J Day pic 'The Kiss' would be pulled from VA venues; VA chief says no

(Newser) - The Veterans Affairs secretary has reversed a department memo that aimed to ban VA displays of the iconic "V-J Day in Times Square" photograph of a Navy sailor kissing a woman he didn't know on the streets of New York at the end of World War II. Secretary...

New Suicide-Prevention Option Drew 50K Veterans Last Year

VA initiative offers free emergency suicide-prevention aid to veterans, ex-service members

(Newser) - An emergency suicide-prevention initiative launched last year by the Department of Veterans Affairs has resonated with its target audience. The agency announced Wednesday that so far, almost 50,000 veterans and other ex-service members have made use of the program. The benefit allows those eligible to go to any VA-...

Study Suggests More Veterans Die of Suicide

Greater cooperation from states would help, nonprofit says

(Newser) - The number of US military veterans who have died by suicide could be far higher than the Department of Veterans Affairs has reported, a new study indicates. America's Warrior Partnership, which works to eliminate veteran suicide, found that in eight states, the number of suicides was 1.37 times...

VA Makes 'Historic Shift' on Abortion Access

Agency will start offering abortion access to veterans, even in states where procedure is banned

(Newser) - The Department of Veterans Affairs hasn't offered abortions, or even counseling for patients considering one, to the former service members covered by its health care services. That's about to change, thanks to what the Washington Post calls a "historic shift" that will allow veterans and eligible family...

Charges: VA Nurse Got at Least $150 per Vaccination Card

Informant posed as a buyer during investigation

(Newser) - Since coronavirus vaccination cards became a feature of pandemic life, authorities have said they've thwarted schemes to sell fake cards . Investigators say a Veterans Affairs nurse in Michigan was selling the real thing, going so far as to provide her customers with genuine lot numbers. Bethann Kierczak was arrested...

With Rising Cases Come Vaccine Mandates
This Week, a 'Turning
Point' on Vaccinations
THE RUNDOWN
Jul 27, 2021 10:05 AM CDT

This Week, a 'Turning Point' on Vaccinations

As case numbers rise once again, vaccine mandates gain support

(Newser) - The US has reached a turning point in the pandemic, with businesses, state governments, and even a federal government agency now backing mandatory coronavirus vaccinations for employees. How'd we get here?
  • A 'groundswell': "With vaccination rates stagnating and the delta variant driving yet another wave of cases,
...

Veteran, 35, Is Dying From Burn Pit Exposure

He has terminal colon cancer after service in Iraq, Afghanistan

(Newser) - It's an issue that Jon Stewart says has an "incredible similarity" to the health problems suffered by 9/11 first responders—and it's killing 35-year-old retired Staff Sgt. Wesley Black. He has terminal colon cancer that doctors have linked to exposure to burn pits during his time in...

VA Hospital Serial Killer Learns Her Fate

Reta Mays sentenced to life in prison

(Newser) - Reta Mays, the former nursing assistant who killed seven patients at a West Virginia VA hospital, was on Tuesday hit with one life sentence for each of those patients, plus 20 years for an eighth she tried to kill. She is not eligible for probation. Mays, who pleaded guilty last...

Family Sues After Vet Dies Covered in Ant Bites

He was bitten more than 100 times in room at VA facility

(Newser) - After serving his country for six years, Air Force veteran Joel Marrable died in a Veterans Affairs facility covered in more than 100 fire ant bites. The 73-year-old's three adult children are now suing the government, alleging that the bites contributed to his death days later. According to the...

Cleaning Goes Wrong, Ruining 1.9K Vaccine Doses

Alarm and monitoring system failed to warn anyone

(Newser) - A freezer holding Moderna coronavirus vaccine was in a secure place at a VA pharmacy in Boston, with an alarm system activated. On Tuesday, ABC reports, employees realized the freezer wasn't working. "The plug was found loose after a contractor accidentally removed it while cleaning," said a...

Biden Giving Big Role to a Familiar Face

President-elect will bring in Susan Rice to guide domestic policy

(Newser) - Joe Biden is bringing a familiar ally back to the White House. Politico reports that he has picked Susan Rice to guide domestic policy. More formally, she will run the White House Domestic Policy Council and thus have a big say in everything from health care to immigration to programs...

Former VA Staffer Killed 7 Vets With Insulin

Reta Mays pleads guilty in West Virginia

(Newser) - A former nursing assistant at a VA hospital in West Virginia has pleaded guilty to murdering seven elderly veterans and attempting to kill an eighth. The vets were given insulin injections that led to fatal blood sugar crashes ; the victims were largely either not diabetic, or not in need of...

Woman With 'Mind-Bending' Link to Civil War Has Died
Last Pension
Tied to Civil War
Has Been Paid Out
in case you missed it
Jun 6, 2020 12:00 PM CDT

Last Pension Tied to Civil War Has Been Paid Out

Irene Triplett, last child of Civil War veteran getting a pension, has died at 90

(Newser) - The word "mind-bending" features in the Wall Street Journal 's obituary on Irene Triplett and her place in history, with good reason. The 90-year-old died Sunday in a Wilkesboro, NC, nursing home, bringing an end to the final pension that had been paid out in connection with the...

Sen. Schumer to the VA: What Were You Thinking?

The top Democrat wants details on the agency's use of hydroxychloroquine

(Newser) - The Senate’s top Democrat on Sunday called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to explain why it allowed the use of an unproven drug on veterans for the coronavirus, saying patients may have been put at unnecessary risk, the AP reports. Sen. Charles Schumer of New York said the...

VA Doctor Allegedly Made 3K Mistakes. 3 Patients Died

Arkansas' Robert Morris Levy faces up to 524 years if convicted

(Newser) - A former Veterans Affairs doctor is accused of making more than 3,000 errors, including "incorrect and misleading diagnoses" resulting in three patients' deaths. He faces up to 524 years in prison if convicted. Federal investigators say one veteran died of prostate cancer though Dr. Robert Morris Levy, the...

He Left the VA Center Expecting Home Care. He Lost His Leg

Veteran's leg amputated below knee due to issues at Indianapolis VA center: report

(Newser) - A US Office of Special Counsel report based on complaints from three whistleblowers was sent to President Trump Wednesday, exposing scheduling and staffing issues at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis that led to a delay in medical care for veterans. While the center says it has...

Report: VA Won't Repay Vets After GI Bill Snafu

Huge delay has left some vets facing hardship

(Newser) - A major snafu has hit benefit payments to student veterans under the GI Bill—and congressional aides tells NBC that they have been told the veterans are never going to be paid back. The aides say they were told by the Department of Veterans Affairs that the VA will not...

'Rising Democratic Star' Drops Out of Race, Cites PTSD

Democrat Jason Kander says he's 'done hiding' his post-traumatic stress disorder, depression

(Newser) - "I suffer from depression and have PTSD symptoms. After 11 years, I'm finally ready to do something about it." That was the surprise tweet Tuesday from Jason Kander, an Afghanistan war veteran and "rising Democratic star" who'd hoped to become the next mayor of Kansas...

ProPublica Unmasks Political 'Arrangement Without Parallel'
ProPublica Unmasks Political
'Arrangement Without Parallel'
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Aug 12, 2018 10:06 AM CDT

ProPublica Unmasks Political 'Arrangement Without Parallel'

Claims the shadowy 'Mar-a-Lago Crowd' are exerting influence over the VA

(Newser) - "On any veterans issue, the first person the president calls is Ike," says a former administration official. If the name Ike doesn't ring a bell, at least in relation to Veterans Affairs, that's appropriate. A ProPublica expose by Isaac Arnsdorf explains he's "reclusive" Marvel...

Government's 2nd-Largest Department Gets a Leader

Senate confirms Robert Wilkie as head of Veterans Affairs

(Newser) - The government's second largest department once again has a leader. The Senate voted 86-9 Monday to confirm Robert Wilkie as the 10th secretary of Veterans Affairs, filling a post that was previously occupied by David Shulkin. President Trump's original pick to replace Shulkin, White House physician Ronny Jackson,...

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