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New Jersey voters to decide on veterans tax break
The one question on every New Jersey resident’s ballot on Tuesday will address the state’s war veterans. According to an article published by NJ.com, “Voters will be asked whether military veterans who live in continuing care retirement communities in the Garden State should get the same $250 annual property-tax deduction that veterans who live in their own…
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Delays for Agent Orange benefits continue
Two years ago, David Shulkin Veterans Affairs Secretary added bladder cancer, Parkinson’s-like symptoms, and hypothyroidism to the list of diseases assumed to be caused by Agent Orange. Now, thousands of veterans are still waiting on benefits for these illnesses. According to an article published by Military Times, “Heavily redacted emails and briefings released recently to former Army Spc.…
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Study finds combat troops at higher risk for drug abuse
Last month, a paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that combat troops were at a higher risk of abusing heroin and prescription opioids, concluding that these service members 7 percent more likely to abuse these drugs than those who were deployed but never engaged in combat. According to an article published by Fox…
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Homeless Veteran Families Act extends benefits to children of veterans
The Homeless Veteran Families Act will extend aid to homeless veteran families by updating the VA’s per-day payment calculation to include money for children and would increase the daily payment by around 50% for each child. According to an article published by Radio.com, “The bill, sponsored by Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Women Veteran Task Force, came to a…
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Veterans to see a boost in cost-of-living in benefits
Starting in December, military retirees and veterans will see a 1.6 percent raise in their cost-of-living benefits payouts. According to an article published by Military Times, “Officials from the Social Security Administration announced the COLA boost [last week] Thursday, based on inflation and consumer spending calculations over the last few months. The increase will go into effect for…
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$400 million in mistaken home loan fees refunded by VA
The Department of Veterans Affairs is refunding more than $400 in home loan funding fees after an inspector general’s report announced that thousands of veterans were incorrectly charged when applying for home loans. According to an article published by MilitaryTimes.com, “Department officials said they reviewed 130,000 cases over the summer to look for errors, which mostly involved…
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Defense Department data security tightened after settlement with veterans group
In response to charges that online information sites exposed countless veterans’ personal information to identity thieves and scammers, the Department of Defense (DOD) officials announced last week that they will revamp their Servicemembers Civil Relief Act databases. According to an article published by the Military Times, “Leaders from Vietnam Veterans of America, which filed a lawsuit…
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Nationwide smoking ban in effect at all VA facilities
This month, a nationwide smoking ban surrounding all VA medical facilities went into effect and prohibits visitors, patients, and employees from lighting up outside the centers. According to an article published by Military Times, “Smoking was already prohibited inside VA medical buildings, but now patients, employees, and visitors will not be able to puff away…
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Advocates fight to speed up ‘blue water’ Navy veterans benefits
Earlier this year, law legislation awarding presumptive benefits to “blue water” veterans was finalized, with more than 90,000 veterans eligible for disability benefits under this law. However, in June of this year, Veterans Affairs officials announced a six-month-long delay in processing “blue water” Vietnam benefits cases. According to an article published by Military Times, “VA Secretary Robert Wilkie…
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Study finds veterans with TBI have higher suicide risk
A new study found that the risk of suicide among U.S. military veterans who have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is more than double that of other veterans. Researchers looked at a database in excess of 1.4 million vets who received treatment from the U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VHA) during a ten year period.…
