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Court rules VA must pay for veterans’ emergency room care
A federal appeals court ruled earlier this month that the Department of Veterans Affairs is required to reimburse veterans for emergency medical care received at non-VA facilities. The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims has stated that the VA has been wrongfully denying reimbursement to veterans who sought emergency medical care at non-VA facilities.…
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New blood test could help diagnose veterans with PTSD
A new research study recently published from the Army (and other third-party experts) stated that physicians may one day be able to identify veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with a quick blood test instead of complex and lengthy psychological tests. According to an article published by MilitaryTimes.com, “The study, which can be found in the Molecular Psychiatry journal,…
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New ruling may give veterans an extra year of GI Bill benefits
An extra year of tuition assistance may be added to veterans’ education benefits as outlined by a recent federal court decision. This ruling would come into effect if a veteran qualifies for both the Post-9/11 GI Bill program and the older Montgomery GI Bill payouts. Currently, it has not been decided whether Veterans Affairs officials will appeal the…
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Department of Defense to work with VA on environmental health concerns
During a press conference earlier this week, defense secretary Mark Esper stated that he would like to collaborate with the Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to ensure that all who are ill as a result of environmental exposures related to service in the military have access to the care they need. According to an article published…
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Veterans blame “burn pits” for their chronic illnesses
Many of the more than 1.5 million veterans deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001 and 2011 returned with illnesses believed to be caused by breathing in toxic fumes from so-called “burn pits.” According to an article published by CBS News, a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction stated, “It is indefensible that U.S. military…
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Five charged with stealing millions from disabled veterans
This week the Department of Justice announced that five individuals have been formally charged with stealing millions of dollars from disabled veterans through an international scam. According to an article published by Stripes.com, “The 14-count indictment unsealed Wednesday in San Antonio, Texas, charges five people living in the United States and the Philippines with coordinating…
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Further delays for new Agent Orange connected illnesses
Earlier this year, the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs announced that they may have reached a decision regarding the addition of four new illnesses to the Agent Orange presumptive benefits eligibility list. Now, almost five months later, they still have not been able to move forward on this. According to an article published by MilitaryTimes.com, “Last November, researchers…
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New electronic health record system for veterans
A unified electronic health record (EHR) solution between the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is in the works, a solution that will give doctors unlimited access to a veterans’ full health records and history. According to an article published by MilitaryTimes.com, “The new solution will compile data from service records…
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VA urged by lawmakers to fix claims that wrongly cost vets $53 million
This month, the Department of Veterans Affairs secretary was urged by thirty-five members of Congress to revise thousands of medical claims for veterans who were left with charges that the VA should’ve covered. According to an article published by StarsandSripes.com, “The group of lawmakers, which included Republicans and Democrats, wrote to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie following…
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New OATH Act could help vets get treatment for toxic exposure
In an effort to increase access to disability benefits and treatment at the Department of Veterans Affairs, a new bill (now connected to the National Defense Authorization Act for the fiscal year 2020) requires that servicemembers include whether they were exposed to toxic materials in their medical records. Later this year, lawmakers will rectify the…
