VA

Soldiers from Ft. Lee, Virginia help mark Veterans Day ceremonies at the World War II Memorial Nov. 11, 2011 in Washington, D.C. Veterans Day in the United States honors those who have served in the nation’s military and also coincides with the anniversary of the conclusion of hostilities on the western front in World War I. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Veterans’ health care coverage expanded by Biden administration

BY: - November 13, 2023

Biden administration officials said Friday the Department of Veterans Affairs will expand health care coverage for certain groups of veterans and their families and create new programs meant to make care more accessible. Veterans Day fell on Saturday. The VA will make coverage of certain toxic burn pit-related conditions available sooner than anticipated. Family members […]

VA reports major uptick in veterans’ care after passage of toxic exposure law

BY: - November 8, 2023

Veterans experiencing a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts should dial 988 or chat at https://988lifeline.org/. WASHINGTON — Veterans’ care in the United States set all-time records in fiscal year 2023, “shattering” the agency’s performance in previous years, in large part because of an expansion of benefits under the Biden administration, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough […]

U.S. House spending bill for the VA renews fight over abortion access, transgender care

BY: - July 29, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans approved their first government spending bill Thursday, following tense debate about whether the Department of Veterans Affairs should provide abortions in limited circumstances and the GOP’s decision to cut military construction funding. The 219-211 mostly party-line vote on the Military Construction-VA appropriations bill sends the measure to the Senate, where […]

Abortion services to remain available at the VA after close U.S. Senate vote

BY: - April 21, 2023

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs can continue providing service members with access to abortion in cases of life-threatening complications, rape or incest, after the U.S. Senate narrowly blocked a measure Wednesday that would have scrapped a new Biden administration rule. The VA policy, which also includes abortion counseling, was established after the U.S. […]

Thousands of veterans deluge VA with claims for toxic exposure benefits, health care

BY: - November 28, 2022

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is processing claims at the fastest rate in its history, hoping to avoid a significant backlog as hundreds of thousands of veterans apply for health care and benefits under the landmark toxic exposure law Congress passed earlier this year. The day after President Joe Biden signed the […]

Disabled veterans in Ohio would get tax break under proposed bill

BY: - October 3, 2022

The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. A proposed bill in the Ohio House would exempt disabled veterans and their surviving […]

New fight opens in Congress over VA policy that sidesteps state abortion bans

BY: - September 12, 2022

WASHINGTON — Democrats in the U.S. Senate are confident the Department of Veterans Affairs can implement a new policy that allows its doctors to provide abortions when the pregnancy threatens the patient’s life or health, or when it’s the result of rape or incest. The VA announced the new policy last week to cheers from Democrats who […]

Biden signs landmark bill aiding veterans exposed to burn pits overseas

BY: - August 11, 2022

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed legislation into law Wednesday that will provide health care and benefits to veterans exposed to burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq, achieving a long-term, personal goal. “I was in and out of Iraq over 20 times,” Biden said of prior trips to the war zone he took as both […]

U.S. Senate fails to advance burn pits bill for veterans in dispute over spending

BY: - July 29, 2022

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate came up short Wednesday in trying to move ahead on legislation that would provide health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits overseas. The bill, from Montana Democratic Sen. John Tester and Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran, has been bogged down for nearly two months as U.S. lawmakers debated […]

U.S. House passes bill expanding health care, benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits

BY: - July 15, 2022

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan bill Wednesday to expand health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits overseas, sending the package back to the U.S. Senate after making a minor change. Senators, who broadly support the landmark package led by Montana Sen. Jon Tester and Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, […]

COMMENTARY

Ohioan advocating for veterans suffering from toxic military exposure on cusp of victory in Congress

BY: - June 28, 2022

The little engine that could lives in northeast Ohio. It chugs away in the form of a 65-year-old retired UAW worker who, after multiple setbacks, finally surmounted Capitol Hill. It was an improbable legislative odyssey for Susan Weber Zeier of Sandusky, who confided the whole experience was almost surreal.  On the cusp of long-awaited victory […]

U.S. Senate passes landmark legislation to aid veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange

BY: - June 17, 2022

WASHINGTON — U.S. soldiers deployed to bases in Afghanistan and Iraq often lived and worked alongside large pits where batteries, plastics, rubber, chemicals and other garbage would be lit on fire with jet fuel. The legacy of those burn pits followed thousands of military members back to the United States, where they have suffered from […]