News
USS Washington (SSN 787) Awarded Presidential Unit Citation
NORFOLK, Virginia – The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Washington (SSN 787) was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC) for “outstanding performance in action while conducting operations within U.S. SIXTH Fleet” during their recent six-month deployment.
USS Wasp Departs Rota before Return to Home Port
ROTA, Spain – The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), with embarked 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Special Operations Capable (SOC), departed Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota, Spain, Nov. 21, 2024, after a brief stop for a replenishment of supplies and fuel prior to making the journey back home after a successful deployment to the U.S 6th Fleet area of operations.
VA acknowledges significant errors in budget shortfall predictions
Veterans Affairs leaders on Wednesday acknowledged mistakes in their predictions this summer of looming funding shortfalls for the department, but insisted the errors were due to workload surges and not budgetary maleficence. “Our projections could have been more accurate,” VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal told members of the House Appropriations Committee during an oversight hear...[Read More]
VA acknowledges significant errors in budget shortfall predictions
Veterans Affairs leaders on Wednesday acknowledged mistakes in their predictions this summer of looming funding shortfalls for the department, but insisted the errors were due to workload surges and not budgetary maleficence. “Our projections could have been more accurate,” VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal told members of the House Appropriations Committee during an oversight hear...[Read More]
VA acknowledges significant errors in budget shortfall predictions
Veterans Affairs leaders on Wednesday acknowledged mistakes in their predictions this summer of looming funding shortfalls for the department, but insisted the errors were due to workload surges and not budgetary maleficence. “Our projections could have been more accurate,” VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal told members of the House Appropriations Committee during an oversight hear...[Read More]
VA awards $1.5 million to study using psychedelics for PTSD treatment
Veterans Affairs officials on Tuesday announced a $1.5 million grant to study MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder among veterans, the first department-funded research on psychedelic benefits in more than five decades. VA officials had announced in January plans to begin new studies on the beneficial use of psychedelic compounds for ailing veterans, but...[Read More]
VA marks millionth COVID case as officials warn health threat persists
Veterans Affairs medical officials recorded their millionth diagnosed COVID-19 case Wednesday, a milestone that department experts say serves as a reminder that the virus remains a public health threat even years after the height of the global pandemic. “COVID-19 continues to be the most significant viral respiratory infection in our community,” said Dr. Gio Baracco, senior advisor for the Veteran...[Read More]
VA plans to drop co-pays for all telehealth services
Veterans Affairs leaders plan to eliminate all co-pays for telehealth services and award grants for telehealth clinics in rural areas, part of ongoing efforts to expand virtual care options within the medical care system. In an announcement Monday, department officials said the moves could help “lower costs and expand access to care for all those who served.” Both proposals will have to go through...[Read More]
VA plans to expand caregiver benefits, postpone program discharges
Veterans Affairs officials on Thursday unveiled plans to expand caregiver support services to thousands more families in coming years, while also easing program rules to minimize disruptions for families already receiving those benefits. The move comes more than two years after department leaders suspended their previous efforts to reform the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregive...[Read More]
VA sees record rise in benefits delivery, but promises even more
Veterans Affairs officials on Tuesday announced record-high levels of medical care delivery and disability benefits payouts in fiscal 2024, but also promised to push those marks even further in coming months with efforts to broaden support for veterans. “By nearly every metric, VA is smashing records that we had set last year,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said during his annual pre-Veterans Day r...[Read More]
VA sees rise in military sexual trauma claims, thanks to outreach work
Veterans Affairs leaders said outreach and reform efforts related to military sexual trauma cases have led to an increase in claims over the last year, a trend they hope continues into the future. Department staffers received more than 57,000 MST claims in fiscal 2024, a rise of about 18% from the previous fiscal year, VA leaders told reporters at a press conference Thursday. So far this fiscal ye...[Read More]
VA sees rise in military sexual trauma claims, thanks to outreach work
Veterans Affairs leaders said outreach and reform efforts related to military sexual trauma cases have led to an increase in claims over the last year, a trend they hope continues into the future. Department staffers received more than 57,000 MST claims in fiscal 2024, a rise of about 18% from the previous fiscal year, VA leaders told reporters at a press conference Thursday. So far this fiscal ye...[Read More]