Veterans Affairs Department said to be implementing suicide prevention programs

October 13th, 2009 VA expands benefits status for Vietnam vetsWASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department said Tuesday it plans to make it easier for Vietnam veterans exposed to the agent orange herbicide who suffer from certain medical conditions to qualify for VA benefits. The conditions are B cell leukemias, Parkinson's disease, and ischemic heart disease.

September 23rd, 2009 Congress challenges bonuses at Veterans AffairsWASHINGTON — Lawmakers on Wednesday questioned whether millions of dollars in bonuses were appropriately awarded to employees at the Veterans Affairs Department. The agency's inspector general recently found that over a two-year period, $24 million in bonuses were awarded to technology office employees at the VA, some under questionable circumstances.

September 23rd, 2009 VA IG says too many vets wait a year for claimWASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department's inspector general says too many veterans' disability claims take more than a year to process. An audit released Wednesday has shown that a year ago, 11,000 veterans had claims pending more than a year.

September 15th, 2009 DAV seeks participates in online 'march'WASHINGTON — The Disabled American Veterans service organization is encouraging veterans and others to march in Washington — online at least. In what it dubs the "Million Claims March," the advocacy group is using social networking sites to encourage veterans to participate online in chats starting Tuesday about the backlog in disability claims at the Veterans Affairs Department and other veterans issues.

August 29th, 2009 A look at smoking in the militaryHighlights of a study commissioned by the Pentagon and the Veterans Affairs Department to combat tobacco use in the military. Findings: — Tobacco is used by fewer than 20 percent of Americans compared with more than 30 percent of active-duty military personnel and about 22 percent of veterans.

August 28th, 2009 Wis. veterans home official replaced amid scandalMADISON, Wis. — The official who ran Wisconsin's largest nursing home for veterans has been replaced amid an ongoing investigation into more than $800,000 in unauthorized spending.

August 18th, 2009 6 more cases of botched cancer treatment at Pa. VAPHILADELPHIA — Six more cases have been found of cancer patients being given incorrect radiation doses at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia.

August 17th, 2009 Veterans to routinely be offered HIV testsWASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department on Monday began offering routine HIV tests to veterans who receive medical care. Under the new policy, veterans must verbally consent to the test, and they can opt to decline it.

August 17th, 2009 Obama: VA care not affected by health overhaulPHOENIX — President Barack Obama says a proposed overhaul of the nation's health care system is not going to change how veterans get their medical services. Obama on Monday told a convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars that no one in Washington is talking about taking away their benefits.

August 17th, 2009 In Pa., Shinseki pledges to modernize VA systemPHILADELPHIA — The nation's top veterans affairs official says medical benefits for veterans will not change under the health care reforms being considered in Washington. U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki spoke Monday at a town hall meeting with veterans in Philadelphia, where he pledged to modernize the Veterans Administration for the 21st century.

August 11th, 2009 Alaska's new lieutenant governor sworn inANCHORAGE, Alaska — Craig Campbell, former commissioner of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, has been sworn in as Alaska's lieutenant governor. Judge Charles Huguelet administered the oath to Campbell Monday afternoon, just hours after Campbell was confirmed by the Alaska Legislature.

July 10th, 2009 House boosts funding for veterans programsWASHINGTON — Veterans health care programs would receive another big boost under a $132.4 billion measure passed by the House on Friday. The 12 percent increase for the veterans medical services account is but the latest in a recent string of generous increases.

June 23rd, 2009 Philly VA to research homelessness among vetsPHILADELPHIA — A new federal agency dedicated to eliminating homelessness among veterans has been established in Philadelphia. The National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans plans to provide data, research and analysis to policymakers in hopes of ending the problem within five years.

June 15th, 2009 VA expands health care eligibility for nondisabledWASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department opened the doors of its health care system Monday to about 266,000 nondisabled veterans with moderate incomes, some of whom have been shut out of those benefits. The veterans eligible are from a category known as "Priority 8." They have no illnesses or injuries attributed to their military service, and they earn more than the average wage in their communities.

May 8th, 2009 Budget cuts abstinence education programWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama wants to eliminate more than $100 million in spending on abstinence-only education, directing the money instead to teen pregnancy-reduction programs that don't take the no-sex approach. The proposal in Obama's 2010 budget plan released Thursday could run into opposition from conservatives.