VA

Nicholson: A Call for Help Needs Immediate Response

July 2, 2007 -- WASHINGTON – To ensure veterans with mental health crises have immediate access to trained coordinators, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will establish a 24-hour, national suicide prevention hot line.

“This is another significant step to ensure that veterans, particularly the newest generation of combat vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, receive accessible and compassionate care for their mental health concerns,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson.    » read more »

June 28, 2007 -- Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said the Department of Defense (DOD) should immediately notify the state Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) of any injured Connecticut soldiers returning home to ensure veterans' access to vital benefits.

Blumenthal said the DOD erroneously cited the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) as reason to refuse notifying state VA officials about wounded soldiers.    » read more »

May 11, 2007 -- WASHINGTON -- To ensure veterans of southwestern Florida have access to a final resting place that honors their military service, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has purchased a 295-acre site in Sarasota County for a new national cemetery for veterans and their families.    » read more »

May 8, 2007 -- WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson today announced the formation of a formal, 17-person committee that will advise him on ways to improve VA programs serving veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and their families.

"This panel will report directly to me,” Nicholson said. “I am asking for their ideas and input on how VA can consistently ensure world-class service to America's newest generation of heroes, particularly severely disabled veterans and their families."    » read more »

AP Reports that VA Gave Out More than $3.8 Million While Veterans Waited for Care and Services

May 3, 2007 -- NEW YORK - The nation's first and largest organization for the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), is deeply concerned about the hefty bonuses the Department of Veterans Affairs awarded its officials while the financially strapped agency struggled to care for the thousands of returning veterans.    » read more »