As of Jan. 17, Veterans in acute suicidal crisis can go to any VA or non-VA health care facility for emergency health care at no cost — including inpatient or crisis residential care for up to 30 days and outpatient care for up to 90 days. Veterans do not need to be enrolled in the VA system to use this […]
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If you receive a suspicious email from the Department of Veterans Affairs, do not open the email or click on any attachments or links. VA does not send emails asking for personal information, threatening emails, or emails claiming to take adverse actions on claimants or beneficiaries (jail or lawsuits). If you receive any of these emails or are in doubt […]
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Starting this year, veterans appearing before judges in Cook County will receive help from fellow veterans at the University of Chicago through the university’s Veteran Restorative Justice Project. The project will be funded for the next two years by the McCormick Foundation. Through the project, qualified veterans who are students at the University of Chicago will provide resources, counseling, support […]
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In May 2021, VA started implementing provisions of the William M. Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA), adding bladder cancer, hypothyroidism and Parkinsonism to the list of medical conditions presumptively associated with exposure to Agent Orange. A few months later VA added asthma, rhinitis and sinusitis (to include rhinosinusitis) on a presumptive basis based on particulate […]
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Veterans and their representatives have been advocating for many years to add additional presumptive conditions caused by Agent Orange exposure. As of January 1, 2021, the VA must now grant claims for three new presumptive conditions. With the passage of H.R. 6395, NDAA 2021, Vietnam Veterans are now eligible to collect compensation for the newly added conditions of Bladder Cancer, […]
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The Veterans Health Administration has launched a new initiative with Fitbit to help Veterans, caregivers and VA staff maintain health and wellness during the pandemic. The initiative provides current Fitbit users with free access to programs and services aimed at managing stress, improving sleep and increasing physical activity. The VA has contracted with Fitbit to initially provide 10,000 one-year free […]
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Many Americans are experiencing financial hardships because of the pandemic, and veterans are no exception. The VA Debt Management Center has relief options available to help manage VA benefit debt. Those include establishing or adjusting a repayment plan, requesting a waiver, submitting a compromise offer, and requesting a temporary hardship suspension. A new online tool is available to view debt […]
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