The Department of Veterans Affairs is reviewing its PACT Act claims process due to a large number of 0% disability ratings related to those claims. A report published by Military.com notes that while the agency has approved most PACT Act claims submitted since the program began, more than 30% have received a 0% disability rating… Read more »
An increase in VA benefits scams aimed at those claiming new benefits or appealing VA decisions has prompted action from the federal government. The Department of Veterans Affairs has responded to increased VA benefits scams by launching an awareness campaign on its official site and in VA facilities. The VA added a page to VA.gov… Read more »
Do military members continue to get paid during a government shutdown? The short answer is no, they do not. But that situation changes if Congress passes a funding resolution for military operations to keep money flowing to the Department of Defense even during a shutdown. It’s happened before and is likely (according to some) to… Read more »
On September 19, 2023, Stars and Stripes reported on a Pentagon statement about a potential government shutdown if the House and Senate cannot reach a deal to approve more money for the federal government by the September 30 deadline when the current fiscal year’s federal funding runs out. “The U.S. military will keep active-duty troops… Read more »
The Department of Veterans Affairs encourages all veterans to get the updated COVID-19 booster shot approved for 2023-2024. A surge of coronavirus cases in the U.S. and elsewhere has raised concerns; published sources note that COVID-19 infections have increased by as much as 200% among the veteran population, an uptick worrying some VA officials. According… Read more »
There’s good news and bad news. The good news (for the DoD) is that the United States Army met its retention goals for fiscal year 2023. The bad news? Meeting that goal means the Army has no incentive (for now) to continue offering reenlistment bonuses. It has temporarily paused the program. What is the U.S. Army… Read more »
Some veterans and family members affected by the Camp Lejeune contaminated water scandal have an alternative way to collect the compensation they are due from the federal government for exposure to contaminated water at the North Carolina Marine Corps base. The passage of the PACT Act created opportunities for veterans and family members to submit… Read more »
If you tried to add or remove dependents from your VA records since 2011, you may need to contact the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure your updates were actually recorded in the system. VA Admits Problems With Updating Dependents In Its System The VA has issued another apology for failure to process claims. This… Read more »
The Department of Veterans Affairs system is designed for veterans to submit claims for benefits, have those claims reviewed and approved (or denied), and the VA has a standardized notification process for those decisions. The notification phase of the process typically includes the physical mailing of on-paper VA benefits “decision letters” announcing the application was… Read more »
In the summer of 2023, the Defense Health Agency (DHA) announced an extension of a 2013 pilot program allowing the DoD to provide military members and their families with certain healthcare testing that fell outside FDA regulatory procedures. TRICARE has since made its own announcement, adding coverage for some testing previously offered in the pilot… Read more »