Veteran Health Care
Veteran charged for strangling his roommate to death at a VA medical center
Christopher Schweikart murdered another veteran at the acute mental health unit at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. This medical center is located at Riviera Beach, Florida. Schweikart admitted, to a nurse, to killing the other veteran including how he did it. He also informed the nurse that he wanted to die. Federal VA agents arrived […]
Department of Veterans Affairs pushes for more Black Veterans to be labeled mentally disabled
The VA wants more Black Veterans to be labeled mentally disabled. Black Veterans have a higher percentage of receiving disability compensation benefits compared to White Veterans. The VA report also pointed out that Black Veterans have lower grant rates than White Veterans. The VA declared its intention to reduce the grant rate gap between Black […]
Using artificial intelligence to assist with veteran healthcare
The VA is already utilizing artificial intelligence to assist with veteran healthcare to include predicting cancer risks, predicting veteran suicide risk, as well as helping with diagnostic accuracy. A House Committee on Veterans Affairs subcommittee queried representatives of the VA on how artificial intelligence could be better employed with veterans’ healthcare service. From Military Times: […]
Tennesse couple committed TRICARE fraud, spent lavishly
Jimmy Collins, 59, and Ashley Collins, 37, defrauded over $65 million from TRICARE. The Collinses ran a medical clinic that leveraged a network of doctors and nurse practitioners to bring them customers who used TRICARE. This network apparently prescribed prescriptions that were not needed, and then referred them to this clinic. The clinic charged TRICARE […]
Transgender veterans suing the Department of Veterans Affairs
The Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA) initiated a lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs. The lawsuit involves the delay in providing gender affirming surgery. This delay in providing this type of service keeps transgender veterans in “limbo.” Bekky Eshler, the organization’s president, implied that transgendered veterans not feeling “at home” with their natural gender […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs says it is not paying for illegal alien healthcare
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) clarified a payment process involving healthcare provided to illegal aliens. The VA pointed to an agreement that has been in place since 2002. This policy/rule allows the VA to process and pay claims related to ICE, but with funding provided by ICE. Care was provided via ICE, the VA […]
Employees with the VA facing additional mandatory overtime
The passage of the PACT Act opened the door for veterans to file additional claims, or for veterans to file claims for the first time. The number of claims submitted to the VA exceeded what the VA normally receives. Over the past 13 months, the VA saw over 750,000 new claims. From the Military Times: […]
VA Crisis Hotline: “Please hold for the next available counselor. “*click*
“Your call is important to us.” Vets calling crisis line get lost in system, whistleblowers warn By Leo Shane III A key Senate Republican is demanding a full investigation into whistleblowers’ accusations that Veterans Crisis Line staffers are ignoring calls from some hostile or problematic veterans rather than providing prompt emergency mental health care. In […]
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