News
VA staffer accused of blindly approving over 85,000 disability claims
Veterans’ disability benefits claims were blindly rubber-stamped by a senior veterans service representative (VSR) at the Philadelphia VA Regional Benefit Office for years, resulting in an estimated $2.2 million in improper payments, a government watchdog report has found. A hotline tip made about the employee resulted in an investigation which found they were approving payments at a high volume w...[Read More]
VA tech glitch halts GI Bill payments to thousands, advocates say
Two months after an IT hiccup at the Department of Veterans Affairs left a significant portion of GI Bill recipients without their anticipated payments for school and housing, some advocates have a message for the VA: Turn the GI Bill hotline back on. Those missing payments in the wake of the rollout of a new processing system are spouses or children of veterans who have died, are missing, or have...[Read More]
VA to formally rescind controversial disability ratings rule
A regulation that would have required Veterans Affairs medical examiners to include the effects of medication in assigning disability ratings is expected to be rescinded formally on Feb. 27. According to an advanced Federal Register notice, the rescission will be effective immediately on publication, expected early Friday morning. In the notice, VA officials said that while the rule was meant to c...[Read More]
Vance insists Trump won’t ‘allow’ a long Iran war
Vice President JD Vance — a Marine veteran of the Iraq War who has long been skeptical of American military interventions abroad — insisted Monday that the war with Iran is different because President Donald Trump “has clearly defined what he wants to accomplish.” “There’s just no way that Donald Trump is going to allow this country to get into a multiyear conflict with no clear end in sight and n...[Read More]
Vance says troops will be paid as pressure builds to end shutdown
Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday he believes U.S. military members will be paid at the end of the week, though he did not specify how the Trump administration will reconfigure funding as pain from the second-longest shutdown spreads nationwide. The funding fight in Washington gained new urgency this week as millions of Americans face the prospect of losing food assistance, more federal workers...[Read More]
Vance says troops will be paid as pressure builds to end shutdown
Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday he believes U.S. military members will be paid at the end of the week, though he did not specify how the Trump administration will reconfigure funding as pain from the second-longest shutdown spreads nationwide. The funding fight in Washington gained new urgency this week as millions of Americans face the prospect of losing food assistance, more federal workers...[Read More]
VA’s review of disability claims for fraud won’t include past filings, officials say
The Department of Veterans Affairs is developing a tool that will analyze veterans’ disability claims applications for fraud — a program VA officials say could identify providers or companies that abuse the system. The tool will not, however, be used to pursue potentially fraudulent past claims, a concern that arose recently among veterans following a congressional hearing that divulged the progra...[Read More]
VA’s top health administrator departs post, temporary replacement named
Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Health John Bartrum left his job Monday after less than seven months on the job. Bartrum, who announced his resignation to staff June 30, did not provide a specific reason for leaving the VA’s top health job, other than saying he looked forward to “focusing on my family and my health” and supporting the administration’s efforts “in the private sector.” A retire...[Read More]
Venezuela Moves to Cancel Energy Agreements With Trinidad After US Warship Arrives at Island Nation
Venezuela’s vice president has called for canceling energy agreements with Trinidad and Tobago.
Venezuela Says US Navy Raided a Tuna Boat in the Caribbean as Tensions Rise
Foreign Minister Yván Gil told journalists the Venezuelan tuna boat was “illegally and hostilely boarded by a United States Navy destroyer” and 18 armed personnel who remained on the vessel for eight hours.
Venezuela says US Navy raided tuna boat in Caribbean as tensions rise
Personnel from a U.S. warship boarded a Venezuelan tuna boat with nine fishermen while it was sailing in Venezuelan waters, Venezuela’s foreign minister said on Saturday, underlining strained relations with the United States. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tensions between the two nations escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump in August ordered the deplo...[Read More]
Venezuela says US Navy raided tuna boat in Caribbean as tensions rise
Personnel from a U.S. warship boarded a Venezuelan tuna boat with nine fishermen while it was sailing in Venezuelan waters, Venezuela’s foreign minister said on Saturday, underlining strained relations with the United States. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tensions between the two nations escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump in August ordered the deplo...[Read More]