A Republican lawmaker accused VA leaders of knowingly misusing nearly $11 million in incentive pay awards to benefit senior department officials instead of retaining in-demand staff following the release of a report by a federal watchdog. Last September, VA leaders acknowledged about $11 million was given to 182 senior VA leaders who should not have qualified for the bonuses. In a statement, a department spokesman said investigators found no legal wrongdoing in the matter and attributed the improper payments to administrative mistakes.

The VA's top health official said the agency is prepared to spend 'at least in the millions' of dollars on clinical trials of psychedelic therapies, pending an FDA decision on midomafetamine, or MDMA, assisted treatments expected later this year. A recent trial found more than 86% of participants who received the MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD experienced “clinically meaningful” improvement 18 weeks after starting the trial. More than 71% of participants who participated in MDMA-assisted therapy no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD at the end study, compared to just over 46% of participants who had the placebo with therapy.

Both combat and non-combat veterans may experience or witness traumatic events during military service, making anxiety within the veteran population a very common issue. A VA rating for anxiety can be given to veterans suffering from a diagnosed anxiety disorder, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Anxiety disorders like GAD can affect every part of a veteran’s life. This non-stop stress can result in severe physical and occupational impairment that often makes it difficult or impossible to work.

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