2023 VA disability compensation payments will increase 8.7%
Millions of veterans receiving VA disability compensation will see an 8.7% increase in their monthly checks beginning in January. It is the most significant VA disability pay increase in 30 years. The VA benefits cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is the same as the Social Security Administration's COLA - a result of the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2022 signed by President Biden on Oct. 10.
VA closes gap for some survivors of LGBTQ+ veterans
The VA is closing a gap in survivor benefits for certain survivors of LGBTQ+ veterans - specifically, for those who were unable to wed until the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision, and who were not married to their now-deceased veteran spouses for long enough to qualify
for survivor benefits. Survivors can apply now for these benefits.
VA delays health record rollout again - this time until summer 2023
VA officials are again delaying further deployment of their new electronic health records system amid ongoing issues with the new software, this time pushing back any new site rollouts until June 2023. This past June, VA officials announced a halt to all new deployments of the Oracle-Cerner Millennium electronic health record system until early 2023 because of patient safety issues that happened in the first five sites
using the new software.
Experts say burn pit registry is failing to help track vet illnesses
The nearly decade-old VA registry to track burn pit illnesses and help veterans get care for those injuries is achieving neither of those goals, according to research from independent health experts. More than 317,000 vets have enrolled in the registry since it was launched in 2014. Veterans advocates have complained for years that the registry is too restrictive and complicated, and offers little direct benefit to
individuals who participate.
Did you live or work at Camp Lejeune before 1987 and now have a health condition? You may be eligible to take legal action and seek a financial settlement from the U.S. government.
