Congress moves to end shutdown with vote on VA funding

Congress moves to reopen government with bill to fund VA, military construction

United States Capitol building located in Washington, D.C.

Congress is set to vote on a spending package that would reopen the government and provide full-year funding for the VA as well as Pentagon construction programs that modernize facilities and build troop housing. If passed, the military construction and VA appropriations bill would also provide $263.7 billion in mandatory funding for veterans benefits as well as $115.1 billion for veterans medical care and an extra $52.6 billion for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins.

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WWII nurses deserve Congressional Gold Medal, lawmakers say

United States Army Nurse flies with wounded. Lieutenant Mae Olson (left), of the United States Army Nurses Corps, takes the name of a wounded American soldier as he is placed aboard a hospital plane of a United States Army Air Force aerial evacuation unit on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.

Eighty years after World War II ended, a coalition of retired military nurses and others is campaigning to award one of the nation’s highest civilian honors, the Congressional Gold Medal, to all nurses who served in WWII. Other groups, such as the Women Airforce Service Pilots of WWII and the real-life Rosie the Riveters, have already received the honor. The coalition knows of five World War II nurses who are still living. They fear time is running out to honor the trailblazers.

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How dogs have helped veterans with PTSD, disabilities for 50 years

This year, the national nonprofit Canine Companions celebrated 50 years of providing expertly trained, free service dogs to veterans. The organization has placed more than 8,000 service dogs since its inception, improving the lives of individuals with disabilities and providing specialized support to professionals working in healthcare, education, and criminal justice. Since Canine Companions’ first service dog, Abdul, was trained in 1975, the nonprofit has linked canines to countless humans with positive results.

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Understanding the depression VA rating and disability benefits

Man with his face in his hands leaning over himself.

Depression is a mental health disorder that affects a person’s mood, as well as how they think, act, and see the world. Veterans experiencing depression may wonder whether they are eligible for VA disability compensation. We explain how veterans may be able to service connect depression and how the VA rates the condition.

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The Dupixent® lawsuit

Since it was first approved by the FDA in 2017, Dupixent® (dupilumab) has been prescribed to thousands of Americans. Unfortunately, recent studies have found evidence Dupixent may be linked to cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). If you have been prescribed Dupixent and were diagnosed with CTCL, you may be entitled to compensation from its manufacturer.