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Washington Examiner | Lawmakers introduce legislation to expand veterans’ access to non-VA providers
Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) introduced the bills that would effectively codify existing guidelines for when veterans can see non-VA doctors. Vets currently are permitted to seek non-VA doctors if they face long wait times or VA locations too far away, though critics have accused the VA of skirting their own rules about informing patients about this right. "The VA has continued to ignore the intent of Congress by undermining the Veterans Community Care Program since its creation in 2019," Russ Duerstine, Concerned Veterans of America's executive director, told the Washington Examiner in a statement. "By manipulating wait times, dissuading veterans from using their benefits outside the VA, and overruling doctors’ recommendations, VA administrators have looked out for their bureaucratic interests at the expense of millions of veterans’ wellbeing."
The Hill | More than 50 House Republicans tear into VA secretary over debt bill claims
A group of 56 House Republicans tore into Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough for his department’s assertions that the GOP’s debt ceiling increase and spending cuts bill would slash veterans’ benefits. In a Thursday letter led by Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), a Navy veteran from a military family, Republicans said the secretary’s claims are “dishonest and shameless.”
Associated Press | US to provide Ukraine $1.2 billion in long-term security aid
The aid package is expected to be announced on Tuesday and the money will be provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Unlike the U.S. equipment, weapons and ammunition that are more frequently sent to Ukraine from Pentagon stocks — so they can be delivered quickly — this money is to be spent over the coming months or even years to ensure Ukraine’s future security needs.
Military Times | First looks at major 2024 defense policy bill come this week
The defense policy bill is one of the few reliable pieces of legislation to advance through Congress annually, passing into law for more than six consecutive decades. It sets the parameters for military spending priorities, renews a host of pay and benefits authorizations, and includes hundreds of new program parameters and personnel rules.
Military.com | Majority of VA whistleblowers report retaliation after calling out agency wrongdoing
The Department of Veterans Affairs continues to struggle to protect whistleblowers in its ranks, with two-thirds of whistleblowers reporting allegations of retaliation from 2018 to 2022, the Government Accountability Office has found.
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