Military & Veterans News
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: VA Launches Physician Ambassador Program: Department partners with volunteer medical professionals to improve care
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that it has launched the Physician Ambassador Program, an effort to recruit volunteer medical providers, at the more than 1,700 VA health-care facilities across the nation.
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: New VA Online Tool Helps Veterans Learn About and Compare Effective PTSD Treatments
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) launched a new online tool this week that will help Veterans compare various treatment options for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: Secretary Shulkin Delivers His First ‘State of the VA’ Address
WASHINGTON — Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. David J. Shulkin delivered his first “State of the VA” address today, highlighting the activity and direction of the agency since his appointment in February. In his address, Secretary Shulkin stated that he wanted to update Veterans on the progress the agency is making while also acknowledging the shortcomings that the VA has identified and will address in the upcoming months.
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: VA Hosts Annual Brain Trust Event in Boston
BOSTON — Designed to promote forward-thinking dialogue and innovative collaboration among private industry as well as national professional sports organizations around the issue of brain health, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is hosting its second annual Brain Trust: Pathways to InnoVAtion summit, which kicked off today at Harvard University.
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Benefit News: Senators Introduce Bill to Increase Accountability at VA
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., ranking member of the committee, today introduced the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, bipartisan legislation that would reform the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by allowing the secretary to dismiss bad employees and ensure appropriate due process protections for whistleblowers.
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: JetBlue Boosts Focus City Flights in Boston and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) today announced a series of expanded and new nonstop routes in its Boston and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood focus cities as the airline continues to grow its presence in the northeast and in south Florida. JetBlue is the largest airline in both cities and today’s announcement further reaffirms the airline’s commitment to offer the most and best service in Boston and Fort Lauderdale.Military & Veterans News
Vet News: Department of Defense Announces Invictus Games 2017 Team Members
The Department of Defense announced today the names of the 90 athletes who will compete on the United States team at the Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada, Sept. 23-30.
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: Verizon launches Fios Gigabit Connection service delivering millions of customers the speeds they deserve
NEW YORK – Verizon, a Veterans Advantage partner, today launched Fios Gigabit Connection – the nation’s largest deployment of gigabit Internet connection service. Fios Gigabit Connection provides downloads as fast as 940 Mbps and uploads as fast as 880 Mbps.
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: JetBlue Named Best Mid-Size & Low Cost Airline In North America, Top Ten Airline In The World By TripAdvisor
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- JetBlue (Nasdaq:JBLU), today announced it has been recognized as the bestMid-Size & Low Cost Airline in North America and a Top 10 Best Airline In The World in the 2017 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice® Awards for Airlines. TripAdvisor has highlighted the world’s top carriers based on the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for airlines worldwide gathered over a 12-month period.
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: VA Secretary Praises Congress for Extending Choice Program
WASHINGTON — Today, following the U.S. Senate’s passage by unanimous consent this week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that extends the Veterans Choice Program (VCP) until the funding dedicated to the program is exhausted. The VCP is a critical program that increases access to care for millions of Veterans. Without this legislation, the ability to use VCP funding would have ended abruptly on Aug. 7 of this year. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. David J. Shulkin released the following statement of support:
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: VA REACH VET Initiative Helps Save Veterans Lives: Program Signals When More Help Is Needed for At-risk Veterans
WASHINGTON — Suicide prevention is one of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) highest priorities. As part of VA’s commitment to put resources, services and all technology available to reduce Veteran suicide, VA has launched an innovative program called Recovery Engagement and Coordination for Health – Veterans Enhanced Treatment (REACH VET).
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: VA fixes Veterans Crisis Line
WASHINGTON — In response to the recently released VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) report that reviewed processes from June 6 through Dec. 15, 2016, of the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released the following statement: "The Department of Veterans Affairs is proud to announce that the challenges with the Veterans Crisis Line have been resolved. Prior to the opening of our new Atlanta call center, our call rollover rate often exceeded 30 percent. Our current call rollover rate is less than 1 percent, with over 99 percent of all calls being answered by the VCL."
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: VA Establishes Commission to Recommend Under Secretary for Benefits
WASHINGTON —The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced the establishment of a search commission to help identify candidates for the position of Under Secretary for Benefits.
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Benefit News: VA Secretary Announces Intention to Expand Mental Health Care to Former Service members With Other-than-honorable Discharges and in Crisis
WASHINGTON – Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Dr. David J.
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Benefit News: United Ranked No. 1 U.S.-Based Global Carrier
The Points Guy, a travel and lifestyle media platform, released its annual "Best and Worst Airlines in the United States" rankings of the 10 largest U.S. domestic carriers, and United finished highest among U.S.-based global carriers — well ahead of American Airlines and Delta Airlines. Overall, United ranked second, right behind Alaska Airlines.
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: VA Offering up to $8 Million in Grants for Adaptive-Sports Programs that Aid Disabled Veterans
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is providing up to $8 million in grants to fund adaptive-sports programs that offer activities for disabled Veterans and members of the armed forces who have disabilities, VA announced Feb. 22.
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Benefit News: Amtrak CEO Wick Moorman Calls for New Era of Infrastructure Investment
WASHINGTON – In a hearing before the Senate Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security, Amtrak President and CEO Wick Moorman called for a new era of investment in Amtrak’s infrastructure, fleet, and stations, which are critical to the operations and future growth of passenger rail.
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: Isakson Statement on Confirmation of Dr. David Shulkin as VA Secretary
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today released the following statement after David Shulkin, M.D., was unanimously confirmed by the Senate to become secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs:
Military & Veterans News
Dedication Ceremony for Tallahassee VA Health Care Center
TALLAHASSEE, FL – A dedication ceremony has been scheduled for the Tallahassee Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care Center (THCC) on Thursday, February 23, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. The new facility opened its doors to serving area Veterans October 2016. The new THCC is located at the intersection of East Orange Avenue and Blair Stone Road (2181 East Orange Avenue, 32311) and is three stories and 197,170 gross square foot of space. The clinic is more conducive to patient centered care and provides state of the art technology and increased specialty services.
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: VA statement about Office of Inspector General review of implementation of the Veterans Choice Program
VA appreciates the Office of Inspector General (OIG) review of VA’s implementation of the Veterans Choice Program (VCP). The OIG report reviewed the VCP from its inception, over two years ago, in November of 2014 through September of 2015. Overall, the Department concurs with the findings in the report. However, VCP is no longer the program it was when it rolled out. The Department has made significant improvements since the inception of the program. VA did not wait for the OIG report to publish before taking critical steps towards improving the program, including working with Congress to amend the law four times to increase Veterans access and satisfaction with VCP, including increasing the provider base, increasing the number of scheduled appointments, and implementing numerous process changes for both VA and our contract partners.
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: VA and Air Force Announce Tele-Intensive Care Unit Sharing Agreement
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Midwest Health Care Network and the Air Force Medical Operations Agency today announced a collaborative Tele-ICU agreement that will allow Air Force patients at five military treatment facilities to use VA’s Tele-ICU capabilities through its centralized support center in Minneapolis.
Military & Veterans News
Cover Story: No Heroes Left Untreated Act Military Legislation Gains Through Bipartisan Advocacy
Driven by a national obligation to accelerate focus on medical care for military veterans, bipartisan support has emerged in the U.S. Senate for ground-breaking mental health treatments, and Veterans Advantage has joined in support of the new legislation.
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: Flying Towards a More Sustainable Future: United Airlines Honored as 'Eco-Airline of the Year'
CHICAGO, Jan. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second time since launching its industry-leading Eco-Skies program, United Airlines was named the Eco-Airline of the Year by Air Transport World (ATW) magazine. The award recognizes an airline in global commercial aviation for its environmental leadership as demonstrated by consistent and impactful environmental action within the company and in the industry. The magazine awarded United with the top honor for multiple initiatives in 2016 and prior years, including becoming the first U.S. airline to begin using commercial-scale volumes of sustainable aviation biofuel for regularly scheduled flights, marking a significant milestone in the industry by moving beyond demonstrations and test programs to the use of low-carbon biofuels for ongoing operations.
Military & Veterans News
Benefit News: Isakson Meets with VA Secretary Nominee Dr. David Shulkin
U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and VA secretary nominee Dr. David Shulkin discuss shared priorities for the VA on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017.