Group Tries To Overload Va Crisis Line To Protest Prosecutions Of Capitol Rioters
A handful of protesters Monday at two Department of Veterans Affairs office buildings in Washington urged their followers to flood the Veterans Crisis Line to call attention to veterans who are jailed in D.C. for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The protesters livestreamed their gathering on at least two separate YouTube channels, calling for those watching to inundate the crisis line with calls.
One veteran in Oregon, who asked that only her first name be used to protect her identity, told Military.com she was having a “bad day” and tried to contact the hotline rather than get in-person mental health support because of an ongoing physical illness. She said she couldn’t get through.
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“I called 988, and I tried again, and I was like, ‘OK, this isn’t working. I called the old number and pressed ‘one,’ said Christine, an Army combat veteran who served in Somalia, speaking of the change this summer from an 8-digit phone number to an easier to remember 988. But I just sat there forever. Then it switched over to the main national crisis center.”
A VA spokesman did not reveal how many calls the line received but said Monday that service continued and all veterans who called the suicide hotline were assisted.
In 2020, the line averaged 1,756 calls per day and had roughly 300 contacts a day through chat and text programs.
Justice Department Says It Would Defend Va Medical Workers In Abortion Cases
The Montgomery Veterans Affairs Clinic in Montgomery, Ala., on Dec. 14, 2015. In some states, including Alabama, officials have threatened to punish Veterans Affairs workers who perform abortions, saying it would violate state law.
The Justice Department said Thursday that it will provide legal defense if necessary to Veterans Affairs medical workers who perform abortions to save a patients life, protect the mothers health or in instances when the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest even if performed in a state where the procedure is illegal in those circumstances.
In an internal government opinion, Justice Department lawyers said that a recently adopted Department of Veterans Affairs policy permitting employees to provide abortion services to veterans and their eligible relatives is legally sound and can continue. The Veterans Affairs agency started offering abortions at its federal facilities earlier this month in the wake of a June Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, upending the right to terminate a pregnancy that had been enshrined in federal law for nearly 50 years.
The rule is a lawful exercise of VAs authority, the opinion says. Moreover, states may not restrict VA and its employees acting within the scope of their federal authority from providing abortion services as authorized by federal law, including VAs rule.
The Washington Posts Alex Horton contributed to this report.
Abortion Battle Emerges In Congress Over New Veterans Affairs Rule
In an unprecedented move, the Department of Veterans Affairs will provide abortion services, regardless of state laws, in response to the Supreme Court decision overturning the federal right to an abortion.
Under the final interim rule that took effect on Sept. 9, the VA will provide abortion counseling and abortions in cases of rape, incest or when the life or health of the pregnant patient is endangered to veterans and eligible family members.
This is a patient safety decision, VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement. Pregnant Veterans and VA beneficiaries deserve to have access to world-class reproductive care when they need it most. Thats what our nation owes them, and thats what we at VA will deliver.
Jennifer Oliva, a law professor at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, told Yahoo News, This rule is unprecedented and marks the first time in United States history that this federal agency is extending abortion health care to veterans and VA beneficiaries. An Army veteran herself, Oliva added, The Republicans are not taking this position from the administration or the Democrats lying down.
Republicans like Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma and Rep. Mike Bost of Illinois are questioning the legality of the VAs policy change, citing the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992, which prohibits the VA from offering abortion services.
Yahoo News: What is the Republicans argument for challenging the Veterans Affairs interim final rule?
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United States Department Of Veterans Affairs
| Seal of the Department of Veterans Affairs | |
| Flag of the Department of Veterans Affairs | |
| Washington, D.C. Headquarters | |
| Preceding agency | |
|---|---|
| Motto | “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.” |
| Employees | |
| www.VA.gov |
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics located throughout the country. Non-healthcare benefits include disability compensation, vocational rehabilitation, education assistance, home loans, and life insurance. The VA also provides burial and memorial benefits to eligible veterans and family members at 135 national cemeteries.
While veterans’ benefits have been provided by the federal government since the American Revolutionary War, a veteran-specific federal agency was not established until 1930, as the Veterans Administration. In 1982, its mission was extended to a fourth mission to provide care to non-veterans and civilians in case of national emergencies. In 1989, the Veterans Administration became a cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs. The agency is led by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, who, being a cabinet member, is appointed by the President.
Center For Women Veterans
The Center for Women Veterans was established within the Department of Veterans Affairs by Public Law 103-446 in November 1994. The Center’s mission is to:
- Monitor and coordinate the VA’s delivery of health care, benefits, and programs for women veterans
- Advocate for cultural transformation in recognizing the service and contributions of women veterans and women in the military
- Raise awareness of the responsibility to treat women veterans with dignity and respect.
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Explore Our Faqs And Other Resources To Get Answers To Your Questions
Our FAQs, step-by-step guides, and other resources can help answer specific questions you may have about these topics:
- Your VA benefits and services
- How to use VA.gov to manage your benefits
- How to update your address and other information in your VA.gov profile
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Find out how to schedule an appointment by phone, online, or through secure messaging.
Louisiana Department Of Veterans Affairs
Help us help vets with an individual contribution in your community. The best way to impact the vets around you is with hands-on assistance through your business, a veteran service organization, and in your community. You can also help our emergency aid initiative with a donation to the Military Family Assistance Fund.
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Come Serve Louisianas Student Veterans As A Lavetcorps Navigator
Are you a student veteran, military retiree or military spouse? You could be a campus Navigator serving Louisianas student veterans through the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs LaVetCorps program! Currently recruiting for a Navigator at Baton Rouge Community College. Navigators earn a $10,500 stipend for their service during the…
Find your nearest service office.
Individual VA benefits and claims information is only given through an accredited Veterans Assistance Counselor.
Benefits
You could be eligible for emergency financial assistance through LDVA.
The Military Family Assistance Fund awarded $350,000 to assist 171,000 veterans and their families affected by flooding in 2016. The fund provides support for a variety of financial hardships when certain criteria apply.
Are you experiencing a crisis?
The Veterans Crisis Line is here to support you.
Veterans and their loved ones can call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, chat online, or send a text message to 838255 to receive confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
We care for our elder veterans in VA homes across the state.
Our state-of-the-art facilities provide specialized services for veterans, their spouses, and Gold Star parents in five locations across the state, including Jackson, Bossier City, Monroe, Reserve, and Jennings.
We honor veterans and their families with dedicated burial honors.
Why Ai R& d At Va
The NAII understands AI’s potential for improving services to Veterans and competing in an increasingly AI-powered world. As the largest integrated health care system in the country, VA is uniquely positioned to advance AI. VA has several large data repositories that can be used for research and development , including the largest genomic knowledge base linked to health care information in the world. Since many U.S. doctors receive at least some medical training at VA, VA has opportunities to train medical professionals on the frontiers of AI technology.
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Consolidation Into Veterans Administration
Congress established a new system of veterans benefits when the United States entered World War I in 1917. Included were programs for disability compensation, insurance for service persons and veterans, and vocational rehabilitation for the disabled. The Veterans Bureau was established in August 1921, absorbing the War Risk Bureau and the Rehabilitation Division of the Federal Board for Vocational Education. In 1922, it gained a large number of veterans’ hospital facilities from the Public Health Service, most of which had been recently established on former U.S. Army bases.
By the 1920s, the various benefits were administered by three different federal agencies: the Veterans Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions, and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. The establishment of the Veterans Administration came in 1930 when Congress authorized the president to “consolidate and coordinate Government activities affecting war veterans”. The three component agencies became bureaus within the Veterans Administration. Brigadier GeneralFrank T. Hines, who directed the Veterans Bureau for seven years, was named as the first Administrator of Veterans Affairs, a job he held until 1945.
Va Performs Its First Abortion Weeks After Saying It Would In Certain Cases
The Veterans Affairs medical system performed its first abortion, weeks after an interim final rule was announced that allowed it to provide the service in cases of incest or rape or when the life of the woman was in jeopardy.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough told senators Wednesday night that the procedure was performed at one of the VAs medical centers. A spokesperson, citing the clients privacy, declined to provide the location or give further details.
The VA did not previously provide abortion services, but after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ended constitutional abortion rights, the department said it believes it is “essential” to the life and health of veterans and VA beneficiaries that they still have access to medically necessary abortions.
McDonough said in a news release that offering the service was a “patient safety decision.”
“Pregnant veterans and VA beneficiaries deserve to have access to world-class reproductive care when they need it most. Thats what our nation owes them, and thats what we at VA will deliver,” he said.
Dr. Shereef Elnahal, the department’s undersecretary for health, said the VA came to its decision after having listened to health care providers and veterans.
“Offering this care will save veterans health and lives, and there is nothing more important than that,” Elnahal said in a statement.
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Secure Reliable Responsive Records Storage And Management Services
VA Records Center and Vault provides short- and long-term records storage and records management services for VA and other Federal government agency customers. Located in a subterranean, climate-controlled facility, RC& V provides storage for general, vital, and unscheduled records as well as records held pending litigation freezes. We are committed to providing our customers with the most secure, reliable, and responsible records storage services available at competitive rates.
Promotion To Department Of Veterans Affairs
The Department of Veterans Affairs Act of 1988 ” rel=”nofollow”> Pub.L. 100527) changed the former Veterans Administration, an independent government agency established in 1930 into a Cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs. It was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on 25 October 1988, however came into effect under the term of his successor, George H. W. Bush, on 15 March 1989.
The reform period 19952000 saw the Veterans Health Administration dramatically improve care access, quality, and efficiency. This was through leveraging its national integrated electronic health information system , and in so doing implemented universal primary care, increased patients treated by 24%, had a 48% increase in ambulatory care visits, and decreased staffing by 12%. By 2000, the VHA had 10,000 fewer employees than in 1995 and a 104% increase in patients treated since 1995, and had managed to maintain the same cost per patient-day, while all other facilities’ costs had risen over 30% to 40% during the same period.
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How To Apply
Purchase Loan & Cash-Out Refinance: VA loans are obtained through a lender of your choice once you obtain a Certificate of Eligibility . You can obtain a COE through eBenefits, by mail, and often through you lender. Learn More
Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan: A new Certificate of Eligibility is not required. You may take your Certificate of Eligibility to show the prior use of your entitlement or your lender may use our e-mail confirmation procedure in lieu of a certificate of eligibility. Learn More
Native American Direct Loan Program: First, confirm that your tribal organization participates in the VA direct loan program. NADL loans are obtained through a lender of your choice once you obtain a Certificate of Eligibility . You can obtain a COE through eBenefits, by mail, and often through you lender. Learn More
Adapted Housing Grants: You can apply for an SAH or SHA grant by either downloading and completing VA Form 26-4555 and submitting it to your nearest Regional Loan Center, or completing the online application. Learn More