News & Opinion

Mark Lilly retired from the Navy SEALs with a Purple Heart, a Silver Star and five Bronze Stars after 23 years of service that included combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read more »

A growing backlog of military veterans waiting for service disability benefits dominated a meeting of former soldiers in Manatee County on Monday. More than 800,000 veterans nationwide are stuck in the Department of Veterans Affairs backlog with as many as 60 percent on the list living in Florida, according to some estimates. Read more »

Within five to seven years, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that more than one million new veterans will enter their system, in need of disability claims processing, health care, and more. Read more »

Three bills aimed at helping America's veterans have moved to the full House of Representatives. House Resolutions 4057, 5747 and 5948 all unanimously passed the House Committee on Veteran's Affairs July 11. HR 4079, The Safe Housing for Homeless Veterans Act, introduced by Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., was included in HR 4057. That bill is known ad the Military Family Home Protection Act. Read more »

Chester Edwards was a "tunnel rat" during the Vietnam War, assigned to crawl through the Vietcong's labyrinth of underground fortresses to find and fight the enemy. The Ten Mile resident returned from his 13-month tour of duty with a list of health woes that only grew longer as years passed, from post-traumatic stress syndrome to diabetes and heart problems. Read more »

A congressional committee has advanced a bill by Rep. Todd Akin, of Missouri, that would create a government registry for veterans who may have been exposed to toxic smoke while in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read more »

The director of Punchbowl cemetery plans to call about 380 families to inform them that memorial markers of their loved ones were moved six years ago, and likely will apologize for not informing the families back then, a Department of Veterans Affairs official said Thursday. Read more »

A House panel moved Wednesday to prevent financially incompetent veterans from being cheated by fiduciaries appointed to help manage their money. Read more »

Veterans' advocacy groups, Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs have a variety of explanations for the backlog of disability claims, but one fact remains clear: Far too many disabled vets are waiting far too long for the benefits they need. Read more »

Veterans Affairs Department officials pledged Wednesday that its backlog of benefits claims will begin to shrink, with hopes for a modest 5 percent improvement by the end of the year and a more significant drop in 2013 as changes in claims handling and employee training take root. Read more »