News & Opinion

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ purchase of $1.2 billion in pharmaceuticals since 2004 in violation of federal law and regulations was the result of “a team failure” at the department, VA Deputy Secretary W. Scott Gould told the House Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday. Read more »

America, long hailed as the land of opportunity, is proving to be anything but that for scores of servicemen and women who served overseas in war-torn Iraq, Afghanistan and other foreign conflicts. Read more »

When news broke of improper burial practices at Arlington National Cemetery, Americans across the country reacted with anger and disbelief that our most hallowed grounds had been haphazardly managed. Those sentiments were on full public display here in Congress, especially so at the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee—the representative voice for veterans on Capitol Hill. Read more »

Thousands of veterans who have been waiting years for a VA Medical Center to open in Central Florida will have to wait even longer. Read more »

The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee is looking into whether the Veterans Affairs Department spent $333 million on pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and other purchases without having contracts for the transactions. Read more »

The Department of Veterans Affairs is facing a growing backlog of disability claims, fueled by veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and a policy change making it easier for Vietnam veterans to file Agent Orange-related claims. Read more »

The Department of Veterans Affairs has found scores of misplaced headstones and at least eight cases of people buried in the wrong places at several military cemeteries across the country. Read more »

Lawmakers are calling on the Veterans Affairs Department to audit all its cemeteries to ensure that remains are correctly interred and marked. Read more »

The chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs called Thursday for a complete review of all of 131 military cemeteries run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, where more than 3.7 million service members and their families are buried. Read more »

Veterans usually have a cameo role in State of the Union addresses, with presidents pausing to recognize select current or former servicemembers for their contributions. But this year, the military guests of the Obama family will have support in numbers. Read more »