News List

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 »

Today, Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, issued the following statement on the Senate passage of H.R. 1627, the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012: “This legislation brings together nearly two years’ worth of work on behalf of America’s veterans. From streamlining and adding… Read more »

Today, the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs held an oversight hearing entitled, “Invisible Wounds: Examining the Disability Compensation Benefits Process for Victims of Military Sexual Trauma.” The hearing focused on urging the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide consistent review of military sexual assault claims and appropriate care for… Read more »

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, issued the following statement on the Senate passage of H.R. 1627, the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012... 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 »