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Tuesday

Veterans marched in on the National Mall in D.C. One is wearing an Army fatigues jacket and has his fist in the air. Another is carrying a sign that says, "Stop the Betrayal Now." Another sign says, "Where are our elected officials?"

Veterans marched in on the National Mall in D.C. on March 14 to protest President Trump and Elon Musk's plans to cut more than 70,000 workers from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images hide caption

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Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Trump's back-to-office order will hurt veterans, VA docs and therapists say

The Department of Veterans Affairs embraced telehealth, especially for mental health care, in recent years. Now, staffers hired to give therapy and other health care remotely are ordered to do it from offices lacking privacy, VA clinicians told NPR.

VA employees are being called to work in the office. But some say there isn't room

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Monday

The seal of the Department of Veterans Affairs is seen outside the agency's building in Washington, D.C. The VA says it will no longer offer medical treatment for gender dysphoria to veterans.

The seal of the Department of Veterans Affairs is seen outside the agency's building in Washington, D.C. The VA says it will no longer offer medical treatment for gender dysphoria to veterans. Charles Dharapak/AP hide caption

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Charles Dharapak/AP

Politics

The VA will deny gender dysphoria treatment to new patients

While the VA never offered gender-affirming surgery, it did offer treatments like hormone therapy. The agency says less than than 0.1% of the 9 million veterans it provides care for identify as trans.

Friday

Wednesday

Protestors gathered outside the Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in Washington, DC, US, on Feb. 13, 2025. The agency plans to cut 80,000 jobs.

Protestors gathered outside the Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in Washington, DC, US, on Feb. 13, 2025. The agency plans to cut 80,000 jobs. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Trump's policies are destabilizing mental health care for veterans, sources say

The Department of Veterans Affairs is one of the largest providers of mental health care in the U.S. Its integrated care model means patients are already feeling the cuts and changes that are underway.

Thursday

Rep. Doug Collins, a Republican from Georgia, speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on June 17, 2020. President-elect Donald Trump has named Collins as his pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Rep. Doug Collins, a Republican from Georgia, speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on June 17, 2020. President-elect Donald Trump has named Collins as his pick to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Pool/Getty Images hide caption

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Pool/Getty Images

Politics

Trump names former Georgia Congressman Doug Collins as his pick to lead the VA

Collins served in the House from 2013 to 2021 and was a key defender of the president-elect during his first impeachment proceedings.

Saturday

Thousands of veterans face foreclosure and it's not their fault. The VA could help

The Queens are hoping the VA does pause foreclosures until the new program can offer people help. Michael Noble Jr. for NPR hide caption

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Michael Noble Jr. for NPR

Investigations

Thousands of veterans face foreclosure and it's not their fault. The VA could help

An NPR investigation finds that many people with VA loans who got a COVID forbearance are at risk of losing their homes. The VA has a fix, but it could be too late unless it halts foreclosures.

Thousands of veterans face foreclosure and it's not their fault. The VA could help

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Wednesday

Tuesday

Former VA Medical Worker Pleads Guilty To Murdering 7 Patients In West Virginia

Retired Army Sgt. Felix McDermott is buried in Pennsylvania's Westmoreland County. His death is one of seven that Reta Mays has been charged with. Jeff Swensen/The Washington Post via Getty Images hide caption

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Jeff Swensen/The Washington Post via Getty Images

National

Former VA Medical Worker Pleads Guilty To Murdering 7 Patients In West Virginia

Reta Mays was charged with killing seven patients by injecting them with insulin. She worked as a nursing assistant on the night shift at a Veterans Affairs medical center in Clarksburg.

Sunday

As The Country Reexamines Statues And Symbols, The VA Resists A Gender-Neutral Motto

Female Marine Corps recruits train at the United States Marine Corps recruit depot June 21, 2004, in Parris Island, South Carolina. Some House Democrats and many veterans want the service of women and of all vets to be recognized in an updated motto for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

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Scott Olson/Getty Images

America Reckons With Racial Injustice

As The Country Reexamines Statues And Symbols, The VA Resists A Gender-Neutral Motto

The Department of Veterans Affairs has a male-focused motto that some veterans and lawmakers say needs updating.

Friday

Internal Emails Show VA Hospitals Are Rationing Protective Gear
Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

Internal Emails Show VA Hospitals Are Rationing Protective Gear

Seven Veterans Affairs staffers have died from the virus, and unions for VA workers have been sounding the alarm about shortages of protective gear and insufficient staffing.

Internal Emails Show VA Hospitals Are Rationing Protective Gear

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Thursday

VA Secretary Wilkie: 'We Are The Surge Force'

Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie told NPR the department was prepared to help back up the nation's health care system, if needed. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption

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Andrew Harnik/AP

The Coronavirus Crisis

VA Secretary Wilkie: 'We Are The Surge Force'

In an interview with NPR, Secretary for Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie said the department was ready to deploy if called on to help with the coronavirus pandemic response.

VA Secretary Wilkie: 'We Are The Surge Force'

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Thursday

Trump's Whistleblower Protection Office Didn't Shield Sources, Inspector General Says

President Trump shows off the Veterans Choice Program Extension and Improvement Act after signing it in April 2017. A new report said on Thursday that the agency failed in its core mission of protecting whistleblowers. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images hide caption

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Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Trump Impeachment Inquiry

Trump's Whistleblower Protection Office Didn't Shield Sources, Inspector General Says

According to the report, the office failed to push out poorly performing senior officials, did not conduct accurate or unbiased investigations and may not have protected identities of whistleblowers.

Tuesday

Wednesday

Veterans Affairs Secretary Evicts Members Of Congress From Offices In VA Hospitals

Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., and other members of Congress are appealing a decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs to evict them from office spaces at VA hospitals. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

National

Veterans Affairs Secretary Evicts Members Of Congress From Offices In VA Hospitals

The lawmakers have been using the offices to meet with veterans. At least one believes the eviction is payback for his tough questioning of VA Secretary Robert Wilkie in April.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Evicts Members Of Congress From Offices In VA Hospitals

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Thursday

Retired Staff Sgt. Matt Lammers holds the hand of his wife, Alicia, before the swimming competition at the 2019 Department of Defense Warrior Games in Clearwater, Fla. Alicia has been Matt's official caregiver for nearly eight years, but she was cut from the Department of Veterans Affairs' caregiver program last December.

Retired Staff Sgt. Matt Lammers holds the hand of his wife, Alicia, before the swimming competition at the 2019 Department of Defense Warrior Games in Clearwater, Fla. Alicia has been Matt's official caregiver for nearly eight years, but she was cut from the Department of Veterans Affairs' caregiver program last December. Eve Edelheit for NPR hide caption

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Eve Edelheit for NPR

National

Veterans Urge Changes Before Expansion Of VA Caregivers Program

Veterans are warning that the Department of Veterans Affairs has not resolved serious flaws in the way the program is administered.

Veterans Urge Changes Before Expansion Of VA Caregivers Program

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