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Wednesday

Do U.S. Troops Risk Brain Injury When They Fire Heavy Weapons?

Coalition forces fire a Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle during a training exercise in Afghanistan's Helmand province in 2013. Spc. Justin Young/U.S. Department of Defense/DVIDS hide caption

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Spc. Justin Young/U.S. Department of Defense/DVIDS

Shots - Health News

Do U.S. Troops Risk Brain Injury When They Fire Heavy Weapons?

Some modern shoulder-fired weapons produce blast waves powerful enough to rattle the brain. A $30 million study aims to help the military figure out how much blast exposure, over time, is too much.

Do U.S. Troops Risk Brain Injury When They Fire Heavy Weapons?

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Friday

House OKs Bill Making It Tougher To Keep 'Mentally Incompetent' Vets From Buying Guns

A House-approved bill would require a court hearing before a U.S. veteran is deemed mentally unfit to own a gun. Here, rifles are seen at a gun shop in Merrimack, N.H., last year. Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way

House OKs Bill Making It Tougher To Keep 'Mentally Incompetent' Vets From Buying Guns

Critics of the bill say it could lead to more suicides — in one recent year, an average of 20 veterans per day died from suicide, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Monday

Senate Confirms First Nonveteran To Lead VA

Veterans Affairs Secretary-designate Dr. David Shulkin, then the undersecretary for health at the VA, testifies on Capitol Hill Feb. 1. Shulkin was confirmed on Monday. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

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Alex Brandon/AP

The Two-Way

Senate Confirms First Nonveteran To Lead VA

Senators unanimously voted to confirm VA Health Undersecretary Dr. David Shulkin as full secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. He's a rare Trump holdover from the Obama administration.

Wednesday

Hiring Freeze And Obamacare Repeal Could Clobber Veterans Affairs

David Shulkin (center), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs undersecretary of health, talks with attendees in July prior to testifying at a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing in Gilbert, Ariz. Donald Trump has selected Shulkin to lead the agency. Ross D. Franklin/AP hide caption

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Ross D. Franklin/AP

Politics

Hiring Freeze And Obamacare Repeal Could Clobber Veterans Affairs

If the Affordable Care Act is repealed, some of those left uninsured will be veterans. They may turn to the VA, further burdening a troubled health care system.

Hiring Freeze And Obamacare Repeal Could Clobber Veterans Affairs

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Wednesday

Wednesday

After A Vet's Suicide, Getting VA Benefits Can Compound A Family's Grief

Coning left the Marines in 2013. His wife says she thinks it's likely he had post-traumatic stress disorder, but he was never tested for it by the VA. Courtesy of the Coning family hide caption

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Courtesy of the Coning family

National

After A Vet's Suicide, Getting VA Benefits Can Compound A Family's Grief

A former Marine who served in Afghanistan took his own life recently. But there was no diagnosis linking his service to his suicide, making it hard for his family to receive full death benefits.

After A Vet's Suicide, Getting VA Benefits Can Compound A Family's Grief

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Wednesday

After Combat Stress, Violence Can Show Up At Home

Stacy Bannerman testifies before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs in 2006. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images hide caption

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Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images

Shots - Health News

After Combat Stress, Violence Can Show Up At Home

In a minority of cases, violent behavior accompanies post-traumatic stress disorder. Military spouses can become victims, and there are few resources around to help them.

After Combat Stress, Violence Can Show Up At Home

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Tuesday

New VA Clinic Opens For Transgender Vets

Sue McConnell is one of more than 130 transgender veterans receiving treatment at the Tucson Veterans Affairs hospital. Jimmy Jenkins/KJZZ hide caption

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Jimmy Jenkins/KJZZ

National

New VA Clinic Opens For Transgender Vets

KJZZ News

The Tucson Veterans Affairs hospital is expanding treatment to the needs of trans veterans, one of the first such facilities in the U.S. to do so. The clinic's services include hormone treatment.

New VA Clinic Opens For Transgender Vets

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Thursday

Department Of Veterans Affairs To Pay For Robotic Legs

ReWalk Robotics service engineer Tom Coulter (right) looks on as paralyzed Army veteran Gene Laureano walks using a ReWalk device on Wednesday in the Bronx, N.Y. Mel Evans/AP hide caption

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Mel Evans/AP

The Two-Way

Department Of Veterans Affairs To Pay For Robotic Legs

The exoskeleton's $77,000 price tag has been too expensive for many injured veterans. But after a major shift in VA policy, eligible veterans with spinal cord injuries may soon be able to walk again.

Tuesday

The U.S. Declared War On Veteran Homelessness — And It Actually Could Win

Daniel Harmon, a veteran of the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq, looks out the window of his room at the Hollywood Veterans Center in Los Angeles. The facility provides housing to homeless vets. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption

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David Gilkey/NPR

National

The U.S. Declared War On Veteran Homelessness — And It Actually Could Win

In 2009, then-Veterans Affairs head Eric Shinseki declared that all homeless veterans would have housing by 2015. New Orleans has made big strides, but in Los Angeles, the problem persists.

The U.S. Declared War On Veteran Homelessness — And It Actually Could Win

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Thursday

Alan Oates was exposed to herbicides, such as Agent Orange, while serving in Vietnam in 1968. Decades after returning home, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and because Congress passed the Agent Orange Act, he's able to receive VA benefits.

Alan Oates was exposed to herbicides, such as Agent Orange, while serving in Vietnam in 1968. Decades after returning home, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and because Congress passed the Agent Orange Act, he's able to receive VA benefits. Courtesy of Alan Oates hide caption

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Courtesy of Alan Oates

World War II Secret Mustard Gas Testing

Can The Agent Orange Act Help Veterans Exposed To Mustard Gas?

Just like World War II vets who were exposed to mustard gas during secret chemical testing, Vietnam vets exposed to Agent Orange had trouble obtaining VA benefits — until they got the law changed.

Can The Agent Orange Act Help Veterans Exposed To Mustard Gas?

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Wednesday

Back At Base

Veterans Choice Act Fails To Ease Travel Burdens For Vets In Need Of Care

Lakeshore Public Media

Last year, Congress tried to make getting care for vets easier by giving them the option of going outside of VA facilities. Seems pretty simple, but making that rule work hasn't been all that easy.

Veterans Choice Act Fails To Ease Travel Burdens For Vets In Need Of Care

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Thursday

Air Force Reservists Say Agent Orange Residue Damaged Their Health

A U.S. Air Force C-123 sprays herbicides on dense jungle beside a South Vietnamese highway on May 18, 1966. This aircraft is the last in a formation of three. Spray from the other two planes can be seen ahead. U.S. Air Force via AP hide caption

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U.S. Air Force via AP

National

Air Force Reservists Say Agent Orange Residue Damaged Their Health

WYSO

The planes used to spray Agent Orange in Vietnam weren't retired from service — they were used by reservists in the U.S. for more than a decade after the war, exposing the crews to harmful chemicals.

Air Force Reservists Say Agent Orange Residue Damaged Their Health

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Thursday

In Remote Washington, Veterans Services Are Ferry Ride Away

The ferry pulls in to Friday Harbor, the only incorporated city in San Juan County, Wash. Veterans will often travel the hourlong ferry ride to reach VA services here. Patricia Murphy/KUOW hide caption

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Patricia Murphy/KUOW

Back At Base

In Remote Washington, Veterans Services Are Ferry Ride Away

KUOW

Sometimes veterans don't claim their benefits because they live in remote areas that lack resources. In one Washington state county, Veterans Affairs services are at least an hour ferry ride away.

In Remote Washington, Veterans Services Are Ferry Ride Away

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Wednesday

Without Help, Navigating Benefits Can Be Overwhelming For Veterans

Grant County Veterans Service Officer Bob Kelley (right) works with World War II Army veteran Frederick Kern at the Grant County Government Building in Marion, Ind., on Monday. Aaron P. Bernstein for NPR hide caption

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Aaron P. Bernstein for NPR

Back At Base

Without Help, Navigating Benefits Can Be Overwhelming For Veterans

Lakeshore Public Media

Veterans service officers often help veterans successfully navigate the complicated benefits process. For instance, not all vets in Indiana know about VSOs or have access to them.

Without Help, Navigating Benefits Can Be Overwhelming For Veterans

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