Veterans’ Issues
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The veterans of our military services have put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms that we enjoy. They have dedicated their lives to their country and deserve to be recognized for their commitment.

— Judd Gregg

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We owe our World War II veterans - and all our veterans - a debt we can never fully repay.

— Doc Hastings

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For many of the brave men and women who have fought on the front lines, returning home means trying to navigate a complicated a bureaucratic Veterans Administration benefits system.

— Kirsten Gillibrand

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Congress needs to give the Veteran Affairs every tool possible to meet the mental health challenges facing our veterans before they get to the point of danger.

— Conor Lamb

Veterans' Issues News

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Supreme Court Rules Unanimously Against Time Limits on Combat-Related Disability Pay

Military.com | By Patricia Kime Published June 13, 2025 at 5:38pm The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday against the federal government in a class-action suit over combat-related special compensation, paving the way for an estimated 9,000 retired service members to receive thousands of dollars in retroactive pay. In a 9-0 ruling, the justices said that a law the government applied to…
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Lingering cost worries cloud plans for veterans disability reform bill

By Leo Shane III  Thursday, May 22, 2025 After years of hearing cost complaints from lawmakers, advocates believe they have finally reached a funding solution for their major disability reform plan, providing thousands of dollars a year to 54,000-plus wounded veterans nationwide. Actually, they think the White House found the answer for them. “In March, Veterans Affairs leaders announced contract terminations that…
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A double amputee who served in Iraq is pushing lawmakers to end the ‘wounded veterans tax’

Federal policy prevents around 50,000 injured veterans from receiving both their full retirement pay and disability compensation. May 26, 2025, 4:37 PM CDT / Updated May 27, 2025, 11:56 AM CDT By Melanie Zanona WASHINGTON — When Army veteran Dan Nevins was forced to medically retire from the military after losing both his legs in combat, he thought he’d…
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‘I cannot guarantee complete confidentiality,’ VA therapists ordered to tell veterans

By Katia Riddle April 11, 2025 4:58 PM ET Panic, fear, uncertainty, and anger. Those are the emotions mental health clinicians who work for the US Department of Veterans Affairs describe as they prepare for the VA’s mandatory return-to-office directive. Some are being summoned to offices as soon as Monday, April 14. Representatives from the VA say they…
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Class-Action Suit over Limits on Combat-Related Disability Pay Goes Before Supreme Court

By Patricia Kime Published April 24, 2025 at 12:59pm ET The U.S. Supreme Court will consider a case Monday from medically retired service members who say the Defense Department’s misinterpretation of a law prevented them from receiving the maximum amount of disability compensation for their combat-related injuries. The class-action suit, representing roughly 9,000 service members, challenges a…
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VA mistakenly declared San Diego veteran dead, cut off disability payments

U.S. Navy veteran Sky Lowe fought for five months to prove he is alive. By Alexis Rivas, Mike Dorfman and Mark Sackett • Published March 24, 2025 • Updated on March 25, 2025 at 3:40 pm A San Diego Navy fought with the Department of Veterans Affairs for five months after he received a letter mistakenly declaring him deceased. NBC 7 investigative reporter Alexis Rivas…
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Fact Sheet

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  • As of 2019, there were 12,987 living veterans who served all through World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
    DoSomething
  • In 2018, the unemployment rate for veterans who served post-9/11 was 3.5% — the lowest recorded rate since 2008.
    DoSomething
  • Veterans make up roughly 13% of adults experiencing homelessness in America.
    National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
  • 22 veterans commit suicides daily, with 1 occurring roughly every 80 minutes.
    CombatWounded
  • Since 2002, more than 200,000 service members have suffered traumatic brain injuries. 1/3 of those veterans that needed mental health care actually sought treatment.
    CombatWounded
  • 84% of veterans say that the American public has “little awareness” of the challenges facing them and their families.
    CombatWounded
  • There are an estimated 300,000 post-9/11 veterans who have psychological wounds.
    CombatWounded
  • 30% of veterans have disabilities as a result of their service.
    CombatWounded

Resources, Publications, & Articles

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  • Healthcare costs
  • Homelessness
  • Physical and mental trauma
  • Unemployment
  • Substance abuse
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Get Involved

Ways to Take Action

Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is a nonprofit that drives veterans to medical appointments, assist them in filing benefit claims (e.g., VA health benefits or Medicare health insurance) with the government and helps vets with medical, employment and other general needs. The DAV needs volunteers to:

  • Drive veterans to appointments at Veterans Affairs hospitals around the country.
  • Volunteer at VA hospitals.
  • Assist veterans in your community with needs such as grocery shopping, running errands or helping with yard work.
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A couple of different organizations build new homes or adapt existing homes for veterans with severe injuries. If you’re a contractor or tradesman, Building Homes for Heroes and Homes for Our Troops can both use your skills to help build homes for injured vets. If you don’t have building expertise, you can still get involved by donating funds, goods and services or land.

Stand Down programs for veterans who are homeless are local one- to three-day events that provide a single spot for vets to receive food, shelter, health screenings and other needs. To volunteer for a Stand Down event near you, check with the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

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Upcoming Events

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Recommended Media

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The Best Years of Our Lives is a 1946 American epic drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo and Harold Russell. The film is about three United States servicemen re-adjusting to civilian life after coming home from World War II.

In 1989, The Best Years of Our Lives was one of the first 25 films selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Where to Watch: Pluto TV, Amazon Prime Video

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This harrowing Best Picture Oscar winner examines the devastating impact of the Vietnam War on an entire community. Small-town buddies Mike (Robert De Niro), Steven (John Savage), and Nick (Christopher Walken) are captured together and brutalized. Mike returns home relatively unscathed, but Steven comes back a self-pitying paraplegic, while the tragic Nick doesn't come back at all, remaining in Saigon and ritualistically re-enacting his torture for money. The film's Vietnam sequences are hyperbolically surreal, but its meditation on survivor's guilt and a generation's loss of innocence is genuine. The movie is credited with inspiring the drive to build the Vietnam War memorial on the Washington Mall.

Where to Watch: YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV

The documentary, directed by Meg McLagan and Daria Sommers, follows the first group of women sent into direct combat. These five women were originally supposed to deal with terrorized Iraqi women and families but ended up being sent, unprepared, into combat. The filmmakers interview the quintet about their combat experience and their work in adjusting to home life.

Where to Watch: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video

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