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VA Updates Service-Connected Disability Rating Schedule

The Veterans Affairs Schedule for Rating Disabilities, or VASRD, is the VA reference for assigning disability ratings for service-connected medical conditions. It was updated in 2024. Those updates include modified ratings and criteria for some 55 medical conditions, including changes to how the VA rates certain digestive conditions. VA Secretary for Benefits Josh Jacobs, quoted… Read more »

Congress Passes Federal Budget, Avoids Government Shutdown

The House and Senate passed the federal budget over the weekend of March 23, 2024. This passage was not easy. Congress narrowly avoided a partial government shutdown earlier in the month under a continuing resolution that partially funded the government until the March 22 deadline. On the 22nd, it avoided that scenario only by an… Read more »

VA Offers Updated COVID-19 Vaccines

The Department of Veterans Affairs offers updated COVID-19 vaccines for the 2024 season. The updated vaccines, which include an additional shot for those 65 or older, are meant to offer protection against the latest COVID variations. According to the VA official site, “Due to changes in the virus, it is important to get the updated… Read more »

What to Know About the Partial Government Shutdown

Will the federal government shut down at midnight when the March 22, 2024 deadline arrives? Could military members be forced to work during such a shutdown without pay? At press time, and certainly subject to change, conditions seem ripe for a partial government shutdown unless the House and Senate can agree to pass six legislative… Read more »

House Passes VA Budget

The House of Representatives approved funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal agencies through the end of the fiscal year. The funding also applies to long-delayed military construction projects. The official site for the House Appropriations Committee Chair Kaye Granger notes the passage of House Resolution 4366, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,… Read more »

Congress Passes 4th Continuing Resolution

Update: On March 6, 2024, the House passed a multiple-agency spending package fully funding the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction projects until the end of the fiscal year. The measure moved to the Senate where it passed and moved to the President’s desk for signature on March 9, 2024. What follows is preserved… Read more »

Cyberattack Disrupts U.S. Military Pharmacies Worldwide

If you have tried to get a military prescription filled since February 21, 2024, you may have experienced issues or delays due to a cyberattack on the commercial pharmacy company serving the Department of Defense due to a cyber security issues. Change Healthcare Cyberattack On February 21, 2024, Change Healthcare announced it was experiencing a… Read more »

Defense Budget Warning From Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warns that PCS moves and military construction projects may be threatened if lawmakers in the House and Senate can’t agree to a full-year defense budget. The DoD would be nearly $6 billion short if a full-year Pentagon spending bill cannot be agreed to. A Brief History of… Read more »