Veterans whom the government declares incapable of managing their own affairs would have easier access to firearms under spending legislation expected to be signed by President Joe Biden in the coming days.

Hundreds of thousands of veterans have received additional benefits in the past year after President Joe Biden signed legislation expanding coverage for conditions connected to burn pits that were used to destroy trash and potentially toxic materials.

The federal government wrote duplicate checks to doctors who provided care for veterans, costing taxpayers as much as $128 million in extra payments, according to a new watchdog report out this week.

A Michigan man was sentenced to five years in federal prison for lying to Veterans Affairs (VA) to obtain $250,000 in benefits.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to get COVID-19 vaccines.

Veterans, spouses and caregivers can sign up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine through VAAAHS.

The VA in Ann Arbor said that he makes too much money to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Now, at age 57, he asked the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for a COVID-19 vaccine. The VA turned him down due to income limits set by Congress. Ad“It is just kind of ridiculous that you couldn’t go get a shot,” Flynn said. The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the VA Vaccine Act, providing a COVID shot for any veteran, regardless of income.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Don Schimmel, 93, is a Navy World War II veteran who is trying to get a coronavirus vaccine. The VA in Ann Arbor said that he makes too much money to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. READ: VA in Ann Arbor says veteran makes too much money to receive COVID-19 vaccine“You are rejected, over the income limit to receive medical treatment through the Department of Veterans Affairs,” the rejection letter stated. Rep. Tim Walberg said that Congress should have seen that COVID shots were included in rules they gave the VA when it came to healthcare. AdWalberg said he saw Local 4′s report and reached out to the Ann Arbor VA.“That’s how I became aware of it and talked to the Ann Arbor VA this morning,” he said.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Don Schimmel, 93, is a Navy World War II veteran who is trying to get a coronavirus vaccine. The VA in Ann Arbor said that he makes too much money to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. AdREAD: Michigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info on phasesThe VA released the following statement:Veterans are required to enroll with VA in order to receive health care. When Veterans apply for VA health care, they are assigned to one of eight priority groups. Brian Hayes, VA Public Affairs OfficerFor more information on eligibility for VA health care, click here.

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2013, file photo, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough listens as President Barack Obama speaks at FBI Headquarters in Washington. President-elect Joe Biden is nominating former President Barack Obama's White House chief of staff Denis McDonough as secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Biden is continuing to stockpile his administration with prominent alumni of the Obama administration. The bill came about following exposes during the Obama administration into mismanagement at some VA hospitals and mounting complaints by advocacy groups. As chief of staff, McDonough was also deeply involved in an overhaul of VA leadership after the scandals, which led to the ouster of the department’s secretary.

The VA is not the same VA as four years ago, insisted acting VA deputy secretary Pam Powers, pointing to increased outreach to women and improved trust ratings in the VA from employees and patients alike according to internal polling. His effort seeks to reinforce a call by top Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committee last week for a faster timeline. About 1 in 3 VA employees said they witnessed an act of sexual harassment. Overall, an estimated 26% of female and 14% of male VA employees experienced harassment during the two-year period. A study released by the VA last year found 1 in 4 women veterans using VA health care reported inappropriate comments by male veterans on VA grounds, raising concerns they may delay or miss their treatments.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is unveiling a long-awaited national plan Wednesday to stem a persistently high number of veteran suicides, with wide-ranging initiatives from firearm safety and wellness programs at workplaces to added barriers near railroads and bridges. Still, it remained unclear how much of the plan could result in immediate concrete action, especially in a presidential election year. Much of the effort will need congressional action as well as cooperation from governors and local groups juggling priorities of public safety and health in a pandemic. Currently, about 20 veterans die by suicide each day, about 1.5 times higher than those who havent served in the military. In particular, younger veterans and women generally were more skeptical of Trump, who received multiple draft deferments to avoid going to Vietnam.

FILE - In this March 27, 2019, file photo Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie, left, speaks with Veterans Health Administration Executive in Charge, Dr. Richard Stone, second from left, before a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. To handle a possible second wave of COVID-19, it would need a six-month supply. A future pandemic wave may test all of us in our preparation, Stone told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. The Associated Press previously reported that VA health care facilities struggled with shortages of workers and protective equipment, forcing employees to reuse masks for days or weeks, even as VA leaders denied that it lacked adequate supplies. As of Tuesday, VA had 1,665 staff cases of COVID-19, including 133 that were considered active. At least 33 VA employees have died of the virus, according to VA data.

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)WASHINGTON Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said Thursday that his department has all but stopped use of an unproven malaria drug on veterans with COVID-19. Major veterans organizations had called on the VA to explain its use of hydroxychloroquine after an analysis of VA hospital data was published month showing hundreds of veterans who took the drug saw no benefit for COVID-19. They remained at higher levels before tapering off in late April amid backlash over results of the VA hospital analysis and as remdesivir emerged as a form of treatment. The Food and Drug Administration has warned against the drug and said hydroxychloroquine should only be used for the coronavirus in formal studies. The VA has said it prescribed the drug only when medically appropriate, after full discussion between doctor and patient about the risks.

Still, it acknowledged that VA Secretary Robert Wilkie had wrongly asserted publicly without evidence that the drug had been shown to benefit younger veterans. In the first week of May, 17 patients had received the drug for COVID-19, according to VA data obtained by the AP. VA has not endorsed nor discouraged the use of hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 patients and has left those decisions to providers and their patients, the VA said. The Food and Drug Administration has warned against the drug combination and said hydroxychloroquine should only be used for the coronavirus in formal studies. The analysis of VA hospital data, done by independent researchers at two universities with VA approval, was not a rigorous experiment.