The Veterans Affairs secretary is reversing a department memo that aimed to ban VA displays of the iconic “V-J Day in Times Square” photograph showing a Navy sailor kissing a woman he did not know on the streets of New York at the end of World War II.

Dena Leath said she faced discrimination and harassment while working as a criminal investigator for V.A. Ann Arbor Department of Public Safety from July 2018 to May 2021.

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

A woman has been sentenced after she created aliases for herself in order to become the fake heir to people who died so she could steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from Veterans Affairs and Michigan Treasury, officials said.

Bryant Lepic is an 11-year US Air Force veteran who has completed five combat deployments to Iraq.

Bryant Lepic is an 11-year US Air Force veteran who has completed five combat deployments to Iraq.

Two women are accused of creating aliases for themselves and becoming fake heirs to people who died so they could steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from Veterans Affairs and Michigan Treasury, officials said.

LIVONIA, Mich. – Veterans in Metro Detroit had been rejected from their area Veterans Affairs and it appears someone was giving out the wrong information. Livonia Navy Veteran Tim Flynn called the Ann Arbor VA for a COVID shot and was transferred to a VA national ine to sign up. He was then registered to receive a COVID vaccine and got an appointment an hour later. READ: US House passes legislation to give COVID vaccine to all veterans through VALast week, the House passed the VA Vaccine Act. AdREAD: Congressman says rule that led VA to deny COVID vaccine to veteran will be fixedRead moreQuestions about coronavirus?

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.

The annual survey released Monday, June 22, 2020, of U.S. beekeepers found that honeybee colonies are doing better after a bad year. Ann Arbor Backyard Beekeepers (A2B2) is offering beginner and intermediate classes for community members interested in bees and beekeeping. Beginner classes will go over basic bee biology and management, equipment and what to expect during the first year of beekeeping. Intermediate classes are intended for individuals with experience keeping bees through the winter and will go over management strategies, swarm prevention and pest/disease treatment. Learn more about the beginner and intermediate classes or register here at www.a2b2club.org/about-bee-school

FILE - In this July 7, 2020 file photo, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Richard Wilkie speaks at the National Press Club in Washington. Confronted with a sexual assault allegation at a veterans hospital, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie repeatedly sought to discredit the female congressional staffer who made the complaint. The groups pressed Trump to act in the last weeks of his administration since Wilkie had refused to accept responsibility and was refusing to resign. Wilkie and other senior officials had declined to fully cooperate with the investigation by VA Inspector General Michael Missal. Wilkie is Trump’s second VA secretary after David Shulkin was fired in 2018.

(AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool)ANN ARBOR – VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System announced on Monday morning that it was selected as one of 37 VA sites nationwide to receive initial COVID-19 vaccine doses. According to a news release, the VA Ann Arbor Medical Center was selected for its ability to inoculate a large population and store the vials at extremely cold temperatures. In compliance with Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, the Ann Arbor VAMC will start vaccinating veterans in long-term VA health care facilities and health care personnel. Like healthcare systems around the country, VA Ann Arbor will begin a limited-supply phase followed by a mass implementation phase once a large vaccine supply is available. “As more vaccine becomes available, eligible Veterans will be contacted directly to discuss specifics and set appointments to receive the vaccine.”

“It is unfair to expect accountability from the nearly 400,000 VA employees and not demand the same from its top executive. Wilkie and other senior officials had declined to fully cooperate with the investigation by VA Inspector General Michael Missal. Wilkie is Trump’s second VA secretary after David Shulkin was fired in 2018. President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to rebuild trust in the VA when he takes office on Jan. 20. He has selected Denis McDonough, who served as President Barack Obama’s White House chief of staff, to be VA secretary.

“The accountability, professionalism and respect that our veterans have earned, and quite frankly deserve, is completely lost in this current VA leadership team,” said B.J. Wilkie and other senior officials had declined to fully cooperate with the investigation by VA Inspector General Michael Missal. Wilkie is President Donald Trump’s second VA secretary after David Shulkin was fired in 2018. “VA can and must do better,” said Randy Reese, executive director of Disabled American Veterans’ Washington headquarters. He has selected Denis McDonough, who served as President Barack Obama’s White House chief of staff, to be VA secretary.

“The response of Secretary Wilkie and senior VA officials to the veteran’s complaint of sexual assault was troubling,” Missal said in a statement. “The tone set by Secretary Wilkie appears to have influenced aspects of the initial VA police investigation and the conduct of other VA employees,” the report said. On Thursday, Biden said he will nominate Denis McDonough, who served as President Barack Obama’s White House chief of staff, to be VA secretary. VA officials did not examine the information, the report said. A study released by the VA last year found 1 in 4 female veterans using VA health care reported inappropriate comments by male veterans on VA grounds.

WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Two workers were killed in an explosion Friday while repairing a steam pipe in a maintenance building at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Connecticut, officials said. Alfred Montoya Jr., director of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, said the men were in the basement of the small outer building and had just finished routine maintenance on a leaky pipe. He said the explosion occurred just after 8 a.m. as the pipe was being refilled with steam. “Our prayers are with the families of the victims of this explosion," VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said. The explosion occurred in a building that houses the hospital’s labor shops, such as carpentry and plumbing, a spokesperson for the hospital said.

Leaders in Macomb County are making a sales pitch to bring a new U.S. Space Command headquarters to southeastern Michigan. “If you look at work force, we have an incredibly talented workforce across southeast Michigan that can contribute. If you come to a place like Michigan, it is wide open. It’s a fresh pool of talent and incredibly deep and experienced pool of talent.”Major General Rogers also said southeastern Michigan’s strong industrial base and top-notch academic institutions could be appealing factors in the final decision. More: Macomb County news

The 2020 General Election will be held on November 3. You can find results for Lapeer County Veterans Affairs Millage here. Find more election results and news on the Decision 2020 page. 🌟 Become an Insider 🌟Introducing WDIV Insider: A new way for loyal Local 4 fans to gain access and customize your ClickOnDetroit news experience. Learn more about WDIV Insider - and sign up here!