Jessica Villarreal’s dream job was to be a social worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs after serving in the Army.  “I got my master’s degree because my whole goal was to work for the VA, to provide a service to veterans, to be that person that veterans could go and feel like, “Oh, Jessica... Read more »

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In 2012 I moved to the Phoenix area. I had served in the Marine Corps for four years and spent the next 12 in the Army National Guard. Multiple deployments took a toll on my mind and body, so I began the years-long journey of re-registering for my benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs. ... Read more »

The post #VAFail: The only reason I don’t have problems with the VA is because I stopped using it for care appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

In 2018, the VA MISSION Act was signed into law. This landmark legislation gave more veterans who use the Department of Veterans Affairs for health care service access to care in their own communities if the VA can’t offer quality care in a timely manner.  While this reform was sorely needed, there is another barrier... Read more »

The post Certificate of Need is keeping veterans from having more health care options in South Carolina appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

The Department of Veterans Affairs continues to drag its feet on producing records requested under the Freedom of Information Act and now the subject of an ongoing lawsuit.  The suit, filed by Americans for Prosperity Foundation in July 2021, seeks to know how the VA is calculating veterans’ appointment wait times and how the department... Read more »

The post #VAFail: What is the VA hiding that it won’t release under the Freedom of Information Act? appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

The Iraq Authorizations for Use of Military Force have been on the books for decades, leaving an opening for military action not recently voted on by Congress.  But those outdated and obsolete AUMFs are on their way out the door thanks to a Senate vote this week.  Senators voted 66-30 to repeal the 1991 and... Read more »

The post Senate passes AUMF repeal bill in historic vote appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

In 2014, the Phoenix Veterans Affairs hospital was exposed for manipulating and hiding veterans’ medical appointment wait times. Thousands of veterans were found on secret wait lists that covered up the extended weeks and months veterans were waiting for care. Veterans were even dying while waiting on those secret lists.  Nine years later, veterans in... Read more »

The post #VAFail: Arizona veterans face long wait times at VA and unpaid bills from community care appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

“The Iraq War has cost thousands of lives and billions of dollars,” Air Force veteran Ian Robinson says, “and we’re still paying.” In a new video reflecting on the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War, Ian says he “saw firsthand the death and destruction the Iraq War caused.” Even 20 years after the war began,... Read more »

The post Iraq War Air Force veteran: 20 years later, thousands still in harm’s way in Iraq appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

In 2003, the third-generation iPod debuted, Pirates of the Caribbean hit the big screen, the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted LeBron James, and Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California.   The Iraq War also started that year.   20 years later, American troops are still being deployed to Iraq.   To recognize the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War,... Read more »

The post Q&A with CVA Policy Director Tyler Koteskey: A look back at the War in Iraq 20 years later appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

The war in Iraq took the lives of 4,500 American troops, and it’s taken even more here at home. “Suicide has killed more Global War on Terror veterans than combat,” Army combat medic Brian Fay said in a new video. “As a medic, I saw the worst of war. And that tragedy and loss doesn’t... Read more »

The post Army combat medic: Tragedies of war follow our troops home appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.

March 18th 2003, I arrived home from a late-night bartending shift in Queens. At work, I had been watching news reports of the bombing of the Hussein family compound, marking the start of the Iraq War. At home, a message was waiting on my answering machine: “Specialist Byrnes, report to the Manhattan Armory by 0900... Read more »

The post Those who served in Iraq deserve to see the end of the war. I know, I was there. appeared first on Concerned Veterans for America.