Linda F. Hersey

Linda F. Hersey is a veterans reporter based in Washington, D.C. She previously covered the Navy and Marine Corps at Inside Washington Publishers. She also was a government reporter at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in Alaska, where she reported on the military, economy and congressional delegation.

hersey.linda@stripes.com

A small child grabs a container of food next to an adult.

Wounded Warrior Project provides $2 million in grants to groups that help veterans, military members

The nonprofit, which advocates for post-9/11 veterans, said the grants will support six organizations with missions to provide direct support to veterans and active-duty service members and their families.

Jared Lyon, national president and chief executive officer of Student Veterans of America, testifies Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Washington during a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing titled “A Grateful Nation: Maximizing Veterans' Success After Service.” (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Student veterans facing SNAP delays are ‘just trying to make ends meet,’ nonprofit warns

Jeffries gestures with both hands as he speaks at the meeting.

House minority leader pledges support for veterans benefits as some GOP lawmakers push reform

Shoppers with a cart in a grocery store.

Nonprofits raise concerns about rising demand for help from low-income and disabled veterans

The installation’s Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) works to ensure Service members, their eligible family members, and overseas citizens are aware of their right to vote and have the tools and resources to successfully do so - from anywhere in the world. At Fort Buchanan, the only U.S. Army installation in the Caribbean, Jose R. Vazquez serves as the installation’s voting assistance officer.

Tougher voting rule for Americans overseas — including military members — halted by federal court

The ruling blocks the part of an executive order that required documented proof of citizenship to register in federal elections. Military members serving overseas represent about 40% of Americans living abroad.

Disability fraud is a ‘tiny fraction’ of VA claims, advocates say

The Oct. 6 story by the Washington Post examined 25 years of VA disability claims and pointed to instances of fraud and exaggerations in claims filed by veterans for disability benefits.

A man a woman take a selfie photo with trees in the background.

More than 75,000 students affected by VA payment delays for education benefits

The Department of Veterans Affairs expects the slowdown to continue as payments are processed manually. Computer technicians who can fix the error are furloughed in the federal government shutdown that started Oct. 1.

Plans to halt food stamps Nov. 1 will impact more than 1 million veterans

The notice blamed the pending cancellation of food assistance dollars on policy proposals by Democratic lawmakers that have stalled a short-term government funding bill.

A man in a blue coat stands at a podium with a placard reading “Protect Our Veterans” and speaks into a microphone, with people standing behind him, some holding signs.

Senate Democrat urges federal watchdog to investigate health care delays for paralyzed veterans

The audit requested by Sen. Richard Blumenthal would examine the impact of a hiring freeze and chronic medical staff vacancies on the program that offers care to 42,000 veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders.

A man in a dark suit and red tie gestures with his hands as he speaks into a microphone while standing at a podium in front of a blue curtain background.

Post-9/11 veterans group to push VA to modernize critical program areas for health care

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America said it will collect recommendations from clinicians, researchers, veterans and policymakers for the VA, as the agency confronts complex problems afflicting new generations of veterans.

A government official in a dark suit stands outside the entrance of a hospital in the background.

Congress is playing with veterans’ lives in government shutdown, VA secretary says

Since the shutdown started, VA Secretary Doug Collins has been a frequent guest on news shows and podcasts, assuring the public that VA continues its mission. But the shutdown is eroding veterans’ trust in the department, he says.

In February, 1991, an armored vehicle passes through a breached sand berm separating Saudi Arabia from Iraq, paving the way for advancing allied troops as the Gulf War moves to its next phase after 38 days of air raids and skirmishes.

Veteran pushes VA to provide disability payments, health coverage for Gulf War illness

A Gulf War veteran is formally requesting the Department of Veterans Affairs add Gulf War illness to the list of service-connected medical conditions that qualify veterans for monthly, tax-free disability compensation and enrollment in VA health care.

Computer ‘glitch’ delays higher-ed payments for veterans’ dependents and survivors

The education payments from the VA are behind schedule because of problems with a new claims management system. But students who are missing payments cannot contact the GI Bill hotline for help because it is closed amid the shutdown.

The U.S. Capitol dome behind tree leaves.

Troops get paid as shutdown becomes a ‘kitchen-table crisis’

More than a dozen advocacy groups for military members and veterans joined forces to urge Congress to pay troops on time and pass legislation that protects veterans, service members and their families from the impacts of the federal government shutdown.

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