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

Transgender veteran files lawsuit to overturn ban on gender-affirming care

A transgender Army veteran whose hormone therapy was halted by the Department of Veterans Affairs has filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the VA’s ban on gender-affirming care.

Three women stand on a dirt path holding up a sign reading “Hands off VA,” with the Washington Monument in the background.

Thousands of veterans rally at National Mall to protest federal layoffs, cuts to services

A blue awning, seen from below, reads “Department of Veterans Affairs” outside a government building with a U.S. flag hanging above it.

VA’s disability calculator produced wrong results, costing some vets thousands of dollars

An entrance sign on the Department of Veterans Affairs building, seen from below.

House subpanel advances $453B VA budget bill for fiscal 2026

Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., is leading a bill that would allow for-profit companies to provide initial claims assistance for a fee to veterans filing for disability compensation. Bergman, who is a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, speaks at a hearing in September 2024.

Groups that file free disability claims for vets oppose bill allowing companies to charge a fee

Advocacy groups that help veterans file disability claims for free with the Department of Veterans Affairs are opposing a Republican-led bill that would enable commercial companies to charge thousands of dollars for the same service.

VA budget tops $400 billion for 2025 from higher spending on mandated benefits, medical care

Congress has appropriated a $31.7 billion increase to the $369.1 billion spending plan to cover veterans disability compensation and medical care through the Toxic Exposures Fund that is required under federal law.

Navy ends experiments using cats and dogs as test subjects

The Navy announced the termination of all research testing on cats and dogs, after facing increased pressure from lawmakers and animal rights groups.

Veteran-led coalition urges veterans to turn out June 6 for national rally

Organizers of a veteran-led rally scheduled for June 6 in the nation’s capital said they expect about 20,000 people to turn out for a protest against plans by the Department of Veterans Affairs for large staffing cuts and the elimination of hundreds of contracts for veterans services.

Bill aims to ease access to medical care for rural veterans

The Critical Access for Veterans Care Act would enable veterans to obtain care from hospitals and clinics with a “critical access” designation without first getting a referral or approval from a VA doctor.

Two men in suits set up a wreath on a stand in front of a black memorial wall engraved with names as other wreaths line the wall and two other people approach carrying a wreath.

Vietnam veterans ceremony set for same day as Army parade will move from nation’s capital

The “In Memory” ceremony will move to the grounds of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, a private memorial in Alexandria, Va., according to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the event sponsor.

The 3rd US Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) trains horses on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 in Arlington, VA as they leave Arlington National Cemetery. Percheron-breed horses are used to pull military caissons during funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. The horses are stabled next door to the cemetery at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

Army heralds a new beginning for The Old Guard as horse-drawn caissons return to Arlington

The horse-drawn caissons of the 3rd Infantry Regiment that have carried the caskets of service members to gravesites at Arlington National Cemetery since 1948 are scheduled to formally resume service on June 2 after a two-year suspension over concerns for the herd’s health and welfare.

Scholten, McArdle and Latona at the hearing table.

Payment delays, staff cuts impede VA programs that fund home and car modifications for disabled veterans, advocates say

Veterans advocacy groups warned lawmakers that payment delays to vendors and staff cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs are creating delays and barriers for individuals with disabilities trying to modify their homes and vehicles with specialized equipment.

A man and a woman in white T-shirts stand with their arms around each other in front of a large portrait of an Air Force member in dress uniform.

Air Force veteran who sought PTSD treatment outside US released from Venezuelan prison

Joe St. Clair, an Air Force veteran who had traveled outside the U.S. seeking alternative treatment for PTSD, has been released from a Venezuelan prison after being wrongfully detained by the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

The 40-foot-tall memorial will have three silver arches with an eternal flame as the centerpiece.

New York City unveils plans, design for post-9/11 national war memorial

The new national war memorial called “Flames of Honor” will commemorate post-9/11 service members who died in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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