Nikki Wentling

Nikki Wentling covers veterans for Stars and Stripes and is based in Washington, D.C. She graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor of science in news and information.

Wentling previously covered local government for the Lawrence Journal-World in Lawrence, Kan. and military and veterans for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock, Ark.

Email: wentling.nikki@stripes.com | Phone: (202) 761-0865 | Twitter: @nikkiwentling

Staff Sgt. Roger Murvin troubleshoots a computer at the hub at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Dec. 11, 2018. Four congressmen are urging the FBI to investigate “foreign entities” believed to be targeting servicemembers and veterans online with false information.<br>Tessa B. Corrick/U.S. Air Force

Congressmen urge FBI to investigate bots targeting veterans with fake news

A study from Oxford University in 2017 found Russian operatives used Twitter and Facebook to disseminate “junk news” to veterans and servicemembers.

President Donald Trump's request for the Department of Veterans Affairs budget is $220 billion — up 9.5 percent from fiscal 2019.<br>

Key veterans groups blast Trump’s VA budget proposal as falling short of veterans’ needs

Three large veterans organizations criticized President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2020 budget proposal for the Department of Veterans Affairs, arguing the historically high amount still falls short of meeting veterans’ needs.

Retiring judge calls VA appeals system a 'tragedy'

Chief Judge Robert Davis said the pressure on VA employees to get through a large backlog of benefits claims leads to poor decision-making and a high number of appeals.

Trump's budget request seeks another increase in VA funding

President Donald Trump’s budget request for fiscal 2020 includes $220 billion for the VA — up 9.5 percent from fiscal 2019, when the agency’s budget surpassed $200 billion for the first time.

Air Force veteran Corey Adams, a Milwaukee resident diagnosed with PTSD, went missing and was found dead 18 days later. His death inspired a Green Alert system in Wisconsin, and two U.S. senators are pushing for a nationwide version.<br>Family photo

Senators push for nationwide Green Alert system for missing veterans

Two senators introduced legislation Thursday that would create a Green Alert public notification system to find veterans when they go missing.

The House passed the Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act on Wednesday, March 7, 2019, with a vote of 416-0. It would allow family members of deceased servicemembers and veterans to enter cause of death in the registry.<br>U.S. Army Public Health Command

House bill strengthens burn pit registry

The House unanimously approved a bill this week to make the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry a more useful tool for researching the health effects of toxic exposure on servicemembers and veterans.

The Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Washington, D.C. <br>Veterans Affairs/Facebook

VA contracting at 'high risk' for wasting tax dollars

The Government Accountability Office on Wednesday declared Department of Veterans Affairs contracting, which topped $26 billion in 2017, is a “high risk” area of government, susceptible to waste and mismanagement of taxpayer money and in need of more oversight.

An airman types on his computer during the Cybersecurity Foundry Course at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., March 9, 2018.<br>Mariette Adams/U.S. Air Force

House VA committee launches investigation of bots using fake news to target veterans, servicemembers

In a statement, committee chairman Rep. Mark Takano said foreign actors are using “shadowy practices” to disseminate false information to servicemembers, veterans and their families.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a signing ceremony for an executive order on a "National Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End Veteran Suicide," in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, March 5, 2019, in Washington<br>Evan Vucci/AP

Trump creates task force to combat veteran suicide

Over the next year, the PREVENTS initiative will be responsible for working with public and private sectors to better understand the underlying factors of suicide and plan methods for addressing it at state and local levels.

Members of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Class of 2018 celebrate on Saturday, June 16.<br>U.S. Merchant Marine Academy ALUMNI/Facebook

Trump executive order eases veteran transition into Merchant Marine

Trump’s administration is positing the action as part of a broader effort to transition veterans into civilian jobs. It’s also a method to boost the number of highly-qualified mariners in the Merchant Marine, which has faced a shortage in recent years.

Sue Sisley pictured inside Scottsdale Resarch Institute in Phoenix, the site of a groundbreaking study into marijuana's effects on veterans with PTSD, on Tuesday, May 2, 2017. Sisley is a psychiatrist known nationally as an advocate of medical marijuana research.<br>Nikki Wentling/Stars and Stripes

Marijuana-PTSD study concludes after 10 years of planning, research

Ten researchers gathered in San Francisco this week to comb through data from a just-completed study on the effect of marijuana on post-traumatic stress disorder – the first government-approved research of its kind.

Army veteran shoots doctor at VA hospital in Florida

The FBI said Larry Ray Bon, 59, shot a doctor in the neck just before a mental health evaluation at West Palm Beach VA Medical Center.

Military Religious Freedom Foundation president Mikey Weinstein speaks at a rally in opposition to the Bladensburg Cross memorial in Maryland, Feb. 27, 2018 outside the Supreme Court.<br>Meredith Tibbetts/Stars and Stripes

Supreme Court: Is Peace Cross a war memorial or a Christian symbol?

The Supreme Court is expected to decide whether a giant cross, a memorial dedicated to 49 local men killed in World War I, is in keeping with the Constitution’s First Amendment and the separation of church and state. The outcome of the case could affect other veterans memorials nationwide.

Veteran Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie testifies during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019. Wilkie told members of the subcommittee that the VA will place Purple Heart recipients, "at the front of the line when it comes to claims before the veterans department."<br>Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes

VA announces new policy to prioritize Purple Heart recipients for VA claims

The Department of Veterans Affairs will start to give priority consideration to Purple Heart recipients in the spring when processing veterans’ benefits claims, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie announced Tuesday.

U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., poses for a photo shortly before taking over as the Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs in January, 2019. <br>Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes

Takano announces congressional task force to address challenges facing female veterans

Rep. Mark Takano, the new chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, announced Monday that a new congressional task force will address barriers that women veterans face when trying to obtain Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and health care.

VA reports staff vacancies nearing 49,000 across the country

Of the vacancies, 42,790 are within the VA health care system, with 24,800 in the medical and dental fields, the data shows.

The public can now comment on VA’s proposed rules for expanding private-sector care

The public has until March 25 to comment on the rules. At that point, the agency could use the feedback to make changes before it implements a new private-sector care system in June.

This altered motto was published in the back of programs provided at Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in Washington. The agency’s official motto is a quote from President Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address in 1865: “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan."<br>Nikki Wentling/Stars and Stripes

VA says it made a 'mistake' using gender-neutral motto

The motto, which has been the same for nearly 60 years, has been a point of recent controversy. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a national veterans organization, described the motto as sexist, outdated and exclusionary.

VA launches new benefits appeals process, promising faster decisions

Under the old system, veterans waited an average of three to seven years to reconcile their appeals. The new one could get final decisions to veterans in as little as 125 days, VA officials vowed.

Veterans groups are proposing that Congress and the White House approve a budget for private care in 2020 that’s nearly double what was appropriated for 2019.<br>Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes

Vets groups recommend VA budget increase to handle expansion of private care

As the Department of Veterans Affairs works toward expanding its use of private-sector doctors, three veterans groups proposed this week that the White House and Congress approve a budget for private care in 2020 that’s nearly double what was appropriated for 2019.

The Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in Washington, D.C.<br>Stars and Stripes

VA preparing to launch major overhaul of claims appeals process

The new system involves multiple avenues for veterans, including an option to appeal their claims with a higher-level adjudicator or directly with the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.

House passes bill to offer free child care at VA facilities nationwide

The Veterans’ Access to Child Care Act, H.R. 840, would make permanent a pilot program the VA began in 2011 to provide child care for veterans who need the VA for intensive medical and mental health care, such as cancer treatment or care for post-traumatic stress disorder.

U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., questions VA Secretary Robert Wilkie during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 19, 2018. Takano, who took over as the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee in January, wants travel logs to and from Mar-a-Lago, as well as emails, text messages and phone records, among other documents, between the three men and former and current VA officials. <br>Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes

House VA committee launches investigation into Mar-a-Lago trio

Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, wants travel logs to and from Mar-a-Lago, as well as emails, text messages and phone records, among other documents, between the three club members and former and current VA officials.

Federal watchdog initiates investigation into VA dog testing

The controversy surrounding the continued use of dogs in medical experiments at Department of Veterans Affairs facilities heated up again this week when the agency’s inspector general announced it would initiate an investigation into the practice.

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, questions witnesses during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. Schatz, the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations' subcommittee for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, expressed his "frustration and disappointment with how the VA has engaged Congress on its proposed access standards for the new community care program."<br>Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes

As Congress begs for VA information, agency touts unprecedented level of transparency

Last week, some lawmakers and veterans organizations expressed worries the rules could expand veterans’ care too far into the private sector and erode VA resources.

Honor guard soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, "The Old Guard," carry a casket bearing the remains of two unknown Civil War Union soldiers during a burial ceremony held at Arlington National Cemetery on Sept. 6, 2018. <br>Michael S. Darnell/Stars and Stripes

Lawmakers want full military honors at Arlington for MOH recipients, POWs

Legislation introduced in the House on Wednesday would grant them a military band and horse-drawn caisson – honors now reserved only for officers and servicemembers killed in action.

<br>G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center/Facebook

Lawmakers issue bipartisan call for more transparency from VA

Republicans and Democrats in Congress asked Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie on Monday to work with them more closely and openly as the agency implements sweeping reforms in coming months.

House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano, D-Calif.<br>Stars and Stripes

House veterans' committee chairman promises 'imminent' hearing on new private-sector care rules

House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mark Takano, D-Calif., plans to hold a hearing in the “imminent future” to analyze rules that the Department of Veterans Affairs publicly released Wednesday to expand veterans’ access to private doctors.

The headquarters building of the Department of Veterans Affairs as seen on June 28, 2018, in Washington, D.C.<br>Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes

VA unveils proposed new rules for expanding private-sector care

New rules proposed by the Department of Veterans Affairs could mean less travel time and more choices for veterans seeking mental or physical care.

Court decides 'Blue Water' Navy veterans should be eligible for Agent Orange benefits

A federal court ruled Tuesday that Vietnam veterans who served on ships offshore during the war are eligible for benefits to treat illnesses linked to exposure to the chemical herbicide Agent Orange – a decision that has the potential to extend help to thousands of veterans.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie speaks at the third annual National Convening for Veteran Caregivers in Washington, D.C., Nov. 26, 2018.<br> Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes

VA secretary predicts controversy over upcoming change to private-sector care program

Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie announced Monday that he will unveil new rules this week stipulating when veterans will be allowed to access private-sector medical care – a plan that he said would “revolutionize” the VA health system.

he U.S. Capitol Building as seen on Jan. 13, 2019.<br>Michael S. Darnell/Stars and Stripes

Veterans groups still left in the dark over how sweeping law will change VA

Three veterans organizations called attention this week to the ongoing lack of transparency about a sweeping law, set to take effect in the summer, that will fundamentally alter the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system.

Alejandra Juarez, right, kisses her daughter Estela, 9, as she picks her up from her new school in Mexico's Yucatan on Aug. 30. Juarez was deported on Aug. 3, after 22 years in the U.S., where she built a home and family with her husband, an Iraq War veteran.<br>Dianna Cahn/Stars and Stripes

House lawmakers launch new effort to protect military spouses from deportation

A measure was reintroduced in the House on Wednesday to provide relief to military spouses facing deportation, with particular attention paid to one spouse – Alejandra Juarez, the wife of an Iraq War veteran who was deported to Mexico last year.

Former Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin listens during a House Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Feb. 15, 2018.<br>Stars and Stripes

Report: Former VA secretary Shulkin violated ethics rules, allowed security to chauffeur his wife

The findings follow a prior probe into Former Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin's ethical violations, in which he spent much of a taxpayer-funded trip to Europe sightseeing with his wife.

Conservative-leaning vets group, facing Democrat-led House, switches strategy in efforts to reform VA

Concerned Veterans for America, funded by billionaires Charles and David Koch, has pushed for an aggressive expansion of veterans’ health care into the private sector and a faster process to fire VA workers. Now, they’re concerned the policy initiatives could be undone.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie prepares to testify prior to the start of a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018.<br>Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes

VA secretary fights notion that government shutdown could lead to veteran suicides

VA Secretary Robert Wilkie sent a letter Monday to J. David Cox, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, calling the notion “preposterous” and harmful to veterans.

The U.S. Capitol.<br>Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes

Number of veterans employed on Capitol Hill still low, review finds

Recent figures show that while there are more than 13,000 congressional staffers on Capitol Hill, a shockingly low percentage of them are veterans. One veterans advocate says he knows why that may be.

Takano takes helm of VA committee, inspired by 'positive force' of incoming House members

When Congressman Mark Takano took the stage over the weekend at a student veterans convention in Orlando, Fla., it marked his first public address as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs — a position that will enable him to set priorities in Congress for veterans for the next two years.

A sign announcing closure of the National Archives due to a partial government shutdown is displayed on Dec. 24, 2018 in Washington, D.C.<br>Olivier Douliery, Abaca Press/TNS

‘A daily struggle’: Veterans in federal workforce feel effects of government shutdown

About 800,000 federal workers have been furloughed since Dec. 22 because of the partial government shutdown — and thousands of them are veterans.

Members of advocacy groups gathered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 18, 2016, to promote the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act.<br>Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes

House lawmakers launch new effort to pass ‘Blue Water Navy’ bill

Just days into the new congressional session, some House lawmakers are trying again to secure benefits for thousands of veterans who served on ships off the coast during the Vietnam War – an effort that failed by the time the 115th Congress ended last month.

VFW post in Maryland closes due to government shutdown

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5633 in Potomac, Md., accessible only through federal parkland, was forced to close during the partial government shutdown.

Student Veterans of America CEO Jared Lyon addresses attendees at the group's national convention in Orlando, Fla., on Friday, Jan. 4., 2019. Lyon said the country is facing an "unprecedented leadership deficit" that he argued could be filled by young, educated veterans.<br>STUDENT VETERANS OF AMERICA

Student vets CEO calls on veterans to fill America’s ‘leadership deficit’

America is facing an “unprecedented leadership deficit,” and young, educated veterans should be the ones to fill it, the CEO of a large veterans organization argued Friday in a call to action.

Attendees at the Student Veterans of America National Convention in Orlando, Fla., watch as Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie addresses them by a remote feed. Wilkie was to have attended in person, but canceled earlier in the week due to the partial government shutdown, the VA said.<br>Nikki Wentling/Stars and Stripes

Wilkie promises student veterans GI Bill payment delays are high priority for VA

Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie addressed a group of some 2,000 student veterans Friday to discuss a year filled with VA errors causing incorrect and delayed living stipends for thousands of GI Bill recipients that pushed some of them into financial hardship.

A disabled veteran takes in the quotes and pictures on glass panels at the new American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, which was dedicated in Washington on Oct. 5, 2014. <br>C.J. Lin/Stars and Stripes

Massachusetts judge sides with ‘bad paper’ veterans denied bonuses

The Massachusetts legislature created the Welcome Home Bonus in 2005 for post-9/11 servicemembers. Under the program, residents who deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan are eligible to apply for a one-time, tax-free $1,000 bonus. As long as they didn't have a bad paper discharge, a rule a judge has deemed unfair.

Senior Airman Andy Koehle poses on top of a graffitied MiG-23 fighter aircraft on Balad Air Base in Iraq. When he returned home, Koehle struggled with post traumatic-stress and a back injury.<br>Courtesy of Pat and Bill Koehle

Service after death: Veteran’s parents find comfort after donating son’s organs

Air Force veteran Andrew Koehle died before creating the life he had intended. So when presented the option to donate their son’s organs, parents decided that would become part of their son’s legacy.

At a Capitol Hill press conference on December 20, 2018, House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Phil Roe, R-Tenn., is joined by fellow committee members and representatives of veteran service organizations in calling for the Senate to act on legislation providing benefits to "Blue Water" veterans.<br>Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes

Roe ends chairmanship with goals accomplished, save for one: More benefits for Blue Water vets

Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., led the House Veterans' Affairs Committee for two years, during which time he successfully garnered bipartisan support to follow through on numerous, weighty goals. However, it appeared likely Friday that he would fall short on one.

Congress approves measure to hold VA accountable for GI Bill payments

Congress approved legislation Thursday to ensure student veterans who didn’t receive monthly housing payments during the fall semester or received the wrong amounts get the money they’re due.

Mark Takano, D-Calif., slated to become the next Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs listens as VA Secretary Robert Wilkie testifies during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018. Also listening in the background is the current committee Chairman Phil Roe, R-Tenn.<br>Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes

'No semblance of transparency:' Some concerned VA isn’t collaborating on community care rules

The House and Senate veterans affairs committees held a joint hearing Wednesday to discuss the VA Mission Act. This month marks the halfway point between when the bill was signed and when it will go into effect.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie testifies before members of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018.<br>Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes

VA vows to spend full suicide prevention budget after revelation it left millions unused in 2018

Millions of dollars obligated for Department of Veterans Affairs suicide prevention outreach in fiscal year 2018 was not spent, according to a report released Monday. The revelation prompted blowback this week from some lawmakers and veterans groups.

The Government Accountability Office reported Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, that the Department of Veterans Affairs spent only $1.5 million on suicide prevention programs. The department was alloted $6.2 million for such programs. <br>Government Accountability Office

VA leaves nearly $5 million unused in 2018 campaign to battle suicide, watchdog finds

Following a yearlong investigation, the Government Accountability Office reported Monday that the VA has cut back since 2016 on suicide prevention outreach. Of the $6.2 million budget obligated for suicide prevention outreach in fiscal year 2018, the agency had spent only $57,000, or less than 1 percent.

Group urges White House, VA to reject resurfaced proposal cutting disabled, unemployed veterans' benefits

AMVETS is urging the White House and the VA to publicly disavow the proposal in a new Congressional Budget Office report before it creates a groundswell of anger within the veteran community.

The rain didn't stop motorcyclists from taking part in the 30th anniversary of Rolling Thunder on Sunday, May 28, 2017, in Washington.<br>Amanda L. Trypanis/Stars and Stripes

Rolling Thunder to end annual Memorial Day ride in DC after 2019

The nearly 32-year-old tradition of a Memorial Day motorcycle ride through Washington, D.C. is ending because of escalating costs and a lack of cooperation from the Pentagon and metropolitan police departments, according to a letter shared by Artie Muller, a Vietnam veteran and founder of Rolling Thunder.

From left to right, Elizabeth H. Curda, director of the GAO's education, workforce and income security team; VA Acting Deputy Secretary James Byrne; Cheryl L. Mason, chairman of the VA's Board of Veterans' Appeals; David R. McLenachen, director of the Veterans Benefits Administration's Appeals Management Office; and Lloyd Thrower, deputy chief information officer of the VA's Office of Information and Technology listen during a House Veterans' Affairs subcommittee hearing on appeals reform, Dec. 12, 2018 on Capitol Hill.<br>Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes

As VA works to implement appeals reform, GI Bill problems cast doubts

The Department of Veterans Affairs is expected to implement a new law in February that aims to shorten the time it takes veterans to appeal their claims for VA benefits – a process that can now last years.

Mike Yates holds a poster as he and other advocates gather on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, May 18, 2016, to promote the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act.<br>Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes

Last-ditch effort to pass Blue Water Navy bill fails in Senate

A final deal to provide Department of Veterans Affairs benefits to thousands of veterans who served off the coast during the Vietnam War failed in the Senate on Monday night with little time remaining in the 115th Congress to try again.

Dartmouth study finds VA hospitals outperform others in same regions

A new study by Dartmouth College that compares Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals with other hospitals in the same regions found VA facilities often outperform others when it comes to mortality rates and patient safety.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., during a news conference following a Senate Democratic luncheon in Washington on May 16, 2017.<br>Zach Gibson/Bloomberg

Senator calls on VA, credit bureaus to prevent lasting consequences from GI Bill delays

The Department of Veterans Affairs' failure to distribute monthly housing stipends to GI Bill recipients resulted in thousands of veterans not receiving their housing stipends or facing delays — and many could experience long-term financial repercussions from the situation.

A chart from the Wounded Warrior Project survey report shows how the veterans surveyed compare their physical and emotional states to what they were a year ago.<br>Wounded Warrior Project

Survey finds obesity, mental health are continuing problems for wounded warriors

A new survey of 33,000 wounded warriors has alerted advocates and government officials to ongoing problems with veterans’ mental health and obesity.

The VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.<br>VA

Whistleblower who says he was forced to retire as VA surgeon is temporarily reinstated

A Department of Veterans Affairs doctor who claimed his supervisors forced him to retire after he warned of anesthesiologists making near-fatal mistakes during surgeries was temporarily reinstated to his job, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel announced Tuesday.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump pay their respects to former President George H.W. Bush in the Capitol rotunda, Dec. 3, 2018.<br>Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes

Veterans, servicemembers join hundreds including White House and congressional leaders to honor late President

The remembrance for the late President George H.W. Bush, who died Friday in Houston, drew together congressional members, White House officials, Washington politicians, family and friends at the beginning of a weeklong set of events to honor the 41st president.

Actor Tom Hanks speaks at the Elizabeth Dole Foundation's Heroes and History Makers event in Washington, D.C., Nov. 29, 2018. Hanks was honored for his advocacy of military caregivers.<br>Meredith Tibbetts/Stars and Stripes

Tom Hanks thinks Hollywood isn’t best suited to tell stories of Iraq, Afghanistan wars

“I don’t know that Hollywood could create as authentic a story about Iraq or Afghanistan or people on their fourth, fifth, sixth tours of duty that couldn’t be told much, much better by a documentary or caring news media,” actor Tom Hanks said. “It’s a tough thing.”

A recruit with Delta Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, takes notes during a class for educational benefits Aug. 26, 2015, on Parris Island, S.C. <br>Aaron Bolser/U.S. Marine Corps

VA says it reversed course on underpaid GI Bill recipients, though lawmakers remain skeptical

The incorrect payments that could be made during the next year are a result of setbacks in implementing a new “Forever” GI Bill — a major expansion of veterans’ education benefits that Congress passed last year.

Trevor Noah talks about the GI Bill payment fiasco.<br>From a Daily Show video

The Daily Show blasts VA over GI Bill payment fiasco

The Daily Show also delved into the controversies that arose this week about whether GI Bill recipients who were underpaid this semester would receive retroactive payments.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., center, is presented with the Congressional Caregiver Champion Award by military caregiver Nikki Stephens and Steve Schwab, executive director of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, during the foundation's Heroes and History Makers event in Washington, D.C., Nov. 29, 2018.<br>Meredith Tibbetts/Stars and Stripes

Pelosi vows Democratic oversight ahead of new veteran caregiver law

When Democrats take control of the House in January, a top priority will be to ensure the White House correctly implements a new law extending benefits to more veteran caregivers, said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Confusion reigns over retroactive payments for underpaid GI Bill recipients

The Department of Veterans Affairs has no plans to retroactively pay student veterans who might get lower monthly housing stipends than they are legally entitled to receive during the next year.

VA announces new plan to fix GI Bill payment problems

At a congressional hearing earlier this month, lawmakers pleaded with VA officials to give them a date when a severe technology problem that caused payment delays and incorrect payments to thousands of student veterans would be fixed. On Wednesday, they gave one: Dec. 1, 2019.

Servicemembers in the Gulf War and post-9/11 generation have been at risk for exposure to chemical and biological agents, oil-well fires, depleted uranium and smoke from burn pits like this one at Balad Air Base, Iraq, in 2008. <br>Michael Gisick/Stars and Stripes

Report calls on government to track health problems in children of Gulf War, post-9/11 vets

The National Academies of Sciences called on federal agencies Wednesday to launch a new, coordinated effort to monitor and research the health of Gulf War and post-9/11 veterans affected by toxic exposures, as well as track the health of their living and future children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

GAO agrees to investigate Mar-a-Lago members' influence on VA

A top government watchdog has agreed to investigate the amount of influence three wealthy members of President Donald Trump’s private club in Palm Beach, Fla., exerted over the Department of Veterans Affairs.

A U.S. Huey helicopter sprays Agent Orange over Vietnam.<br>U.S. Army

New review finds ‘sufficient’ evidence linking hypertension to Agent Orange exposure

The finding, announced Thursday, bolsters the case for veterans with hypertension to be granted easier access to Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. Previously, researchers had determined there was only “limited” or “suggestive” evidence hypertension could be caused by the chemicals.

The controversial motto on the Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in Washington, D.C.<br>Stars and Stripes

Two House lawmakers launch new effort to make VA motto gender inclusive

A pair of House lawmakers introduced legislation Friday to alter the Department of Veterans Affairs motto to be more inclusive of veterans’ families and women who have served.

Witnesses are sworn in at the start of a House Veterans' Affairs subcommittee hearing on delays in GI Bill payments, Nov. 15, 2018 on Capitol Hill. From left to right are Mr. John J. Galvin, associate deputy assistant secretary for information technology operations and services in the VA's Office of Information and Technology; retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Robert M. Worley II, director of education service for the Veterans Benefit Administration; Paul R. Lawrence, the VBA's undersecretary for benefits; Bill James. deputy assistant secretary for development and operations in the VA's Office of Information & Technology; and Richard Crowe, senior vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton.<br>Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes

VA officials fail to provide answers on when thousands of vets will get overdue GI Bill payments

Department of Veterans Affairs officials contended delays in housing payments weren’t causing rampant hardships for student veterans, though they admitted thousands were still waiting for their stipends and the agency had received credible complaints from veterans facing eviction.

Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Robert M. Worley II, director of education service for the Veterans Benefit Administration, listens during a House Veterans' Affairs subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill, Nov. 15, 2018.<br> Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes

Leader of Forever GI Bill implementation reassigned to Houston office

The transfer of the VA official comes amid problems with the GI Bill that have gained national attention.

Marijuana-PTSD study reaches target enrollment of 76 veterans

Researchers who are trying to determine whether marijuana works to treat post-traumatic stress disorder enrolled their final veteran needed for the study on Veterans Day.

A 'perfect storm' of GI Bill problems is costing veterans, taxpayers

Widespread information technology problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs continue to affect thousands of student veterans who have gone without housing payments months into the fall semester.

GAO finds VA contractors not meeting timeliness, accuracy standards on exams

The Department of Veterans Affairs doesn’t have the tools to track whether private-sector medical providers are accurately giving exams that help determine whether veterans are eligible for VA benefits, a government watchdog agency found.

Diane Carlson Evans, left, and Amelia Jane Carson, left, pose for a photo in front of the Vietnam Women's Memorial on Nov. 11, 2018. The two women, both Army nurses in Vietnam, led the charge to establish the memorial. It was dedicated 25 years ago, on Nov. 11, 1993.<br>NIKKI WENTLING/STARS AND STRIPES

Vietnam War nurses celebrate 25 years of representation on National Mall

Dozens of former Army nurses from across the country gathered Sunday around the bronze sculpture on the National Mall that's dedicated to their service in the Vietnam War.

President Donald Trump waves to the spectators after speaking at the World War I armistice centennial ceremony, at Suresnes American Cemetery on the outskirts of Paris, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018.

<br>Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes

GALLERY

Trump spends Veterans Day in France, honors WWI dead

President Donald Trump spent Veterans Day in Paris, marking the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I with a speech honoring the American servicemembers who died and those who returned home “bearing the lasting scars of war.”