This week in veterans news: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth backs the Richard Star Act; the VA is strategically hiring to fill critical medical vacancies; and two sailors who died at Pearl Harbor will be coming home for burial.

The Christoforos argue that the Department of Veterans Affairs unlawfully limits health care coverage and disability benefits solely to the disabled children of female veterans exposed to Agent Orange and other herbicides during military service in Vietnam.

The bills provide critical assistance to families of fallen service members and veterans who were catastrophically disabled or who died from their service-connected conditions.

The legislation provides the dollars for veterans’ disability compensation, pensions, education assistance, health care, insurance and loan programs.

The change is an attempt to “remove veterans’ preference protections,” which extend back for decades, according to Disabled American Veterans.

A city veterans park in Missouri that features displays of military equipment from World War II through the Vietnam War is the site of a new memorial honoring a 41-year-old police officer and Iraq War veteran killed in the line of duty. 

Paralyzed Veterans of America said that VR&E needs more staff and funds to meet growing demand by disabled veterans seeking assistance with employment and support for independent living.

The VA processed three million compensation and pension claims in fiscal 2025. VA this year is on a similar pace, processing more than 1.5 million claims halfway through fiscal 2026.

Though the VA is reversing a 30-year policy, the legislation would mean it could not be undone by future administrations that might try to reimplement the policy.

The VA, which is the nation’s largest integrated health care system, expects to provide monthly disability compensation to more than 7.4 million veterans in 2027.