5 things to know in veterans news: Post-9/11 vets miss out on TBI exams, disability payouts rise, ex-submariners urge easier access to benefits

The Veterans Health Administration successfully screened nearly 95% of post-9/11 veterans enrolled in VA health care for possible deployment-related traumatic brain injuries, according to a federal watchdog.

But about half of the veterans flagged as positive never actually received a more thorough medical evaluation for TBI, according to a new report by the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Obstacles included scheduling difficulties, a failure by VA staff to submit TBI consult requests and an underutilization of telehealth resources within the “Polytrauma System of Care,” according to the report.

The goal was to identify any veteran who separated from active duty after Sept. 11, 2001, and accessed VA health care through early 2025.

The VA polytrauma system is a network of rehab programs for veterans and active-duty service members with TBIs and polytrauma, which refers to multiple severe injuries sustained simultaneously, often in blast-related combat.

The report also faulted a digital medical record template for TBI evaluations restricted to one-time use, which meant that veterans who had left the service, then enlisted, were blocked from requesting another comprehensive TBI exam.

Submariners urge easier benefit access for classified missions

A coalition of Navy veterans who served on submarines are urging Congress to pass legislation to make it easier to qualify for disability compensation for service-connected injuries and illnesses, even when their underwater operations were classified.

The Submariners Advocacy Group has been meeting with staff of lawmakers on veterans affairs and armed services committees in both chambers to advocate for legislation, said David Bozarth, a Navy submarine veteran and organization president.

The bill — which has yet to be developed — would be called the Submarine Exposure and Combat Recognition Act and solve a long-standing problem for Navy submariners, Bozarth said.

“Because their missions are classified, they cannot access the records needed to prove they were exposed to toxic chemicals, radiation and hazardous environments. This makes it extremely difficult to qualify for VA disability benefits,” said Bozarth, who served from 1978 to 1984 aboard the USS Lewis and Clark.

The bill would grant submariners the same status and benefits as combat veterans, acknowledging the unique dangers of underwater operations, Bozarth said.

Bozarth said sailors aboard submarines may be exposed to dozens of chemicals and environmental hazards, but the atmosphere and patrol logs are classified.

The VA would be required to grant presumptive benefits to veterans for service-connected illnesses and injuries, based on a veteran’s DD-214 (discharge papers) proving that they served at sea on a submarine, Bozarth said.

The bill also would compel the VA to recognize toxic exposures from contamination at specific submarine bases, including in New London, Conn.; Bangor, Wash.; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and Guam.

More veterans qualify for disability with higher benefits, study shows

The number of working-age veterans receiving VA disability compensation more than doubled between 2010 and 2024, even as the overall veteran population was shrinking, according to a new analysis by the Journal of the American Medical Association. 

About 6.5 million veterans with service-connected disabilities received were compensated with $163.1 billion in 2024, according to the JAMA study.

Average annual benefits for working-age veterans grew by nearly 40% during the 14-year period, when adjusted for inflation. High deployment rates and combat exposure for post-9/11 veterans increased serious service-connected injuries. Better battlefield medicine also improved the survival rates for veterans with severe traumatic injuries.

Expanded presumptive conditions and streamlined VA rules also made approvals more accessible.

The population of working-age veterans, meanwhile, decreased by nearly 30% to 9.5 million from 2010 to 2024. Working-age veterans were defined as adults 64 and younger.

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D.-Ariz., introduced a bill to stop the VA from recouping separation pay from veterans after they qualify for disability benefits. (Tom Williams, Pool Photo/AP)

Bill would bar the VA from recovering separation payments from disabled veterans

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D.-Ariz., has introduced a bill to bar the Department of Veterans Affairs from recouping separation pay from veterans who later qualify for disability benefits. 

“It is ridiculous to claw back money from a veteran who has put life and limb on the line, just because later in life they qualify for disability benefits,” said Gallego, a Marine Corps veteran.

The Restore Veterans’ Compensation Act stops the “recoupment of separation pay, special separation benefits, and voluntary separation incentive payments” from former service members who subsequently receive disability compensation, according to language in the bill.

Under current law, military separation or severance pay must be repaid when a veteran becomes eligible for VA disability compensation or military retirement pay for the same period of service. 

The Defense Finance and Accounting Service currently collects this debt by taking 40% of a veteran’s monthly retired paycheck until the entire separation amount is fully repaid. The proposed legislation lowers the monthly deduction to 25%.

Former Green Beret Ryan Hendrickson is featured in a new series titled “Faith in War,” which highlights the stories of individuals helping counter Russian aggression against Ukraine. Hendrickson has led efforts to clear land mines from farm fields in Ukraine. (Screenshot)

Work of veterans in Ukraine highlighted in documentary

Former Green Beret Ryan Hendrickson’s dangerous work clearing land mines from farm fields in Ukraine is featured in a new series of documentaries titled “Faith in War,” which highlights five stories of individuals helping to counter Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

The series, which includes profiles of missionaries, special forces veterans and humanitarian workers, is produced by Colby Barrett, a former Marine Corps captain.

In “Safe Ground,” the series examines Hendrickson’s work removing landmines placed by Russian forces in fields that Ukrainians had used to grow their food.

In “Stolen Children,” Meaghan Mobbs, a former Army paratrooper, helps to locate Ukrainian children abducted from war zones by the Russian state.

The series premiered on YouTube and is available on FaithinWar.com. It will also be shown on TBN+ and other networks.