5 things to know in veterans news: Suicide prevention, ending live-animal experiments, Military Bowl to benefit injured veterans

WASHINGTON —  Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., who chairs the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, pledged this week that a Republican-led mega bill that stalled in Congress would expand mental health care for former service members.

Bost pointed to the 2026 National Suicide Prevention Annual Report, released Wednesday, which documented 6,488 veteran suicides in 2024, as evidence that “there is still more work to be done” to enhance care and outreach to veterans in crisis.

The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, which Bost is leading, bundles dozens of bills for veterans benefits and services into one package.

The legislation, in part, would extend funding from one to three years for the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, which funds community-based services for veterans and their families.

“We have made a lot of progress in bringing down the suicide rate among the veteran community, but I firmly believe that we cannot take our foot off the gas in thinking outside the box and advancing major solutions to expand options for our men and women who have and will serve,” Bost said.

The extension would provide more stability to the agencies that the VA funds through the major grant program, Bost said. The legislation also would authorize up to 30 local organizations to receive additional bonus awards of up to $250,000, he said.

Military Bowl to benefit injured veterans

Tickets are on sale for the Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl, which will be played at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.

The Dec. 28 game will feature college teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the American Athletic Conference.

Ticket prices start at $50 and can be purchased online at militarybowl.org.

Patriot Point, an outdoor retreat for injured veterans, service members and their families, will benefit from proceeds from the Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl, which will be played in December at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. Tickets are on sale for the game. (Patriot Point)

Organized by the Military Bowl Foundation, proceeds from the annual event go toward funding Patriot Point, an outdoor retreat and recreational facility for injured and sick veterans, service members, their families and caregivers.

“Attending the Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl is a great opportunity to enjoy the pageantry of college football while supporting the men and women who defend our freedom at home and abroad,” said Steve Beck, president and chief executive officer of the Military Bowl Foundation.

The foundation announced earlier this year that the game was rebranded as the “Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl” under a three-year partnership with Freedom Mortgage, which has a major presence in government-backed lending, including VA and FHA loans.

Smile for Veterans Act advances rural dental care

New legislation called the Smile for Veterans Act would establish a Department of Veterans Affairs pilot to reimburse community-based dentists to care for rural veterans.

Nearly 24% of veterans in the U.S. live in rural areas, where access to health care services can be challenging, according to the bill’s supporters.

Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general, introduced the Smile for Veterans Act in September. The bill was referred to the House VA Committee for review. Bergman is a committee member.

“For too many veterans in rural communities, basic dental care is either too far away or simply out of reach,” Bergman said. “The Smile for Veterans Act offers a practical solution by connecting veterans with trusted dental providers already serving their communities.”

The bill’s co-sponsors include Reps. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., Don Davis, D-N.C., and Jared Golden, D-Maine.

The bill would support rural “dental services through reimbursements, contracts, or other agreements with community-based providers,” according to the legislation.

The legislation would expand access to dental care in several states without requiring the VA to build a new system “from the ground up,” Bergman said.

Senators oppose Putin invite to G20 Florida summit

Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., have joined several of their colleagues to urge President Donald Trump to withdraw an invitation for Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 Leaders Summit in Miami, Fla., in December.

Moran is chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Blumenthal is the top-ranking Democrat on that committee.

The senators said in a Sept. 24 letter to the president that they are concerned about the national security implications of welcoming “sanctioned members of the Russian Duma” to the Florida meeting.

The G20 summit is a gathering of global leaders to discuss and coordinate economic and financial policy.

“President Putin bears sole responsibility for launching Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. Allowing him to participate in a G20 Summit in the United States raises serious concerns about legitimizing and normalizing a government that continues to attack Ukrainian civilian targets every day,” according to the letter, which was signed by 14 senators.

Other senators who signed the letter are Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.; Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; Michael Bennet, D-Colo.; Alan Stuart Armstrong, R-Okla.; John Cornyn, R-Texas; Chris Coons, D-Del.; John Curtis, R-Utah; Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.; Tim Kaine, D-Va.; Thom Tillis, R-N.C.; Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.; and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Veterans urge an end to live animal military experiments

More than 100 Navy veterans have joined PETA supporters urging Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy leadership to end live animal military studies on decompression sickness and oxygen toxicity, the animal rights group said.

The nonprofit People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has placed prominent ads in the Washington Times urging Hegseth to shutter the experiments.

PETA stated that the Navy has been conducting these experiments for decades without major advancements. Test subjects included dogs, sheep and pigs.

The experiments cause paralysis and hemorrhaging in live animal subjects, PETA said.

PETA is among animal rights groups that advocate alternatives, such as advanced image scanning, 3D tissue models and humanlike simulators.

“These ungodly experiments are wasting millions of dollars, failing American sailors, and inflicting paralysis, hemorrhaging, and excruciatingly painful deaths on animal victims,” said Shalin Gala, PETA vice president.