VA Expands Eligibility for VA Health Care Related to Military Sexual Trauma

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), under authority from the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (“VACAA”), today announced expanded eligibility for Veterans in need of mental health care due to sexual assault or sexual harassment that occurred during their military service. This trauma is commonly known as military sexual trauma (MST). Read more [...]

Provisional Decisions Coming to Older Disability Claims

Effective today, every regional office will begin implementing an initiative to ensure that those who have been waiting a year or more for their compensation claim receive a decision quickly. VA raters will make provisional decisions on the oldest claims in inventory, which will allow Veterans to begin collecting compensation benefits more quickly, if eligible. Read more [...]

Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs February 2013

Gov. Quinn Signs Executive Order: Will Streamline Vets Military Training for Select State Licenses For veterans returning to the civilian workforce, there is nothing more frustrating than discovering that their military training and expertise does not count for certification, licensing, or helping them land the jobs they've already been doing - and doing well. Read more [...]

Obama Signs New Military Sexual Violence Provisions Into Law‏

On Wednesday night, after much anticipation across the nation, President Obama signed the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law. In the end, it included 19 amendments to significantly reform Department of Defense sexual assault and sexual harassment policies. This landmark bill has the largest number of sexual violence provisions ever signed into law, and represents the culmination of more than 18 months worth of relentless advocacy work by SWAN. Read more [...]