The Red Star Foundation in Clearwater, Fla., aims to provide a support network and recognize families affected by veteran suicides through the award of a Red Star banner and pin, modeled on the Gold Star recognition provided to the families of service members killed during active service.

Staff Sgt. Ryan O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Ga., served as a Black Hawk repairer in the Army from July 2014 until his death Wednesday night. The remains of another soldier, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Md., have not yet been recovered.

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has experienced widespread flooding in recent days and outages of its steam system vital for equipment sterilization, significant infrastructure failures that threaten to disrupt patient care for months to come, The Washington Post has learned.

The Veterans Health Care Freedom Act would make it easier for veterans to obtain medical services from doctors in private practice by removing eligibility requirements for non-VA care. About 40% of veterans care is now provided outside the VA and demand is rising every year.

VA programs and operations will continue uninterrupted, the VA said. Officials at the agency determined all 44 of its federal financial assistance programs are unaffected.

Marine Corps veteran Sarah Kallassy looks at the VA’s newest clinical contact center, VA Health Connect, and addresses air quality concerns from this past summer related to wildfire smoke inhalation.

Democrats also condemned a separate plan by the Trump administration to freeze federal grants and loans. Direct aid to individuals is not supposed to be affected, but some programs that assist veterans could lose federal funds because the dollars are funneled through the states and passed on to community nonprofits, critics say.

A lack of consistent policies and protocols by the Department of Veterans Affairs for administering private-sector health care for veterans is leading to medical records not being transferred, denials for appointments and a lack of understanding about reimbursements for clinicians who are not part of the VA system.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye traveled to American Legion Post 17 in Portland, Maine, and surprised Sgt. Matt Jabaut — who is a longtime fan of the Patriots — with tickets to Super Bowl LIX.

Michael Missal, inspector general at the Department of Veterans Affairs since 2016, was one of more than a dozen inspectors general fired by President Donald Trump.

Up to 60 VA employees whose sole job was to advance initiatives known as DEI are on paid administrative leave, the VA said Monday. The employees’ combined annual earnings total more than $8 million. The average salary of these workers is $136,000 per year.

The last Afghan special immigrant visa applicants housed at Rhine Ordnance Barracks have departed, according to an American advocate.

The Department of Veterans Affairs can continue to fill thousands of vacancies in its health care workforce despite a federal hiring freeze ordered by President Donald Trump, the VA said Thursday. There were roughly 40,000 vacancies at the VA at the end of 2024.

If passed, the bipartisan Aviator Cancers Examination Study (ACES) Act would direct the Secretary of the VA to study cancer incidences and mortality rates among aviators and aircrew who served in the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.