VA Suicide Hotline Calls Go To Voicemail
Veterans calling an overloaded crisis hotline run by the Department of Veterans Affairs can encounter long wait times or voicemail, according to a watchdog report. Meanwhile, two different couples fight against the VA's policy on in vitro fertilization coverage.
The Associated Press:
Report: Calls To VA Suicide Hotline Went To Voicemail
A suicide hotline operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs allowed crisis calls to go into voicemail, and callers did not always receive immediate assistance, according to a report by the agency's internal watchdog. The report by the VA's office of inspector general says calls to the suicide hotline have increased dramatically in recent years, as veterans increasingly seek services following prolonged wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the aging of Vietnam-era veterans. (2/17)
NPR:
For Fertility Treatment, Wounded Veterans Have To Pay The Bill
The Pentagon's health care system for active duty troops covers IVF. The Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans doesn't. A law passed in 1992 made it illegal for the VA to pay for IVF, which some people oppose because embryos are often destroyed in the process. In the decades since Congress banned IVF for the VA, the procedure has become much more common. And about 1,400 troops came back from Iraq and Afghanistan with severe injuries to their reproductive organs. Thousands more have head injuries, paralysis or other conditions that make IVF their best option. (Lawrence, 2/17)
CBS News:
Couple Fights To Change Law Preventing IVF Coverage For Vets
A current law that is the product of anti-abortion politics prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs from covering the cost of in vitro fertilization for any of the estimated 1,800 veterans who have suffered damage to their reproductive organs. (Martin, 2/17)