The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics located throughout the country. Non-healthcare benefits include disability compensation,vocational rehabilitation,education assistance,home loans,and life insurance. The VA also provides burial and memorial benefits to eligible veterans and family members at 135 national cemeteries.
Jefferson Bingham Miller is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 1st congressional district from 2001 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party,his district included all of Escambia County,Santa Rosa County,Okaloosa County,Walton County,Holmes County and Washington County.
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the component of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) led by the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health that implements the healthcare program of the VA through a nationalized healthcare service in the United States,providing healthcare and healthcare-adjacent services to veterans through the administration and operation of 146 VA Medical Centers (VAMC) with integrated outpatient clinics,772 Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC),and 134 VA Community Living Centers Programs. It is the largest division in the department,and second largest in the entire federal government,employing over 350,000 employees. All VA hospitals,clinics and medical centers are owned by and operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs,and all of the staff employed in VA hospitals are federal employees. Because of this,veterans that qualify for VHA healthcare do not pay premiums or deductibles for their healthcare but may have to make copayments depending on the medical procedure. VHA is not a part of the US Department of Defense Military Health System.
Robert Cortez Scott is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 3rd congressional district since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party,he is the dean of Virginia's congressional delegation and the first Filipino American voting member of Congress. The district serves most of the majority-black precincts of Hampton Roads,including all of the independent cities of Norfolk,Newport News,Hampton and Portsmouth,and parts of the independent city of Chesapeake. From 2019 to 2023,Scott was chair of the House Education and Labor Committee. He has been ranking member on that committee since 2023.
The Air Force Academy sexual assault scandal in 2003 involved allegations of sexual assault at the United States Air Force Academy,as well as allegations that the alleged incidents had been ignored by the academy's leadership.
Sexual assault in the United States armed forces is an ongoing issue which has received extensive media coverage in the past. A 2012 Pentagon survey found that approximately 26,000 women and men were sexually assaulted that year;of those,only 3,374 cases were reported. In 2013,a new Pentagon report found that 5,061 troops reported cases of assault. Of the reported cases,only 484 cases went to trial;376 resulted in convictions. Another investigation found that one in five women in the United States Air Force who were sexually assaulted by service members reported it,for one in 15 men.
The deputy secretary of veterans affairs,in the United States government,is the chief operating officer of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs,responsible for a nationwide system of health care services,benefits programs,and national cemeteries for America's veterans and their dependents. The deputy secretary is the second-highest-ranking officer in the department and succeeds the secretary in the event of his resignation,death,or otherwise inability to fulfill his duties.
As defined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs,military sexual trauma (MST) are experiences of sexual assault,or repeated threatening sexual harassment that occurred while a person was in the United States Armed Forces.
Robert Leon Wilkie Jr. is an American lawyer and government official who served as the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 2018 to 2021,during the Trump administration. He was previously Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness during the Trump administration,from November 2017 to July 2018. A Naval intelligence officer in the Reserve,he was Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs in the administration of President George W. Bush.
David Jonathon Shulkin is an American physician and former government official. In 2017,Shulkin became the ninth United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs and served under President Donald Trump. He was the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health from 2015 until 2017,appointed by President Barack Obama. On March 28,2018,President Trump dismissed Shulkin from his position by tweet,and announced that Physician to the President Ronny Jackson would be nominated as Shulkin's successor,although Jackson's nomination was withdrawn on April 26,2018,after allegations surfaced of misconduct and mismanagement while serving in the White House. He was succeeded by Under Secretary of Defense Robert Wilkie.
Barbara Spyridon Pope was United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1989 to 1993. She came to prominence during the Tailhook scandal for her opposition to the initial investigation conducted by Rear Admiral Duvall M. Williams,Jr.,which she felt was a whitewash.
Matt Dababneh is an American politician who served in the California State Assembly. A Democrat,he represented the 45th Assembly District,which encompasses most of the western San Fernando Valley.
The 2014 Veterans Health Administration controversy is a reported pattern of negligence in the treatment of United States military veterans. Critics charged that patients at the VHA hospitals had not met the target of getting an appointment within 14 days. In some hospitals,the staff falsified appointment records to appear to meet the 14-day target. Some patients died while they were on the waiting list. Defenders agreed that it was unacceptable to falsify data,but the 14-day target was unrealistic in understaffed facilities like Phoenix,and most private insurers did not meet a 14-day target either. By most measures,the VHA system provides "excellent care at low cost," wrote Paul Krugman,who believes that the attacks on the VHA system are motivated by conservatives who want to discredit a government program that works well. Conservative legislators have proposed privatizing the VHA,and legislative reforms that will make it easier for veterans to go to private doctors.
The Veterans' Access to Care through Choice,Accountability,and Transparency Act of 2014,also known as the Veterans Choice Act,is a United States public law that is intended to address the ongoing Veterans Health Administration scandal of 2014. The law expanded the number of options veterans have for receiving care and granted the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs more power to fire senior executives. The Veterans Health Administration scandal of 2014 began with the discovery that there was on-going systematic lying by the Veterans Health Administration about the wait times veterans experienced waiting to be seen by doctors. By June 5,2014,Veterans Affairs internal investigations had identified a total of 35 veterans who had died while waiting for care in the Phoenix VHA system. Another audit determined that "more than 57,000 veterans waited at least 90 days to see a doctor,while another 63,000 over the last decade never received an initial appointment."
The 2017–18 United States political sexual scandals saw a heightened period of allegations of sexual misconduct,harassment and assault,and resulted in the subsequent firings and resignations of American politicians. Some of the allegations are linked to the aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases starting in October 2017 amid the wider MeToo movement.
Ronny Lynn Jackson is an American physician,politician,and former United States Navy officer. He is the U.S. representative for Texas's 13th congressional district. The district is based in Amarillo and includes the Panhandle and much of northeast Texas,as far as Denton.
Peter O'Rourke is an American government official. He served as the acting United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs and VA Chief of Staff under President Donald Trump. He previously worked in various positions in government consulting,including as a congressional staffer for U.S. Representative Tom Latham,and as an employee for CALIBRE Systems,and he also served as the executive director of the Republican Party of Florida.
Daniel Reed Crenshaw is an American politician and former United States Navy SEAL officer serving as the United States representative for Texas's 2nd congressional district since 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Ventris C. Gibson is an American government official serving as the director of the United States Mint. She previously served as deputy director of the Mint from October 2021 until her confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
United States 
United States Air Force 
Colonel 
Legion of Merit 
Defense Meritorious Service Medal 