Help Veterans see a brighter future Vision plays a vital role in a Veteran’s quality of life, affecting everything from independence and mobility to overall health and well-being. At the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), ophthalmologists, optometrists and other eye care professionals are helping shape the future of vision care through cutting-edge technologies, groundbreaking research and patient-centered treatment approaches. For clinicians seeking…
Southern Arizona VA sees surge as more Veterans enroll in VA health care
More Veterans Signing Up: Southern Arizona VA Reports 6.5% Enrollment Increase in FY2026 The Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS) Eligibility and Enrollment team has announced a 6.5% increase in Veteran enrollments so far in fiscal year 2026, a significant rise that supports the Choose VA initiative, a national effort to increase Veteran awareness…
Live Whole Health #328: Your body, your home
You only get one body, and yours carries you through every experience, challenge and moment of joy. How are you caring for the body you live in? Are you offering kindness and patience? Or treating your body like an adversary? Your body is not just a physical structure; it’s your home. How you nourish it,…
Never lost hope: A journey through illness, homelessness and healing
A Veteran regains independence through determination and support from VA For Benjamin Parsons, movement has always been an important part of his life. After losing his wife of 19 years, the Navy Veteran walked 5 – 7 miles a day with his beloved Belgian Malinois, finding comfort, routine and healing in every step. Those daily…
Sometimes support starts with one conversation
When Thomas left the military, he wasn’t looking for mental health services. He was looking for help paying his bills. Like many Veterans transitioning to civilian life, his financial stress was overwhelming. He turned to Support the Enlisted Project, or STEP, a Face the Fight-funded organization, hoping to stabilize his finances. What he found was…
Ambient Scribe reimagines the VA clinic experience
VA’s Ambient Scribe puts Veterans at the center of every visit Veteran John Brennan left a recent VA clinic appointment feeling something he had not always expected: truly heard and confident. Credit goes in part to Ambient Scribe, an artificial intelligence (AI) enabled technology that captures natural patient-provider dialogue and generates progress notes in real time. VHA…
Meet a VA pharmacist: Dr. Andreina Ottman
Dr. Andreina Ottman, PharmD, BCGP wears many hats at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in service of our Veterans and she likes it that way. Not only is she a clinical pharmacist practitioner in the women’s health clinic at the Durham VA Medical Center (VAMC) in North Carolina, but she also is the postgraduate…
Women Veterans find community and renewal at retreat
A day of connection, creativity and mindful practices Women Veterans enjoying planting their succulents in teacups. Women Veterans from every branch of service gathered at the Tomah VA Medical Center on May 1, 2026, for the Women Veterans Retreat. As each woman arrived, she was welcomed by warm smiles that quickly sparked a sense of…
Treating the whole Veteran: Leading the way in obesity treatment
Bay Pines VA physician Dr. Bharti Shetye is named Clinician of the Year Dr. Bharti K. Shetye remembers the moment the news reached her. It was unexpected, and for a brief second, it took her breath away: Out of nearly 6,000 members of the Obesity Medicine Association, she had been named the 2026 recipient of…
Level up your transition with a free VA Benefits and Services course
Transitioning from military to civilian life is a significant milestone for service members and their families. It’s a time filled with opportunity, but also challenges, as you navigate the range of available resources, benefits and decisions that come with starting a new chapter. The Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is an essential step in this process,…
VA Augusta offers Veterans a new treatment for overactive bladder
A new bladder therapy is changing Veterans’ lives For many Veterans living with overactive bladder and “urge urinary incontinence,” daily life requires extra planning, and with it comes feelings of anxiety from constant interruption. But at VA Augusta Health Care System, the Altaviva implant is rewriting that story and giving Veterans back the freedom they…
How a VA peer specialist is turning empty apartments into fresh starts
Cheyenne VA peer specialist builds move-in kits for newly housed Veterans Peer Specialist Rick Cooper noticed that an apartment rarely feels like home when Veterans lack the basic items needed for daily living. While checking in with Veterans housed through Cheyenne VA Health Care System’s Homeless Program, he saw that some couldn’t afford basic household…