Jacqueline Klimas
Articles by Jacqueline Klimas
Senate passes veterans suicide prevention bill, sends to Obama
Saying dozens of veterans commit suicide each day, senators on Tuesday passed a bill to improve mental health care at the VA, sending the measure to the president for his signature. Published February 3, 2015
Obama calls for additional funding for veterans
President Obama wants to cut the plan that allows veterans to seek care outside of VA facilities less than a year after signing the proposal into law. Published February 2, 2015
Defense Dept.’s $2M staffing-needs calculator doesn’t meet needs
The Defense Department spent $2 million to develop a tool to estimate mental health staffing requirements, but the services say it doesn't do an accurate job of estimating needs, choosing instead to use legacy or service-specific estimates for the fiscal 2016 requests, according to a report released Friday. Published January 30, 2015
Military commission recommends cuts to pension, private health insurance
The commission charged with modernizing military pay and benefits announced its long-awaited findings on Thursday, including making substantial changes to military retirement pay and eliminating Tricare for certain groups. Published January 29, 2015
Phoenix VA hospital didn’t follow up on urology care for nearly one-quarter of patients: IG
Investigators found that almost a quarter of patients at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix may have never received follow-up care when referred to an outside urologist. Published January 29, 2015
Senate to vote on military suicide bill next week
The Senate is expected to vote Monday night on a bill to prevent suicide among veterans after the bill stalled in the upper chamber late last year. Published January 29, 2015
Ash Carter unlikely to close Guantanamo prison during Obama presidency, senators told
Ash Carter, President Obama's pick to be the new defense secretary, has told senators he doesn't see any way to close down the prison at Guantanamo Bay over the next two years, putting a major dent in Mr. Obama's hopes to shut it down before he leaves office. Published January 28, 2015
Military chiefs push to end sequestration, warn of combat danger
Service chiefs pleaded with lawmakers Wednesday to end sequestration, saying that continued cuts will erode trust among troops and put their lives in danger when sent into battle. Published January 28, 2015
Jeff Miller’s VA bill to rescind bonuses gets backing by veterans advocates
Veterans advocates mostly supported a bill on Tuesday that would allow the VA secretary to take back a bonus if an employee was found to have been manipulating data. Published January 27, 2015
VA touts new map with few details as positive step forward
Officials for the Department of Veterans Affairs released a map of the United States divided into five regions on Monday, touting it as a positive first step to eliminate bureaucracy, though it's still unclear how each of the department's arms will fit into the new borders that took four months to draw. Published January 26, 2015
VA popularity plummets: poll
The Department of Veterans Affairs' popularity among the public dropped sharply over the past year, making it the third-least popular government agency, a poll released Thursday found. Published January 23, 2015
Veterans wait years for disability appeals process
More than half of all VA disability appeal cases are sent back for another review — sometimes more than once — and must be addressed before new cases are opened, leading some veterans to wait years for a final decision, the Veterans Affairs Department admitted Thursday. Published January 22, 2015
Senate to conduct more on-the-ground oversight of VA
The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, now under Republican control, said Wednesday that it would make its mission to keep a closer eye on the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs, including holding hearings at Secretary Robert McDonald’s headquarters and traveling to Arizona to get a firsthand look at the office that denied veterans care by trapping them on secret waiting lists. Published January 21, 2015
Obama seeks authorization to use military force against Islamic State; lawmakers want specifics
President Obama called on Congress to pass a new authorization to use military force against the Islamic State at the State of the Union, but lawmakers said they had hoped for him to be more specific about powers he believes he will need to defeat the terrorist group. Published January 20, 2015
State of Union guests let president, Congress put faces on policy goals
Cheryl Strayed, whose book about a life-defining trek along the rugged Pacific Crest Trail became a best-seller, asked Congress on Tuesday to protect those natural resources so future generations can find themselves in nature also. Published January 20, 2015
Obama urged to address veteran suicides in State of the Union
At least two families in the audience for the State of the Union will be looking to the president Tuesday night to publicly support steps that could have saved their sons and husbands who committed suicide after leaving the military. Published January 20, 2015
Lawmakers plan pencil tribute to Charlie Hebdo attacks during State of the Union
Some members of Congress will hold up a yellow pencil Tuesday night at the State of the Union when President Obama pays tribute to those who died in the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo in France. Published January 20, 2015
Emma Sulkowicz to attend State of the Union
The mattress-toting Columbia University student and advocate for sexual assault survivors will be Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's guest at Tuesday night's State of the Union. Published January 20, 2015
Cannon House Office Building begins $752M renovation
Congress this month is beginning a 10-year, $752.7 million renovation project on the Cannon House Office Building that will include replacing all of the pipes and plumbing, some of which are more than 100 years old. Published January 18, 2015
Military suicides decreased in 2013: report
The number of military suicides decreased in 2013, according to a report released Friday, though advocates say the number is still too high. Published January 16, 2015