veterans

VA Medical Centers in Manchester, N.H. and White River Junction, Vt. are hosting COVID-19 vaccine clinics this weekend.

The Manchester VA Medical Center is monitoring clusters of cases of COVID-19 among its employees.

In email to staff, Associate Director Julie Vose says the VA's contact tracing linked the clusters to unmasked employees eating and drinking in close proximity to each other.

A new public-private partnership may bring the clinical trial of a dialysis device to the Manchester VA. 

The device, the CVS Kidney Care’s HemoCare Hemodialysis System developed by DEKA research in Manchester, would allow dialysis patients to complete the process at home.

New Hampshire is launching a new initiative designed to support children and families of military personnel.

Under the "Purple Star Initiative," the state will train teachers and other school employees to recognize when kids are struggling with a family member's deployment or relocation.

New Hampshire Veterans Service Organizations and other agencies that serve veterans are splitting $3 million dollars in CARES Act funding.

Many of the state's VFW and American Legion Posts have lost money during coronavirus-related shutdowns. Posts often rely on drink sales and event hosting fees.

(See the full list of awards)

The Air Force says it will study whether people stationed at Pease Air Base in recent decades got cancer at unusually high rates.

Former service members have been calling for a study like this for more than a year.

As relations between the United States and Iran remain tense, New Hampshire's military personnel and veterans are also considering the implications for the two nations.

New Hampshire veteran Kevin Grady spent 25 years in the Air Force. He says nobody dislikes going to war more than those in uniform.

"Because we're the ones who have to go out and do the actual fighting" Grady says. "So we always are big fans of somebody figuring out a way that the shooting doesn't start, and we get by our differences and move on. We're big fans of that."

A new government report has identified several clinical and administrative problems at the Manchester VA.

The VA's Office of Inspector General says inspectors found dusty or dirty heating, ventilation, and air conditioning grills in some areas and dirty floors and damaged walls in the Community Living Center.

A Manchester VA physician will be honored posthumously Tuesday night night for his efforts to expose mismanagement and substandard care at New Hampshire's only VA medical center.

Ed Kois will receive the 2019 Nackey S. Loeb First Amendment Award for coming forward in 2017 with allegations that the VA harmed patients by delaying or insufficiently treating various spine conditions.

David Tirrell-Wysocki is the executive director of the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications, which is the sponsor of the award.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson met with formerly homeless veterans in Manchester on Tuesday.

Carson also released new statistics showing that the rate of veterans experiencing homelessness dipped by 2% nationally, but by more than 20% in New Hampshire.

Hundreds of veterans, their families, and state officials gathered on Monday under a gray sky for a ceremony at the New Hampshire Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen. The annual event included remarks from veteran's affairs officials, Gov. Chris Sununu, and all four members of New Hampshire's congressional delegation.

Sen. Maggie Hassan thanked veterans and current members of the military for their service.

One of the operating rooms at the Manchester VA Medical Center has been closed again due to the presence of flies.

A spokesperson for the Manchester VA says the operating room was closed as soon as staff discovered the issue. The other two operating rooms remain open.

Serving up drinks at the American Legion post in Concord, Jeff Holland gets a little testy when the talk turns to smoking.

A Marine veteran who enjoys lighting up, the 44-year-old Holland fought unsuccessfully against a ban at the post that went into effect this month. And starting Tuesday, he will be prohibited from smoking when he visits the nearby Manchester VA Medical Center in New Hampshire.

It is part of a nationwide smoking ban outside all VA medical facilities that applies to visitors, patients and employees.

The director of the Manchester VA Medical Center is leaving to lead the Connecticut VA Healthcare System.

Al Montoya took the reins at the Manchester VA in July 2017, days after the Boston Globe reported on whistleblower allegations of mismanagement and harm to veterans seeking medical care at New Hampshire's only VA.

He had previously served as the director of the VA in White River Junction, Vermont.

Vice President Mike Pence weighed in on a First-Amendment lawsuit challenging a Bible on display at a New Hampshire veterans hospital, saying under the current administration, "VA hospitals will not be religion-free zones."

Cindy Wells stood tall for her portrait, holding three photos from her 22 years in the Marine Corps.

There’s one from boot camp, another from meeting a running challenge, and the last from when she was Marine of the Year in Buffalo, New York.

Ed Kois, leader of the Manchester VA whistleblowers who came forward two years ago, has died in a car accident. He was 62.

Police say Kois was driving on Interstate 95 in Hampton when his car went off the road and struck a guardrail. Police say he likely suffered a medical event. Kois had recently been hospitalized for health problems and had planned to return to work this week.

A program based in New Hampshire will offer training for military veterans who are small business owners.

The Veteran Owned Small Business Growth Training program will equip veterans with resources and networks to grow their businesses.

Applicants must be a current business owner with at least one year of operation and one employee, and annual revenues of $75,000 or more.

The 26-week program based in Portsmouth starts in September and will feature classroom and mentoring sessions.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is holding a town hall meeting in New Hampshire to answer any questions about a new community care program that it will roll out next week.

The event takes place from Monday, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the Manchester VA Medical Center.

A U.S. Air Force veteran has sued the director of New Hampshire's veterans hospital over the display of a Bible.

The Christian Bible became part of a memorial table at the Manchester VA Medical Center. It was removed in January after the Military Religious Freedom Foundation said some patients complained.