The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is taking an active role in the early detection, and ultimately, treatment of lung cancer in veterans. Inspired by the success of the National Cancer Institute's National Lung Screening Trial, the VA is in the beginning stages of implementing CT scans.

Though it seems like years in the making, finally medical records, personnel information and benefits kept by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) on active duty service members and veterans will be forever linked together.

Days before President Barack Obama and the First Lady host a White House dinner in honor of Iraq War veterans, top veterans' organization officials are instead calling for a more public celebrations.

Looking at the numbers generated by our veterans is shocking for many reasons.

First, the number of living veterans from all of the 20th century wars into our current conflicts is amazing. They are strong and resilient. These brave men and women keep the memory of their service alive.

Beginning on October 1st, President Obama’s $3.73 trillion dollar budget for the 2012 fiscal year will kick in. One of the first things I wondered as a veteran was, how will this new budget impact veterans and members of the military? I decided to consult a great article put out by the NY Times and break it down by agency.

In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, January 25th, President Obama made a point to let veterans know that they “can now downloadtheir electronic medical records with a click of the mouse.”

The VA says it will be creating "Veterans Health Benefits Handbooks" for all veterans in the Washington D.C. and Cleveland, Ohio areas that are enrolled with the VA and currently receiving benefits in an effort to "give veterans everything they need to know and leave out everything that doesn't apply to them," according to Secretary of Veteran Affairs Eric Shinseki.

On September 21st, the Department of Veterans Affairs released a statement in which they promised that “21st century technology will improve service.” A new, multi-year program called Veterans Relationship Management, or VRM, pledges to “greatly improve veterans’ access to health care and benefits information.”

With the approaching flu season almost underway, the VA will offer any veteran 65 years or older, or those with chronic respiratory problems the high-dose flu vaccine. This particular vaccine will include three strains of the flu, including the H1N1.The high-dose vaccine will reduce the number of elderly patients sickened or killed by influenza this year.

The Dept. of Veterans Affairs has confirmed that it has sent 10,000 letters to the beneficiaries of military members with life insurance policies in an effort to clear up confusion surrounding a number of issues, including death benefits provided through what is called an “Alliance Account.”

The Dept. of Veteran Affairs has released additional information for veterans with Gulf War Illness, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the Gulf War. For those vets who served but do not yet receive the Gulf War Review newsletter [download it here], here’s some important information:

Veterans being treated with medical marijuana no longer need to worry about being cut from veteran benefit plans. The change comes from a departmental directive from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs stating that veterans prescribed medical marijuana in the 14 states where the practice is legal may not lose eligibility for VA health plans.

A friend of the veterans’ blog wanted me to share this important information with veterans in the Houston County area of Minnesota.

Rob Gross, Director of Houston County Veteran Services, says that a large number of vets are eligible to receive hearing aids and eye glasses through a VA medical center. Those eligible must meet at least one of the following requirements:

Six-year army veteran Willie Holmes, 25, was granted $2,751 for housing through the G.I. Bill when he decided to pursue a graduate degree in health service administration at Fort Hamilton Army Base in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Yet when Holmes ventured to New York City for eight days to apartment hunt he encountered several problems.

Colonel Jack Mosher and Major Jay Brock of Augusta, Maine are both members of the Maine Army National Guard. Both men have served in the Middle East. And both men are running 13.1 miles a day in an effort to raise awareness for military personnel.