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A temporary program by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help veterans receive faster health care has begun in Hawaii with the issuance of thousands of Choice Cards. The Choice Program is a new benefit allowing veterans to receive health care in their communities instead of waiting for an appointment at a VA facility, but uncertainty remains on how it will be implemented. Hawaii and two other states do not have VA medical centers. Hawaii has a VA clinic and a "memorandum of understanding" with the Tripler Army Medical Center. (11/19)

Marine Corps veteran Clay Hunt was just 26 when he committed suicide, following tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hunt's mother, Susan Selke, told Congress Wednesday that her son reached out to the Veterans Affairs Department time and again but did not receive adequate treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and other problems. At one point, the VA even lost his medical files. "Clay constantly voiced concerns about the care he was receiving, both in terms of the challenges he faced with scheduling appointments as well as the treatment he received, which consisted primarily of medication," Selke told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. (Daly, 11/19)