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Demanding explanations for a $1 billion cost overrun, a House panel Wednesday issued a subpoena to the Department of Veterans Affairs for documents on how the cost of a Denver-area VA hospital ballooned to almost $1.7 billion. That figure was nearly triple earlier estimates. The subpoena by the House Veterans Affairs Committee also seeks documents related to millions of dollars spent on artwork and ornamental furnishings at VA offices nationwide, including more than $6.4 million spent on the Palo Alto, California, health care system. (Daly, 9/7)

The U.S. is facing a stark shortage of mental health professionals, and the challenge is affecting local communities as well as high-profile populations like veterans and current military servicemembers. While the Department of Veterans Affairs has responded by boosting hiring, some associations are trying to recruit a promising cadre of new workers to the profession: military spouses. (Teichert, 9/7)

Authorities have identified the veteran who fatally shot himself Sunday outside the Veterans Affairs hospital in Des Moines. Steven Craig Albers, 72, of Des Moines had served during the Vietnam War as a U.S. Army captain, according to his obituary. He was a graduate of Drake University and of Des Moines' East High School. Albers had received care at the VA Central Iowa Health Care System for his physical health, but he did not actively seek treatment for mental health, said his sister, JoAnne Sandvig. (Haley, 9/7)