ANCHORAGE, Alaska — One of the two pilots of a vintage military plane that was delivering heating oil to a remote Alaska Native village reported a fire on board shortly before the aircraft crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both of them and leaving debris over a wide area, a federal transportation official said Wednesday. The pilot made radio contact about the in-flight emergency shortly after taking off Tuesday, said Clint Johnson, head of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska regional office. They were attempting to return to Fairbanks International Airport when they l ..read more

More veterans with other-than-honorable discharges will be able to access federal benefits under new rules announced by the Department of Veterans Affairs on Thursday. Officials said the rules are designed to ensure that troops booted for homosexuality, undiagnosed mental health issues or other questionable reasons can access needed care and are recognized for their service. Over the last decade, about 57,000 individuals in those categories have applied for and received VA benefits despite their discharge status. “Too often, former service members believe that they cannot come to VA due to the ..read more

MINNEAPOLIS — A Korean War veteran from Minnesota who still carries shrapnel in his leg from when he was wounded in combat will finally get his Purple Heart medal, 73 years late. The U.S. Army notified Earl Meyer, 96, of St. Peter, on Monday that it has reversed itself and granted him a Purple Heart, which honors service members wounded or killed in combat. The decision came after a campaign by his daughters and attorney. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota championed his cause. The Army’s top noncommissioned officer — the sergeant major of the army — took an interest in the case after it had ..read more

DETROIT — Military scientists have identified the remains of an Army Air Forces pilot from Michigan eight decades after he died during a World War II bombing mission in Southeast Asia. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Monday the remains of 2nd Lt. John E. McLauchlen Jr. of Detroit were identified in January and will be buried this summer at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. McLauchlen, 25, was the pilot of a B-24J Liberator bomber during a Dec. 1, 1943, bombing mission from India targeting a railroad yard in Myanmar, then known as Burma. After reaching the target, McLauchlen’s pl ..read more

Veterans advocates are warning that arguments presented to the Supreme Court on Monday regarding laws criminalizing homelessness could have a troubling impact on efforts to help former troops struggling to find stable housing. The case — Johnson v. City of Grants Pass — centers on an Oregon town where officials approved regulations fining people $295 for sleeping outside in public areas, part of an effort to manage homeless encampments in the city’s parks. Offenders can face jail time for multiple violations. Courts have generally ruled against the city laws, arguing that individuals cannot be ..read more

A review by the Department of Veterans Affairs could lead to automatic disability benefits for troops who served in the nuclear missile community, including at Air Force bases where the service is studying if airmen stationed there have been disproportionately diagnosed with cancer. The VA said in an April 12 letter to the Torchlight Initiative, a volunteer organization formed to advocate on behalf of airmen as the missile community’s cancer concerns began emerging early last year, that it is considering whether to establish a presumption that those troops were exposed to carcinogens as part o ..read more

Tuesday’s Supreme Court ruling on veterans education benefits could provide an extra year of federal tuition payments to millions of student veterans, but when officials might start doling out the payouts — if at all — remains unclear. In the 7-2 ruling, justices said that veterans can use both the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and Montgomery GI Bill benefits to pay for college classes if they meet eligibility for both programs. Veterans Affairs officials had required veterans attending school to choose one and forfeit the other. But in the opinion for the majority of the court, Justice Ketanji B ..read more

Government leaders are warning that a federal subsidy helping millions of veterans and military families pay for internet access will end in the next few weeks unless Congress extends the program before the start of May. The Affordable Connectivity Program currently provides between $30 and $75 a month to cover internet bills of more than 23 million households across the country, about half of whom are veterans and service members. For some participants, that’s enough to cover the full cost of high-speed internet access at their homes. The program was launched at the start of the COVID-19 pand ..read more

A group of Senate Democrats is imploring Veterans Affairs officials to fix how they handle constrictive bronchiolitis and hypertension claims under new toxic exposure benefits legislation, saying that too many veterans are left without help due to confusing department rules. In a letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough on Monday, 18 senators — led by Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester, D-Mont. — said the issues need to be addressed quickly to ensure that thousands of veterans receive the compensation they deserve. “Veterans have waited decades for benefits and recognitions f ..read more

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled in favor of a veteran who unsuccessfully tried to use both his Post-9/11 GI Bill and Montgomery GI Bill benefits, saying that Veterans Affairs officials erred in limiting his education support. The 7-2 decision could have far-reaching impact on student veterans who use up their VA benefits but still wish to continue degree programs. Lawyers for the plaintiff have estimated as many as 1.7 million veterans nationwide could benefit from the ruling, but federal officials have estimated the number to be less than 30,000 individuals. The case has been closely watch ..read more