Many veterans live hours from VA facilities, or they need health services that aren’t readily available from the VA. In such cases, the department is supposed to provide a referral and pay for private care. Critics say it often hesitates to do so.
The federal government officially entered a shutdown at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. From Social Security checks and SNAP benefits to TSA lines, national parks and veterans’ services — here’s what stays open, what stops, and what’s at risk during a shutdown.
Honks and cheers rang out Wednesday afternoon outside the Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center in Iowa City, where dozens of community members gathered in protest of the Trump administration’s treatment of VA employees.
The county purchased the 15 unit property at 1102 Hollywood Blvd. in Iowa City, in 2024 for $1.7 million, marking the first time the county has directly owned housing stock. Under a plan proposed by Iowa City, federally funded rental assistance vouchers, combined with VA support services, would be offered to veterans living in the units.
Federal legislation signed into law in 2022 expanded VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances during their service. But while the PACT Act includes glioblastoma as a presumptive condition related to burn pit exposure, it’s not included for Agent Orange exposure.
A couple hundred people gathered Saturday on the downtown Pedestrian Mall to protest terminations of federal workers who serve Iowa veterans, seniors and farmers, and called on the district’s congresswoman, Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, to stand up for them.
An Iowa City building that houses a veterans affairs clinic, a military recruitment office, and a water science center for the U.S. Geological Survey could be sold by the federal government after the U.S. General Services Administration announced Tuesday it is determining the efficiency of the space.
A Cedar Rapids VA worker who aided fellow veterans seeking care, and a former student employee of the year who conducted agricultural research for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Ames are among the more than 200,000 federal workers without a job amid President Donald Trump's and billionaire Elon Musk’s ongoing efforts to slash the government workforce.
Veteran suicide rates have declined in recent years, but they are still higher than the general population. Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough encouraged veterans to use new mental health services available through the the COMPACT Act.
Cedar Rapids veteran Sarah Lamp, who served in the Air Force for 15 years, is featured in a new 2024 calendar that raises funds for veterans across the country.
Also, Iowa City VA gets $1.5 million grant; secretary of state debunks election ‘myths’
Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough, visited with veterans Monday at the National Disabled Veterans Golf Clinic at Riverside Casino & Golf Resort.
Six years after a Davenport veteran’s suicide sparked national attention and calls for an investigation after having been denied inpatient psychiatric care, the Iowa City VA is planning for a major expansion.
Iowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, a combat veteran, expressed a desire for an amendment focused on budgetary spending.
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