New York Times Magazine: The Army Thought He was Faking his Health Issues. Turns Out He Had Chronic Lead Poisoning. A number of military troops, mainly special operations personnel, were experiencing symptoms of unknown origin, such as treatment-resistant hypertension, fatigue, brain fog and symptoms mimicking post-traumatic stress disorder, including anger, anxiety and hyper-arousal. After of being accused of faking their symptoms or malingering, some ended up at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where one physician theorized it could be lead poisoning. This turned out to be the case, and the doctor, as well as the service members involved, have tried to get the Defense Department to recognize the issue and test troops experiencing unexplained symptoms for chronic lead exposure.

Military.com: His Suicide Note Was a Message to the Navy. The Way He Died was the Exclamation Point. Navy Aircrew Aviation Electrician’s Mate Striker Brandon Caserta, 21, failed out of SEAL school and was placed in job he didn’t want. Yet the congenial sailor worked hard and aspired to excel in the Navy. However, he was bullied by his immediate supervisor and not supported by senior leadership, contributing to what his family suspects was depression over his failure to not complete SEAL training. The military services struggle with suicide in the ranks, mainly among young white men who have never deployed, and Caserta is one of these cases. While the causes of suicide are complex and can’t be attributed to one incident or instance, some within the services say bad leadership and poor understanding of mental health conditions are significant factors that the military wants to sweep under the rug.

Military Times: White House Responsible For Delayed Decision on New Agent Orange Presumptives. In 2016, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine ruled that several diseases seen in Vietnam veterans are likely linked to exposure to Agent Orange. NASEM’s report should have paved the way for the VA Secretary to declare that Vietnam vets with these diseases automatically qualify for health care and disability compensation from the Department. VA Secretary Dr. David Shulkin said he had made a decision, and then one never came. Documents obtained by a FOIA show that the White House, including current Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, as well as controversial White House veterans adviser Darin Selnick, held up the decision. Selnick has been a strong advocate for a reduction in the size of the VA and more veterans receiving their health care in the community.

Military.com: It Was The Biggest Scam In Tricare’s History. Now Troops May be Going to Jail. From 2013 to 2015, the Defense Department saw a huge uptick in prescriptions for compound medications — expensive personalized pain creams, ointments and other specialty medications — among beneficiaries. $1.5 billion later, DoD moved to close a loophole that let unscrupulous companies sell medications to military personnel, families and retirees without a visit and charge Tricare thousands in reimbursements. The scheme took place at military installations nationwide; some military personnel and family members took sales and recruiting positions within these companies, becoming part of Tricare’s biggest case of medical fraud ever.

Military.com: Supreme Court Denies Military Medical Malpractice Petition. In a case that went farther in the court system than any other military malpractice case in a decade, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to consider the case of Navy Lt. Rebekah Daniel, who bled to death at Naval Hospital Bremerton after giving birth to her first child. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a dissent, saying that it was time the court consider a 1950 ruling that prevents troops from suing the federal government, even in cases of medical malpractice in military-run hospitals. Justice Bader Ginsburg agreed. This case illustrated the double standard that exists at military hospitals: if Daniel, who was the wife of another military officer, was not in the military, her family would have had the option to sue.