Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins is proposing significant changes to the Department of Veterans Affairs, including a potential reduction of up to 80,000 jobs, as part of a broader plan to increase efficiency and focus on the agency’s core mission.
This week, MCRA Board Member, Andrew Ferrar had the honor to award certificates and medals from the Military Order of the Purple Heart and Sons of the American Revolution to a couple of Cadets from Blackman High School, Murfreesboro, TN.
The GHS Battalion has received the Marine Corps Reserve Association (MCRA) Outstanding Unit Award for the third year running. This award is the highest recognition an MCJROTC unit can receive, and only four are given out worldwide each year. It is a great honor for GHS, as this is only the third time in the program's 23-year history that they have earned this prestigious designation.
The Marine Corps JROTC program at Daniel Boone High School has received the prestigious Marine Corps Reserve Association designation as one of the top four programs in the nation in 2024! This incredible accomplishment is a testament to their dedication and hard work, marking the 11th time Daniel Boone has earned this honor!
After the award ceremony, they celebrated the Marine Corps’ 249th Birthday in style! The Senior Marine Instructor is Major Steven M. Sessis, USMC(Ret).
The Association's mission is "To be the premier support organization for the Marine Corps Reserve," and recently, we lived up to that mission in a big way, answering a unique call for assistance from "Carlos" Company, 1/23 out of Corpus Christi, TX.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it is beginning early-stage planning to deploy the Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR) system to four Michigan facilities – Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Detroit, and Saginaw – in mid-2026.
This decision comes after VA made critical improvements to the EHR system during a pause in deployments announced in April 2023, which has helped the system better serve Veterans and clinicians – and resulted in improved Veteran trust at all sites that use the EHR. These improvement efforts will continue unabated while VA begins early-stage deployment efforts in Michigan.
The President of the U.S. signed into law H.R. 5009, the “Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025” (the “Act”). This Act authorizes fiscal year appropriations principally for the Department of Defense, Department of Energy national security programs, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, and the Intelligence Community. This bill provides vital benefits for military personnel and their families, and includes critical authorities to support our country’s national defense, foreign affairs, and homeland security.
To read the Congressional Research Service report, click here.
Joint (House & Senate) explanatory statement to accompany the "Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and NDAA for FY2025