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A long-sought realignment of the country’s largest health care system was killed this week by bipartisan political resistance through a short news release from 12 senators who said they would not approve the nine nominees up for confirmation to establish the Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission. And a costly four-year effort to reposition VA in an increasingly competitive health care market fell victim to the principle that, just as all politics is local, so, apparently, is any decision to shift services for a constituency as crucial as veterans. (Rein, 6/29)

Proposed changes in veterans’ healthcare facilities in South Dakota and elsewhere are on hold for now. Some U.S. senators, including South Dakota’s Mike Rounds and John Thune, have agreed to dismantle a commission tasked by the Department of Veterans Affairs to carry out closures, downsizing and other significant changes to medical facilities. That means the VA Hospital in Hot Springs will remain open. (6/29)

The U.S. military has not yet put a six-month-old federal law designed to improve how service members get mental health care into effect, despite a recent rash of suicides in the Navy. The Brandon Act, which allows members of the military to confidentially seek mental health help, was signed into law by President Joe Biden in December under the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. (Chan, 6/29)

Substance abuse and mental health challenges are disproportionately common in the Marine Corps and Army when compared to the other military services, according to a Rand study published Tuesday. And the reason may have more to do with culture than the individual troops themselves. (Myers, 6/24)