Newsbytes June 19, 2026

In this issue:
Marine Valor Honored
Informed Consent Push
Postcard Scam Warning
Foreclosure Relief Launches
PreCheck Fee Waiver

Marine Valor Honored
On Thursday, June 18, 2026, President Donald J. Trump awarded the Medal of Honor at the White House to two legendary Marine Corps veterans of the Vietnam War, retired Major James Capers, Jr., and the late Colonel John W. Ripley, recognizing acts of gallantry that waited nearly six decades for the nation's highest recognition. The same ceremony also honored retired Army Major Nicholas Dockery, and the Fleet Reserve Association (FRA) extends particular pride to the two sea service recipients whose courage continues to define what it means to wear the eagle, globe, and anchor.

Then Second Lieutenant Capers led a nine man team from 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company on a four day patrol from March 31 to April 3, 1967, to locate a North Vietnamese regimental base camp. Despite suffering numerous shrapnel and gunshot wounds and a broken leg, he repeatedly engaged a numerically superior force, directed supporting fire onto the enemy camp, and brought his wounded team to a landing zone, twice attempting to climb out of the evacuation helicopter so that it could lift off with his Marines aboard. At 88, the North Carolina resident becomes the first Black Marine Corps officer to receive the Medal of Honor.

Colonel Ripley received the award posthumously for his actions on April 2, 1972, when, serving as Senior Marine Advisor to the Third Vietnamese Marine Corps Infantry Battalion, he single handedly moved 500 pounds of explosives into position beneath the bridge at Dong Ha under continuous enemy fire and detonated it, halting a major North Vietnamese mechanized assault. Ripley, who died in 2008, originally received the Navy Cross before years of advocacy secured the upgrade. The FRA is proud that our members joined the grassroots effort behind H.R. 3377, the measure introduced by Representative Ralph Norman that waived the statutory five year time limit and cleared the way for Major Capers' award after President Trump signed it into law on March 26, 2026. DLP Theo Lawson, Frank Roberts, and fellow members of FRA Branch 299 attended a ceremonial reception in honor of Major Capers, representing the Association among the family, friends, and Marines gathered to mark the occasion. Preserving the memory of such valor is central to the "Sacred Trust" FRA holds with every Sailor, Marine, and Coast Guardsman who has answered the call.

Informed Consent Push
FRA is pressing the Department of Veterans Affairs to write caregivers and families directly into its expanding "Written Informed Consent" policy, the focus of a meeting this week at VA Headquarters that brought together more than 35 veterans and military service organizations with VA Secretary Doug Collins and his executive staff. DLP Theo Lawson represented FRA at the session. The policy under review would expand the VA's mandatory written disclosures, currently required only for long term opioids, to cover high risk psychiatric medications including antipsychotics, stimulants, antidepressants, and other narcotics. Secretary Collins confirmed that the department intends to roll out the updated administrative policy across all Veterans Health Administration networks, and he encouraged detailed structural feedback from the assembled Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) while urging Congress to codify the standard in statute for the long term.

During the meeting, Lawson engaged directly with the Under Secretary for Health to deliver data driven recommendations grounded in real world sea service experience. He shared key findings from the FRA Written Informed Consent Survey conducted earlier this year, which showed that an overwhelming majority of veterans believe families and designated caregivers must be fully integrated into any formal informed consent process. When a member is navigating complex, multi system conditions such as traumatic brain injury, post traumatic stress, or chronic pain, Lawson emphasized, the primary caregiver is the front line of medical safety and must be included in the disclosure process. The Under Secretary concurred with FRA's findings and requested a formal policy letter setting out the precise legal text needed to secure caregiver inclusion.

FRA then carried the effort to Capitol Hill to reinforce the policy work with legislation, meeting with majority staff of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee (SVAC) and the office of Senator Tim Sheehy, lead sponsor of the "Written Informed Consent Act," S. 3314 in the Senate and its companion H.R. 4837 in the House. The VA's administrative policy does not fully mirror the provisions written into those bills, but FRA regards the department's action as a meaningful step forward and will continue to press for the stronger statutory standard. Presenting the survey data and the Under Secretary's request, the Association secured a commitment to ensure that caregiver and family notification guardrails are tightly integrated into the final bill text, maintaining that true transparency in mental health care must protect both the autonomy of the veteran and the critical support network their loved ones provide. Members can back the effort through the FRA Action Center at votervoice.net/FRA.

Postcard Scam Warning
FRA is urging all members to stay alert to a nationwide mail scam after the Department of Veterans Affairs issued a fraud alert on June 10, 2026, warning veterans and surviving spouses about fraudulent postcards labeled "Veterans Savings Program." There is no such program.

The postcards falsely claim the recipient qualifies for extra VA benefits or additional monthly payments, including dental coverage, CHAMPVA, and TRICARE, regardless of the veteran's actual disability rating, and they manufacture urgency by demanding a call to an unverified number within about five days. Once a veteran calls, operators use flattery and praise for the recipient's service to build trust, then work to collect Social Security numbers, bank account details, and other personal information that can be used for identity theft or to redirect legitimate benefit payments.

FRA reminds every Shipmate that the VA does not announce benefit changes by postcard, does not demand processing fees, and does not pressure veterans to surrender sensitive information under an arbitrary deadline. Anyone who receives one of these mailers should not call the number printed on it. Instead, verify benefit status directly with the VA at 1-800-827-1000, and report the attempt at VSAFE.gov or by calling 1-833-38V-SAFE.

Foreclosure Relief Launches
The Department of Veterans Affairs launched the VA Partial Claim Program on June 15, 2026, a foreclosure prevention tool that gives veterans who have fallen behind on a VA backed mortgage a path to bring the loan current without changing their interest rate, monthly payment, or original loan terms. FRA welcomes the launch as a meaningful protection for members navigating temporary financial hardship.

The program was authorized by the VA Home Loan Reform Act, which President Trump signed into law on July 30, 2025, and it replaces the earlier Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase program that stopped accepting submissions in 2025. Under the new process, a mortgage servicer identifies a veteran in default, places the borrower on a three month trial payment plan to confirm the ability to stay current, and, on successful completion, pays the overdue balance to make the loan current. The VA then reimburses the servicer, creating a separate, no interest second lien that the borrower repays only when the home is sold or refinanced or the first loan is paid in full. Servicers have until November 28, 2026, to put the program fully into place.

FRA supports the Partial Claim Program as a practical safeguard for Shipmates facing service connected income volatility or an unexpected financial disruption, recognizing that home stability is inseparable from the "Sacred Trust" owed to those who served. The Association is proud that FRA grassroots efforts helped get the VA Home Loan Reform Act passed, and it is gratifying to see that work now moving from law into an operating program for the veterans who need it. FRA encourages any member struggling to communicate with a mortgage servicer to contact the VA Loan Guaranty Service at 877-827-3702 to review available home retention options.

PreCheck Fee Waiver
Severely disabled sea service veterans may now qualify for free TSA PreCheck enrollment, a benefit FRA encourages eligible members to claim as the Transportation Security Administration continues implementing the Veterans Expedited TSA Screening Safe Travel Act.

Active duty, National Guard, and Reserve members, including the Coast Guard, already receive expedited screening at no cost by entering their ten digit Department of Defense identification number as their Known Traveler Number when booking a flight. Under the VETS Safe Travel Act, signed into law in January 2025, the standard enrollment fee is now waived for veterans with severe service connected disabilities, including those who rely on a wheelchair or prosthetic, and for Gold Star families. Most other separated veterans and retirees still enroll through the standard civilian process, where many premium credit cards reimburse the fee.

FRA commends the fee waiver as a fitting recognition of the physical sacrifices carried by our most seriously wounded Shipmates, for whom a standard security line can be a genuinely difficult passage. The Association encourages eligible members to review the enrollment guidance on the official TSA website at tsa.gov before summer travel so the benefit is in place when they reach the checkpoint.