This week’s stories share a thread. Much of the news was about protecting what veterans have already earned. The VA reopened a program to help veterans keep their homes. It warned about a mail scam built to drain benefits. And a bill in Congress aims to stop survivors from losing payments when they remarry.

Housing showed up twice. The VA’s new partial claim program gives veterans behind on their loans a way to catch up and avoid foreclosure. At Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a brand-new neighborhood opened for military families. One story is about keeping a home. The other is about building one.

The week also made room for recognition. Three service members received the Medal of Honor at the White House. NASCAR raced on a Navy base for the first time. Both moments landed during the run-up to the country’s 250th birthday.

For readers in the Pacific Northwest, the news from JBLM hits close to home. The bigger picture stayed steady all week. Veterans earned these benefits and this respect through service. The work now is making sure neither slips away.

VA Reopens Foreclosure Help for Veterans Behind on Home Loans

The VA opened its new partial claim program on June 15. It helps veterans who fall behind on a VA-backed loan bring the mortgage current and keep their home. The VA covers the missed amount as a second lien with no monthly payment, due only when the veteran sells, refinances, or pays off the loan. The big win is that veterans keep their original low interest rate instead of resetting to today’s higher one. Veterans who are behind can call their loan servicer or the VA Regional Loan Center at 877-827-3702 for free guidance.

Sources:

Stars and Stripes: https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2026-06-05/veterans-5-things-home-loans-nascar-revolutionary-war-21881701.html

Military.com: https://www.military.com/benefits/vas-foreclosure-prevention-tool-back-heres-how-partial-claim-program-works.html

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/trouble-making-payments/

VA Warns Veterans About Fake “Veterans Savings Program” Postcards

The VA posted a scam alert on June 10 about official-looking postcards stamped “Veterans Savings Program.” The cards promise extra benefits and push you to call a toll-free number within days. The real goal is to pull out your Social Security number, bank details, or other private information. The VA says it never adds bonus money to your checks through an unsolicited postcard. To check whether a message is real, call the VA at 1-800-827-1000, and report fraud at VSAFE.gov or 1-833-38V-SAFE.

Sources:

VA News: https://news.va.gov/147334/veterans-savings-program-postcard-scam/

Stars and Stripes: https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2026-06-12/veterans-5-things-fifa-tickets-scam-alert-veteran-politics-21947433.html

Military Officers Association of America: https://www.moaa.org/content/publications-and-media/news-articles/2026-news-articles/finance/veterans-savings-program-postcard-scam-hits-multiple-states/

A Bill in Congress Would End the Remarriage Penalty for Military Survivors

The Love Lives On Act would let surviving spouses keep their survivor payments no matter when they remarry. Under current law, a spouse who remarries before age 55 can lose Dependency and Indemnity Compensation and risk Survivor Benefit Plan payments too. The rule hits young families hardest, since many post-9/11 survivors are in their late 20s or 30s and raising children alone. The bill now sits inside the larger Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, though lawmakers still need to agree on how to pay for it before a full vote.

Sources:

Stars and Stripes: https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2026-06-16/62-bills-take-care-of-americas-veterans-act-21984426.html

Military Officers Association of America: https://www.moaa.org/content/publications-and-media/news-articles/2026-news-articles/advocacy/this-bill-would-support-grieving-military-families.-it-has-reached-new-milestones-in-congress/

Military.com: https://www.military.com/feature/2026/04/18/love-lives-act-and-debate-over-survivor-benefits-and-remarriage.html

NASCAR Heads to a Navy Base, and Ford Plans a Veterans Day Race

NASCAR raced on an active U.S. military base for the first time this weekend at Naval Base Coronado near San Diego. Familiar names came back for it, including seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who ran the Friday truck race on the custom street course. Ford and NASCAR also announced a new Veterans Day exhibition race, the Proud To Honor Veterans Day Classic, set for Nov. 11 to honor all six branches of the military. Organizers say they hope to take the idea to other bases over time.

Sources:

USA TODAY Sports: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2026/06/17/ford-nascar-veterans-day-race-military-exhibition-mustang-navy/90596963007/

Yahoo Sports: https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ford-nascar-partner-veterans-day-010043899.html

Three Service Members Receive the Medal of Honor at the White House

President Trump presented the Medal of Honor to three service members on June 18 in the East Room. Two were Vietnam Marines, retired Maj. James Capers Jr. and the late Col. John Ripley, and one was Army Maj. Nicholas Dockery from the war in Afghanistan. For Capers and Ripley, recognition came more than 50 years after the fights that earned it. Their stories show how long valor can wait to be honored, even when the men who served beside them never forgot.

Sources:

Stars and Stripes (Medal of Honor ceremony): https://www.stripes.com/history/2026-06-18/2-marines-1-soldier-medal-of-honor-22008436.html

Stars and Stripes (Capers background): https://www.stripes.com/history/2026-03-05/senate-medal-of-honor-marine-james-capers-20962523.html

JBLM Opens a New Family Housing Community at Lewis North

Joint Base Lewis-McChord opened a new neighborhood called Meriwether Landing this week, and the first family moved in on June 19. The $130 million project will bring 212 four-bedroom duplexes, with more than 200 families expected by the end of 2027. Officials framed it as a fix for years of complaints about mold, pests, and slow repairs in privatized base housing. Rep. Marilyn Strickland, who pushed for the homes, called the opening “just the beginning.”

Sources:

Joint Base Lewis-McChord Public Affairs (Army.mil): https://www.army.mil/article/293350/jblm_opens_new_housing_community

Taken together, the week was about keeping promises, whether that meant a home, a benefit, or a medal that waited more than 50 years.

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