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To help you get started, CNBC Select rounded up a list of the best mortgage lenders first-time homebuyers should consider. Types of loans offered: The most common kinds of mortgage loans include conventional loans, FHA loans and VA loans. The most common kinds of mortgage loans include conventional loans, FHA loans and VA loans. Fees: Common fees associated with mortgage applications include origination fees, application fees, underwriting fees, processing fees and administrative fees. Common fees associated with mortgage applications include origination fees, application fees, underwriting fees, processing fees and administrative fees.

☆ Veterans Affairs to Be First Major Insurer to Cover Alzheimer’s Drug Leqembi
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Joseph Walker | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Leqembi is the first anti-amyloid drug shown to slow decline from Alzheimer’s. Eisai Co.’s new Alzheimer’s disease drug Leqembi will be covered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the first major insurer to agree to pay for the drug since its approval by U.S. regulators earlier this year. Eisai said Monday veterans with the early stages of Alzheimer’s would get the drug covered under criteria set by the VA.

☆ If Student Loan Forgiveness Is Overturned by the Supreme Court, Refinancers Are Waiting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Thomas Gokey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

The PSLF program cancels federal student loans for people who work in public-service jobs for 10 years, and the impact of relief is profound. In the process, borrowers forfeit many protections that come with federal student loans, including the chance to get their loans canceled. In one survey, more than one-third of respondents who refinanced their federal student loans said they eventually came to regret it. President Biden announced a plan to cancel $10,000 in student loan debt, but if you privately refinanced, you won't benefit. Most private student loans allow for some kind of "cosigner release" so no one else is on the hook for your loans.

☆ Student-Debt Relief: Why Refinancing Your Student Loans Is a Trap
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Thomas Gokey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

The PSLF program cancels federal student loans for people who work in public-service jobs for 10 years, and the impact of relief is profound. In the process, borrowers forfeit many protections that come with federal student loans, including the chance to get their loans canceled. Recent changes to the law require private student loans to be discharged if you die, but that isn't the case with older loans. Most private student loans allow for some kind of "cosigner release" so no one else is on the hook for your loans. Refinancing companies make the system worse for everyonePrivate refinancing companies don't just hand out their loans to anyone.

☆ Your Credit Score Affects Your Mortgage Rate—Here’s How to Improve It
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

How does your credit score affect your mortgage rate? “There is no single, specific credit score that will automatically qualify you for a mortgage.”What else determines your mortgage rate? How to check your credit scoreTo get your credit score, check your banking or credit card dashboard if you have one. Many come with automatic credit score monitoring, allowing you to check your score at any time. Make on-time paymentsThe best way to improve your credit score is to avoid late payments—particularly on student loans, credit cards and other types of debts that get reported to credit bureaus.

☆ The VA Program That Has Homelessness Down Among Veterans
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Ben Kesling | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DENVER—Nationwide, the homeless population has been slowly rising during the past few years, up more than 5% since 2017. But among veterans, the number has declined by more than 17% over that period, a drop advocates attribute to an aggressive and well-funded “housing first” policy. The approach is in full swing in a program that operates out of a nondescript brick building in an industrial area of Denver. Lauren Lapinski , a licensed clinical social worker with the Department of Veterans Affairs, arrived at Denver’s VA Community Resource and Referral Center before dawn one day earlier this month—after having been up late the night before canvassing strip malls and alleys as part of an annual homeless count.

☆ VA Surpasses Goal to House Homeless Veterans
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Ben Kesling | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The VA has refocused on a homelessness-prevention model that secures reliable shelter before turning to other issues. More than 40,000 homeless veterans were placed in permanent housing last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs said Thursday, exceeding its target in a renewed push to address the longstanding problem of veteran homelessness. Veterans make up 7% of the general population but represent 13% of the adult homeless population, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

☆ VA says it exceeded goal for housing homeless veterans last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Aaron Gilchrist | Aaron Gilchrist Is An Anchor For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced Thursday that it surpassed its 2022 goals for housing veterans experiencing homelessness. Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough set a goal of housing 38,000 veterans by the end of last year. The number of veterans experiencing homelessness in the U.S. has decreased by 11% since January 2020 and by more than 55% since 2010, according to the VA. The method prioritizes getting veterans into housing, then providing support services, including health care and job training, as well as any needed mental health or substance dependency interventions to help veterans stay in housing. Veterans experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness can call the National Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838).

☆ FDA doesn't see increased risk of stroke for seniors who received Pfizer's omicron booster
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The CDC's Vaccine Safety Datalink, which monitors serious reactions to vaccines, showed a possible risk of stroke in late November. The FDA launched an extensive review of federal data after investigators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detected a possible risk of stroke for seniors who received Pfizer's booster. The Food and Drug Administration hasn't found an increased risk of stroke for seniors who've received Pfizer's omicron booster shot, a federal health official said Thursday. The FDA reviewed CMS data from 4.25 million seniors who received Pfizer's omicron booster and did not identify any increased stroke risk. The Department of Veterans Affairs has also conducted preliminary review of its database and did not identify an increased stroke risk, Forshee said.

☆ A Navy officer explains how she built a $1 million real estate portfolio with $14,000 — and shares 5 ways that anyone can start buying property with little or no money down
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Before purchasing her first property, Snider had been living in military-base housing and wanted her own space. However, she was able to use a VA Loan, backed by the Department of Veteran Affairs, for her first purchase, which required no money down. Her new monthly mortgage payment would amount to $1,600, plus utilities which were about $150 to $200 a month. "I realized, oh well, I got this asset for free and now somebody's paying my rent," Snider said. Altogether, the three properties Snider now owns add up to a total value of $1.1 million, according to Zestimate.

☆ Veterans Affairs Agency Waives Doctor Copays for Native Veterans
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Ben Kesling | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Department of Veterans Affairs said it would waive all copays for eligible American Indian and Alaska Native veterans, in an effort to boost use of primary-care medicine among traditionally underserved populations. “It’s no mystery to a lot of people that healthcare is sometimes hard to come by in many Native American communities,” said Travis Trueblood , director of tribal health for the VA, adding that this policy tries to help address that discrepancy.

☆ Google parent Alphabet is cutting 12,000 jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Google parent Alphabet is eliminating about 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its workforce, the company said Friday, in the latest cuts to shake the technology sector. “Over the past two years we’ve seen periods of dramatic growth,” Pichai said in the email. Google’s job cuts are just the latest in a bruising wave of tech layoffs, as inflation weighs on consumer spending and rising interest rates squeeze funding. “While layoffs from high-profile firms make the headlines, plenty of firms are desperate for more workers, especially tech workers. “The labor market is still so tight that many tech workers, and workers with other skills, are snapped up well before they need to collect an unemployment check.

☆ VA Expands Efforts to Curb Suicide Among Veterans
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Ben Kesling | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The VA is trying to find ways to address concerns many veterans have about seeking mental-health treatment. Veterans facing a suicide crisis, even those not enrolled in the VA system, can get immediate and free treatment, the Department of Veterans Affairs said Friday, part of a decadelong effort to combat mental-health issues that have long racked the veteran community. The VA has taken a more robust approach to addressing veteran suicide in recent years—especially suicide by firearm, which disproportionately affects the veteran community. VA officials are trying to find ways to address concerns many veterans have about seeking mental-health treatment or discussing their guns and firearms safety.

☆ Starting Tuesday, all U.S. military veterans in suicidal crisis will be eligible for free care at any VA or private facility
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Beginning Tuesday, U.S. military veterans who find themselves in suicidal crisis will be eligible for free emergency medical care at any Department of Veterans Affairs facility or any private facility. Unlike for most other medical benefits, veterans do not have to be enrolled in the VA system to be eligible. The VA already provides emergency suicide care, but with the new benefit, veterans will not have to pay any copays or fees for their care. If the veterans receive care at a private facility rather than at a VA facility, the government will cover the costs. “Veterans in suicidal crisis can now receive the free, world-class emergency health care they deserve — no matter where they need it, when they need it, or whether they’re enrolled in VA care,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement.

☆ CDC says it’s ‘very unlikely’ Pfizer booster carries stroke risk for seniors after launching review
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A CDC spokesperson said this issue was first detected in late November. By mid-December, the CDC concluded the concern was persisting and launched an investigation into whether seniors are more likely to have a stroke in the first 21 days after receiving the Pfizer booster, the spokesperson said. The VSD monitoring system found that 130 people ages 65 and older had a stroke within 21 days of receiving the Pfizer omicron booster among about 550,000 seniors who received the shot, the CDC spokesperson said. No other surveillance system has detected a similar safety concern for the Pfizer booster so far, according to the CDC. The CDC has not changed its recommendation for the Pfizer omicron shot.

The minimum credit score that you'll need to buy a house varies by lender and loan type. What credit score is needed to buy a house? Minimum credit score: No minimum, but with a credit score of at least 640 you could qualify for streamlined credit analysisIt's important to point out lenders are free to set higher minimum credit score requirements than what the loan-backing organizations require. When it comes to your credit score, your bank or credit card issuer may provide your score for free. If not, you can also use a free credit score monitoring tool like Credit Karma or Credit Sesame.

☆ The U.S. Government’s Woke Training
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Department of Veterans Affairs has a gender gingerbread person. And if U.S. Army servicewomen express “discomfort showering with a female who has male genitalia,” what’s the brass’s reply? Talk to your commanding officer, but toughen up. These are details from hundreds of pages of diversity and inclusion training materials used by the federal government in 2021 and obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Everyone in corporate life knows such training, lampooned in the second episode of the TV show “The Office.” Yet taxpayers might be curious how their money is being spent to instruct the federal workforce these days.

☆ Psychedelic therapies are on the horizon. Who will administer them?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Danica Jefferies | Danica Jefferies Is An Intern With The Data Graphics Team For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Psychedelic therapy is nowhere near as simple as filling a prescription and taking a pill at home. A clinical psychologist, she founded and now leads the first accredited psychedelic therapy training program in the U.S. at the California Institute of Integral Studies. The psychedelic therapy program entails 150 hours of instruction and several in-person training sessions. So why the growing interest in using psychedelic drugs for mental health? Treatment with psychedelic drugs is not as simple as giving the patient a pill to take at home, and it’s not for everybody.

☆ New teaching technologies help train tomorrow's top talent
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Ibm With Insider Studios | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Experiential programs like hackathons and accessible technologies like virtual reality are creating more opportunities to deliver richer learning to more students. One example of new teaching technologies is in IBM's work with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). We are collaborating with 20 HBCUs to bring new technical training opportunities to students and co-create cybersecurity training centers. From early pilots of virtual reality teaching, to innovation challenges, students are benefitting from access to cutting-edge technologies and multi-disciplinary collaboration. In 2023, we're excited to explore new experiential learning technologies and help tackle the skills shortage.

☆ Biden touts new law giving veterans suffering from burn-pit exposure more help: ‘The benefits are real’
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

“And the benefits are real, they’re real benefits like exposure screening. Since Biden signed the law, more than 185,000 veterans have applied for benefits, the White House said. More than 730,000 veterans have also received screenings for toxic exposure, with nearly 39% reporting concern of exposure. The law gives veterans exposed to burn pits access to more medical care and disability payments. Biden said he has directed the Department of Veterans Affairs to treat the 23 presumptive conditions in the law immediately.

☆ A former VA secretary and his daughter have teamed up to transform care for people with chronic pain, and top VCs 7wire and Martin Ventures are backing them
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Called Override, it connects patients with chronic pain to a virtual team of pain specialists. An estimated one in five American adults are living with chronic pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Research has found links between chronic pain and opioid dependence, anxiety, depression, and lower quality of life. Override's model was informed by a health program for veteransA wealth of research supports a team-based approach to treating chronic pain. Patients with chronic pain are expensive, and those paying for that care need help managing their costs.

☆ Department of Veterans Affairs sued over decision to offer abortion counseling and certain abortions to veterans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A nurse at a Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility in Texas sued the department Tuesday over its decision to offer abortions services in certain cases and abortion counseling to veterans, claiming the new rules violate her religious beliefs. Though the lawsuit is reportedly one of the first challenges to the new rule, it is not seeking to block the department from enforcing the policy nationwide. Instead, it asks the court to rule that the policy is illegal and unconstitutional and block the department from enforcing the policy at the facility in Temple. The state additionally has a civil enforcement law – authorizing private citizens to bring lawsuits against alleged violators in state court – for abortions performed after around six weeks into the pregnancy. These services are also offered to Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs beneficiaries.

☆ US military atomic cleanup crews were sent out in the wake of American nuclear testing, and many paid a heavy price, veterans say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Over a period of more than a decade, the US military conducted dozens of nuclear tests in the Pacific. Years later, soldiers were sent to the Marshall Islands to try and clean up the fallout from the testing. Nuclear tests like Castle Bravo produced a substantial amount of nuclear fallout that negatively affected the people of the Marshall Islands, according to the Brookings Institution think tank. Impact of radiation contaminationNuclear weapons testing in the Marshall Islands had "devastating effects" on the country's environment that "remain unresolved," according to a 2019 report by the Republic of the Marshall Islands' National Nuclear Commission. However, he, like thousands of others, are excluded from the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which only covers veterans present for atmospheric nuclear tests.

The Department of Veterans Affairs doesn't set a minimum credit score for VA loans, but lenders typically do. VA loan borrowers need to meet minimum service requirements set by the VA, as well as minimum credit requirements set by their lender. VA lenders that accept low credit scoresAs you prepare to apply for a mortgage, look for lenders that have low minimum credit score requirements or are willing to work with borrowers who have rocky credit histories. If you currently have no credit score, you may be able to use non-traditional credit with certain lenders to prove your creditworthiness. Lowering your credit card balances will also decrease your credit utilization ratio, which can increase your credit score.

☆ Veterans Affairs has denied benefits to Black people at higher rates for years, lawsuit alleges
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Victoria Ebner | Victoria Ebner Is A Desk Assistant With Nbc News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Obtaining benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs has been disproportionately more difficult for Black Americans for decades, a federal lawsuit filed Monday alleges. “The results of VA’s racial discrimination has been to deny countless meritorious applications by Black veterans, depriving them and their families of care and support that their faithful service has earned,” the lawsuit reads. Filed in federal court by Yale Law School’s Veterans Legal Services Clinic on behalf of Conley Monk Jr., a Vietnam War veteran, the suit claims Monk was repeatedly denied home loan, education and medical benefits because he is Black. According to VA records obtained through Freedom of Information Act litigation brought by the National Veterans Council for Legal Redress, of which Monk is the co-founder and director, and the Black Veterans Project, the average denial rate for disability compensation was 5.3% higher for Black veterans than their white counterparts between 2001 and 2020. “We hope that going forward, there won’t be another generation of veterans who are subjected to the same system,” Henderson said.

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