Semper Gumby.

Phonetic: SEM-per GUM-bee. Phrase: always flexible. From the Latin, “semper,” which means always, and “Gumby,” which implies flexible (adapted from a blocky green humanoid character made of clay and popularized in the 1950s kids’ television series, “The Gumby Show.”)

If you wore the uniform, you know the phrase. Things change fast in the military. First sergeants unexpectedly assign you to extra duty; the enemy has their plan that disrupts your operation; HR (S-1) closes shop for no reason on the very day you need to get some critical paperwork processed.

Things change at VA, too. Here are four changes, improvements, so far under the new administration:

1. Simplified travel claims now available on VA mobile app. Veterans can now submit and track “mileage-only” travel claims directly from a smartphone or mobile device via the VA Health and Benefits mobile app (mobile.va.gov/app/va-health-and-benefits).

The app automatically identifies when a veteran’s appointment may be eligible for mileage reimbursement and displays a prompt on the home screen. Submissions require just a few taps to confirm details.

2. Yearlong community care authorizations for 30 services. VA will improve veterans’ access to health care by extending the length of new VA community care authorizations to one year for 30 standardized types of care.

The change means veterans referred by VA to community care for eligible standardized types of care will receive 12 full months of uninterrupted treatment at VA’s expense before needing to obtain a VA reauthorization.

Veterans will benefit from uninterrupted access to essential specialty services, allowing them to focus more on their health and less on navigating administrative requirements. Community providers will be empowered to manage care with fewer administrative barriers and greater flexibility.

Before the change, some VA community care specialty referrals were reevaluated every 90 to 180 days, increasing the likelihood of interrupted or delayed care.

3. Extending caregiver support program eligibility for “legacy” veterans and caregivers. VA will soon propose a rule to extend the eligibility for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers to specific veterans and their family caregivers through Sept. 30, 2028.

The rule will extend program eligibility for legacy participants, legacy applicants and their family caregivers for three years while VA continues the rulemaking process to refine the program. The extension will ensure that legacy participants and applicants can maintain their benefits and stability during this time.

Legacy participants are veterans, service members and their family caregivers who were participating in the program as of Sept. 30, 2020, and legacy applicants are veterans, service members and their family caregivers who applied for the program before Oct. 1, 2020, and were accepted into the program on or after Oct. 1, 2020.

“Legacy caregivers have helped shape VA’s Caregiver Support Program for many years,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “This decision underscores VA’s commitment to veterans and caregivers across the nation and will help provide consistency and stability to nearly 15,000 legacy participants for years to come.”

4. Making transitioning out of the military better. Veterans deserve a seamless transition from the Department of Defense to VA. In May, Collins and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed an agreement to improve the transition process for separating service members and foster greater collaboration between the departments.

Anyone who raised their right hand and agreed to serve deserves to have these two departments work in tandem, looking out for their best interest.

Why didn’t this happen sooner? The departments serve the same constituency of Americans along a logical continuum. But for far too many years, there’s been a disconnect, a lack of full cooperation. That ends this year.

The agreement will include better continuity of health care, alignment of workforce development and improved transition programs.

Gumby had a best friend, Pokey, a talking orange pony. While Gumby is idealistic, Pokey is skeptical and nervous, and loves to have the last word.

He frequently exclaimed, “Holy Toledo!” when surprised. Let’s give Pokey the last word and hope he says the same thing about all the improvements at VA thus far in 2025.

Thanks for allowing me to walk alongside you behind friendly lines.

Victory!