A $750,000 federal grant to the Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging will lead to a partnership with the Veterans Administration to provide more long-term-care health options for South Carolina’s 410,000 veterans, Lt. Governor André Bauer said Tuesday.

Inspections show that Veterans Administration medical facilities made significant progress on fixing endoscopic procedure problems that potentially exposed thousands to HIV and other infections.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will be asked to pay disability benefits and possibly other compensation for hospital mistakes that possibly exposed veterans to infectious body fluids.

An attorney for veterans who were possibly exposed to HIV and other infections at three Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals says his clients are waiting to hear if they will be compensated for mistakes that led to congressional hearings and new VA spending on patient safety.

A new federal report shows a Veterans Affairs clinic in Augusta was investigating improper sterilization of endoscopic equipment a month before a similar discovery in Tennessee set off a national review of VA cleaning procedures.

Lawmakers sharply criticized the Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday about why a national scare over botched colonoscopies earlier this year didn’t prompt stronger safeguards at the agency’s medical centers. House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner said VA Secretary Eric Shinseki has pledged to take disciplinary action over the matter.

The Associated Press has learned that fewer than half of Veterans Affairs clinics given a surprise inspection last month followed proper standards for colonoscopies and other minimally invasive procedures - even after the agency learned that mistakes may have exposed thousands of veterans to HIV and other diseases.

The director of the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System says she was “heartbroken” when she learned patients had been exposed to contaminated medical equipment at VA hospitals. Mary D. Berrocal told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she has created a position to supervise training in Miami and make sure biomedical equipment is functioning properly.

It’s a nationwide initiative to help homeless veterans. Now, Augusta’s V.A. hospitals are asking the community what they think about a facility that could help or hurt a local neighborhood. WJBF News Channel 6’s Barclay Bishop has the details.

One local veteran isn’t feeling very appreciated on this Veterans Day. WJBF News Channel 6’s Capitol reporter, Robert Kittle, has the story.