The Vietnam War officially ended in 1975, but the fight for benefits related to exposure to Agent Orange still continues. And with the passage of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, the fight has been won for Veterans suffering from bladder cancer,...
On December 16, 2020, Congress passed the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020. (You can read the full text of the Bill here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/7105/text). The...
The Veterans Legal Service Clinic at Yale Law School is celebrating a legal victory in the form of a class action lawsuit against the Army. Specifically, the lawsuit sought to remedy the Army board’s mishandling of discharge upgrade requests that involved implications...
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) is a benefit established through statue that is paid in addition to the basic rates of compensation payable under the Schedule for Rating disabilities. SMC is paid to compensate veterans for service-connected disabilities that...
In a big win for the LGBTQ+ community, a federal district court in Washington state ruled on September 11, 2020 that a woman was eligible for survivor’s benefits on the record of her late partner, who died before same-sex marriage was legal (Thornton v. Commissioner...
Despite the decline in traffic congestion over the past year, catastrophic and fatal accidents have increased. Several factors contribute to these new numbers. Speed is a lead factor in the severity of accidents. With fewer cars on the road, some motorists have become...
The VA has quietly decided that it will eliminate its in-house compensation and pension (C&P) examination program and begin outsourcing ALL of the exams. A C&P examination is critical to a VA case. For disability compensation, this exam helps VA determine if...
In October 2020, Social Security Administration announced a 1.3% benefit increase for 2021. This cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will be effective for Title II beneficiaries of a period of disability and disability insurance benefits for December 2020 benefits that...
The Compassionate Allowances program from the Social Security Administration was started in response to long wait times many Claimants saw after having applied for Social Security disability. The Compassionate Allowances program allows those with certain severe...
Back in 2017, I wrote a blog regarding the percentages for Claimant's with and without a representative. That was based on data provided by the Social Security Administration. This year, the Social Security Administration updated those numbers to reflect all cases...
