The Veterans Benefits Administration ("VBA") has long been known for inefficiency and delay in their processing of claims, appeals, and correspondence from Veterans. VBA currently processes mail manually when it is submitted to VA for association with claims and appeals files. However, now VBA is beginning to use Artificial Intelligence to sort mail more quickly and have it associated with claims more efficiently.
Contamination at K2 - Part 2
Contamination at K2 - Part 1
The View from a Military Spouse
This blog was written by Jan Lipske, VA legal assistant at Gardberg and Kemmerly:
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, even in a pandemic
This year, I am the Chair for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Event. The Making Strides for Breast Cancer Board is comprised of people from all over South Alabama. Each of us have different jobs, different interests and different lifestyles. But what we do have in common is the drive to help in any way to find a cure for breast cancer. Many of us on the board have been personally touched by breast cancer - some of the board members are survivors, some of the board members are family members of a survivor, and some of the board members have lost loved ones to breast cancer. A huge part of finding a cure, is raising money for research and resources.
IN AND OUT OF THE OFFICE: THE DIFFERENCE YOU CAN MAKE
This year I took some time off from the board of Making Strides and the American Cancer Society, but boy, do I miss it! I was the Chair for the past 2 years for the Making Strides walk here in Mobile, AL. The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk of South Alabama is a walk to raise funds to end the fight against breast cancer. The American Cancer Society and their committee consists of men and women in all avenues of life who have come together to make this walk successful. We have so many people who have been touched by breast cancer, both survivors and fighters, friends, and family right here in our city. The walk is vital to the future of those who face this disease.
Economic Impact Payment Update
The IRS has announced that the deadline to use the non-filers tool to obtain the Economic Impact Payments is October 15, 2020. Economic Impact Payment is the official name for the stimulus payments that were made available under the CARES Act to help compact the economic impact of COVID-19. The IRS has stated that most eligible U.S. tax payers should automatically receive their Economic Impact Payment. Those who should have automatically received their Economic Impact Payment include:
AVOIDING PITFALLS BEFORE A HEARING
These are a few simple things people need to know before they get a Social Security hearing. I have worked in Social Security law for almost 20 years - there is a lot of information that is needed before having a hearing date. These are the top 3 things to consider before a hearing:
Study Shows Denied Claimants Rarely Return to Work
A study by Jody Schimmel Hyde, April Yanyuan Wu, and Lakhpreet Gill of the Mathematica Think Tank revealed that few Social Security disability applicants aged 51 and over return to substantial gainful activity after being denied benefits. The study found that the employment rate for applicants 51 or older who were denied by the Social Security Administration for disability was under 20 percent in each of the 5 years after denial. The study also found that applicants who did return to work after being denied had earnings below the substantial gainful activity level.
FIVE EFFECTIVE WAYS TO HELP YOUR DISABILITY CLAIM
1) GO TO THE DOCTOR.
