Our office deals with many cases involving prostate cancer, especially those that are presumptively service connected due to exposure to Agent Orange. Often, the VA fails to address the multitude of issues that a Veteran is experiencing due to his prostate cancer. ...
Disability solutions for you and your family
Jennifer Byrd
New Presumptions added to Agent Orange List as of January 1, 2021
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,...
VA Disability Pay for Troops with Debilitating Cases of COVID-19
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...
VA Planning to Outsource All Compensation and Pension Exams
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...
ANOTHER STEP FORWARD FOR BURN PIT EXPOSURE RECOGNITION
Burn Pit exposure recognition has been taken up in the House and the Senate. The House has questioned VA officials regarding whether or not the VA is doing enough to help Veterans with serious injuries caused by burn pits. In the Senate, legislation has been advanced...
The View from a Military Spouse
This blog was written by Jan Lipske, VA legal assistant at Gardberg and Kemmerly: My name is Jan and I am a proud spouse of a military veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard. Recently I went to renew my ID card at ATC Mobile. As a military spouse, I have learned over the...
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...
VA BACKLOG EXPANDS AMID COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the VA suspended in person compensation and pension examinations (C&Ps). There were more than 230,000 C&Ps scheduled which were suspended pending the pandemic. Lawmakers frrm the House met on May 27, 2020 to discuss the growing...
VA CONTINUES TO DENY AGENT ORANGE AND OTHER TOXIN EXPOSURE ON GUAM
Previously, this blog discussed a study, from the National Veterans Legal Services Program and Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School, which showed that Veterans who served in Guam from 1962 to 1975 were likely exposed to toxins, including Agent Orange....
VETERANS WHO SERVED IN GUAM EXPOSED TO AGENT ORANGE AND OTHER TOXINS
While many Veterans who have served in Guam have asked for VA benefits due to their exposure to Agent Orange and other toxins, the VA has been reluctant to acknowledge those claims. In November of 2018, a Government Accountability Office Report was released and the...