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,...
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Veterans Disability Benefits
Automobile and Auto Adaptive Equipment Through the VA
Some Veterans may be eligible for a one-time grant of up to $21,488.29 from the VA to purchase an adapted automobile. This grant is paid directly to the seller. In order to be eligible for this grant, a Veteran must be entitled to compensation due to one of the...
Personal Information of Roughly 46,000 Veterans Exposed in Hack on VA
Earlier in September 2020, the VA was the target of a hack that compromised the personal information of roughly 46,000 Veterans within the VA system. Specifically, the most concerning information that has been put at risk is the affected Veterans' Social Security...
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...
Contamination at K2 – Part 2
In 2015, the Army published an in-depth look at illnesses reported at Karshi-Khanabad, known by soldiers as K2, an old Soviet base leased to the United States from the Uzbek government after September 11, 2001. As mentioned in my first blog regard K2, the study found...
Contamination at K2 – Part 1
Karshi-Khanabad, known by soldiers as K2, was an old Soviet base leased to the United States from the Uzbek government after September 11, 2001 because it was just a few hundred miles from al Qaeda and Taliban targets in northern Afghanistan. However, it is believed...
VA Using Technology to Speed Mail Processing Times
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...
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...
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....