Intelligent, Aggressive Representation For The Injured And Disabled
NEW VA CLAIMS PROCESSBeginning March 24, 2015, the VA will institute a new process for filing claims for disability compensation. The new VA claims process will require the use of standardized forms to begin a claim. The new policy is a change from the informal claims...
EFFECTIVE DATE AND VA CLAIMS FOR HEARING LOSSIn the case of Swain v. McDonald, No. 14-0947, the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) reversed a Board of Veterans' Appeals' (Board) decision which assigned an incorrect effective date for Veteran's claim for...
UPDATE TO AGENT ORANGE REGISTRY The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs maintains a list of ships that were presumptively exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam Era. The VA has recently updated the list of ships that operated in Vietnam to add new ships, expand...
The Department of Defense has agreed to reconsider bad-paper discharges for Vietnam veterans and other past war veterans who may have suffered from combat-related PTSD and received other than honorable discharges. The Department of Defense has agreed to give "liberal...
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that it processed 1.3 million disability compensation and pension claims in fiscal year 2014 - the highest number in VA history. The number of claims processed in fiscal year 2014 surpassed the number of claims...
In 2012, Congress passed the Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejume Families Act, which provided, in part, for health care (for veterans who served at least 30 days in Camp Lejune) and co-pay reimbursements for veterans and family members who lived at...
Beginning next March, the Department of Veterans Affairs will offer standardized electronic forms. The VA hopes to streamline and speed up the claim filing process with the use of the electronic forms. In the past, veterans could file claims and appeals on any piece...
I recently attended a NOVA (National Organization of Veterans' Advocates) conference where the focus in assisting Veterans in their pursuit of disability benefits centered on a very common sense tactic: being simple. The Department of Veterans Affairs has been in the...
Steve House, a Veteran serving at Camp Carroll in South Korea, developed diabetes mellitus, type II. As a result of developing diabetes, the veteran developed peripheral neuropathy and erectile dysfunction. Veteran filed a claim for service connection for diabetes and...
Unfortunately, many veterans pass away before a decision can be made on his or her claim for benefits or before an appeal is completed. In such circumstances, survivors of the deceased veteran may, in some circumstances, take the place of the veteran and continue the...