VA Benefits News

While medical and scientific research cannot replace a nexus opinion from a licensed physician, it is an important tool for veterans to both understand the nature of their disability and advance their disability compensation claim before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  VA disability claims commonly address difficult issues regarding etiology for a disability or differential...

As the linked ParamusPatch article documents, a not-for-profit organization, Honor Flight Philadelphia, is offering a free trip to Washington, DC, for World War II veterans.  The trip will include transportation, breakfast/lunch/dinner, visiting the WWII memorials, and a 1940s-style USO show.  Contact information can be found in the above link.

Many Vietnam veterans are unaware that they may be entitled to an earlier effective date of award for presumptive conditions related to Agent Orange exposure pursuant to Nehmer v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 712 F. Supp. 1404, 1409 (N.D. Cal. 1989).  If a veteran filed a claim between September 25, 1985 and the date the VA published a presumption of service connection for one of...

As the linked NJ101.5 article documents, Governor Chris Christie signed a bill into law to provide supplemental unemployment benefits to veterans who have exhausted their federal unemployment benefits. The law can extend unemployment benefits for an additional twenty-six weeks.

In celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, twelve Korean War veterans are cycling from the Fort Lee (NJ) Korean War Memorial to the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.  More information can be found in the article from the Fort Lee Patch and considering the age of the veterans, distance they are cycling, and what they survived sixty years ago,...

On June 26, 2013, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in United States v. Windsor, 570 U.S. ___ (2013), holding that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional because it is “a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment.”  Section 3 of DOMA  essentially defined “marriage” and...

On June 7, 2013, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Fed. Cir.) issued an opinion in Hall v. Shinseki.  The issued stemmed from Mr. Hall’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) claim based upon an allegation of an in-service sexual assault . On appeal, Mr. Hall argued that 38 C.F.R. § 3.304(f)(3) (fear of hostile military or terrorist activity) should apply to claims for PTSD...

The Department of Veterans Affairs has lauched an online library of veteran-specific health information, called the Veterans Health Library.  The website can be accessed at http://www.veteranshealthlibrary.org/. I had an opportunity to review some of the material and one of the best parts of the Veterans Health Library is the “medication” section.  Many of the veterans we represent...

As the linked Bloomberg article documents, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to increase the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) budget to $157.8 billion.  This represents a $13 billion increase from the VA’s current budget. Included in this increase is authorization to hire ninety-four (94) new employees to help address the well-documented backlog in VA disability and...

As the linked Washington Post obituary documents, Senator Frank Lautenberg passed away today at the age of eighty-nine (89).  Regardless of your politics, Senator Lautenberg’s legacy as a five-term congressman cannot be overstated.  His demeanor — which I find defines the personality of most of U.S. servicemembers — was described by his former press secretary as:  “He’s a...