VA Benefits News

On January 4, 2012, the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) published two new opinions/orders.  One of the cases, Checo v. Shinseki, concerned an untimely Notice of Appeal before the CVAC.  Earlier this month, we published a short article on appeals before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  The article, which can be accessed at Article on VA Appeals, provides an overview of the...

Today’s Miami Herald contains an article about the Soldier Ride, a bicycle ride from Miami to the Florida Keys for wounded veterans.  The article is worth reading if only because it tells the story of two young Soldiers, SSG Dennison and SPC Todd, who both lost their legs in Afghanistan only a few months ago during the same battle.  Their positive attitude and ability to overcome...

We recently published a short article on the appellate process for disability compensation claims before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  The article, which can be accessed at http://www.finkrosner.com/articles/va-appeal-process.html, provides a short, concise overview of how a veteran/claimant would appeal an unfavorable VA decision. This provides me with an opportunity to also...

On January 4, 2013, the Federal Circuit issued a published opinion in Harris v. Shinseki regarding what constitutes an informal claim for benefits before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  The opinion can be accessed at Harris v. Shinseki. The Federal Circuit ruled that the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) failed to properly consider the legal standard set forth in Moody v....

The Supreme Court denied petitioners’ request for Writ of Certiorari (cert. petition) today in both Veterans for Common Sense v. Shinseki, et al., and Byron v. Shinseki.  The Supreme Court order denying the cert. petitions can be accessed at Supreme Court January 7, 2012 Order. As documented in the linked Reuters Article, the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the case of...

Two veteran-related Petitions for Writ of Certiorari (cert. petition) were distributed for conference today before the Supreme Court of the United States.  Once distributed for conference, the Supreme Court will usually announce disposition of the case the following Monday.  Further explanation can be found at Supreme Court Link. The first cert peition, Veterans for Common Sense v. Shinseki,...

As the linked NJ.com Article notes, the Warriors’ Watch Riders is looking for volunteers to help support their troop ride support program. The Warriors’ Watch Riders is a grassroots, not-for-profit, group of who provide motorcycle escorts for returning troops. Their website is located at Warrior’s Watch Riders and provides a list of upcoming events and rides. You do not need...

On a frequent basis, I come across local veterans program that are unrelated to the Department of Veterans Affairs or veteran disability compensation.  Going forward, I will tag those posts under “NJ Veterans Programs” and hopefully will create comprehensive list of pro-veteran programs in the New Jersey area. The linked CBS News Article indentifies a music therapy program for...

Today’s veteran-related news includes an USA Today Article about the growing homeless veteran population and a NPR Report about the ever-present backlog of VA disability claims.  These are critical issues before the Department of Veterans Affairs and will require contributions on the part of the entire nation to resolve. Although these are systemic issues with no simple solution, the...

On December 21, 2012, the Senate unanimous confirmed William S. Greenberg, of New Jersey, to “be a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims for a term of fifteen years.”  As I blogged in a December 17, 2012 Post, Mr. Greenberg has a long history of military service as a reserve-component Army Judge Advocate General and an equally long history of pro bono...