Blog: News & Insights

The linked Las Vegas Sun article documents a group of World War II veterans who are reaching out to Iraq and Afaghanistan veterans who have found themselves facing criminal charges before a specialized veteran treatment court in Nevada.  Regardless of their age, some of my most thought-provocating moments have occurred after talking to WWII veterans.  I applaud them for taking time to share...

On Monday, Linda and I did a talk at the State Bar Foundation on the “Medicare Medicaid Maze.”  One of the issues that attendees were very concerned about was the issue of Medicare Observation Status and how that impacts Medicare payment for post-acute rehabilitation.  Medicare law requires beneficiaries to stay at least three days as a hospital inpatient before the entitlement...

On February 27, 2013, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) issued an opinion in Shephard v. Shinseki regarding a veteran’s entitlement to veteran disability compensation during a period of incarceration.  The CAVC held that, as a matter of law, a veteran subject to a reduction of compensation payments as a result of incarceration is not entitled to recoupment of that...

In January 2012, the Department of Veterans Affairs opened a new Vet Center in Oakland New Jersey.  The Oakland Vet Center is located at 169 Ramapo Valley Road, Oakland, N.J. 07436, and can be contacted at (908) 591-1240 or (908) 748-0980. As the linked NorthJersey.com Article documents, Vet Centers continue to open up around communities to assist with veterans seeking counseling, job...

Great news for New Jersey!  After some indecision, Gov. Christie announced in his budget that he will be expanding Medicaid-provided health insurance to those New Jerseyans whose modified adjusted gross income is equal to or less than 133% of poverty (138% when a 5% income disregard is included) in 2014.  Those above this income amount, but less than 400% of the poverty level, will receive...

As the following Stars and Stripes article documents, programs within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are exempted from the mandated spending cuts that will take effect on March 1, 2013.  Therefore, veterans receiving direct benefits from the VA should not be effected by the sequestration. Although, VA benefits will not be directly effected, veteran programs from other federal agencies...

Justice Cardozo once observed, “The work of a judge is in one sense enduring and in another ephemeral. . . .   In the endless process of testing and retesting, there is a constant rejection of the dross and a constant retention of whatever is pure and sound and fine.” B. Cardozo, The Nature of the Judicial Process, 178-79 (1921).  I have come to accept that the Federal Circuit’s (Fed....

The following press release from the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (LWD) documents that Governor Christie’s administration has partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to provide resources and support for veterans seeking employment.  The press release can be found at LWD Press Release. More information about the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s...

On February 21, 2013, the Federal Circuit (Fed. Cir.) issued a published opinion in Walker v. Shinseki overturning an entire body of case law that had developed regarding establishing service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303(b). The opinion can be accessed at Walker v. Shinseki. In Walker v. Shinseki, the Fed. Cir. held that chronicity is “only available to establish service connection...

On February 19, 2013, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) issued an opinion in Bowers v. Shinseki concerning the presumption of service connection for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and whether a period of active duty for training for a National Guard Soldier qualified for this presumption.  In Bowers, the veteran served in the Army National Guard from March 1972...