Blog: News & Insights

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...

If you are a current servicemember serving away from your family, I truly hope that the men and women serving beside you can provide a secondary-family environment to make the holiday season special.  If you are a veteran, or the family of a veteran, the attorneys and staff at Fink Rosner Ershow-Levenberg wish you a happy holiday. In the spirit of the holiday season, I have linked to an...

In welcome news for many aging veterans and surviving spouses who receive pension through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the VA will no longer require those recipients to file annual Eligibility Verification Reports (EVR).  More information about the VA pension programs can be found in an earlier blog post at...

On December 19, 2012, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a published opinion, Butler v. United States, No. 11-2408, distinguishing the evidence neccessary to establish a dependency and indemnity (DIC) claim before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pursuant to 38 U.S.C. § 1151, versus a wrongful death and loss of consortium claim under the Federal Tort Claims...

The linked National Journal article, regarding the diminishing number of veterans in Congress, comes in the wake of Senator Daniel Inouye’s death.  Senator Inouye had a remarkable career in both the House of Representatives and Senate.  He was a member of Congress since Hawaii achieved its statehood in 1959.  Prior to his career in politics, Senator Inouye served in WWII in a regiment of...

As the below articles document, women veterans is one of fastest growing segments of the veteran population.  It is estimated that women veterans will comprise ten percent of the total veteran population by 2020.  One of the partners at Fink Rosner Ershow-Levenberg previously addressed one of the issues that some female veterans have encountered, sexual trauma while in the military, in a May...