Frequently, the key to obtaining Total Disability due to Individual Unemployability (TDIU) benefits is successfully filling out VA Form 21-8940. It’s an application for Individual Unemployability disability benefits for a service-connected condition that prevents you from keeping a steady job. While this form is the required application, knowing how to fill it out properly is […]
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, disaster, or war. The symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, such as nightmares, depression, and flashbacks, often make it difficult or impossible to function at work, home, or anywhere else. The nature […]
The Compensation and Pension medical exam system has always had a delay. This year, between some structural changes and the coronavirus pandemic, backlog has tripled. Before the pandemic hit, the VA was well into the process of contracting C&P examinations to non-VA doctors. 60% of examinations were by contractors, rising to nearly 100%. During the […]
To better address the needs of veterans with minor run-ins with the law, the City of Glendale plans to have a designated veterans’ court up and running by October 2021. Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers is a longtime veterans’ advocate. “This is something I think everybody knows I’ve been wanting to have for quite some time […]
Generally, a combination of a medical diagnosis, the disability’s symptoms, and its effect on the Veteran’s everyday life determines the amount of benefits the disabled Veteran receives. A change in any one of these areas could significantly, and positively, affect your VA disability rating. The amount of monthly financial benefits depends primarily on the disability rating. […]
PTSD is one of the most common disabilities among veterans. When they go through traumatic events, many people have symptoms like depression, nightmares, and hypervigilance. If these symptoms persist for more than a few weeks, or they get worse instead of better, the person probably has PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is also one […]
All disability determinations involve a combination of medical and economic factors; this is also true for TDIU eligibility. The doctor never sits you down and tells you, “You are 30% disabled.” That’s because it’s not just about your diagnosis. It’s about how your condition affects you and what it stops you from doing. This is […]
The Veterans Administration recently released results for the 2019 fiscal year . Including the most common VA disabilities. In its defense, the VA’s fiscal year is different from the calendar year. And 2020 was a very busy year for all government agencies, including the VA. Other priorities, such as vaccinating as many Veterans as possible, […]
A bipartisan effort is underway to extend Agent Orange exposure benefits to service members who served in other parts of Southeast Asia during Operation Ranch Hand. Pennsylvania Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R) and Matt Cartwright (D) introduced a bill that would apply to Veterans who were stationed in Laos, Cambodia, or Thailand during Operation Ranch Hand. […]
In the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein set Kuwait’s oil fields on fire. Most of us have seen pictures of the thick, black, toxic smoke blanketing the region. In the Iraq War, a similar danger emerged. Toxic smoke, this time from our own large burn pits, claimed thousands of victims in Iraq […]