Are you concerned about lost VA Benefits? In October 2022, the Supreme Court will consider an obscure rule that, in many cases, sharply limits VA back pay in disability cases. The case is Arellano v. McDonough and involves a veteran diagnosed with PTSD in 1981 but did not apply for VA disability benefits until 2011. […]
As part of its fiscal year 2023 budget proposal, the VA wants expanded infertility treatment and payment options related to sexual health. Specifically fertility treatments. It has asked for an additional $10.5 million as part of its proposal, an increase from prior years. The proposal would require legislation allowing the VA to expand covered fertility […]
VA disability back pay represents the accumulation of benefits that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) owes a veteran. Specifically, it’s the compensation that accrues between the effective date of a successful disability claim and the date when the claim is finally approved and processed for payment.
Starting January 1st, 2021, VA disability recipients saw a 1.3% increase in monthly benefits due to the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) adjustment. This increase is consistent with the rise in Social Security benefits. Understanding the VA Disability Rating System The VA disability rating system is complex and often subjective. Standard addition doesn’t apply when […]
In many situations, lay statements in a disability claim are very effective. Brain injuries are a good example. Since the brain often conceals its own injuries, many of these Veterans do not realize how badly they are hurt. So, a combination of their own testimony and a clinical medical exam only tells part of the […]
Veterans subjected to radiation exposure at Enewetak Atoll and the Marshall Islands may be eligible for VA disability benefits. In the early days of the Cold War, mostly during the 1950s, the United States and other nuclear powers routinely conducted atmospheric tests of weapons like hydrogen bombs. Most U.S. testing occurred in the Marshall Islands, […]
The legacy of Vietnam and Agent Orange continues to impact countless veterans. Agent Orange, a powerful herbicide used during the Vietnam War, has been definitively linked by medical science to a range of severe health conditions. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) now recognizes specific cancers and numerous other health problems as presumptive diseases associated […]
In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA), Thomas B. Newman, M.D., MPH, and co-workers show that all cholesterol-lowering drugs, both the early drugs known as fibrates (Clofibrate, Gemfibrozil) and the newer drugs known as statins (Lipitor, Pravachol, Zocor), caused cancer in rodents at the equivalent doses used by humans. Researchers […]
Shortchanging Combat-Injured Veterans by the VA is under scrutiny. The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims has certified its first class action lawsuit. As a result, Veterans who served in Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan may potentially be impacted. The CAVC filed the class action lawsuit on March 2, 2017. The […]
Understanding VA Disability Compensation The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will pay monthly Veterans Disability Compensation to Veterans who have a service-connected disability. Veterans who received their discharge under circumstances other than honorable are eligible. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs describes Disability Compensation: The VA Disability Compensation is a tax-free monetary benefit paid […]