We have written on this topic before.  The VA has a challenge keeping personal information confidential.  We have seen VA post personal information on web sites. The VA has had hackers get into its computers.  The more typical breach of security is very routine – misdirected mail. This happens at all levels.  We have had the wrong veterans mail show up in court files, claim files and RO mail.  A Fort Myers man had someone’s personal information show up in his mailbox.  The man was not a veteran and he contacted VA and NBC news.

VA representative said the errors in processing or simply outdated information are often reasons why letters are sent to the wrong address.  “If they move out, the first thing they should do is let the VA know so we can ensure your items are mailed correctly,” VA said. “Protecting veterans information is so important to the VA, its something we take very seriously.”  The VA says these types of mishaps are rare and if you receive a letter not addresses to you then you should return it to sender or contact the local VA.

To watch the NBC video on this story:  http://www.nbc-2.com/story/16612627/va-sends-personl-info-to-wrong-mailbox

With millions of veterans and thousands of backlogged claims, VA is challenged by the mountain of paper that it handles yearly. If you ever get behind the door of the VARO, the piles of paper in the cubicles and on the floor would surprise you. From helping hundreds of veterans, we know that sometimes VA simply cannot even find your file. They don’t know what city it is in or what floor it’s on. The answer is to use technology that is readily available to tame the flood. The Secretary of the VA has proposed a fully paperless claim system by 2015.

Compensation and benefit claims pending at VA, as of January 23, 2012 totaled 852,127 and 65 percent of them — 557,460 — had been filed by veterans more than 125 days ago, which means they are in “backlog” status.

Over the last year VA processed almost a million claims, but more than 1.3 million new claims were filed — some seeking compensation for the first time but most seeking an upgrade to current disability ratings. The number of veterans filing claims annually has more than doubled since 2000.

To read about VA’s congressional testimony about the challenges and solutions:

http://www.jdnews.com/articles/paperless-99942-secretary-achieve.html

The VA has gone to great lengths to encourage veterans to seek mental health care to treat post traumatic stress disorder and other combat-related conditions. Since there are thousands of service men and women coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan over then next year, the VA is likely to see an even steeper hike in the number of veterans seeking mental health care.

The Senate’s Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held two hearings last year to investigate why veterans often have to wait far longer than the agency’s maximum of two weeks to be seen by a mental health care professional.

An executive with the Wounded Warrior Project testified that the VA is so understaffed and unprepared for the veterans who need mental health care, it is like watching someone treat an amputation with a band-aid.

In a November committee hearing, Senators heard from professionals within the VA as well as veterans’ advocacy groups who testified that the wait times have not shortened since the issue was brought to the committee in July.

Committee members explored many of the issues that hurt the VA’s ability to deliver appropriate mental health care to veterans. Mental health care carries a stigma among many in the military. It has historically been difficult to get veterans to seek this type of care, so the issue of wait times can compound the difficulty. The committee also explored issues with the number of health care professionals available to treat the veterans at each center and the hours that those doctors can keep in order to be available at the times that the veterans need the care.

Officials from within the VA testified that the agency has the right policies in place, but there is an implementation problem. Sen. John D. Rockefeller, D-W. Va., said he felt like the Office of Management and Budget was restricting what the VA witnesses could say in their testimony. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., said he thinks the VA’s focus on process instead of outcome restricts the agency’s ability to serve veterans.

The Committee’s chairwoman Patty Murray said mental health care is an area where the VA cannot afford to fail.

“Especially at a time when we are seeing record suicides among our veterans – we need to meet the veteran’s desire for care with the immediate assurance that it will be provided – and provided quickly,” she told the committee.

A qualified attorney can help veterans make sure they get the proper mental health care from the VA.

James G. Fausone is a Veterans disability lawyer and Veterans attorney with Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC. Learn more at http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com.

http://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/get-hired

Dr. Eugene Lipov believes PTSD can be treated by injecting an anesthetic into a grouping of neck nerves called the stellate ganglion. This procedure has been used for years to treat pain, but Lipov, an anesthesiologist, has had early success treating the stress, anxiety and “fight-or-flight” response that often accompanies PTSD, according to Stars and Stripes Magazine online.

PTSD is a severe anxiety disorder that often strikes members of the military who have been exposed to traumatic and horrific events. The Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes PTSD as a serious challenge facing many of the soldiers coming home from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as veterans of 20^th century wars who have been suffering from the PTSD silently for years.

Lipov believes that the shot to the back of the neck can effectively reset the nervous system that may have been set off kilter by traumatic events experienced at war.

Now that Lipov has FDA approval, a clinical trial is the next step but the doctor is struggling to get government funding for the trial.

In September, the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command turned down Lipov’s proposed $1.6 million clinical trial saying it was too ambitious and expensive for an untested concept and they were not convinced of the neurobiological explanations Lipov gave for why it works, according to Stars and Stripes.

The proposal’s review team acknowledged the treatment “…could lead to important innovations in the medical treatment of PTSD,” if a trial was successful, but has serious concerns about Lipov’s work.

Lipov has shown success in treating more than a dozen patients but the review team wanted a study with control groups.

The Army would like to explore Lipov’s treatment, according to Fort Detrick’s director of operational medicine research program Col. Carl Castro. The military spends more than $30 million a year researching PTSD. “[He] needs to do a scientifically rigorous study, and that way if he gets promising results, we can be confident in doing a much larger clinical trial,” Castro said.

Lipov told Stars and Stripes he is giving up on the Pentagon helping fund his research. He recently got a $100,000 grant to do a small study with a control group from the state of Illinois. About 20 veterans near Chicago signed up for the study last summer.

James G. Fausone is a Veterans disability lawyer and Veterans attorney with Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC. Learn more at http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com.

In 1982, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) completed construction of The Wall and now the VVMF is working again to complete another mission by building The Education Center. We’ve been asked to help create awareness and to get the word out about the National Call for Photos campaign.  The VVMF is trying to collect a photograph for each of the more than 58,000 men and women whose names are inscribed on The Wall. The VVMF is hoping the pictures that are collected will help to educate our children and grandchildren about the Vietnam War. The pictures will be used to help bring The Wall to life for all future generations by telling the story of the Vietnam War through the personal stories of those whose names appear on it.

 Please visit http://www.vvmf.org/pafwan to see the many ways you can help.

With ground-breaking for the Education Center set for November 11, 2012; funds are still needed for completion.  You can donate by texting WALL to 20222 to make a $10 donation to VVMF.

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

When you are sick and no one knows why it is frustrating.  If you are a veteran and believe that the undiagnosed illness is service related the frustration is heightened by VA’s refusal to grant disability compensation.

Veterans of the Persian Gulf War with undiagnosed illnesses have an additional five years to qualify for benefits from the VA. “Not all the wounds of war are fully understood,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “When there is uncertainty about the connection between a medical problem and military service, Veterans are entitled to the benefit of the doubt.” A recent change in VA regulations affects Veterans of the conflict in Southwest Asia.  Many have attributed a range of undiagnosed or poorly understood medical problems to their military services.  Chemical weapons, environmental hazards and vaccinations are among the possible causes.  At issue is the eligibility of Veterans to claim VA disability compensation based upon those undiagnosed illnesses, and the ability of survivors to qualify for VA’s Dependency and Indemnity Compensation.

Under long-standing VA rules, any undiagnosed illnesses used to establish eligibility for VA benefits must become apparent by Dec. 31, 2011.  The new change pushes the date back to Dec. 31, 2016.

http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2239

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

After hearing from thousands of veterans, I know that the stress of military life and war impact every veteran. 

Over the next decade, I can only imagine the disability claims that will be submitted by drone operators.  It is probably predictable that the VA will deny these claims because the service members were not in combat.  However, the DOD’s own research acknowledges the stress placed on the men and women who operate drones. About one in three airmen who operate cameras on high-altitude, remotely controlled spy planes and 30% of those who fly attack drones used to kill terrorists have emotional exhaustion. An Air Force psychologist conducted a six-month study of drone operators from 2010 to 2011. Researchers found clinical distress and mental illnesses such as anxiety or depression. Sixty-five percent to 70% of those with mental illness signs are not seeking treatment for it, researchers found.  Nearly 900 Air Force personnel were surveyed. Seventeen percent are women and 60% married. When they were first asked broadly about burnout, nearly half admitted it.

Let’s hope VA does not forget the impact the war has on these men and women.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2011-12-18/study-drone-operators-exhaustion/52053016/1

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

We are hearing more about and are coming to understand, the transition from military life back to civilian life for soldiers that have been deployed. There are things you get use to things in the service like routine, respect, order, and chain of command among other things. Yet when soldiers integrate back into the civilian world it’s about chaos, noise, bills, unemployment, disrespect, just to name a few. 

Almost 44% of the troops find returning home to be difficult.  A recent survey provides some surprising insights. According to the Pew Research Center study, being married during deployment is one of the variables that can make the transition back more difficult.  But attending religious services regularly made the transition easier. The Pew Research Center looked at a total of 18 variables and found that race, age at the time of discharge, having children under 18 while serving, length of service and number of deployments did not affect a veteran’s transition.  This research may help Department of Defense (DOD) target and understand the troops that may need additional help while in the transition.  Furthermore the general public should also be made more aware of these results so that they too can provide the necessary support that is needed during the transition.

 http://www.stripes.com/news/study-transition-to-civilian-life-harder-for-married-troops-1.162892

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

We get asked about how to obtain a Purple Heart by veterans on a regular basis.  This issue has even infiltrated pop cultures.  The CBS show “Harry’s Law” about a quirky law firm recently had a story line about an Iraq veteran who suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), but did not get a Purple Heart.  Since this is the military, it starts with filling out a form.  DD Form 149 is a request to correct military records. The veteran is asking the Department of Defense (DOD)  to adjust its military records to reflect that a combat injury was received, sufficient to require medical treatment, and that a Purple Heart was earned.  You must explain, document, and prove the nature of the injury.  As you start the process you should obtain a copy of your discharge papers, otherwise known as a DD214, and see if it reflects wounded in combat.  If not you will have to gather service or medical records to prove the combat injury.  A recommendation for the citation from your unit commander will go a long way or a buddy statement about the conditions under which the injury was received. It is a long process but worth it to prove ones status and obtain the recognition and benefits that go with the Purple Heart. Once the forms and evidence are sent into your service branch for review and the waiting will begin.  A veteran service organization (VSO), or other veterans advocate, should be contacted to help you.  The link to DD149 is below.

http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/infomgt/forms/eforms/dd0149.pdf

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com