Veterans and current military personnel have a higher rate of traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder than do non-military. According to Peter Gutierrez, the co-director of the Military Suicide Research Consortium in Colorado, individuals with traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder are more prone to suicidal and self-harming behaviors. Gutierrez’s consortium has paired with the U.S. military and additional research scientists to work to better understand and prevent self-harming behaviors and suicidal acts.

According to recent data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the number of suicide attempts and other self-harming behaviors among veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq was at the highest levels for two years after active duty and declined 50 percent between four and six years after active duty had ended.

“Our veterans need a broad and comprehensive support system to help them transition to civilian life and get the assistance they need,” stated veterans’ attorney James Fausone.

Still not widely understood is whether currently returning veterans, those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, have a higher rate of suicide compared to other veteran groups from previous wars. A study from the VA released this summer determined that the suicide risk for veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq who have been diagnosed with one or more mental health issues condition was four times higher was four times higher than for veterans without a diagnosed mental health issue. Additionally, male veterans were found to be more than 200 percent more likely to commit suicide than males who were not military veterans.

The risk for suicide does not seem to significantly decrease for veterans who pursue higher education. According to a study from the University of Utah, “Student Veterans: A National Survey Exploring Psychological Symptoms and Suicide Risk,” presented to the American Psychological Association, almost 50 percent of currently enrolled college students who served in the military have reported that they have considered suicide, a rate dramatically higher than for those college students who are not veterans. The need for adequate mental health support both for nonstudent and student veterans is of utmost importance, said study head, M. David Rudd. Researchers surveyed more than 500 veterans; 98 percent served in wars in Afghanistan or Iraq. Of those surveyed, almost 50 percent reported suicidal thinking, 20 percent indicated that they had experienced not only suicidal thoughts, but also a plan.

James G. Fausone is a Veterans disability lawyer and Veterans attorney with Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC. To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability attorney or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com.

The population of recent combat veterans in the U.S. is higher than at any time since the Vietnam era. So it should not be surprising that there seem to be an unprecedented number of veterans running for local and state offices this election cycle. Current candidates include Illinois congressional candidate and Iraqi vet Tammy Duckworth, California’s Republican nominee for the 53rd Congressional District and Iraqi vet Nick Popaditch, and Iraqi vet and Arizona State House candidate Mark Cardenas.

Meanwhile, the number of service people who hold public office continues to decline. Close to 90 percent of the members of the U.S. House and Senate were military members in 1969; currently, according the Congressional Research Service, only some 20 percent of members serve or have served in the military. The peak of post-military politicians peaked in the postwar era; by the end of the Second World War, there were roughly 16 million service people who “came home” to serve, including in political offices.

“Working in public office is just another way these men and women are serving their country,” stated veterans’ lawyer James Fausone.

The push to get more veterans into public office is helmed by Veterans Campaign, a non-partisan organization working to train veterans to run for public office. Their stated goal includes supporting and encouraging veterans by running workshops, lectures and research to demystify the campaign process. Veterans Campaign supports veterans as valuable and electable leaders, possessing exemplary leadership backgrounds, the ability to work with many different types of people and a depth of understanding the bureaucratic steps and tangles so familiar to anyone working with foreign policy affairs and government systems.

According to a Harvard study cited by Veterans Campaign, Americans are only becoming more confident in military personnel; currently, they state, 82 percent of U.S. citizens report confidence in the members of the armed forces. Younger Americans, ages 18 to 25, also report that they believe U.S. politics is excessively partisan. According to Veterans Campaign, this dissatisfaction with the current atmosphere is an opportune time to help veterans continue to serve their country, this time in office.

James G. Fausone is a Veterans disability lawyer and Veterans attorney with Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC. To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability attorney or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com.

When filling out paperwork for Veterans Administration benefits, it can often be helpful to recount the various stressors and traumatic events that happened while a service member was deployed.

“The first time a veteran fills out paperwork to claim benefits from the VA is when that vet needs to thoroughly outline his or her experiences,” said veterans disability lawyer Jim Fausone with Legal Help for Veterans. “It may have seemed like another day at the office for a vet who spent two deployments surrounded by explosions. It is important to document all of it as part of filing out claim paperwork.”

In order for a disability to be compensated, there has to be to some verification that a veteran was exposed to a specific stressor. This can be as simple as a newspaper clipping, or photos, letters or emails back home.

“It can be helpful to get corroboration from fellow soldiers who were on the scene, too,” Fausone said. “Veterans can attach letters to their paperwork from fellow service members.”

During the process, veterans will meet with a disability evaluation specialist in charge of documenting the specifics of the vet’s claim. It is here that Fausone suggests a veteran to be as specific as possible about their experience.

“There is no reason to be shy in these meetings,” Fausone said. “If a service member experienced traumatic events during classified missions, then it is important to tell them that, so that it will be recorded.”

Experiences need to be thoroughly documented for the VA benefits claims people so that a thorough evaluation can be made. If veterans are denied a disability claim or are given lower ratings than expected, an attorney can be hired to represent them as they challenge the decision.

James G. Fausone is a Veterans disability lawyer and Veterans attorney with Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC. To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability attorney or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com.

Many veterans who have been slow to ask a review board to reconsider their disability rating will get a nudge this year when the Department of Defense’s Physical Disability Review Board sends out letters inviting combat veterans to apply to have their ratings re-examined.

“So many veterans were originally given a disability percentage that is simply too low,” said veterans disability lawyer Jim Fausone of Legal Help for Veterans. “I hope that the mailings planned by the PDRB reach many of the veterans who have been under-served by the disability benefits system.”

Since it began operation in 2009, the PDRB has raised the rating on about 45 percent of the veterans whose cases it has seen. Unfortunately, only one in about every 35 qualified veterans have sought to have their disability percentage upgraded. These low numbers have sparked the DOD to actively invite veterans to have their cases reviewed so that veterans who need physical disability benefits can get them.

The application forms and letters explaining the PDRB will go out in four batches this year with between 13,000 and 20,000 mailers per batch. Veterans who were medically separated between 2001 and 2003 can expect their mailers first. By October, veterans medically separated as recently as 2008 and 2009 will get the last of the packages.

“Veterans who were misdiagnosed when their service branch first checked them out have been underserved by the veteran’s disability programs and are likely suffering because of that today,” Fausone said. “It is critically important that every qualified veteran apply to be re-evaluated.”

There are about 77,000 veterans who were medically separated between Sept. 11, 2001 and Dec. 31, 2009 with a disability rating of less than 30 percent. All of those veterans are due a re-evaluation because Congress determined that the service branches were too stringent with the disability ratings when they first applied them.

Veterans who need help accessing programs through the VA can contact a qualified veterans disability attorney.

James G. Fausone is a Veterans disability lawyer and Veterans attorney with Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC. To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability attorney or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com.

The Department of Veterans Affairs made a last-minute decision to extend the deadline for Gulf War veterans to develop symptoms of war-related illnesses for five more years, according to the VA.

“This is an important step by the VA to acknowledge that we simply do not know enough about the chronic illnesses veterans have developed as a result of the Gulf War,” said veterans disability lawyer Jim Fausone with Legal Help for Veterans. “The VA should not be cutting anyone off who is still developing symptoms from that war.”

Veterans will be eligible to apply for compensation for what the VA calls Medically Unexplained Chronic Multisymptom Illnesses until the end of 2016.

Many veterans returned home from the Gulf War with chronic pain and illnesses from headaches and memory loss to joint pain and fatigue. Medical professionals have had a difficult time pinning down the exact causes and treatments for some of the reported symptoms. The VA, in response, has agreed that chronic issues suffered for six months or more that a veteran thinks is related to his or her service in the war are presumed to be war-related.

“We owe it to these veterans to continue to research Medically Unexplained Chronic Multisymptom Illnesses so that we can find causes and cures,” Fausone said. “More research can help the medical community treat Gulf War veterans and prevent future soldiers from having similar problems.”

About 700,000 service members were deployed to the Middle East during the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991.

James G. Fausone is a Veterans disability lawyer and Veterans attorney with Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC. To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability attorney or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com.

By Jim Fausone
Veterans Disability Lawyer

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

By Jim Fausone
Veterans Disability Lawyer

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

By Jim Fausone
Veteran Disability Lawyer

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

By Jim Fausone
Veterans Disability Lawyer

As a national firm helping veterans with disability claims, we use a lot of different tools to fill in the facts on fuzzy memories.  Often the veterans need buddy statements from guys they simply recall by first name “Bruce” or nickname “Curly”, “Lefty” or “Hoosier”.  We check unit records and other service records and help the veteran jog their memory so than can find that long-lost friend or that unlucky soul that died in the attack.  It is with that experience in mind that an article about Ancestry.com caught our attention.   You know Ancestry as the web based company that helps people doing genealogy. 

The Provo, Utah, based website has been adding historical records to its site for the past 15 years, accumulating more than 7 billion records. It normally charges a monthly fee to its users but until December 7, 2011 it is free.  Of particular interest for those searching veterans’ records are the World War II Navy Muster Rolls, which include 33 million quarterly reports filed from 1939-49, detailing the location, rank and other information about nearly all enlisted personnel who served aboard ships during those years. Previously unreleased draft cards, cemetery records, photos, and information about various ships are also available.

You can read more at  http://www.stripes.com/news/us/website-makes-wwii-records-available-for-free-through-dec-7-1.162316

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

By Jim Fausone
Veterans Disability Lawyer

When the Wounded Warrior Project speaks, people listen – even Congress. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) should take immediate action to solve systemic gaps in mental health care for veterans according to WWP.  During Congressional testimony, WWP discussed its findings of a survey of over 935 respondents and emphasized the major changes the VA must implement swiftly in order to enact improvements to its responsiveness and effectiveness.

The WWP survey found that 62 percent of respondents requested mental health care through the VA.  As reported, 40 percent had difficulty in receiving the mental health care necessary or did not receive treatment needed. The survey found some common and recurring issues:

Lack of available mental health providers;

Not seeing the same therapist twice;

Difficulty in obtaining appointments with flexible scheduling surrounding work/personal commitments;

Distance to available VA clinics or hospitals.

VA and this Country can and must do better.  Read more about WWP and this survey at:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wounded-warrior-projecttm-testifies-before-us-senate-urges-immediate-va-action-to-improve-access-and-effectiveness-of-mental-health-care-for-veterans-2011-11-30

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