Legal Help for Veterans blog.
Mar
03

Navy researchers develop sensors to improve TBI detection

News and Press

Although traumatic brain injury (TBI) is considered an invisible wound of war, its effects can be devastating. According to the Department of Defense, more than 327,000 veterans have been diagnosed with TBI since 2000. The Department of Veterans Affairs has invested millions of dollars into research for improving diagnosis and treatment of the brain injury. […]

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Mar
01

Paperless Fix Increases Number of VA Disability Claims on Backlog

Claims Processing, News and Press

Kristina Derro, Esq. The National Work Queue (NWQ) is a paperless workload management initiative designed to improve overall productive capacity and assist with reaching the goals of eliminating backlog. The problem is that backlog has actually increased since the NWQ came into place. Last May, when NWQ was put in place, the backlog stood at […]

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Feb
22

Camp Lejeune veterans to get 2 billion dollars in disability benefits for tainted water

News and Press

Veterans affected by contaminated drinking water at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune could soon get some relief after decades of fighting for their right to compensation. An official document published via the Federal Register on January 12 announced the Obama administration will provide disability benefits to exposed veterans who served at the Marine Corps base. Around […]

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Feb
15

Florida airport shooting puts spotlight on veterans mental health care

News and Press, PTSD

The recent shooting at Fort Lauderdale airport has drawn nationwide attention to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and exposed the gaps that exist in mental health care for veterans. The attacker charged with the shooting was an Iraq veteran who may have suffered from PTSD. Esteban Santiago is the sole suspect of the January 6 shooting […]

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Feb
08

New evidence at Michigan base could boost veterans’ water contamination claims

News and Press

Samples collected from hydrants could help veterans who were stationed at a former Air Force base in Oscoda, Michigan, get the long-awaited attention they are seeking from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for illnesses caused by poisoned drinking water. Veterans and their families were exposed to perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in their tap water at […]

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Jan
31

Free mental health clinics aim to offer alternative to VA care

Mental Health

A new series of mental health clinics for veterans have opened in an effort to fill a perceived gap in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system. Over the past three years, the VA has been criticized for long appointment wait times for veterans seeking care and other shortfalls. The new network of clinics seeks […]

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Jan
18

Unsterilized VA dental tools expose veterans to infection risk

News and Press

Around 600 veterans were told they may have been exposed to hepatitis or HIV while receiving dental care at the Tomah VA Medical Center in Wisconsin. According to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials, a VA dentist at the facility failed to properly sterilize his equipment. He re-used his own dental tools instead of following […]

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Jan
06

Ecstasy moves closer to getting approved as PTSD treatment

PTSD

Veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may soon have another form of treatment to turn to for relief when traditional therapies fail to work. The Food and Drug Administration on November 29 authorized large-scale phase three clinical trials of MDMA after promising results from earlier studies. The trial could help open doors to more […]

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Dec
30

Restaurant apologizes to veteran for denying free meal on Veterans Day

News and Press

Chili’s Grill & Bar apologized to an Army veteran who was humiliated by a restaurant manager when he doubted his military service and confiscated his free meal on Veterans Day. Ernest Walker, 47, ordered food at a Chili’s eatery in Cedar Hill, Texas, on November 11. The Tex-Mex chain is among several restaurants that offer complimentary […]

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Dec
22

Policy Expert Suggests Dropping Free Health Care for Veterans

Medical Issues / Disability, News and Press

Jim Fausone Veteran Advocate In an online essay, institute Director of Health Policy Studies at Cato Institute Michael Cannon offered a radical idea to transform the Department of Veteran Affairs. Cannon suggests that free health care not be provided for veterans and instead provide better pay and vouchers for veterans to buy their own coverage. […]

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