Legal Help for Veterans blog.
Mental Health
Doug Brinker has come dangerously close in his life to becoming a casualty of the veteran suicide epidemic, more than once. The former Navy helmsman survived two suicide attempts and is now passionate about helping others recover from mental health crisis as he did. He does this as a peer support specialist at LifeWays Community […]
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News and Press
With the fast-spread of virus COVID-19, a new coronavirus, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) says it is adequately prepared and confident in its ability to handle it. The agency refused extra government funds at this time and is focusing on strengthening its supply chains and testing its processes, said Department Secretary Robert Wilkie. However, […]
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News and Press
The Department of Veterans Affairs has undergone a dramatic modernization in recent years, as it has been updating several of its technologies in clinics and hospitals. Many of these changes have increased patient engagement and, in the case of telehealth, have modeled effective new trends in care all over the country. Telehealth and telemedicine are […]
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News and Press
According to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Virginia by the National Veterans Legal Services Program, the Department of Defense is violating the law by no longer sharing information that helps veterans overturn less-than-honorable discharges from the military. The group says it no longer has access to military review board decisions on requests to […]
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News and Press
VA benefit eligibility for veterans exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War was expanded by the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019, which went into effect on January 1, 2020. Previously, only veterans who were serving on the ground in Vietnam were eligible for VA benefits for Agent Orange exposure-related disability. Now, […]
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PTSD
Title Boxing Kalamazoo in Portage, Michigan now offers free exercise classes specifically for veterans who are dealing with posttraumatic stress disorder. The hour-long class is called “Punch Out PTSD” and features a group conversation with a licensed therapist and a boxing workout. The owner of Title Boxing Kalamazoo, Amy Heyduck, is passionate about helping veterans. […]
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News and Press
The Department of Veterans Affairs will move to a new review structure for its healthcare facilities, doing away with the star rating system. This will increase transparency and allow veterans to more easily compare VA and non-VA hospitals and facilities in the same area. According to VA officials, the star-based rating system was implemented only […]
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News and Press
For veterans who suffer from chronic pain, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or other afflictions commonly affecting servicemen and women, it can be difficult to find successful and safe treatment options. These conditions affect day to day life and relief is often elusive. Considering this, it makes sense that most veterans — 83 percent — support […]
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PTSD
Despite increasing calls to do so, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs does not cover any costs associated with service dogs for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. The agency has conducted research on whether service dogs are an effective treatment for PTSD, but has not released any of its findings, and has delayed doing so several […]
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News and Press
A group of veterans who claim that they have been denied their rightful benefits have added more plaintiffs to the $500 million lawsuit against the Department of Defense they filed in August. There are 18 total veterans involved in the lawsuit so far. The group is suing the secretaries of the United States Army, Navy, […]
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