Legal Help for Veterans blog.
Medical Issues / Disability
Many veterans know from experience that there can be extremely long wait times when waiting for a decision on a disability claim from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Currently, tens of thousands of men and women are waiting while their claims move through the VA’s processes. One North Carolina man, Pete Lambert, waited nine years […]
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News and Press
A Marine veteran who served two tours in Iraq faces deportation to El Salvador, from which he emigrated when he was three years old. Jose Segovia Benitez was a legal permanent resident when he enlisted in the Marines and served for five years before he was honorably discharged in 2004. While in Iraq, Benitez suffered […]
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News and Press
A new report from the Office of the Inspector General determined that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mishandled sensitive data about veterans and potentially left them vulnerable to fraud and identity theft. Personal information about veterans were stored on two shared network drives and could have been remotely accessible by anyone with authorization to […]
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News and Press
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently embraced the use of video games in therapies for disabled veterans suffering from a variety of physical, mental and emotional problems. The VA has partnered with Microsoft to develop specially made adaptive controllers which allow those with limited mobility a way to more comfortably play video games. Gaming will […]
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PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder could be “contagious.” Although it is not transmitted via shared fluids, research shows that those who care for or regularly interact with a person who has experienced trauma are potentially at risk of developing secondhand PTSD. Although they did not experience or witness the trauma themselves, being in close contact with the […]
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News and Press
A medical malpractice lawsuit against a U.S. Naval hospital brought about by a Virginia couple whose son sustained serious injuries during birth has been settled by the federal government. The couple will receive $11.5 million for the care of their son, who is now five years old. The couple were both Naval officers and were […]
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News and Press
Findings from a study conducted by Pew Research Center showed that combat veterans who served in the military after the September 11th terrorist attacks reported benefiting financially from their service more than those who served before 9/11. Sixty-eight percent of the post-9/11 veterans reported that being deployed in the military had a positive impact on […]
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News and Press
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is implementing several highly anticipated changes to modernize its systems and processes and increase efficiency for the veterans it serves. The agency will soon have updated the rating schedule, modernized the appeals process, implemented an electronic health records system and streamlined the materiel acquisition process. Rating Schedule Update The […]
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Mental Health
Depression is a mood disorder that is, at once, extremely serious and extremely common. For veterans, it is a serious problem. Some estimates state that around 14 percent of military service members experience depression after deployment. Spouses and other family members of soldiers are also at an increased risk of experiencing the condition. Depression is […]
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News and Press
Researchers from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have found that military service may affect the long-term eating habits of female service members. The small study showed that poor eating habits in the military carried on even after the women had transitioned back to civilian life. The women involved with the study noted three different […]
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