Medical Issues / Disability, News and Press
Jim Fausone, Esq. RAND Corporation conducted a study comparing 135 VA health facilities to other health systems with similar characteristics. The VA systems graded similarly or better in the majority of categories analyzed. While the VA facilities performed well, the results also indicated a high amount of variation between individual facilities. Some facilities care for […]
Jim Fausone, Esq. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs approved funding from the VA State Veterans Home Construction Grant Program to build two new veterans homes in Michigan. One home will be constructed on the existing 90 acre property in Grand Rapids, and another at a location to be determined in Southeast Michigan. The VA […]
A part of the Veterans Home of California, the Pathway Home in Yountville, California is closing for an unspecified amount of time after employees were taken hostage by a gunman and killed. The home provided academic and vocational care for post-911 veterans in preparation for returning to the civilian world. The Pathway Home’s board of […]
Medical Issues / Disability, News and Press, Veterans Law
Kristina Derro, Esq. For 19 years, lower court precedent has prevented veterans from obtaining disability benefits based on pain alone. The Department of Veterans Affairs has, until this federal holding, required that pain be attributed to a specific medical diagnosis. Going forward, veterans should be able to obtain disability benefits for pain that is related […]
New research from the Veterans Administration TBI Model System shows that extreme differences exist in outcomes and characteristics between veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and civilians with TBI. The study highlights the important implications of long-term care for both injured veterans and their families. The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research […]
On March 3, AMVETS announced their new mental health care partnership alongside the Department of Veterans Affairs. This is the beginning of stronger efforts by both institutions to work against veteran suicide. The chief strategy officer of AMVETS said, “We have to start saving lives, not just talking about it.” The new program is nicknamed […]
Jim Fausone, Esq. A legal battle in South Carolina over a veteran’s benefits scheme was argued in federal court last week. The lawsuit claims that three veterans were illegally induced by an attorney, two businessman and five other companies to sell off part or all of their disability benefits in return for a lump sum […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently saw yet another personnel shakeup amid internal strife. VA Secretary David Shulkin’s chief of staff resigned following accusations of ethical violations. The inspector general released a report that found she misled an ethics lawyer in order to get permission for Shulkin’s wife to join him on his taxpayer-funded […]
Veterans seeking to alter or upgrade their discharge conditions can now do so more easily by using a new online tool. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) joined forces with the Department of Defense (DoD) to launch a program that provides customized guidance to former service members who were given an unfair discharge characterization or […]
It is no secret that an opioid problem is plaguing the nation’s veteran population. In an effort to continue its goal of transparency, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently made public data on opiate prescription rates at its medical centers nationwide. In January the VA started publicly posting the information for the first time […]