Legal Help for Veterans blog.
News and Press
A recent report from the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) shows that whistleblowers still face retaliation when reporting wrongdoing at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It has been almost three years since a whistleblower revealed that hundreds of veterans died while awaiting appointments at the Phoenix VA hospital. Now, whistleblowers allege little has changed […]
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News and Press
Kristina Derro, Esq. As a result of the epidemic that has been plaguing the nation, individuals are looking for the easiest place to get their hands on prescription opioids. In recent years, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities have been one of the many victims of this epidemic. In 2009, there were 272 reported incidents […]
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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