Legal Help for Veterans blog.
News and Press, PTSD
New research published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress suggests that the practice of yoga could help combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study examined the effects of Sudarshan Kriya yoga on PTSD patients over the course of one year. Sudarshan Kriya focuses on breathing-based meditation. Twenty-one male Iraq/Afghanistan veterans diagnosed with […]
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News and Press, Veterans Law
In early December, the Clay Hunt SAV Act was unanimously passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is designed to mobilize resources to address the current crisis in veteran suicides. But less than a week later, a sole U.S. senator, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, placed a hold on the bill, stopping further progress […]
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News and Press
Carol Ann Fausone Brigadier General (ret) Positive reports surfaced last year on the significant reduction of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) backlog in benefits claims – VA workers slashed the backlog by over half to 245,000. VA officials were optimistic on cutting that number to zero by the end of 2015…but now that appears […]
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Claims Processing, Medical Issues / Disability, Mental Health
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced in early December that it would expand eligibility for veterans in need of mental health care due to sexual assault or sexual harassment that occurred during their military service. This expansion comes under the authority from the recent VACAA legislation (Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014). […]
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News and Press
Post-9/11 veterans face a host of physical and emotional trauma, along a high rate of medication usage. Combined, these factors place young veterans at a much higher risk of dealing with sexual dysfunction. For couples, a healthy sexual relationship can be a source of joy and resilience throughout life. However, that relationship can become difficult […]
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News and Press, PTSD
Eric Calley, a Michigan veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), felt that the flight crew on his US Airways flight had been acting in an insensitive manner from the start, reports the Lansing State Journal. Before the flight even took off, crew members repeatedly informed other passengers that Calley had a medical disability when discussing […]
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News and Press, Veterans Law
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and veterans disability recipients will see their benefits increase by 1.7 percent in 2015. The increase represents the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which is automatically applied to Social Security benefits. Although benefits will increase slightly, the cost of living is also projected to increase. In particular, the USDA projects that […]
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Medical Issues / Disability, Mental Health, News and Press, PTSD
In a holiday season supposed to be filled with charity and good-will, people’s experience at the airport terminals at this time of year is the exact opposite of comfort and joy. And recently, US Airways had to apologize to a veteran for the way its flight attendants treated his service dog. Eric Calley, a Marine […]
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Claims Processing, Medical Issues / Disability, Mental Health, PTSD
Veterans looking for an upgrade to their punitive discharges related to behavior problems caused by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can find assistance at a new website: https://arba.army.pentagon.mil/adrb-ptsd.cfm This initiative follows a recent directive to the Army’s Review Board Agency (ARBA) to help those veterans whose discharges were under “other than honorable” conditions, and who assert that […]
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News and Press, Veterans Law
Many veterans have service-connected disabilities that render them unable to work, even if the veterans’ disabilities have not caused them to be rated 100 percent disabled by the Veterans Administration (VA). At VA, this status is known as Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU), also referred to as individual unemployability. With this status, a […]
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