Legal Help for Veterans blog.
News and Press
A recent report that a one-star general and former commander of the Michigan Air National Guard scammed nearly $200,000 represents a stain on the reputation of military officers in positions of power. Brigadier General Richard G. Elliot, Michigan’s former Air adjutant general, is reported by the inspector general (IG) to have used his public office […]
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Medical Issues / Disability, News and Press
Michigan has a significant concentration of resident veterans – around 700,000. However, in December, it was revealed that Michigan also has the lowest percentage of veterans who utilize benefits and services available to them. According to a report released by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, only 142,260 veterans use services available to them such as […]
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News and Press
A $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill, passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday this week, continues to punish the pockets of military retirees. I wrote earlier this month about the budget deal that hurt veterans by eliminating Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) from their pensions – resulting in thousands of dollars taken out of […]
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Claims Processing, Medical Issues / Disability, Mental Health, News and Press
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) linked five more illnesses to traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The good news for veterans suffering from these illnesses, as well as TBI, is that they will have an easier time getting much-needed additional disability benefits. The five conditions linked to moderate to severe TBI were: Parkinson’s disease, certain types […]
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News and Press, PTSD
Politics — and specifically the politics of the budget in Washington — have long played zero-sum games. Some constituencies “win,” and others do not fare so well. Unfortunately, the latest budget crafted on Capital Hill may deliver a body blow to the nation’s veterans. It has already been reported that the budget compromise hammered out […]
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News and Press
The story is told of his act of heroism in the obituary in the New York Times: As Christmas 1970 approached, 43 American prisoners of war in a large holding cell at the North Vietnamese camp known as the Hanoi Hilton sought to hold a brief church service. Their guards stopped them, and so the […]
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Medical Issues / Disability, News and Press
Matthew Worley, Esq. Upon hearing the term “service animal,” most people automatically envision guide dogs for the visually impaired. Dogs have also been trained to help individuals prone to seizures. But are other types of animals permitted to be used as service animals? Our municipal clients had to answer this question recently. For instance, many […]
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News and Press, Veterans Law
We were recently asked by an immigration lawyer if an Iraqi citizen (whose civilian husband was killed by US troops) or her children could sue the US Government. The incident took place in Iraq during 2005. An Iraqi civilian, his wife and two children were driving in an area where there was troop movement. Military […]
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News and Press
Jim Fausone Veterans Disability Lawyer One of America’s unique features for the last 238 years is the diversity of the population. Over time the diversity has been broadened from British, French, German, Polish, and Irish to include people from every continent. Sometimes they came for the opportunity and sometimes they were forced to come to […]
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News and Press, Veterans Law
Homelessness is surely one of the crueler manifestations of poverty, and it often reveals a lack of support networks within a community. One would be hard-pressed to find a more heart-wrenching victim of homelessness than a veteran. Unfortunately, homelessness among former members of the armed services is not all that uncommon. The Department of Housing […]
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