Legal Help for Veterans blog.
News and Press
VA Malpractice Data by Kristina Derro Veterans Disability Lawyer Recent data published by the Project on Government Oversight revealed that VA paid out over a dozen million-dollar malpractice payouts because of either failure on the part of VA to obtain informed consent from its patients or VA’s health care providers failing to timely diagnose and […]
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Claims Processing, Mental Health, Veterans Law
by Kristina Derro Veterans Disability Lawyer The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit unleashed its fury on the VA last week in a decision where the judges ruled that the “unchecked incompetence” by the VA had led to poor mental health care and slow processing of disability claims for veterans. Two nonprofit […]
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Medical Issues / Disability, News and Press
by Jim Fausone Veteran Disability Lawyer Have you noticed that when the national press talks about the cost of war it ignores the medical costs associated with the military and veterans? The VA budget is a reminder of the prolonged cost of war. A recent analysis of the DOD budget also drives this home. Costs […]
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Medical Issues / Disability, News and Press, Veterans Law
By Jim Fausone, Veteran Disability Attorney Were you medically discharged from service? Was your discharge between the dates of September 11, 2001 and December 31, 2009? Were you discharged with a combined disability rating of 0%, 10% or 20%? If you have answered yes to all of these questions, then the DoD has created a […]
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Claims Processing, Medical Issues / Disability, News and Press
by Jim Fausone Veteran Disability Lawyer We all know the IEDs and TBI are the signature problems of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Battlefield doctors in Afghanistan diagnosed more than 300 troops per month with concussions or mild traumatic brain injuries last summer. A recent study suggested an eighth of an inch of padding would decrease injuries […]
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PTSD
by Jim Fausone Veteran Disability Lawyer I knew it was coming. VA now has an app for that. It recently announced an app for PTSD. The government application for smart phones is called “PTSD Coach” and users can track their PTSD symptoms, links them with local sources of support, provides accurate information about PTSD, and teaches helpful […]
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Claims Processing, News and Press
by Jim Fausone Veteran Disability Lawyer When VA recognized additional presumptive disabilities, you could expect an increase in claims. So the VA added 3,000 claims processors last year, for a total of 14,000. Nevertheless, the number of veterans’ initial disability claims taking more than four months to complete has doubled. The number of claims that take […]
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Claims Processing, News and Press, Veterans Law
by Kristina Derro Veteran Disability Lawyer A 2008 survey performed by the military revealed that over 21% of service women are victims of Military Sexual Trauma (MST). Unfortunately, due to the private nature and the stigma attached to this type of assault, along with the embarrassment and fear of retaliation that the victims have, most […]
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News and Press
by Jim Fausone Veteran Disability Lawyer After fighting for benefits for years, a veteran is awarded compensation but VA can still cause immense frustration by declaring a veteran incompetent and appointing a fiduciary. A fiduciary is not appointed by a court, just a VA employee. The fiduciary may be a family member or it may […]
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Medical Issues / Disability, Mental Health, News and Press, PTSD, Veterans Law
There are two important points here: (1) you are entitled to a Purple Heart if you suffered a TBI as a result of enemy action and (2) because Purple Heart status entitles you to special treatment by VA, it is important to receive the Purple Heart. Military Uniform Regulations currently call for awarding Purple Heart […]
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