Legal Help for Veterans blog.
Medical Issues / Disability, News and Press, PTSD
The results of a recent U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) study show that mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy can be more effective in helping to reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans than other forms of group treatment. The study was carried out at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where […]
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Medical Issues / Disability, Mental Health, News and Press, PTSD
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) observed June 27 as National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness (PTSD) Day for the fourth consecutive year, while the Senate passed a resolution designating June as National PTSD Awareness Month in an effort to improve diagnosis and treatment for veterans suffering from PTSD. The resolution recognizes that PTSD is […]
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Medical Issues / Disability, News and Press
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine indicates that veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at an increased risk of developing sleep apnea. Some PTSD symptoms include nightmares, heightened emotional reactions and negative changes in mood. Researchers examined 159 Afghanistan and Iraq veterans with PTSD symptoms and found that 69 percent […]
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Medical Issues / Disability, Mental Health, News and Press
The suicide rate among military veterans has been given significant attention in the last decade from the media and military officials. Through past reports, experts were able to determine that active service members are less likely to commit suicide. Only when they leave the military do suicide rates skyrocket. Though much research has been conducted […]
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Medical Issues / Disability, News and Press, Veterans Law
Nearly 100 veterans and their family members attended a community forum last week to get information on the effects of exposure to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. From the 1950s to 1987, some 750,000 people were exposed to polluted drinking water, which contained harmful chemicals from spills, a dump site on the […]
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Medical Issues / Disability, News and Press, Veterans Law
We want to thank the Blue Water Navy Awareness group for sharing with us two critical pieces of legislation that were recently introduced in Congress. The pair of bills relate to Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans and their ability to get service-connected disability benefits for diseases associated with Agent Orange and other herbicides used during […]
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Medical Issues / Disability, News and Press
Many veterans who qualify for health coverage from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) do not see the benefit in enrolling in Medicare when they become eligible. In the first place, some parts of the Medicare plan require the payment of a monthly premium. Additionally, many veterans have found their healthcare coverage from the VA […]
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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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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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