Legal Help for Veterans blog.
News and Press
The nation’s and Michigan’s military veterans recently received great news with an increase in their cost of living allowance (COLA) from the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA implemented a 2.8 percent boost in their annual benefits pay for veterans this year. The increase is the largest single-year boost since 2012 and is […]
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Employment, News and Press
Pingree Detroit has recently sprung up, a working cooperative that aims to help veterans by hiring them specifically to make all kinds of footwear from recycled material. The cooperative gets its name from Hazen S. Pingree, one of Michigan’s Governors that started out as a civil war veteran that went on to make boots after […]
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News and Press, Veterans Law
The Board of Veterans’ Appeals is an integral part of the VA. It handles veteran appeals of decisions not to provide benefits for conditions associated with the military. When selecting new judges, the VA secretary appoints candidates who are then approved by the president. Historically, whether a judge is approved or not depends on their […]
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Employment, News and Press
Many veterans can find it a bit difficult to decide where to go after being discharged from the military. What should I do now? What kind of job would be best? Job fairs can only help so much. Grow with Google has designed and released a program specialized in helping veterans find a job based […]
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News and Press
Heather Wilson, the Secretary of the Air Force, has called for an increase in the number of operation air force squadrons by 74. This notable increase in firepower in the skies is part of an initiative to give the Air Force the strength it would need to fight an enemy country as strong as the […]
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News and Press
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has its fourth leader in five years after President Donald Trump swore in Robert Wilkie July 30. The Senate confirmed Wilkie, who most recently served as the VA’s acting secretary, with a vote of 86 to 9. Veterans groups like The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars […]
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News and Press
For 25 years, a computer glitch at the Department of Defense taxed non-taxable disability severance payments, resulting in hundreds of thousands of veterans overpaying their taxes. The disability payments to veterans injured in combat are tax-free. However, the Defense Department’s automated payment system did not distinguish those payments from taxable income between 1991 and 2016 […]
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News and Press, Veterans Law
Jim Fausone, Esq. Until now, domestic violence and assault have both been categorized as the same crime, according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. This month President Trump signed the Annual Defense Authorization Act into law. This act included a 2.6 percent pay raise for troops, but also classified Domestic Violence a separate crime […]
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News and Press
If you ask a service member what keeps them going on a morning without much sleep or a late guard shift, you might expect to get an answer like “Sense of Duty” or “Motivation.” The popular answer, however, is generally coffee. Coffee has been an integral part of the United States Military since before the […]
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News and Press
During a Senate confirmation hearing, Robert Wilkie, the nominee to head the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), testified he is against the privatization of VA care and pledged to better integrate outside health systems. Wilkie, who most recently served as the VA’s acting secretary, said if he is confirmed to lead the expansive federal […]
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