FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT (ONLY)
(All Countries Except the Philippines)
VA Foreign Medical Program Office
PO Box 469061
Denver, CO 80246-9061
Telefax: 303-331-7803
E-mail: hac.fmp@med.va.gov

FOR EDUCATION BENEFITS (ONLY)
VA Regional Office
PO Box 4616
Buffalo, New York 14240-4616
Telefax: 716-857-3196 or 716-857-3197
Internet Website: Education Questions and Answers

FOR LIFE INSURANCE BENEFITS
VA Regional Office and Insurance Center
P O Box 7208
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19101
Telefax: (888) 748-5822
Internet Contact: Contact the VA

FOR HOME LOAN GUARANTY BENEFITS
VA Loan Eligibility Center
PO Box 20729
Winston-Salem, NC 27120

For overnight delivery:

VA Loan Eligibility Center
251 N. Main St.
Winston-Salem, NC 27155
Toll free number: 1-888-244-6711
E-mail: NCELIGIB@vba.va.gov

FOR VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AND EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
VA Regional Office, Pittsburgh Regional Office

MEXICO, SOUTH & CENTRAL
AMERICA, the CARIBBEAN
Benefits Only
VA Regional Office
6900 Almeda Road
Houston, TX 77030
Telefax: 713-794-3818
Internet Contact: Houston VA Regional Office

ALL OTHER COUNTRIES (Except the Philippines)
Benefits Only
VA Regional Office
Foreign Claims
1000 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-4004
Telefax: 412-395-6057
Internet Contact: Pittsburgh Regional Office

CANADA
Benefits Only
VA Medical and Regional Office Center
Hartland Road
White River Junction, VT 05009
Telefax: 802-296-5174
Internet Contact: White River Junction Regional Office

PHILIPPINES

Benefits and Medical Care
VA Regional Office:
1501 Roxas Blvd.
Manila, Philippines
Telefax: 011-632-318-8387
Internet Contact: Manila Regional Office

David W. Magann, Esq.
U.S.M.C. Veteran
www.TampaVeteransLawyer.com
813-657-9175

On July 24, 2013 at 2:30 am, Anthony Lizza of Old Forge, PA, and Jeffrey Godeck of Moosic, PA, were stopped in the middle of the roadway on busy Interstate 81, just before the exit to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport. Apparently, the 2002 Ford minivan in which the two men were traveling had some sort of mechanical breakdown, which caused the vehicle to stop in the travel lanes. It is unknown at this time if the minivan had its emergency four way flashers turned on.

Shortly thereafter, a tractor trailer traveling northbound struck the stopped minivan in the rear. The impact sent both vehicles into the grassy center median between the north and south bound travel lanes of Interstate 81. Both Mr. Lizza and Mr. Godeck were killed, and it is unknown whether the truck driver was injured.

Night time breakdowns such as this are an extreme hazard, and motorists in a stopped vehicle must take extra measures to ensure their own safety. The most important thing that a stopped motorist can do is to engage their emergency, four way flashers. Without the flashers on, it is very difficult in darkness for an oncoming driver to perceive that a vehicle ahead of him is stopped.

Similarly, night time drivers need to drive with lowered speed and heightened alertness, to avoid striking stopped vehicles from the rear. It is completely within the control of an oncoming driver to drive at reasonable nighttime speeds and at a safe trailing distance. Doing so will enable an oncoming driver to perceive a vehicle is stopped ahead of him, and to react to that stopped vehicle by making a proper lane change or by coming to a safe stop. These types of rear end collisions are completely avoidable, if an oncoming driver takes proper care.

The Lietz Law Firm has handled a number of night time motor vehicle collision cases. Working with highly trained experts in the fields of visual perception and visual conspicuity, we have successfully reconstructed night time collisions and turned those incidents into winning claims.

Last year’s day-long event hosted over 400 elder law attorneys and professionals, who gathered to learn about the latest changes in elder law as well as gain practical insights from fellow elder law professionals.

Mr. Begley will speak at two different sessions including a presentation about the impact of the Affordable Care Act and SSA policy changes on Special Needs Trusts.

Other topics at the Institute include Medicaid estate recovery, long term care planning for married couples and Social Security 101.

For more information about this evet, visit the Pennsylvania Bar Institute web site.

Any self employed person has a duty to report ANY and ALL work activity to SSA. Beware, often the Office of Inspector General (OIG) (investigative unit for SSA) will follow or use surveillance on an SSA claimant who was or is currently engaged in self employment work. Do not take a chance, assume you are being watched. Report all work activity to SSA in writing via U.S. Certified Mail. Obtain legal counsel for specifics on what the reporting should consist of to the SSA.

The interplay of the 12 consecutive month rule, meaning you have not engaged in SGA work activity over 12 consecutive months, and those “self employed”, is a SGA minefield for not qualifying for disability benefits. In general, those “self employed” claimants who go before a Judge must provide a monthly breakdown of an income and loss statement, provide details on the type of business, volume of business, and with specific regard, as to the “significant services” (services rendered rule) you the claimant/worker performed. The Judge must also consider the comparability and worth of the work.

The above details are a minefield which can be easily avoided. Simply do not engage in self employed work while your Social Security Disability claim is pending. If you have an incorporated business you should resign all officer positions. In Florida see, www.sunbiz.org if you are not sure about being an officer of the corporation. Holding stock in a corporation, closely held or otherwise does not impute “self employment” in and of itself. Self employment work is detail specific. If you are answering a phone for a business, this is indicative of work activity. Arranging deliveries, setting up work or jobs for another, scheduling deliveries of business related goods, etc., are examples of engaging in work activity. Do NOT split hairs in regards to self employment work. For example, a claimant may have a spouse or relative in the house who is self employed. The claimant must not “help” the spouse or relative with anything for the business enterprise. That spouse or relative is not to depend on a Social Security Disability claimant who alleges “total disability”. Common sense should be utilized. In the end, obtain an actual attorney, do not hire a law firm from the television, many send non-attorneys to your hearings which is not fully disclosed to you. Do your research, hire an attorney who will see you in person and can discuss the law of SSA’s self employment rules.

For more information please contact:

David W. Magann, Esq.

A current Social Security Trustees Report found that in order to responsibly fund Social Security the payroll tax rate for employee and employer
would need to rise by 1.3 percentage points each. The increase would enable the system’s viability through 2086. The long term fix, beyond 75 years, could be a multitude of devices, but attempting privatization is a “red herring” where the private sector, i.e., the financial sector has shown great vulnerability to mismanagement, and catastrophic failure, think TARP bailout.

The lack of Congressional action is extremely frustrating since the options for fixing the problem have been known for decades. “Social Security is a simple system. It takes in money and pays out benefits. If projected benefits exceed projected revenues plus the assets in the trust fund, either the outflow of benefits must be cut and/or the inflow of revenues must increase. Numerous commissions have contributed to a laundry list of ways to cut benefits or raise taxes. So the problem is not like health care, where the answers for controlling costs are elusive; in the case of Social Security, we know exactly what to do. Reasonable  people – Republican or Democrat – could sit down for an hour and come up with a compromise plan….Describing the magnitude of the problem in terms of a tax fix is designed simply to show that the challenge is manageable. Increasing the age of eligibility for full benefits slowly and changing the indexing would reduce the required tax increase.” www.smartmoney.com, Anger Over Social Security Financial Woes, Alicia Munnell, June 15, 2012.

Since 1993 Congress has known what the fix is for Social Security, but nothing has been done. Political polarization and pie in the sky privatization rhetoric has stalled, delayed, and may soon create needless funding shortfalls where Social Security is at best, only viable until 2044. Kicking the can down the road is going to be crushed by Social Security funding realities which appear to be a simple fix now, not later.

For more information see: