A study by Abt Associates and the Cohen Veterans Center at New York University Langone Medical Center followed about 2,400 Vietnam veterans from the 1980s to 2011. The National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study comprises one of the longest follow-up periods of a representative group of veterans to date. The researchers found that veterans with PTS were at a greater risk of dying from cancer or external causes such as suicide, murder, traffic accidents and other injuries than those without the disorder.
“This study gives us vital insights into the potential long-term health and mental health effects of warzone service on America’s uniformed services personnel,” said Abt researcher Dr. Nida Corry, one of the study’s lead authors. According to the findings published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the study “offers really valuable empirical information that can help us better understand how to care for our Vietnam veterans.”
The researchers were unable to determine why PTS and warzone stress increased the risk of death. Vietnam veterans, now most in their 60s and older, make up the majority of living veterans today. Examining the long-term health effects of their combat experiences would help improve the treatment and support available to them. It would also enhance prevention efforts for future generations of service members.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Vietnam veterans with PTS are at a higher risk of death first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Irvine, California, topped the list as the most livable city for veterans. It earned an economic wellness rank of 1 and an environment, education and health (EEH) ranking of 23. EEH evaluates the size of the veteran population and the effectiveness of Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals.
Detroit ranked 100 for economic wellness and 98 for EEH. The city’s low ranking was attributed to an overall high level of unemployment in the state for both veterans and the general population of nearly 10 million. Michigan is home to around 700,000 veterans. According to University of Michigan professor Joshua Kay, the large number of veterans makes it difficult for them to access resources.
Michigan is working to reduce unemployment among veterans. In November, the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency recognized the state’s 37 veteran-friendly employers. The companies have offered around 1,000 well-paying jobs that allow veterans to utilize their military skills and experience. In addition, a bill has been proposed to provide Michigan veterans with grants to help them earn a science, technology, engineering or math degree at one of the state’s public universities or community colleges.
The WalletHub report highlights the overall need to focus on improving employment opportunities, housing and health care for veterans across the country. Upon return from military service, veterans often face challenges adapting to civilian life due to issues such as unemployment, homelessness and lack of mental health care.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Detroit named worst city for veterans to live in first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Irvine, California, topped the list as the most livable city for veterans. It earned an economic wellness rank of 1 and an environment, education and health (EEH) ranking of 23. EEH evaluates the size of the veteran population and the effectiveness of Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals.
Detroit ranked 100 for economic wellness and 98 for EEH. The city’s low ranking was attributed to an overall high level of unemployment in the state for both veterans and the general population of nearly 10 million. Michigan is home to around 700,000 veterans. According to University of Michigan professor Joshua Kay, the large number of veterans makes it difficult for them to access resources.
Michigan is working to reduce unemployment among veterans. In November, the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency recognized the state’s 37 veteran-friendly employers. The companies have offered around 1,000 well-paying jobs that allow veterans to utilize their military skills and experience. In addition, a bill has been proposed to provide Michigan veterans with grants to help them earn a science, technology, engineering or math degree at one of the state’s public universities or community colleges.
The WalletHub report highlights the overall need to focus on improving employment opportunities, housing and health care for veterans across the country. Upon return from military service, veterans often face challenges adapting to civilian life due to issues such as unemployment, homelessness and lack of mental health care.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Detroit named worst city for veterans to live in first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The grocer held job interviews for veterans and their families on Sept. 15 at all 128 of its Michigan stores. They were hiring to fill around 1,400 jobs in the area. Kroger also attempted to fill 20,000 open positions in the supermarket division across the country by hosting in-store job interviews.
“The Kroger Company of Michigan is deeply committed to Michigan veterans and their families, and we continue to honor our heroes by offering them career opportunities. Kroger is a place where veterans can start with a job and remain for a career,” said Jayne Homco, president of The Kroger Co. of Michigan, in a statement.
Many veterans face unemployment after returning home to the United States from duty due to lack of opportunity or the challenge of transitioning to civilian life. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the joblessness rate for veterans of all generations was 4.3 percent in September. The rate has decreased only slightly from the 4.7 percent recorded in the same month last year.
Unemployment can have a negative impact on both the mental and physical health of veterans. It can also lead to problems such as homelessness. A job can provide veterans with the opportunity to utilize their skills, improve their quality of life and maintain their independence.
In 2014, Kroger hired more than 6,000 veterans nationally through the Honoring Our Heroes campaign as part of its commitment to active duty troops and the country’s more than 23 million veterans.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Kroger holds open job interviews for veterans nationwide first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The grocer held job interviews for veterans and their families on Sept. 15 at all 128 of its Michigan stores. They were hiring to fill around 1,400 jobs in the area. Kroger also attempted to fill 20,000 open positions in the supermarket division across the country by hosting in-store job interviews.
“The Kroger Company of Michigan is deeply committed to Michigan veterans and their families, and we continue to honor our heroes by offering them career opportunities. Kroger is a place where veterans can start with a job and remain for a career,” said Jayne Homco, president of The Kroger Co. of Michigan, in a statement.
Many veterans face unemployment after returning home to the United States from duty due to lack of opportunity or the challenge of transitioning to civilian life. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the joblessness rate for veterans of all generations was 4.3 percent in September. The rate has decreased only slightly from the 4.7 percent recorded in the same month last year.
Unemployment can have a negative impact on both the mental and physical health of veterans. It can also lead to problems such as homelessness. A job can provide veterans with the opportunity to utilize their skills, improve their quality of life and maintain their independence.
In 2014, Kroger hired more than 6,000 veterans nationally through the Honoring Our Heroes campaign as part of its commitment to active duty troops and the country’s more than 23 million veterans.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Kroger holds open job interviews for veterans nationwide first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Visitors to VA facilities can now bring service animals if they “are individually trained to perform work or tasks on behalf of an individual with a disability,” whether it is physical or mental. Under the policy, only dogs can be considered service animals. VA rules are now in line with existing federal regulations enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Under the regulation, VA facilities are allowed to ask only if the animal is required for a disability and if so, what task the animal has been trained to perform. They cannot request proof of the animal’s training as a service dog. However, VA facility managers have the right to remove a dog from the property if it displays threatening behavior, is untrained or is improperly housebroken.
Service dogs are an essential part of life for many veterans who are coping with post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions. According to Service Dog Central, a national organization of service dog trainers, an estimated 387,000 people nationwide have service dogs.
The change in regulation has been welcomed by veterans advocates working to alter the previous restrictive policy. In the past, the VA allowed only seeing-eye dogs to accompany veterans. Access for other assistance dogs, such as those aiding mobility, was determined inconsistently by local rules which resulted in veterans being allowed to visit only certain facilities with their dogs.
The VA is now training employees to ensure they understand the revised guidelines and that policies at all facilities “are consistent with the new regulation.”
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA revises access guidelines for service dogs at facilities first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Visitors to VA facilities can now bring service animals if they “are individually trained to perform work or tasks on behalf of an individual with a disability,” whether it is physical or mental. Under the policy, only dogs can be considered service animals. VA rules are now in line with existing federal regulations enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Under the regulation, VA facilities are allowed to ask only if the animal is required for a disability and if so, what task the animal has been trained to perform. They cannot request proof of the animal’s training as a service dog. However, VA facility managers have the right to remove a dog from the property if it displays threatening behavior, is untrained or is improperly housebroken.
Service dogs are an essential part of life for many veterans who are coping with post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions. According to Service Dog Central, a national organization of service dog trainers, an estimated 387,000 people nationwide have service dogs.
The change in regulation has been welcomed by veterans advocates working to alter the previous restrictive policy. In the past, the VA allowed only seeing-eye dogs to accompany veterans. Access for other assistance dogs, such as those aiding mobility, was determined inconsistently by local rules which resulted in veterans being allowed to visit only certain facilities with their dogs.
The VA is now training employees to ensure they understand the revised guidelines and that policies at all facilities “are consistent with the new regulation.”
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA revises access guidelines for service dogs at facilities first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The erroneous exams resulted in some local veterans being denied TBI benefits. There were more than 300 veterans involved, although the exact number of veterans who may have been denied benefits because of the exams was not known. The affected veterans have been asked to return for new evaluations conducted by medical specialists.
After the TBI examination problems were reported, VA Public Affairs officer Ralph Heussner said in a written statement, “The Minneapolis VA Compensation and Pension Unit did conduct some initial TBI evaluations with providers who were not specialists in one of the four prescribed specialty areas.”
“We have contacted veterans affected by this issue to schedule and complete a repeat initial TBI examination by a medical specialist in neurology, psychiatry, neurosurgery or physical medicine and rehabilitation,” Heussner said.
Since at least 2010, the Minneapolis VA has been violating VA rules about the types of specialists required to make an initial diagnosis for veterans who may have a TBI. A VA training manual and forms used by VA Compensation and Pension examiners state that only physiatrists, psychiatrists, neurosurgeons and neurologists can make an initial TBI diagnosis. Once a TBI is diagnosed, the veteran must undergo a neuropsychological assessment specific to TBI to determine the impact of the brain injury.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com or call 800.693.4800
The post VA admits unqualified doctors performed brain injury exams on veterans first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The erroneous exams resulted in some local veterans being denied TBI benefits. There were more than 300 veterans involved, although the exact number of veterans who may have been denied benefits because of the exams was not known. The affected veterans have been asked to return for new evaluations conducted by medical specialists.
After the TBI examination problems were reported, VA Public Affairs officer Ralph Heussner said in a written statement, “The Minneapolis VA Compensation and Pension Unit did conduct some initial TBI evaluations with providers who were not specialists in one of the four prescribed specialty areas.”
“We have contacted veterans affected by this issue to schedule and complete a repeat initial TBI examination by a medical specialist in neurology, psychiatry, neurosurgery or physical medicine and rehabilitation,” Heussner said.
Since at least 2010, the Minneapolis VA has been violating VA rules about the types of specialists required to make an initial diagnosis for veterans who may have a TBI. A VA training manual and forms used by VA Compensation and Pension examiners state that only physiatrists, psychiatrists, neurosurgeons and neurologists can make an initial TBI diagnosis. Once a TBI is diagnosed, the veteran must undergo a neuropsychological assessment specific to TBI to determine the impact of the brain injury.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA admits unqualified doctors performed brain injury exams on veterans first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Current federal law requires some veterans who do not receive VA health services to carry paperwork as proof of military service to employers or private businesses for discounts. The document, known as the DD-214, contains Social Security numbers and other personal information that could make veterans vulnerable to identity theft.
“At a time when many vets are struggling to reintegrate to society, we should be providing them with solutions, not paperwork. This bill will allow veterans to immediately prove their service to employers, thereby expanding their access to jobs and a number of other benefits,” said Dan Benishek, chairman of the Veterans Subcommittee on Health and Northern Michigan’s U.S. representative, who has co-sponsored the bill.
The VA currently issues ID cards to veterans who receive its benefits, mainly for health care. The new ID cards would not replace the cards already issued to veterans, nor can they be used as proof of eligibility for obtaining federal benefits. No time frame has been determined for when the first ID cards might be given out.
Veterans requesting the ID cards would have to pay a small fee, the amount to be decided by VA officials. The payments would fund the program. In Michigan, like in many other states, veterans already have the option to declare their veteran status on state driver’s licenses or IDs with no extra cost.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com or call 800.693.4800
The post Congress passes bill to provide veterans with VA-issued ID cards first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Current federal law requires some veterans who do not receive VA health services to carry paperwork as proof of military service to employers or private businesses for discounts. The document, known as the DD-214, contains Social Security numbers and other personal information that could make veterans vulnerable to identity theft.
“At a time when many vets are struggling to reintegrate to society, we should be providing them with solutions, not paperwork. This bill will allow veterans to immediately prove their service to employers, thereby expanding their access to jobs and a number of other benefits,” said Dan Benishek, chairman of the Veterans Subcommittee on Health and Northern Michigan’s U.S. representative, who has co-sponsored the bill.
The VA currently issues ID cards to veterans who receive its benefits, mainly for health care. The new ID cards would not replace the cards already issued to veterans, nor can they be used as proof of eligibility for obtaining federal benefits. No time frame has been determined for when the first ID cards might be given out.
Veterans requesting the ID cards would have to pay a small fee, the amount to be decided by VA officials. The payments would fund the program. In Michigan, like in many other states, veterans already have the option to declare their veteran status on state driver’s licenses or IDs with no extra cost.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Congress passes bill to provide veterans with VA-issued ID cards first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The resolution recognizes that PTSD is undertreated and underreported due to stigma and a lack of awareness. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America says the disorder affects an estimated 20 percent of post-9/11 veterans, while the VA reports that Vietnam veterans have “high lifetime rates of PTSD ranging from 10 to 31 percent.”
The goal of this year’s campaign is to help veterans, their caregivers, families and members of the veteran and military community to learn about the PTSD treatment options available to help improve and save lives. The campaign also emphasizes the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of PTSD, which can sometimes be hard to detect. If left untreated, PTSD can lead to homelessness, depression and even suicide.
“Raising PTSD awareness is essential to overcoming the myth, misinformation and stigma that too often prevents veterans from seeking help . . . We encourage everyone to join us in this important effort to share important information about PTSD and help veterans receive care they need,” said VA secretary Robert A. McDonald.
Online resources for raising PTSD awareness are a major focus of the 2015 campaign. The VA runs the National Center for PTSD, which has a website that offers access to the PTSD Coach Online, PTSD Coach mobile app, an online video gallery of veterans discussing the disorder and its treatments and continuing education opportunities for health care providers, among other useful materials.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com or call 800.693.4800
The post VA and Senate launch campaign to raise PTSD awareness first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The resolution recognizes that PTSD is undertreated and underreported due to stigma and a lack of awareness. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America says the disorder affects an estimated 20 percent of post-9/11 veterans, while the VA reports that Vietnam veterans have “high lifetime rates of PTSD ranging from 10 to 31 percent.”
The goal of this year’s campaign is to help veterans, their caregivers, families and members of the veteran and military community to learn about the PTSD treatment options available to help improve and save lives. The campaign also emphasizes the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of PTSD, which can sometimes be hard to detect. If left untreated, PTSD can lead to homelessness, depression and even suicide.
“Raising PTSD awareness is essential to overcoming the myth, misinformation and stigma that too often prevents veterans from seeking help . . . We encourage everyone to join us in this important effort to share important information about PTSD and help veterans receive care they need,” said VA secretary Robert A. McDonald.
Online resources for raising PTSD awareness are a major focus of the 2015 campaign. The VA runs the National Center for PTSD, which has a website that offers access to the PTSD Coach Online, PTSD Coach mobile app, an online video gallery of veterans discussing the disorder and its treatments and continuing education opportunities for health care providers, among other useful materials.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA and Senate launch campaign to raise PTSD awareness first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>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 of them had a higher chance of getting the sleep disorder. For every significant increase in PTSD symptom severity, the risk of developing sleep apnea rises 40 percent.
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which breathing frequently stops and starts. A common symptom is excessive daytime sleepiness, though not all patients suffer it. Certain aspects of PTSD, such as sleep deprivation and the psychological stress from combat, may increase the chances of developing sleep apnea.
Many veterans tend to experience PTSD and other mental health conditions upon returning to civilian life.
“The implication is that veterans who come to PTSD treatment, even younger veterans, should be screened for obstructive sleep apnea so that they have the opportunity to be diagnosed and treated,” Dr. Sonya Norman, PTSD Consultation Program director at the National Center for PTSD, said in a statement.
Sleep apnea could potentially lead to other health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, depression and worsening PTSD.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com or call 800.693.4800
The post Study links PTSD to higher sleep apnea risk in veterans first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>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 of them had a higher chance of getting the sleep disorder. For every significant increase in PTSD symptom severity, the risk of developing sleep apnea rises 40 percent.
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which breathing frequently stops and starts. A common symptom is excessive daytime sleepiness, though not all patients suffer it. Certain aspects of PTSD, such as sleep deprivation and the psychological stress from combat, may increase the chances of developing sleep apnea.
Many veterans tend to experience PTSD and other mental health conditions upon returning to civilian life.
“The implication is that veterans who come to PTSD treatment, even younger veterans, should be screened for obstructive sleep apnea so that they have the opportunity to be diagnosed and treated,” Dr. Sonya Norman, PTSD Consultation Program director at the National Center for PTSD, said in a statement.
Sleep apnea could potentially lead to other health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, depression and worsening PTSD.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Study links PTSD to higher sleep apnea risk in veterans first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The VA developed a plan a decade ago for the medical center to replace old, congested facilities for around 400,000 veterans in Colorado and nearby states.
The cost of the 184-bed hospital has now ballooned to $1.73 billion, making it one of the most expensive projects in the department’s history. The mounting costs are attributed to poor planning and mismanaged construction by the VA, among other reasons.
Threats of a shutdown have loomed over the project due to lack of money. Congress passed a short-term emergency funding bill on June 12 to continue work on the hospital until the end of September, allowing the VA to re-route $150 million to the project from within the agency’s own 2015 budget.
The VA has yet to work out a long-term funding solution as the facility still requires millions of more dollars. It is likely to be completed in 2017.
“The VA’s mismanagement of this project is inexcusable, and we intend on holding those responsible for the mistakes accountable . . . Our veterans should not suffer for the VA’s mistakes,” U.S. Representative Mike Coffman, R-Aurora, said in a statement.
Congress had rejected the VA’s earlier suggestion to cover costs by taking money from the Veterans Choice Program, which allows veterans to see private doctors after lengthy waits for medical care at VA facilities.
The project highlights the need to make the VA, one of the government’s most heavily funded departments with a budget of $160 billion, more accountable for how it undertakes construction projects and fulfills its main responsibility of providing health care to veterans.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA comes under fire as Denver hospital crosses budget by over one billion dollars first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The aim of this program is to put the roughly 50,000 homeless veterans to work. In order to do so, the VA plans to employ Community Employment Coordinators (CECs) at all VA medical centers in the country. With the help of CECs, veterans will be paired with community employers who can find them jobs. Once employed, the CECs will provide resources to the veterans which will help them succeed in their field.
The HVCES program compliments existing efforts to end veteran homelessness which provide vets a place to live. By implementing a Housing First approach, the US has been able to reduce the number of homeless vets by 33%.
After having a place to live, the next step for veterans is to find a job. This is where HVCES comes in. Having cash in your pocket is not the only benefit of having a job for veterans. The VA believes a job can give veterans improved quality of life, self-esteem, independence, and social skills.
If the government remains focused on solving the homeless-veteran problem, 0% Veteran-homelessness is a real possibility. These servicemen and women are strong, hardworking, and skilled. All they need is an employer to give them a chance to prove it and allow them to get back on track.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Continued Efforts to End Jobless Vets is Paying Off first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>It was the Mid-Michigan Honor Flight’s third flight to Washington in what marks the tenth year of the free trip in Michigan. It allowed some of the state’s 660,000 veterans to visit the monument that honors them, a trip that otherwise may not have been possible.
“This is a way for these gentlemen to get a hug back from America. We wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for what they did. So, I couldn’t find a better way to thank them,” Mid-Michigan Honor Flight hub director Patricia Donegan said in a statement.
The veterans traveled with their guardians, who paid $500 to sponsor the flight. Some of them stayed at the Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, for dinner and entertainment the night before the trip.
They were greeted by several members of Congress and current servicemen upon arriving in Washington, D.C.
The Mid-Michigan Honor Flight, run entirely by volunteers, is hoping to host a second flight later this year despite being underfunded.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Honor flight takes Michigan veterans to Washington DC memorial first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The Veteran Affairs (VA) recently published a report that analyzed female veteran suicides over a span of 11 years. The results revealed that they commit suicide at nearly six times the rate of nonveterans.
When broken down by age group, female veterans aged 18 to 29 commit suicide at 12 times the rate of nonveterans. This means that the younger female veterans are committing suicide at twice the rate of the overall female veteran population. VA researchers could not offer a definitive cause of these troubling statistics, but did offer potential explanations.
The first of which uses another issue among the female veteran population to explain the suicide rate, sexual assault. It is estimated that 23% of women in the military have experienced unwanted sexual contact, 10% of which involve rape. The prolonged distress associated with experiences of sexual assault can lead an individual to develop depression and other psychological illnesses. Ultimately, the victim may take her life.
The second explanation attempted to account for the disproportionately high rate among female veterans in comparison to women overall. Usually, women tend to use pills or other methods besides a firearm when attempting suicide. Such attempts are less lethal than a firearm and result in less successful attempts.
According to government surveys female veterans are more likely than other women to have guns according to government surveys, and thus use them in suicide attempts more often than other women.
Experts also believe soldier’s backgrounds may account for the suicide rate. Previous research showed that men and women who join the military are more likely to have endured difficult childhoods. Since women have only served in the military on a voluntary basis, their damaging childhood experiences may be the reason for taking their own lives in addition to their initial choice to enlist.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Female Veterans Afflicted By Suicide first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Jon Stewart is notorious for being highly critical of any American involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts, in addition to his stark opposition to our continued efforts in the War on Terror. Regardless of this ideology, he has actively assisted returning soldiers to enter into the highly competitive television industry.
Over the last three years, The Daily Show has offered five-week internship programs to veterans that give them a crash course on how the TV business operates. This program has been kept quiet during this time because Stewart and his staff wanted to reach out to veterans looking to get into the television business, and not crazed fans of his show.
Now that his tenure as host is coming to an end, he is urging all others in the entertainment industry to emulate his idea. It is very difficult for service members to crack into the industry because they did not have the chance to attend college, acquire internships, and start early with an entry-level position. In order to both thank veterans for their service and give them a head start in the industry, Jon Stewart hopes that his program that culminates in a studio job fair will match these veterans with careers in the industry.
For veterans, it is often difficult to enter any industry because they compete with young adults who attended universities instead of fighting for our country. Businesses should level the playing field by offering special training and programs to veterans, just like Jon Stewart.
You do not have to agree with the war they are fighting, but you should honor and respect their choice to fight for the freedoms we all take for granted and help to reintegrate them into civilian life.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Veteran Jobs in TV Industry first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The bulk of the funding – just under $1 million – will go to the Michigan State Housing Development Authority and the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, located in Detroit.
The Ann Arbor Housing Commission, Kent County Housing Commission, and Lansing Housing Commission, along with VA health care facilities in those locations, will each receive $100,000 or more.
The funding is part of the VA’s Supportive Housing program, which combines vouchers for rental housing with clinical services and case management.
Michigan’s US senators, Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, announced the allocation in a statement that stressed the sacrifice U.S. soldiers make and the importance of helping them secure permanent housing and adequate health care.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post New Federal Funding Allocated to Helping Homeless Michigan Veterans first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The Veterans Choice Program allows eligible veterans to receive health care outside the VA system. One of the criteria for eligibility is living more than 40 miles from the closest VA health care facility.
Previously, this distance was calculated as a straight line between a veteran’s residence and the facility. Effective immediately, driving distance will be the determining factor instead of straight-line distance. According to the VA, nearly twice as many veterans now qualify for the program.
Being that the purpose of the program is to alleviate the burden of veterans who may live far from VA health care facilities, it makes a lot of sense to use driving distance to determine eligibility. This simple rule change will significantly increase the health care access of a huge number of veterans. We at Legal Help for Veterans applaud the VA for this significant and very beneficial change in policy.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Veterans Choice Program Dramatically Expands Eligibility first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Included in the legislative package is one measure that would establish a volunteer application process through the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. That protocol would permit veterans to obtain state-issued identification, dog tags and service dog vests.
Knezek, who served in Iraq, says that many veterans return home with what he calls “invisible wounds,” including PTSD and traumatic brain injury. Knezek explains that many of these veterans find solace and comfort through the presence of a service animal.
Unfortunately, Knezek says, some people question whether a veteran who appears healthy by all outward appearances has a legitimate need for a service animal.
Sen. Margaret O’Brien, R-Portage, one of the package’s four co-sponsors, adds that it will help educate businesses about the special needs of veterans with service dogs.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Michigan lawmakers sponsor bills to afford protections to veterans with service dogs first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The policy, known as the Fireworks-Free Fourth of July, is the result of a partnership between the DNR and Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency. While officials do not guarantee that fireworks will be set off near the state parks, they are hoping that there is enough distance between urban areas and the green spaces to make sure that the mood, as well as atmosphere, will remain on the low-key side in the parks.
“While fireworks are a traditional Fourth of July festivity, some veterans and others prefer a calmer celebration with a little less excitement,” said DNR Parks and Recreation Division Chief Ron Olson. “We are pleased to honor our veterans and offer that opportunity in several of our beautiful state parks.”
Michigan is home to 658,469 veterans, according to the most recent statistics compiled by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
A list of the 12 state parks covered by the policy can be found at the DNR website.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Michigan to make 12 state parks available to veterans for fireworks-free Fourth of July first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The deputy assistant secretary, Jan Frye, said that “gross mismanagement” by senior VA officials has caused billions of dollars to be wasted, which has resulted in making a “mockery” of federal laws concerning the purchase of goods and services. Frye made her remarks to the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee on oversight and investigations.
“I can state without reservation that VA has and continues to waste millions of dollars by paying excessive prices for goods and services due to breaches of federal laws,” Frye said to the House subcommittee.
Frye first raised concerns over the issues she discussed with the House subcommittee in a 35-page memo to VA Secretary Robert McDonald earlier this year.
Total VA requested funding for the 2015 fiscal year stood at $163.9 billion, according to the VA. The 2015 figure represents a nearly 68 percent increase from 2009.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA official tells House committee that department wastes billions on improper spending first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>There are clear improper treatment procedures ranging from overprescribing of psychiatric medications and pain killers, overlooking cases of cancer among numerous patients, and even patients being set on fire during surgery mishaps. Yes, this really did happen.
The reports outline construction overspending exceeding over $1 Billion, prevalence of off-the-books appointment wait lists, and claims of whistleblower intimidation. The failure to release these problem-ridden reports confirms lawmaker’s criticism of the lack of transparency of the VA.
In addition, Lawmakers agree that there is an issue of accountability within the VA. Currently, the VA has self-correcting disciplinary procedures which allow them to avoid reform and strict reprimands. One such example comes from the Veterans Hospital in Florida where a physician who was found to be prescribing significantly high rates of controlled substances was not faced with any reprimands. Instead, he was counseled for 2 years by his supervisors on safer prescribing practices, which the inspector general found to “not result in changes to his prescribing practices.”
The VA’s tendency to conceal these reports from the public as long as possible goes to show that there needs to be continued reform and additional oversight by Congressional committees.
To read more on this story, visit http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/benefits/health-care/2015/05/17/veterans-affairs-inspector-general-reports/27302011/.
If you believe that you have been harmed by a government employee at the VA while receiving medical treatment, or need help with your VA disability claim or approval, contact Legal Help for Veterans to preserve your rights.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA Mismanagement, Malpractice Detailed In Reports first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Macy’s customers are donating $3 at the store’s cash registers in return for a 15 to 25 percent discount on their purchases. Donations kicked off on May 16 and are being accepted leading up to Memorial Day on May 25, 2015.
The Cincinnati-based company has raised $5 million for “Got Your 6” in the past two years with around 1.7 million people having donated to the campaign. “Got Your 6” refers to the military phrase for “I’ve got your back.”
Employers are at times reluctant to hire veterans due to concerns over post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues posing a problem to employees and customers. “Got Your 6” works to dispel common misconceptions about veterans, along with helping them integrate with the community and empowering them to become leaders.
Efforts are also underway to make veterans an integral part of the American work force. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has compiled a group of 1,500 companies committed to employing veterans.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Macy’s Raises Funds for Nationwide ‘Got Your 6’ Veteran Campaign first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>But now, the waiting game is almost over as VA Secretary Robert McDonald said he plans to make an announcement in the coming weeks about health care benefits for the crews who flew C-123 aircraft. Many of those planes were used during Vietnam to pray Agent Orange over the countryside, and they continued to be used after the war.
Multiple Air National Guard units used these reserve planes in various states across the U.S.
Up until January of this year, there was some uncertainty as to whether reservists had, in fact, been exposed to the herbicide. But an Institute of Medicine study released in January challenged that uncertainty.
The Institute of Medicine researchers wrote, “It is plausible that, at least in some cases … the reservists’ exposure exceeded health guidelines for workers in enclosed settings.”
Therefore, the report continues, some reservists likely experienced “non-trivial” increases in their risks for certain diseases. These findings bolster an earlier 2012 report by the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry that these individuals’ levels of exposure to dioxin were 182 times higher than safe amounts.
However, it was four years ago when Retired Air Force Major Wesley Carter started requesting documents through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) after he and some fellow reservists were diagnosed with multiple cancers, heart disease, and other Agent Orange-associated illnesses.
Since then, the reservists have been battling the VA to receive the same benefits as those who served in Vietnam. After a few delays, it appears that will finally happen.
At Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC, we focus exclusively on veterans’ rights. If you are a veteran looking to get the benefits that you deserve, call us today at 1-800-693-4800. We handle a variety of claims, including Agent Orange and other service-connected injuries. www.LegalHelpForVeterans.com
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA Announcement on Agent Orange Benefits for C-124 Air Force Reservists Could Come Soon first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veteran Advocate
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) filed a join lawsuit on May 6 against the VA to force it to change its submission procedure for new claims. The procedure, says the VFW, was created solely to benefit the VA and not veterans.
The primary issue is that the VA eliminated the informal claims process, according to William Bradshaw, VFW’s director of National Veterans Service. Previously, any form of written communication would have served notice on the VA that within one year the veteran would be filing a claim for disability compensation.
In March, the procedure changed to require all veterans to use standardized forms, which complicates the process for veterans, many of whom don’t have access to computers to get the forms. Therefore, this delay essentially postpones the effective date and denies compensation to veterans.
“The VFW doesn’t oppose the use of standardized forms,” said Bradshaw. “Our opposition is to this all or nothing approach that VA is forcing on veterans — changes, that if left in place, will guarantee in this year alone that tens of thousands of service-connected wounded, ill and injured veterans will be denied benefits they were entitled to before the change became effective.”
This change in procedure has been in the VA pipeline since October 2013, at which time the VFW and DAV fought against the proposed change. Now, with it in effect, the two organizations have teamed up again, this time to file a joint lawsuit against the VA.
There appears to be no reason given as to why the VA couldn’t accept both informal claims and the standardized forms. The lawsuit alleges that the elimination of informal claims unduly harms veterans and reduces veterans benefits, which is unlawful as it goes against the “non-adversarial, pro-veteran principles upon which the veterans benefits system is built.”
You can read the full lawsuit complaint here:
http://www.vfw.org/uploadedFiles/VFWorg/News_and_Events/Articles/2015_Articles/VFWPetitionforReview2015.pdf
At Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC, we focus exclusively on veterans’ rights. If you are a veteran looking to get the benefits that you deserve, call us today at 1-800-693-4800. We handle a variety of claims for service-connected injuries. www.LegalHelpForVeterans.com
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VFW, DAV File Joint Lawsuit Against the VA first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>In August of 2014, the Michigan Court of Appeals found that the governmental immunity protections provided in M.C.L. §691.1407(1) did not apply to state-run veterans homes, where the underlying claim was sounded from the medical care or medical treatment of the moving party Estate of Andrew Ball v. Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, ___ Mich. App. ___; ___ N.W.2d ___; 2014 Mich. App. Lexis 1580; COA # 314861 (August 26, 2014).
The Court found that M.C.L. §691.1407(4), the medical care and treatment exception to the governmental immunity provided by the statute, was not implicated in Ball because the allegations arose as a result of a condition that directly resulted for the complainant’s medical condition. The condition was his reason for treatment at the facility, and as a result, the Court found a sufficient nexus was created to allow the suit to go forward under the M.C.L. §1407(4) exception to governmental immunity.
The home in question was run by the State Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. After the decision came down in Ball, which allowed the State to be sued as a party in cases that had a nexus to medical care and treatment, a bill was introduced by that would explicitly exclude from all liability a nursing care facility that was run by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The proposed bill would amend the language of M.C.L. §691.1407(4) to explicitly exclude those facilities from the medical care and treatment exception. The bill is before the judiciary committee for review and a result, either passage or failure, is likely to come from the legislature this year.
The proposed amendment to the bill would except all claims stemming from the care or treatment of a veteran in a State run nursing home owned by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs from suit by the patient against the State. In other words, if a veteran who is placed in one of these homes is injured or wrongfully dies because of a mistake that is made by an employee of the State facility, no recovery can be had against the State for negligence or improper medical care or medical treatment. Therefore, the only attempt at recovery would be against the individual who acted negligently and any insurance that would apply to that individual.
As a result, the possibility of collection and compensation for those veterans who are injured in that way is made substantially less likely. Given the service these men and women have given our country, such a seemingly wide ranging prohibition in cases of this nature seems rather unfair. Simply being a veteran who resides in a Department of Military and Veterans Affairs home should not mean that the agency charged with your care should be completely immune from liability for an injury you receive, through no fault of your own.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Veterans in State-Run Long Term Care Facilities Targeted by Legislature first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>First, HR 969 (the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act) was introduced in February of this year and it has considerable bi-partisan support. The bill would include as part of the Republic of Vietnam its “territorial seas” for purposes of the presumption of service-connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
As the bill’s sponsor, Representative Christopher Gibson (R-NY) said, this legislation, “places Navy Personnel on the same playing field as those who served on Vietnamese territory during the war – it’s the right thing to do.” We couldn’t agree more!
Rep. Gibson also noted that the bill would reduce the tremendous backlog of VA claims for veterans suffering from diseases the government links to Agent Orange.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced S-681 just last week in the Senate. That legislation is the Senate companion to the House bill and it would further clarify the service-connection presumption for Blue Water Navy veterans.
You can check out the Blue Water Navy Awareness Blog here: http://bluewaternavyawarenss.blogspot.com/
And we join the group in their call for you and your neighbors to contact your representatives and senators and urge them to support this legislation. It is very encouraging that these bills have bi-partisan sponsors and support, but similar legislation in the past has fallen victim to the dreadfully slow legislative process and died while in committee – where these two bills currently remain.
At Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC, we focus exclusively on veterans’ rights. If you are a veteran looking to get the benefits that you deserve, call us today at 1-800-693-4800. We handle a variety of claims, including Agent Orange and other service-connected injuries. www.LegalHelpForVeterans.com
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post New Bills Would Give Blue Water Navy Vets Service-Connection for Agent Orange Diseases first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>And so more problems for our veterans continued to fester without proper oversight, leaving those who have served our country out to dry.
It is unknown how many of the investigations uncovered serious or dangerous problems as the reports have not been read or analyzed yet, but all of them concerned VA medical care provided to veterans or complaints of clinical misconduct.
The VA inspector general said they could not provide specifics for the apparent lack of transparency, as the inspector general has not analyzed the reports in full.
Catherine Gromek, the VA inspector general, advised requesting the reports under the Freedom of Information Act. USA Today submitted a request in January for 23 reports. Her office has maintained that officials are “working diligently” to fulfill the request.
The inspector general’s office noted that, in general, reports may not be released if allegations are unsubstantiated and disclosing them could damage someone’s reputation, when there is a pending lawsuit or when subjects of investigations are no longer working at the VA.
Officials from the inspector general’s office did review 26 reports withheld from the public since January 2014 and found less than half — 46% — involved unsubstantiated allegations. They said in 42% of the cases, inspectors determined VA officials had already addressed their concerns so a public report was unnecessary. One was the subject of a pending lawsuit.
However, these statistics and reasons for lack of transparency do not satisfy the many veterans and their families who continue to suffer through poor care, long waits, and a bevy of other issues at VA medical centers. And they should not satisfy the public either.
Read USA Today’s full report on the issue here:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/03/08/probes-of-veterans-health-care-often-not-released-to-public/24525109/
At Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC, we focus exclusively on veterans’ rights. If you are a veteran looking to get the benefits that you deserve, call us today at 1-800-693-4800. We handle a variety of claims, including PTSD, TBI, and other service-connected injuries. www.LegalHelpForVeterans.com
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA Health Care Investigations Left in the Dark first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>But both VA itself and most experts strongly urge veterans to enroll in Medicare. One of the most compelling reasons, cited by Stan Hinden in an article for AARP, is that VA medical coverage is funded by an appropriation from Congress that must be passed each year. As a result, VA does not guarantee benefits in the future, because funding levels may not be sufficient to cover the needs of all veterans. The National Council on Aging agrees that the priorities and funding of VA can change, and that veterans could see the VA benefits they have now decrease in the future.
Veterans who sign up for Medicare will have health coverage for a wider array of medical services, and they will be able to access private doctors and medical facilities. This can become especially important as veterans age and encounter more complex health concerns.
Medicare can also provide vitally necessary coverage in urgent situations. For example, if a veteran is taken to a non-VA hospital ER, Medicare will cover the costs of care. Or, if a veteran is pre-authorized by VA for treatment in a non-VA hospital, Medicare may pay for additional treatments that become necessary but were not expressly authorized by VA.
Low-income veterans may be especially concerned about the cost of Medicare premiums. But Medicare premium assistance programs are available to low-income individuals, including veterans. In Michigan, the Michigan Department of Community Health runs the program that provides premium assistance to Medicare recipients.
Finally, veterans should be aware that Medicare imposes penalties on individuals who sign up after the initial enrollment period. Typically, to avoid penalties, individuals must sign up for Medicare in a seven-month window surrounding their 65th birthday. Individuals who fail to do so, including veterans, will pay higher premiums if they decide to sign up later.
The National Council on Aging offers more information on Medicare for veterans with VA benefits on the website mymedicarematters.org. In addition, many veterans benefits attorneys offer assistance to veterans seeking all of the coverage to which they are entitled.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Veterans Should Sign Up for Medicare When Eligible, Even With Good VA Benefits first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Chuck Dardas, president of Alpha USA manufacturing facility in Livonia, invited Carol Ann Fausone, who is a retired Michigan National Guard General and currently serves as a constituent advocate in Congressman Dave Trott’s office.
She said she was encouraged to see a number of young women in the crowd and that the pillars of the contest mirror those of Representative Trott’s philosophy.
“This contest is all about problem solving and getting creative,” she said. “Go out there and do your best! I can’t wait for five weeks to go by and see what you produce.”
Fausone also continues to help veterans with their health care benefits, job placement, and mentoring aspiring students looking to get into the armed forces. She was encouraged to see so many middle schoolers geting involved in the contest, as she knows from experience helping to place veterans in jobs that these types of skills are what employers are looking for.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post The General Encourages Kids to be Inventors first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>According to the report, female veterans are more likely to be unemployed than male veterans or non-veteran women. They are more likely to be homeless than non-veteran women. In addition, fewer resources are available to women who need basic health care, PTSD treatment or treatment for military sexual trauma.
Nearly 300,000 women served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars after 9/11. In 2014, women represented 14.5 percent of active duty service members and 18 percent of reserve members, rates which are expected to increase in the future. Currently, 10.3 percent of all veterans are women.
The study found that female veterans received only 6 percent of domiciliary homeless care for veterans and of grant and per diem programs. They received only 4.4 percent of healthcare support for homeless veterans.
For female veterans, even basic medical care can be a challenge. A third of all Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers do not employ a gynecologist.
A large proportion of women in the military experience sexual trauma — up to 20 percent of women receiving VA healthcare. However, research shows that many veterans have their military sexual trauma claims denied. Meanwhile, there is a shortage of staff trained to treat this pervasive problem.
At the same time, women also suffer from issues that are common to all veterans, such as increased rates of mental health problems and systemic difficulties in receiving much-needed services.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post New Research Reveals Aid Gap for Female Veterans first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Yet, despite this seeming roller-coaster of bad news, I am hopeful for our Michigan Veterans in 2015. The two year old Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA), led by Director Jeff Barnes, has achieved progress on several fronts. And while some will argue progress has been slow, you have to start somewhere.
For starters, Michigan has seen a 10 percent increase in the number of Veterans signing up for benefits, and per-capita income for veterans receiving federal funds has increased by approximately $1,020 per veteran.
That puts the state at 48th among the states and territories in federal veterans expenditures. Clearly, there is much room left to grow, but we should not forget that Michigan ranked 53rd in the category at one point.
A pilot program, known as Veterans Community Action Teams (VCATs), which Governor Snyder’s administration has funded, has fostered beneficial collaboration with local organizations, allowing them to better serve Veterans. These VCATs connect various service providers in their area of expertise assist the Veteran. Previously, these isolated organizations had no contact and no knowledge of each other’s skillsets. The MVAA’s pilot programs in Detroit and Grand Rapids were successful enough to have the program expanded to four more communities in 2015, followed by another four in 2016.
Also, the legislature took positive action in 2014 to reverse the negative trend of rising unemployment among veterans, which ticked up to 10.6 percent in 2013 from 7.9 percent in 2012. The most recent bills ease licensing requirements in certain professions that can fast-track veterans and allow them to apply their military experience toward those credentials.
Some estimates show some 80,000 skilled jobs are available in Michigan. Meanwhile, there will be anywhere from 30,000-50,000 veterans returning home in the next five years. The training our Veterans receive from the military is the best in the world. Let’s tap into that potential. I call on the legislature, the MVAA, and Governor Snyder to continue efforts to ensure our Michigan Veterans have their particular skillsets matched for these skilled jobs so that they can be plugged into these positions. We can accomplish this goal by continuing to foster collaboration.
Lastly, Michigan leads the nation in “Veterans Treatment Courts,” which help reintegrate veterans into their communities. In 2012, Michigan had just six of these courts; today, the number is 20. Combining drug court and mental health court principles, these courts have yielded tremendously positive results toward helping veterans overcome addictions and other mental conditions.
So I look forward to the next 12 months with optimism. One New Year’s Resolution all of us – citizens, policymakers, and elected representatives – should have is to do right by our Veterans.
Brigadier General Carol Ann Fausone (ret.)
General Fausone began her military career in the U.S. Air Force, and ended her service as the first female Brigadier General in the Michigan National Guard’s history. Today, she continues to help veterans and their families nationwide with her husband, Jim, at Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your PTSD, TBI, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, TDIU, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post A New Year’s Resolution: Do Better for our Veterans first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Brigadier General (ret)
Positive reports surfaced last year on the significant reduction of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) backlog in benefits claims – VA workers slashed the backlog by over half to 245,000. VA officials were optimistic on cutting that number to zero by the end of 2015…but now that appears out of reach.
Army Times reports that VA will likely not reach a backlog of zero by the end of 2015, as was their goal. VA workers did set a record of completing over 1.3 million claims last year, but with new claims only continuing to increase it appears zeroing-out the entire backlog in the next eleven months or so is unlikely.
“I think they can get close, but I don’t think they can get to zero,” Jackie Maffucci, the research director for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told Army Times last week. “Just looking at the numbers, it’s doubtful.”
To Congress’s credit, they did lend a helping hand to the tune of an additional $40 million in the budget to slash the backlog with digital scanning, more claims processors, and other efforts.
However, Army Times also reported that a new backlog is just around the corner. Appeals have risen steadily from about 245,000 in March 2013 to about 287,000 today. Congress gave VA $11 million to address the increasing appeals as well.
The backlog is based on the number of claims pending for more than 125 days. Last year, VA Undersecretary Allison Hickey indicated that the funding from Congress, which provided for new paperless systems, better training of claims processors, and improved communication systems, did contribute to the decrease from 2013-2014.
In 2014, the backlog reduction was welcome news. It represented a ray of hope that one promise from government – to eliminate the backlog before 2016 – was on track to be fulfilled. Despite this news, that promise still matters.
In comparison to years past, veterans are getting better and faster service (which was a low benchmark to improve upon). If the backlog can’t be cut to zero by the end of the year, let’s hope VA comes close – 125-plus days is a long time to wait for critical health care. And let’s not forget that the service our veterans deserve for sacrificing so much is still not where it needs to be.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA Goal to Eliminate Claims Backlog by End of 2015 Appears Out of Reach first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>For couples, a healthy sexual relationship can be a source of joy and resilience throughout life. However, that relationship can become difficult to maintain in light of the issues many veterans face when returning from combat.
According to at least two studies of veterans who served after 9/11, about one in three suffer from erectile dysfunction or other forms of sexual dysfunction. The risk is three times higher among veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The causes of the problems are multifactorial. Medication can be an issue. The average American veteran uses 17 prescription medications, some of which are known to affect sexuality. Most psychiatric drugs, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac and Zoloft, are associated with lower sexual interest, difficulty becoming aroused and difficulty achieving orgasm.
Additionally, PTSD is strongly associated with sexual dysfunction. Among other issues, PTSD sufferers can find it difficult to be intimate with others, sexually or platonically. Although treatment for PTSD will sometimes resolve sexual problems as well, sometimes specific treatment aimed at improving sexual function is necessary.
Finally, many health care providers fail to discuss or treat sexual problems. Health care providers are more likely to detect problems when they take the time to discuss the effects of combat service on the likelihood of later sexual dysfunction with patients, rather than briefly asking about whether or not the veteran has erectile dysfunction.
There are a number of effective treatments available for sexual dysfunction. Treatment for sexual dysfunction includes medication, therapy and even surgery. There are also adaptive devices available for veterans who have injuries that would affect their sex lives, including missing arms or legs.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Young Veterans Run Higher Risk of Sexual Dysfunction first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Later in the flight, the situation escalated. Calley was travelling with Sun, his service dog, who is trained to respond to Calley in moments of stress. During an period of turbulence, Sun put her front paws up on the empty seat next to Calley. A flight attendant came in from another cabin and began yelling at Calley about the dog’s conduct. Other passengers, including a fellow veteran, found the steward’s approach so rude and unwarranted that they began to speak up for Calley and Sun, pointing out that the dog was not bothering anyone. The Lansing State Journal reports that nearly a dozen passengers filed complaints about the steward’s conduct upon disembarking.
US Airways has since apologized, although the airline refuse to reveals what measures have been taken in response to the incident.
Calley is determined to turn the incident into a platform for good. He told his story to reporter Louise Knott Ahern of the Lansing State Journal to raise awareness about the need for service animals for veterans with PTSD in Michigan.
Calley described to Ahern how the use of a service animal has helped him. The dog monitors his heart rate, breathing and tension levels, and she intervenes by providing calming contact when necessary. Calley says that the dog is able to pull him out of difficult moments, including flashbacks.
But he also says that in Michigan, veterans in need of service dogs must go through a waiting list that is two years long.
In order to combat this problem, Calley works with an organization called Liberty’s Legacy, which aims to make more service dogs available to Michigan veterans. In an addendum to her article, Ahern points out that the organization benefit from penny drives held at schools, and that any school can volunteer to hold a drive for Liberty’s Legacy.
Ahern encourages people interested in supporting Liberty’s Legacy to contact her through the Lansing State Journal, so that she may connect with Calley for further information.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Michigan Veteran Turns Incident of Discrimination Into Platform for PTSD Awareness first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>At VA, this status is known as Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU), also referred to as individual unemployability. With this status, a veteran receives benefits in accordance with a 100 percent disability rating.
Many veterans with employability problems think that they will not qualify for TDIU, but this may not be true. Even veterans who can do some work, or veterans who have a low disability percentage rating from VA, can qualify for TDIU – it just depends on the situation.
In all cases, the inability to work must be related to a service-connected condition. This is the one requirement to which there are no exceptions. But after that, many VA guidelines for the TDIU determination have some flexibility.
Take, for example, the requirement that the veteran be unable to hold a substantially gainful job. What does “substantially gainful” mean? Simply put, it means being able earn a wage above the poverty line. So a veteran who works but, because of his or her disabilities, earns below the poverty line can qualify.
VA also allows some exceptions for marginal or protected employment. If a veteran works for a family member, takes on odd jobs, or works in some other situation that provides accommodations for the disability that go far beyond normal accommodations, the veteran may still qualify. It is wise to consult with a veterans disability lawyer on this point.
The VA disability rating requirement also has some flexibility. The basic requirement states that to qualify for TDIU, a veteran must have at least a 60 percent rating for one service-connected condition, or a combined 70 percent rating for several service-connected conditions. And if the veteran meets the 70 percent requirement for multiple conditions, at least one of those conditions must be rated at 40 percent or more.
But some veterans who are unable to work because of service-connected conditions do not meet those requirements, and as a result, VA will make exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Again, any veteran in this position should consult with a veterans disability attorney to see if the unique circumstances of his or her disability may meet VA standards.
Finally, all veterans should understand that they can qualify for TDIU even if the inability to work comes months or years after the initial disabling condition arises. VA gives the example of a veteran with a service-connected heart condition who works for some time, but then has to stop working because her heart is getting worse. According to VA, this veteran qualifies for TDIU.
All veterans with major employability problems should examine whether they qualify for disability compensation under TDIU. While it is true that VA often looks for reasons to deny these claims, a competent veterans disability attorney can often paint a clearer picture for VA that results in TDIU eligibility.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Understanding TDIU: Do I Qualify? first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The Buddy to Buddy program was developed by the University of Michigan, and it made its debut in 2009. Today, more than 120 volunteer veterans have assisted nearly 2000 post-9/11 veterans throughout Michigan. The primary goal, according to the program’s website, is to provide support as early on as possible, helping veterans avoid a situation in which one stressor creates a cascade of other issues.
To that end, the veteran volunteers with the Buddy to Buddy program are prepared to listen and to connect fellow veterans to a range of resources. Post-9/11 veterans are invited to call in with questions or concerns about any topic, including health, finances, legal issues, substance abuse, psychological concerns and relationship problems. The program does not provide direct assistance in any of these areas, but volunteers are trained to assist veterans in gaining access to help in these and other areas.
Still, the most valuable part of Buddy to Buddy may be the opportunity to discuss issues with another veteran who truly understands.
Little scientific research exists to support the efficacy of peer support programs, but medical researchers are looking to change that. At Stanford University in California, the School of Medicine has undertaken a major new veteran peer support program that they hope will provide data to confirm the validity of, and the need for more, peer support programs for veterans. According to the researchers, many support programs may fail veterans simply because the service providers cannot understand the veteran’s perspective.
As mental health issues and unemployment among post-9/11 veterans continue to rise after employment of traditional treatment approaches, the Buddy to Buddy program in Michigan provides hope. The program is currently available throughout the state, and program staff express the hope that one day, the program will be available nationwide.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Post-9/11 Veterans Find Resources, Understanding Through Michigan Peer Support Program first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>In standard medical procedure, the ringing in the ears caused by tinnitus can only be covered by machines that produced broadband sound, better known as white noise. The S-tone approach, however, targets an exact pitch of the tinnitus in the sufferer, and then produces just the right tone to counteract that pitch.
The study showed that more than half of the tinnitus sufferers in the study found the S-tones to be more effective at reducing the volume of their tinnitus.
Tinnitus is a condition that can significantly affect a sufferer’s health and quality of life. For some, the ringing in the ears is so loud that it impedes sleep and creates difficulty concentrating, which can lead to a host of physical, psychological, economic and social problems.
The Hearing Health Foundation estimates that 60 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans return home with some form of hearing loss or tinnitus.
SoundCure, a Silicon Valley startup, is dedicated to creating a state-of-the-art S-tone device for tinnitus sufferers. Serenade, its current device, can be programmed by audiologists to the exact frequency and sound type needed by the patient. It can also be programmed for different times of day.
Jeff Carroll, Ph.D., who works for SoundCure, told ABC News that the best part about S-tone therapy is that it can work at much lower volumes than traditional white noise therapy. Because more than three quarters of participants in the AJA study indicated that the S-tones worked at least as well as white noise, a majority of tinnitus sufferers may prefer S-tone therapy simply because it is quieter.
Both the AJA study and the Serenade device have been endorsed by the American Tinnitus Association.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post New Research Highlights Advances in Treatment for Tinnitus Sufferers first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veterans Disability Attorney
This is one of those taboo subjects you just don’t bring up in polite company. But the reality is we hear from veterans every week about their erectile dysfunction, which can be claimed as a service connected disability in many cases.
As recently reported in the San Diego Union-Tribune:
The topic is blush-inducing, to be sure. But some post-9/11 veterans received frank talk on the subject at a conference for combat veterans in Coronado last week.
“That fiery, playful sex that people have with their partners is a huge, positive buffer to all the other stuff you go through in life,” said U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs psychologist Linda Mona, who runs an intimacy clinic at the VA medical center in Long Beach. …
San Diego County is home to 39,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans — by one measure the largest cluster in the United States. About one in three are likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction or other sexual problems, according to at least two studies of post-9/11 troops.
Among people with combat stress — officially known as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD — the risk of sexual dysfunction is threefold.
In other words, the chance of problems in the bedroom is “ridiculously high” compared to young people who didn’t serve, said Dr. Irwin Goldstein, a urologist and surgeon who directs a monthly sexual medicine clinic at the San Diego VA hospital.
Medication is a factor. By one account, the average number of prescription drugs used by America’s veterans is 17.
Some of those medications, including antidepressants and opiate painkillers, can affect sexual function. Goldstein called most psychiatric drugs “sex unfriendly.”
So if you or your spouse is feeling alone and frustrated take comfort the problem is real and you are not alone. If you need help sorting out if you have a service connected disability contact us at www.legalhelpforveterans.com.
You can read more about this problem at:
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/oct/11/veterans-sexual-dysfunction-ptsd
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Veterans and Sexual Dysfunction first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The legislation, already passed unanimously by the Senate, now heads to President Obama’s desk for his signature.
Veterans will see a boost in their payments starting on December 1, so that the cost-of-living increase will match the rate of Social Security benefits. Approximately 4.5 million veterans rely on disability benefits, and many of those individuals could have seen a cut to their benefits had Congress not acted.
The veterans whose disability payments are their only source of income are especially breathing a sigh of relief.
In a news cycle that has been dominated by partisanship, especially with the mid-term elections, this story is a refreshing reminder that when it comes to those who have served our country, our representatives can shed their partisan coats and come together for the greater good.
Read more on The Hill’s website:
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/217975-house-clears-increase-in-veterans-disability-payments
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post House Votes to Increase Veterans’ Disability Payments first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>In early August, the federal government passed legislation that qualifies veterans for in-state tuition at any public university, regardless of where the veteran legally resides.
Veterans can finally dispense with the complexities of Yellow Ribbon tuition programs, which promised tuition coverage but frequently stranded students. Michigan veterans were already close to some of the best public universities in the country, and this fall, many Michigan veterans can ponder the possibility of four years in Los Angeles, Chapel Hill or Austin as well.
At the same time, innovative new programs are popping up across the state for Michigan veterans who are looking to blend education and employment.
The Michigan Advanced Technician Training Program, also known as MAT2, combines classroom education and work experience into a highly structured program. Students work directly with and for advanced manufacturers while attending select classes at a community college. Participants are paid for their work by a sponsoring employer, who also covers complete tuition costs. Graduates earn an advanced Associate’s degree and are guaranteed full-time employment upon graduation.
MAT2 offers open enrollment and ongoing fairs to match accepted students with sponsoring employers.
The Inforum Center for Leadership offers a short and flexible program to help Michigan’s returning servicewomen acquire the necessary tools to transition into the workplace. Next4Vets is an adaption of the Center’s NextUp program, an eight-week course that helps young women plan and network for professional careers.
The Next4Vets program mixes a limited number of in-person learning sessions with ample home-based learning, so that women with families, current employment and other responsibilities can access the course more readily.
A pilot cohort of Next4Vets is expected this fall, and the program should become permanent in 2015.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Back to School: Educational Opportunities Abound for Michigan Veterans first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post 5th Annual Veterans’ Summit first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>DOD should know that ALS afflicts US Military Veterans at twice the rate of the civilian population. The data which VA, ALS, Harvard University and many medical schools have reviewed supports this conclusion. The reason for the startling medical fact is unknown at this time.
In fact, no one knows why U.S. military veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS than the general population, or why those who deployed during the Gulf War in 1990-91 may be twice as likely to get the disease as other troops. Although it’s still a rare illness, affecting about 30,000 people across the country, it is so devastating to its victims and their families that the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have made a mission out of trying to reduce their suffering.
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/03/08/3682151/more-vets-suffer-from-als-but.html#storylink=cpy
VA will treat ALS as a presumptive disease for veterans disability compensation purposes. So after viewing the 100th bucket of cold water being dumped on friends, relatives and celebrities, the challenge is getting a little tedious. However, it is raising money for necessary medical research. I just wish that DOD & VA would use this opportunity to let veterans and the general population know that this is a situation that is inflicting our veterans at twice the normal rate. Did you know that? Think about that or “paste” the above comment into your Facebook page next time a friend sends you one of those videos.
http://www.armytimes.com/article/20140821/NEWS05/308210042
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge” first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>On a recent trip to Los Angeles, First Lady Michelle Obama reacted with “horror” to the employment situation that veterans face, saying, “After everything they have done for us, the idea that any of our veterans are spending months or even years struggling to find a job is unacceptable.”
Young veterans agree. In a new public service announcement, veterans report spending months searching for employment. These young speakers were surprised to learn that companies who do hire veterans frequently pigeonhole them into low-paying security, labor or janitorial roles.
Moreover, dissatisfaction with the GI Bill is rising. A recent Gallup poll showed that veterans aged 18 to 24 are the least likely to call themselves “satisfied” by the benefits the GI Bill provides.
With complex lives, many young veterans are forced to use their GI Bill benefits for lower-quality, part-time programs or online universities. And as the number of for-profit colleges expands, there are increased reports of schools eating up GI Bill benefits before a degree is even earned.
The VA Center for Innovation is seeking to diversify the types of opportunities available to veterans looking for a path to a professional future.
One new initiative, the VA-TechShop Partnership, is a pilot program with a chain of Silicon Valley fabrication laboratories. The hope is that veterans with mechanical engineering skills may be able to invent new products or start a manufacturing business with access to high-tech fabrication tools.
As more veterans come home, both statistical and anecdotal evidence suggest that better programs, not more programs, are needed.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Young Veterans Face High Unemployment and Few Quality Options first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/HearingLoss-TinnituseBook.pdf
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Hearing Loss & Tinnitus first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>If you are interested in seeing if you qualify, please contact HFH at (734) 459-7744.
The next orientation will be at the Habitat office, 638 Starkweather, Plymouth, MI, at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, August 6. The orientation is mandatory in order to apply. Thank you for your service.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Habitat for Humanity Western Wayne County first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Stiggy’s Dogs is a great charity dedicated to helping get veterans – and dogs – back on their feet. Stiggy’s rescues and trains shelter dogs to be psychiatric service dogs for military veterans living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The service is at no cost to the veterans.
The veteran-dog match making charity scored some nice publicity on Channel 4 recently (you can check out the report online at: http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/live-in-the-d/Live-in-the-D-Stiggy-s-Dogs/26726778).
While the charity has experienced growth in recent years, their mission has always been the same: to reintegrate veterans back into society. Veterans are matched with the dogs, and they train together for six months to one year, with each dog individually trained to meet its veteran’s unique needs.
With recent studies showing that one in eight soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan will experience some form of PTSD symptoms, the work of Stiggy’s Dogs is becoming even more important and pressing.
Stiggy’s Dogs was founded by Jennifer Petre in memory of her nephew, Benjamin (“Doc Stiggy”) Castiglione. Doc Stiggy dedicated his life to preserving and improving the physical and emotional health of those serving in his unit, and all who serve. He gave his life working as a Hospital Corpsman Third Class (HM3) in Southern Afghanistan, taking care of “his Marines” until September of 2009.
Since its founding, the charity has rescued countless dogs in addition to helping veterans. There are an estimated five million dogs sitting in shelters across America, many of whom will be euthanized. Many of these dogs could make an excellent service dog for a veteran living with PTSD or a TBI.
By uniting these dogs with those who have served our country, Stiggy’s Dogs is “Rescuing One to Rescue Another.”
Brigadier General Carol Ann Fausone (ret.) and the team at Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC has had the pleasure of working with Stiggy’s Dogs and helping them grow over the years. General Fausone currently serves on their board of directors. Please visit www.stiggysdogs.org to learn more about how you can help!
Like Stiggy’s Dogs on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stiggysdogs
And Follow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StiggysDogs
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Stiggy’s Dogs Helps Veterans and Dogs Heal Together first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>A recent report by the Associated Press sheds light on the fact that a stronger commitment to caring for our women veterans is needed.
And just as more and more veterans are coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, more and more of them are women. Even the head of the VA’s office of women’s health acknowledges that persistent shortcomings remain in caring for the 390,000 female veterans seen last year at VA Medical Centers and Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) — despite an investment of more than $1.3 billion since 2008.
Despite this investment, problems abound, which are listed below in more detail. The bottom-line is that the VA is falling behind on care for all of our veterans. And for women in particular, VA Medical Centers and CBOCs have yet to keep pace with the rising numbers.
With more than $1.3 billion spent in the past six years on women’s health, the problem is delivery and execution. The same is true for the veterans enduring egregiously long wait-times. So while the VA is ironing out its other problems, this is also an opportune time to re-evaluate the processes related to how care is delivered to our women veterans.
Among the shortcomings for women’s care:
- Nearly 25% of VA Medical Centers do not have a full-time gynecologist on staff. And 140 of the 920 CBOCs serving rural areas do not have a designated women’s health provider.
- When a CBOC refers veterans to a university or other private medical facility to be screened for breast cancer, more than half the time their mammogram results are not provided to patients within two weeks, as required under VA policy.
- Female veterans are placed on the VA’s Electronic Wait List at a higher rate than male veterans, meaning their wait times are often over 90 days.
- And according to a VA presentation last year, female veterans of child-bearing age were far more likely to be given medications that can cause birth defects than were women being treated through a private HMO.
With their numbers increasing, there is no choice but to put more focus on women veterans and confront these issues head on. Indeed, we need to elevate the level of care for all our veterans, and ensure the men and women who served our country get what they deserve.
Read more on this issue on the AP Report published online in the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/22/veterans-affairs-womens-health_n_5519796.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
Brigadier General Carol Ann Fausone (ret.)
General Fausone served her country for 36 years in the US Air Force and Michigan National Guard as a nurse and medical officer. Carol Ann continues serving by “Taking Care of Our American Heroes and their Families” to obtain the benefits they deserve.
If you need help with your VA benefits claim, contact Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC and learn more at www.LegalHelpForVeterans.com.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your PTSD, TBI, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, TDIU, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post It’s Time for a Stronger Commitment to Women Veterans first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Jim Fausone
Veteran Disability Attorney
VA Healthcare does a tremendous amount of research and works to get that information out into the public.
As part of an effort to inform Veterans and others about their risk for developing the disease, Timothy, of VA’s Office of Research and Development, appeared on The National Defense, a syndicated radio program provided to radio stations nationwide by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
According to Dr. O’Leary, type 2 (adult onset) diabetes affects nearly 20 percent of Veterans who use VA health care, compared to about 8 percent of the general public.
Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, kidney, disease, and amputation in the United States, and that up to 80 percent of patients with diabetes will face a heart attack or stroke. Dr. O’Leary said that VA is finding that group therapy is proving to be a successful method to help people control their blood sugar levels; that using pedometers encourages physical activities to help keep diabetes under control; and that coaching and counseling is an important aspect of managing the disease.
If you are a veteran and have diabetes you should get treatment. The VA may be able to help and you may be entitled to disability compensation. Do not ignore this condition.
Veterans exposed to blasts may still have brain damage even if they have no symptoms, according to a study led by researchers at VA’s Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) in Durham, N.C., and Duke University. The results of the study were reported on in U.S. News and World Report and a number of other publications.
The research suggested that a lack of symptoms of traumatic brain injury after a blast may not indicate the extent of brain damage caused by the blast.
In the study, researchers divided 45 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans into three groups: those who had been exposed to blasts and had symptoms of TBI; those who’d been exposed to blasts and had no TBI symptoms; and those with no blast exposure. The participants underwent scans to look for damage in the brain’s white matter, as well as tests to assess their mental abilities. Veterans who were exposed to blasts but had no symptoms had brain damage similar to that seen in those with symptoms of TBI. So this contradicts a position taken by VA Benefits that a lack of symptoms in service means no injury.
http://www.research.va.gov/pubs/varqu/spring2014/spr14-11.cfm#3
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA Research: Diabetes & TBI first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veterans Disability Lawyer
The VA is reporting that 10 % of veterans are waiting over 30 days for a medical appointment.
That number does not reflect the poll LHFV did of its veterans. Our survey shows that 21% of the veterans are waiting over 180 days.
Veterans read the articles about VA and its reported wait times and wonder why their experiences are so different. I would tell you that the VA numbers probably underreport the wait times. So read this article with a grain of salt.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/va-chief-more-vets-wait-30-days-appointment
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA Reports Low But Wrong Numbers first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The land Arlington now sits on was originally acquired by George Washington Parke Curtis, the step-grandson and adopted son of U.S. President George Washington. In 1802 Curtis began the construction of his home, the Arlington House. The estate was later passed down to Curtis’s daughter, Mary Anna, who had married U.S. Army Officer Robert E. Lee.
During the American Civil War, Union and Confederate casualties were filling up hospitals and burial grounds around Washington D.C., so it was proposed by a Union general in 1864 that the 200 acres of the enemy General Robert E. Lee’s family property at Arlington should be seized and used as a cemetery.
By the end of the civil war, more than 16,000 graves of both Northern and Southern soldiers were buried on the property. The grounds had become a national memorial following the war, and both North and South Generals were buried on the property.
Notably, there are 3,800 former slaves buried in Arlington, as well as former President John F. Kennedy, and William Howard Taft.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post 150 years of Arlington first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>“There is no indication that this increase in reporting constitutes an increase in crime,” said Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Snow, director of the Pentagon’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. “We assess that this unprecedented increase is consistent with a growing confidence in the response systems.”
The campaign to raise awareness included plastering contact information for sexual assault prevention officers across military bases, especially inside bathroom stalls. And top military officers have traveled to bases around the world speaking out on the issue.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that sexual assaults are a threat to both women and men in the service, and that the Pentagon should do more to combat a culture that discourages victims from stepping forward.
In particular, Defense officials aim to encourage more men to report sexual assaults, which can be a challenge because male victims often worry that coming forward will make people think they are weak and trigger questions about their sexual orientation.
In most cases, however, assault is an issue of power of abuse rather than sexual orientation.
“There is still a misperception that this is a women’s issue and women’s crime,” said Nate Galbreath, the senior executive adviser for the Pentagon’s sexual assault prevention office. “It’s disheartening that we have such a differential between the genders and how they are choosing to report.”
The Associated Press reports that 14% of the cases in the Pentagon report involved male victims.
The military has long struggled with the issue of victims not reporting sexual assaults. Too often, victims have said they were afraid to report incidents to ranking officers for fear of retribution, or said that their initial complaints were outright ignored.
A 2012 anonymous survey found that about 26,000 service members said they were the victim of some type of unwanted sexual contact or assault. That same survey found that, by the raw numbers, 14,000 men reported having been sexually assaulted compared to 12,000 women.
Secretary Hagel is ordering six new initiatives, including efforts to get more male victims to come forward and a review of alcohol sales and policies. He says the review must address the risks of alcohol being used as a weapon by predators.
Hagel will also press for a renewed emphasis on prevention and the need to take some of the programs various services have been conducting and use them across the military.
Those include programs that urge troops to intervene when they see a fellow service member in trouble or being harassed. There may also be an effort to work with bars and stores that sell alcohol around the bases to educate their employees, offer menus when they serve drinks and review hours of liquor sales.
Prosecutions of sexual assault perpetrators who were subject to the military justice system have also increased, increasing from 66% in 2012 to 73% in 2013 – of course, there’s still room for improvement.
You can read more on this issue in the Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201405011358/NATION/305010058
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Military Sexual Assault Reports Up 50%, Officials Seek to Increase Awareness first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The innovative battery-powered microprocessor records electrical impulses in one part of the brain and relays them to another part. So far, it has only been tested on rodents.
The rodents used in the study had damaged brains and, at their best, were able to retrieve a food pellet once out of every five tries. With the new device turned on, the rodent’s food-retrieval skills returned to a near-normal level.
So many members of the armed services have suffered a traumatic brain injury — as many as 320,000 — that it is perhaps unsurprising that the joint research project was funded by the Department of Defense. Researchers involved in the development of the device are hopeful that the device will ultimately have a broader application to help humans.
Veterans who have sustained a traumatic brain injury also face an array of potentially complicating conditions, including chronic headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus, fatigue, behavioral or mood changes, convulsions, confusion, sleep disruptions, slurred speech, physical weakness or numbness of extremities, loss of coordination and nausea.
Hopefully, the new device will one day help veterans suffering from TBI to cope. In the meantime, the attorneys at Legal Help for Veterans stand ready to help TBI-affected service members to develop their claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs should their claim be denied.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post New Device Could Battle Traumatic Brain Injury first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The VA is now proposing that only requests made on official VA standardized forms will be accepted. The reason for this? The VA claims that this will aid in reducing the claim backlog that has about 400,000 veterans waiting more than 125 days for a decision. The VA wants us to believe that the VA workers spend so much time trying to read the letters and figure out what is being claimed, that it contributes to the backlog and wastes time.
One of the fears by veterans’ groups is that requiring a standardized form will take time and effort to fill out, leading to a later effective date (and therefore less money) for the veteran when the benefits are awarded. Another concern is that claims will be denied or kicked back to the veteran because he or she failed to check a certain box or fill out the form correctly. Furthermore, concern is had that the most vulnerable veterans—the homeless, those with a traumatic brain injury, or those with limited education—would have the most trouble obtaining and filling out the form correctly.
Critics and the VA alike recognize that the VA system is broken. It is backlogged and the in-house processes that VA utilizes are illogical and antiquated. However, requiring standardized forms will only make the system more difficult for veterans to navigate. Instead, effort should be made to have competent VA workers in the mailroom—ensuring that mail that is received is properly saved, statused in the computers, and passed along to the correct department. VA should have employees that actually process claims in order of receipt, instead of handling easier claims first. The VA should not lose files or records, and should properly follow its own protocols uniformly among its offices in each state. VA shouldn’t take 3 months to transfer files between offices when a veteran moves to a different state. These changes would actually speed up the benefits process and make it more productive. Unfortunately, it seems as though VA is hell bent on “solving” the backlog problem by making the whole process more difficult for the veterans.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Another Stupid Idea by the VA first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>However, the link between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the risk of IBS is a real concern for veterans, according to national medical researchers. The Department of Veterans Affairs has determined that IBS is a disorder that can be classified as a disability if related to military service – though the exact cause of the syndrome is difficult to pinpoint.
“The link between being a veteran and having a higher risk of IBS is unclear, partly because the underlying cause [of IBS] is unclear” says Dr. Phillip Schoenfeld, a University of Michigan medical school professor and expert in gastroenterology, including IBS.
Certainly, stress induced from service during wartime may exacerbate symptoms by inducing chemical and hormonal changes. For example, one research finding is that female veterans suffering from PTSD are much more likely to have IBS than female veterans who don’t have PTSD, says Dr. Schoenfeld, who leads the gastroenterology division at the Ann Arbor VA hospital.
In 2010, Congress did request the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences to begin a comprehensive review of best treatments for chronic multi-symptom illnesses, or CMI, faced by Gulf War veterans. The report confirmed a growing consensus that no “specific causal factor” will be identified for IBS, however “stress and crowded war theater conditions” that may exacerbate the spreading of infections are suggested as triggers for IBS.
Whatever the cause, the correlation between PTSD and IBS is no laughing matter for veterans. “Irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder that really compromises the daily lives of veterans,” Dr. Schoenfeld says.
Schoenfeld further notes that while it is difficult to put a value on what disorders need more research dollars, IBS is not one that should be dismissed as having a negligible impact on veterans’ lives.
Learn more about the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences’ study on CMI illnesses here: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13539
Read more on the issue of PTSD and IBS here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2014/01/16/263087761/doctors-say-reid-request-for-bowel-research-money-no-joke
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post PTSD – Irritable Bowel Syndrome link is no joke for Vets first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Brigadier General Richard G. Elliot, Michigan’s former Air adjutant general, is reported by the inspector general (IG) to have used his public office for private gain. Once a federal military technician, Elliot received a federal paycheck. However, in December 2005 he was appointed to serve as the Air adjutant general and commander of the Michigan Air National Guard, making him a full-time employee of the state.
In an effort to quality for retirement benefits, Elliot failed to terminate his federal position as required by law and instead continued to approve his own time and attendance records. As a result, he received more than $194,000, the IG found. The IG further found nearly $20,000 of unwarranted temporary duty travel money.
Perhaps more unfortunate, however, is that we are in 2014: almost ten years from when these abuses of power transpired. Not only did Brig. Gen. Elliot break the law and scam taxpayers, but the investigation to uncover it took nearly five years. Adding more fuel to the flame, Elliot’s boss, Maj. Gen. Thomas Cutler, then Michigan’s adjutant general, knew that Elliot was trying to reach his retirement date and helped Elliot remain on the books as a military technician.
This behavior is symptomatic of the “old boys club” present in the military, and the slow walking of the investigation allowed those implicated to retire without facing charges for what they had done. It should be noted, though, that this lapse of integrity by a few is not representative of the good men and women who serve our country, and our state.
Still, the case does represent a strand of military officers who have a, “boys will be boys” mentality. One way to rout out this thinking is to hasten investigations of such abuses of power and take the possibility of fraud more seriously. There are many who serve as appointed officials with great integrity, and many others who deserve high-level appointments. Cases like this provide an example of how the current system is not working.
Those officials who pull their weight and serve with integrity deserve better. More importantly, the people these officials serve deserve better – not only from those who abuse their power, but those who investigate the abuses.
To read more on the IG’s report and finding, read the Free Press article here: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201401131511/NEWS06/301130142
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Breach of Honor by National Guard General first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>According to a recent report, “Enlisted service members could lose a minimum of $72,000 over a 20 year period of their retirement, while commissioned officers could face up to $124,000 in lost compensation.”
With a second chance to put money back in the pockets of those who have served our country, Congress has faltered once again. Eighty-two percent of veterans still face significant losses in their retirement pay, only exempting disabled veterans receiving Chapter 61 benefits. This bill restores benefits for only 17.5% of military retirees, while leaving intact generous benefits for federal civil employees.
This bipartisan deal is disappointing and simply unfair. Federal civil employees are allowed to keep their benefits on the backs of the people who have sacrificed so much for our country – our veterans.
Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe’s comments are telling: “The fact that we even have to take efforts to restore these retirement benefits in the first place is troubling,” he said. “This is a benefit these men and women were promised when they joined the services and earned by dedicating their lives to protect our national security.”
Learn more about the spending bill’s impact on military retiree pensions and COLA here:
http://freebeacon.com/vast-majority-of-military-pension-cuts-remain-in-omnibus-spending-bill/
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post New Spending Bill Continues to Punish Retirees’ Pockets first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The five conditions linked to moderate to severe TBI were: Parkinson’s disease, certain types of dementia, depression, unprovoked seizures, and certain diseases of the hypothalamus and pituitary glands.
Those secondary illnesses will be considered service-connected and won’t require medical opinions to establish whether there is correlation to TBI. However, the findings come with some caveats to receiving benefits.
The severity of a TBI must be “moderate to severe” and three of the five illnesses need to manifest themselves within a certain length of time from the TBI. Dementia must manifest within 15 years of a TBI. For depression, it’s three years (or 12 months for a mild TBI). For hormone deficiencies of the hypothalamus or pituitary glands it’s 12 months.
Still, the VA encourages veterans to file claims even if they don’t meet the severity of TBI or length of time between TBI and the secondary illness.
For more information on veteran benefits and answers to FAQs, visit www.legalhelpforveterans.com and be sure to check out our e-books as well.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your PTSD, TBI, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, TDIU, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA Findings Expand Service-Connected Illnesses first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>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 cities have local ordinances preventing residents from keeping or raising chickens on property within the city. However, are those individuals permitted to keep chickens on their property if they are being used as “therapy” chickens? For example, to provide therapeutic benefits for special needs children.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) governs the use of service animals for disabled individuals. Under the ADA and its corresponding regulations, a “service animal” is defined as “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability.” The regulations specifically state that other species of animals are not service animals for purpose of the ADA.
The only exception to the “dogs only” rule of the ADA is, surprisingly, miniature horses. The ADA requires that reasonable accommodations must be made to permit the use of a miniature horse by an individual with a disability, as long as it has been individually trained to perform tasks for that person. The use of these miniature horses is more restrictive than guide dogs, however. In order to determine if reasonable accommodations can be made, the regulations provide several factors including the size of the horse, the handler’s control over the horse, and whether the horse is housebroken.
So, according to the text of the ADA Regulations, it is unlikely that “therapy chickens” would be protected under the ADA as service animals. While chickens arguably may provide a benefit to those with special needs or a disability, a local city ordinance prohibiting would likely be controlling.
If you have questions about the ADA or other legal issues, contact the experienced team of legal professionals at Fausone Bohn, LLP, at (248) 380-0000 or online at www.fb-firm.com.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Therapy Chickens and the Americans with Disabilities Act first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Unfortunately, homelessness among former members of the armed services is not all that uncommon. The Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that, on any given night, there are 57,849 homeless veterans. During the course of a year, about twice as many veterans endure homelessness at least once.
The vast majority of homeless veterans are male (about 92 percent), and a majority are single, urban dwellers suffering from alcohol abuse, substance abuse and/or other disorders. Veterans account for approximately 13 percent of the homeless population in the United States.
The causes of homelessness among veterans are many: a lack of affordable housing, insufficient income, difficulties in transferring military skills into a post-military professional environment and an absence or shortage of a supportive network of family and friends.
Among all possible causes, two of the most telling are inadequate access to health care and the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These causes suggest that many of the delays in diagnosis and treatment at Veterans Administration health care facilities — as well as restricted eligibility requirements and less-than-prompt care for veterans with PTSD — are taking a greater toll on veterans than one might imagine.
In Michigan, the Detroit-based Michigan Veterans Foundation assists homeless veterans to stabilize their lives and regain their self-sufficiency by offering temporary housing. But a more comprehensive, national effort is needed to help veterans find housing, to provide them with nutritious meals, to get them the health care and counseling they need, and to offer them more options for job counseling, training and placement.
Only then will this nation begin offer a better chance and a more hospitable welcome for our military heroes.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Homelessness Exacts an Unnecessary Toll on Our Veterans first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Last week Al Qaeda militants took over the key Iraqi city of Fallujah – a city that American soldiers fought valiantly to liberate just nine years ago. Unfortunately, many Americans may not remember or understand the sacrifice of the veterans who fought to free the city in the first place. The sobering news reminded me of recent comments made by General David Petraeus thanking our veterans and noting the lack of national sacrifice in the recent War on Terror.
Since the tragedy of 9/11, just 0.45% of the US population has served in the War on Terror. This is a lackluster statistic compared to the 11.2% who served four years during WW II and the 4.3% who served twelve years during the Vietnam War.
While the dangers to our country have intensified and grown more pervasive, a greater burden to protect our freedom has been shouldered by fewer and fewer Americans. Perhaps this trend has led to the unfortunate disconnect between the public and veterans – today’s War on Terror seems distant in the minds of Americans. This fact is unfortunate, yet unsurprising as less than one percent answer the call to serve.
During WW II and Vietnam, if your family members didn’t answer the call to serve, then your neighbors and friends did. The sacrifice of the country was readily visible. Today, that patriotic sacrifice made by military men, women, and families is less apparent and less understood. However, the bravery of our service men and women should not be any less appreciated.
These short comments from General Petraeus are eye-opening and worth a read:
http://cibassoc.com/media/letters-from-the-front-lines/
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Decline in Service first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Jim Fausone
Veteran Disability Lawyer
There is no end to the mischief Congress can get itself into. It did little to assist veterans in 2013 and I have written about that earlier in the month. In a last minute budget deal, the Congress and President have a budget law that punishes retirees from the military. “The deal Obama signed includes a provision that would pare down annual cost of living increases in benefits for military retirees under age 62, saving the government an estimated $6.3 billion over a decade.” On the theory that younger retirees have the chance to work in the private sector, the budget team isolated these “younger” retirees and stripped out COLA from their pensions. These folks put in their 20–30 years and now get a point shaving game run on them.
Congress does not treat all retirees this way. It is not stopping COLA for all similar situated people or for those on other federal programs. But remember, only less than 10% of the population have served in the military. The early retirees are not that big of a voting block. So Congress cut them from the herd and then cut them down – a military tactic dating back to Sun Tzu and the Art of War. The veterans may need to employ some of the same tactics in the next election cycle.
If you want to view a good discussion of the problem, listen to this retired Marine on Fox discuss the problem.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Budget Punishes Retirees first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Hard upon the heels of the ides of November, a report surfaced that technology has made it possible to scan any Veterans Administration identification card issued since 2004 with a smartphone equipped with a bar code app to obtain the cardholder’s Social Security number. Once the veteran’s SSN appears on the screen of a smartphone belonging to a person with a penchant for rapaciousness, he or she possesses one of the more valuable assets an identity thief can pilfer.
And while the foregoing news is deplorable enough — and clearly constitutes an illegal act — another form of exploitation, albeit a legal one, has also turned up in the news in the week before Thanksgiving. In spite of the fact that Congress passed the Military Lending Act in 2006, which was crafted to protect members of the U.S. armed services from predation by payday lenders, the law is not all-encompassing.
The loopholes in the Military Lending Act are proving to be as wide as a jet parked at the Kellogg Air National Guard Base. Some short-term loans are exempt from its 36 percent interest rate ceiling, including those for more than $2,000, loans with terms of longer than 91 days and auto-title loans with 181-day-plus durations.
Many veterans have gone deeper into debt and, in some cases, lost their homes to foreclosure after taking out loans with exorbitant interest rates. These run as high as 40 percent. Such pressures should not fall on the shoulders of our veterans, and they could not have been what the sponsors of the Military Lending Act had in mind.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Stateside, Veterans Face Prospect of Identity Theft and Onerous Loans first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The Michigan Endoscopy Center in Novi, Michigan has a unique offer for free GI procedures. This free service is made available by rules of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Michigan Endoscopy Center has CMS approval until the end of the year at its new surgery center in Novi to provide these tests free of charge. These procedures cost around $3,000, so this is a real benefit to veterans that may not have income, insurance or healthcare.
Colonoscopy’s make a great holiday gift! …one size fits all, they can’t be returned and just might save a life!
To see if you qualify, please contact the Center’s administrator at the number below.
Brien Fausone, MA, MBA
Administrator
Michigan Endoscopy Center
(248) 865-6555 phone
bfausone@endoctr.com
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Free Medical Services for Qualifying Veterans & Family Members first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>A bill to help veterans find jobs, signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder at the Governor’s Summit on Veterans Talent in Taylor, may very well stand out as the centerpiece among the bevy of beneficial measures for veterans taking hold in November. The measure permits veterans to offer vocational experience gained while serving in the military as a qualifying factor for employment, in lieu of education or additional training.
Examples of the positions veterans would be encouraged to present on their resumes include stints as engineers, firefighters, medical technicians, boiler operators and building, mechanical or maintenance contractors.
Figures released by the Labor Department on November 22 for the month of October pegged Michigan with a 9 percent unemployment rate, which puts the state in third place among all states for unemployment. For veterans, Michigan ranked 37th in the nation for unemployment in 2012.
On November 15, the governor also announced a joint pilot program between the state and private industry to provide cost-free information and technology training and certification for Michigan veterans. The program is funded in part by donations from the Michigan Development Corp.
These employment-stimulating measures follow in the wake of legislation the governor signed into law on November 12 that permits the spouses of disabled veterans to claim the homestead property tax exemption if the veteran should pass away prior to approval of the tax break.
With the Presidents Council of State Universities of Michigan announcing on November 8 that all veterans, regardless of residency, will be allowed to avail themselves of in-state tuition rates at Michigan’s 15 public universities, our military heroes have had some truly welcome news in November.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Beneficial Measures Add to Veterans’ Decorations in Michigan first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veterans Disability Lawyer
We deal with VA every day and are at the outer rings of DOD’s activities. Our clients are guys that have been around the block before and know a thing or two about DOD and VA. So I am never too surprised by the stories we are told about delay and incompetency. However, a new report out on DOD tells the story of how DFAS simply makes up numbers, plug numbers, to make its books balance in reports to Treasury. DFAS, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, is the Pentagon’s main accounting agency. We all rely on the DFAS numbers like they are gospel. VA will stick to a DFAS report of pay or benefits as evidence in VA determinations – like hazardous duty pay, flight status, etc. As reported “At the DFAS offices that handle accounting for the Army, Navy, Air Force and other defense agencies, fudging the accounts with false entries is standard operating procedure, Reuters has found. And plugging isn’t confined to DFAS (pronounced DEE-fass). Former military service officials say record-keeping at the operational level throughout the services is rife with made-up numbers to cover lost or missing information.”
I suspect that if Reuters was doing a similar story on VA it may find the same mentality of “plugging the numbers to get the report out the door.” Those inaccuracies end up impacting the lives of real people. Real veterans are not getting benefits or care because of the inability to account for information and resources. I wish it was not so but this report seems to be well done and convincing. What are your thoughts or experiences?
http://www.euronews.com/newswires/2215678-special-report-the-pentagons-doctored-ledgers-conceal-epic-waste
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post DOD Uses Plug Numbers first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veterans Disability Lawyer
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder recently signed into law P.A. 161 of 2013. This Act amends MCL 211.7b regarding Veterans Exemptions to read as follows:
Sec. 7b. (1) Real property used and owned as a homestead by a disabled veteran who was discharged from the armed forces of the United States under honorable conditions or by an individual described in subsection (2) is exempt from the collection of taxes under this act. To obtain the exemption, an affidavit showing the facts required by this section and a description of the real property shall be filed by the property owner or his or her legal designee with the supervisor or other assessing officer during the period beginning with the tax day for each year and ending at the time of the final adjournment of the local board of review. The affidavit when filed shall be open to inspection. The county treasurer shall cancel taxes subject to collection under this act for any year in which a disabled veteran eligible for the exemption under this section has acquired title to real property exempt under this section. Upon granting the exemption under this section, each local taxing unit shall bear the loss of its portion of the taxes upon which the exemption has been granted.
(2) If a disabled veteran who is otherwise eligible for the exemption under this section dies, either before or after the exemption under this section is granted, the exemption shall remain available to or shall continue for his or her unremarried surviving spouse. The surviving spouse shall comply with the requirements of subsection (1) and shall indicate on the affidavit that he or she is the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran entitled to the exemption under this section. The exemption shall continue as long as the surviving spouse remains unremarried.
(3) As used in this section, “disabled veteran” means a person who is a resident of this state and who meets 1 of the following criteria:
(a) Has been determined by the United States department of veterans affairs to be permanently and totally disabled as a result of military service and entitled to veterans’ benefits at the 100% rate.
(b) Has a certificate from the United States veterans’ administration, or its successors, certifying that he or she is receiving or has received pecuniary assistance due to disability for specially adapted housing.
(c) Has been rated by the United States department of veterans affairs as individually unemployable.
The State has told tax assessors that:
This exemption is only available to disabled veterans or, if the veteran has died, to their unremarried surviving spouse who own and use the home as their homestead.
The disabled veteran or their surviving spouse must be a resident of the State of Michigan.
Assessors are advised that eligible disabled veterans will be able to apply for a 2013 exemption at the December 2013 Board of Review. An exemption will cancel the July and December 2013 taxes, but will not cancel any taxes levied before 2013.
The Act requires an Affidavit be filed but does not require this Affidavit to be an official State of Michigan form. A standard Affidavit is not planned to be developed at this time.
If you qualify do not miss out on this tax break for those who became 100% disabled serving the country.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Disabled Vets Get Michigan Real Property Tax Break first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veteran Disability Lawyer
If you have served, someone you know in the unit, platoon or brigade was a Native American. The First Americans have a long and distinguished history of service to the country. As an ethnic group, Native Americans serve at a higher rate than other groups. That history is marked by 25 Medal of Honor recipients being Native American. You may not know that Native Americans have their own veteran service organization.
Starting in 2002, the Native American Veterans Association (NAVA) is a mutual fraternal non-profit organization (501 C 19), built around the American Military culture with a rich history and legacy that dates back to and around the creation of the nation. As a Native-American based organization, NAVA stretches its helping hand out to all tribal and non-tribal veterans and their families.
NAVA is an advocate dedicated to serving veterans and their families. This service includes assisting veterans and dependents when applying for Federal, State, and County benefits and all other rights to which they are entitled in the most expedient manner possible. The official colors of NAVA are Black, Red, Purple, and Gold. The Black represents POW/MIA’s and those who still have not returned. The Red represents the blood of those shed in battle. The Purple represents the Purple Heart. And the Gold represents Honor in Service.
The US Army recognizes the value of Native Americans to the country. You may find the attached article from Indian Country Media Today.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Thank You Native American Veterans first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The veteran unemployment rate for those who served post-Sept. 11, 2001 is significantly higher than for civilians. There is also a “substantial disparity,” advocates say, between the unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities and the unemployment rate for individuals without disabilities. Advocates for veterans also say that vets have earned the quota support.
According to Joe Sharpe, the director of the American Legion’s economic division, employers who put an emphasis on hiring veterans when possible are doing their own part to serve their country. And vets, Sharpe argues, are at a disadvantage, pulled out of the workforce for extended periods of time to serve, which means they have less time and opportunity to gain valuable skills and network. The two regulations, slated to go into effect in March 2014, will set the benchmarks for hiring by government contractors to be at least seven percent individuals with disabilities , and the percentage of veterans determined by the number of veterans presently in the workforce. Currently, the percentage of vets in the workforce is eight percent. Those opposing the rule says that the goals are the same as a quota. However, if a contractor does not comply with the benchmarks for hiring, there are no predetermined fines or penalties.
Mark Perriello, the president and chief executive of the American Association of People with Disabilities argues that the rules are not the same as a quota. The rules, he says, are “an inspirational target” for government contractors. All that is needed is a “good faith effort.” Seven percent is not set in stone. It is a target.
But some advocacy groups are not comfortable with the rules. Contractors will be facing an increase in paperwork requirements.
The public was invited to comment for two months on the federal contractor restrictions.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Veteran Hiring Quotas a Sticking Point for Some first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Jim Fausone
Veterans Disability Lawyer
So I am no fashion expert. I suspect most guys just toss on what is in the closet and hope it does not clash too badly. Uniforms are supposed to be functional, not clash with the environment, create esprit de corps and be distinguishable. But when I read about the government’s continuing attempt to reinvent the military uniform it drives me batty. Eight years ago DOD spent $5 billion on a heavily-criticized universal camouflage pattern (UCP). Nobody liked it and the pattern did not work in Afghanistan. Someone said it was only camouflage if you were hiding in a gravel parking lot. Now the Army is back at the drawing board looking for a new design that’s estimated to cost another $4 billion.
So here is my comparison. A veteran with a 50% disability receives about $12,000 a year, which is not much to live on and support your wife and child. We are going to blow $9 billion on fashion choices in a decade. That would cover the annual cost for 750,000 veterans to receive benefits. Sometimes I think the government’s priorities are screwed up. Are you a fan of the UCP or do you want it gone no matter what the price?
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Wasted Funds first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The White House has announced that the same-sex spouses of military vets are now granted spousal benefits.
The Supreme Court’s rejection of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) means that the spouses of vets can collect federal benefits, regardless of their gender. Prior to this ruling, both the Defense departments and Veterans Affairs only granted benefits to the heterosexual spouses of veterans.
The opening up of benefits came on the heels of DOMA’s backers dropping their formal opposition to benefits for same-sex spouses. The White House has announced that couples who are legally wed must be treated the same across the board in terms of federal taxes, regardless of their gender. Same-sex couples can now file joint tax returns and get any available federal tax benefits that were previously only enjoyed by opposite-sex spouses.
Changes to same-sex benefits have also been made to family and medical leave benefits, immigration and Medicare, and in other federal agencies. Same-sex couples who are legally married are also now being recognized for federal tax purposes, says the IRS, even if the state where they live does not legally recognize their marriage.
In June 2013, the section of DOMA which barred a federal recognition of same-sex unions was ruled unconstitutional. But that did not automatically simplify the extension of veterans’ benefits to spouses; a different federal law governs those benefits, not DOMA, which limited the benefit availability to spouses “of the opposite sex.” But in August of this year, aCaliforniafederal judge ruled that spousal benefits cannot be denied to a lesbian veteran in a same-sex marriage.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/09/04/same-sex-veterans-obama-benefits/2764197/
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/05/veterans-benefits-for-same-sex-spouses/?_r=0
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Same-Sex Spousal Benefits first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Jim Fausone
Veteran Disability Lawyer
Listening to the general press, you would think the world will fall apart if there is a government shutdown. In reality, only about 1/3 of the government workers will be off work.
The VA will be at work on your claims. The October payments are already in the mail. VA benefits are protected and should go out during a shutdown. Could VA run out of funds, maybe in a month or so. If your claim is being processed, the VA employees who handle such claims are protected from the shutdown.
But remember how slow VA is anyway, so the shutdown provides a convenient excuse for not meeting schedule. So let’s not freak out just yet. The VA is still working and Congress will figure this out in a few days or a week. Veterans have enough stress in their lives without it being whipped into a frenzy by the general media.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-tarantino/government-shutdown-faq-f_b_4019443.html
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Government Shutdown No Problem first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The “8 Keys to Success” includes specific steps for educational communities to adopt in order to support veterans. More than 250 universities and community colleges have adopted the 8 Steps to help vets obtain their higher education degrees and then certificates, licenses and credentials to become highly skilled workforce members.
The Education Department brought together more than 100 specialists from nonprofits, foundations, veterans service organizations and recently returned vets to develop an approach which could be applied to both in-person and online or “distance” learning for vets.
The “8 Keys to Success” incorporates sustained and consistent support from campus heads, a culture of trust across the campus, an early alert system to support vets who may be struggling before they are overwhelmed, a designated space for vets on each campus, outreach with local organizations and communities for services, an overarching demographic collection system to track retention numbers and degrees conferred, an offering of professional development for faculty and staff on vet-focused issues, and a system of practices that works for incoming vets.
President Obama signed an order in 2012 to establish protections for military, vets and families, the Principles of Excellence. As part of the Principles of Excellence, the Veterans Administration is expanding its programs, VetSuccess On Campus (VSOC) and Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership (VITAL) programs, designed to put vets in touch with VA-generated resources. VetSuccess On Campus is currently used in 16 U.S. states, in 32 campus sites, and is expanding this year, with thousands of higher education campuses either developing or further expanding Veterans Success Centers in light of the latest influx of investment from the VA.
More returning service members are attending college on their return to civilian life due to the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The VA has paid out an estimated $30 billion since 2009; more than one million vets, service members, families have obtained an education through the Bill.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post More Colleges Adopting 8 Steps for Success for College-Bound Vets first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veteran Disability Lawyer
In every conflict, the records of the chaos of war become lost or destroyed. This is as expected as multiple versions of success and failure in the field. However, for veterans, the loss of records have the opportunity to damage their claims for veteran benefits. Will they be able to prove to VA that a unit event took place or a hostile action was encountered.
ProPublica and the Seattle Times uncovered assessments by the Army’s Center of Military History [4] showing that scores of units lacked adequate records. Others had wiped them off computer hard drives amid confusion about whether classified materials could be transferred home.
The missing records do not include personnel files and medical records, which are stored separately from the field records that detail day-to-day activities.
VA should not punish the veteran in these situations.
http://www.propublica.org/article/army-says-war-records-gap-is-real-launches-recovery-effort
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Lost War Records Again first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veterans Disability Lawyer
Unfortunately, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an all too common condition for soldiers returning home after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many veterans choose to seek counseling to cope with this and other effects of their service overseas.
Recently, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) began a program by which these therapy sessions are conducted over the internet. The veterans can see and interact with their counselor through a video-chat program such as Skype or Cisco Jabber.
In the long term, veterans using this “Skype therapy” progressed at the same rate as veterans receiving traditional face-to-face therapy. Traditional therapy is never going away – but this new online therapy is only going to get bigger.
Of course, there can be technical problems with online therapy such as pixilation, choppiness, and freezing. If the internet connection is lost, that will end the session. In one case, a study found that a therapist did not notice for three sessions that his patient was in a wheelchair. Some also believe that this new approach will decrease empathy because the therapist is unable to shake the patient’s hand, hand tissue to a crying patient, or otherwise physically interact with the patient.
Even with the drawbacks, this new approach is certainly a blessing for veterans who do not live near a VA hospital or clinic. These veterans will now have the ability to get the treatment they need from the comfort of their own home.
If you have questions about PTSD or benefits for veterans, contact Legal Help For Veterans, a practice group of Fausone Bohn, LLP, at 800-693-4800 or online at www.legalhelpforveterans.com.
To learn more about the VA’s new online therapy program, please visit: http://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/skype-therapy-it-s-working-for-veterans-1.229089#.Udg7dhg-uZk.gmail
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Veterans Skype Therapy first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>“Steps to protect our troops from any unwanted sexual advances and assaultive behaviors are to be commended,” stated James Fausone, a veterans disability attorney.
Steps include better enforcement of policies which prohibit inappropriate relationships, establishing an advocacy group within each service branch for victims which provides representation and legal advice for those with complaints of sexual assault, and disqualifying troop members who have backgrounds including sexual assault from roles as counselors, instructors or recruiters.
Meanwhile, an airman who was assigned to the Air Force Academy was convicted in August of aggravated sexual conduct at a general court martial against his fellow female airman.
The airman received a sentence of 15 months confinement. He was also reduced in grade to airman basic, and he was dishonorably discharged by a panel of officers. The conviction was just the latest in a series of high-profile military sexual assault cases as the Defense Department and Congress attempt to determine the best way to prosecute sexual assault cases and if a commanded should be included in proceedings.
The now-former chief of the Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Branch, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, was arrested easier this year after allegedly committing sexual battery against a woman not far from the Pentagon after exiting a strip club. The ensuing fallout has thrown a harsh spotlight on sexual assault and misconduct against fellow officers in all branches of the service. Krusinski’s post is now helmed by a woman who had been hired to investigate the assault by trainers of female recruits inTexas, at Lackland Air Force Base.
The Defense Department is currently looking at how to expand an Air Force program which offers special counsel to service members who allege that they are the victims of unwanted sexual conduct or sexual assault or unwanted sexual contact.
There were an estimated 26,000 unwanted sexual contact incidents in 2012 experienced by active-duty troops.
Sources
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/08/15/military-sexual-assault-plans/2660005/
http://www.nbcnews.com/video/meet-the-press/52727533
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Veterans Disability Attorney Fausone Notes Pentagon’s Proposal of New Steps In Light of Military Sexual Assaults first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Just two years ago, gay and lesbian individuals were prevented from serving openly in the military. Now, same sex spouses of these veterans and service members will be able to share in their government benefits.
In a recent decision, the United States Supreme Court invalidated a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act which denied federal benefits to same sex couples married legally in their states. This law has a large impact on the same sex spouses of veterans – they will now be able to get help with college tuition, can be buried in a national cemetery, and may be eligible for other financial spousal benefits. Additionally, these spouses will now be able to receive indemnity pay for the death of a spouse in the military.
President Obama has directed Attorney General Eric Holder to work with cabinet members to ensure that these benefit changes are implemented swiftly and smoothly. Congress may need to amend the statutes governing VA benefits. Currently, the statutes don’t recognize a same sex marriage between two residents of a state that hasn’t legalized same sex marriage – even if that couple was married in a state that has. Legislation to correct this has already been introduced into Congress.
The implementation of these new benefits for same sex couples will make a significant financial difference for many of these veterans. For instance, a veteran considered 100% disabled is eligible for compensation amounting to $2,816 per month. However, if that veteran has a spouse, they may receive $2,973 per month – a difference of $1,900 annually.
If you have questions about veteran benefits, contact Legal Help For Veterans at 800-693-4800 or on the web at www.legalhelpforveterans.com.
To learn more about the impact the Supreme Court’s DOMA ruling has on veteran benefits, please visit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/28/gay-veterans-supreme-court_n_3515999.html.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Veterans Benefits for Same Sex Couples first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>
The failure to address sexual assault in the military is costing the U.S. billions of dollars per year.
A new study released from the RAND Corporation calculated costs of medical and mental health services that victims of these assaults seek after an incident, as well as other “intangible” costs. All told, the study believes that these costs reached $3.6 billion last year.
These findings add to a growing sense of urgency surrounding this important problem. Reports of these incidents have spiked 35% since 2010. Astoundingly, as many as 26,000 members of the military were sexually assaulted last year.
Currently, military sexual assaults are dealt with through the chain of command. However, this can result in retaliation from co-workers and might discourage victims from coming forward. In an attempt to combat this, the U.S. House of Representatives has recently passed a provision providing whistleblower protection to victims of these assaults.
Additionally, some senators have proposed an amendment taking this process out of the chain of command entirely by creating special military prosecutors in charge of these investigations.
One thing is for sure – all necessary measures need to be taken to stop this atrocious conduct. It is our duty to protect those who protect us.
If you have questions about this topic or other veteran issues, contact Legal Help For Veterans, a practice group of Fausone Bohn, LLP, at 800.693.4800 or online at www.legalhelpforveterans.com.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Sexual Abuse in the Military – a Costly Problem first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>“Events like the National Veterans Wheelchair Games are a not only a good time for vets to get together and compete,” commented veteran disability attorney James Fausone, “They are also great opportunity to show the public how capable and active so many disabled vets are. We are still facing an uphill battle when it comes to disabled veterans and underemployment, and in seeing them fully integrated in the media when it comes to civilian life.”
Athletes are placed in competition in the events ranked with those of similar athletic abilities, age and/or competition experience. Events include archery, air guns, field events, bowling, basketball, hand-cycling, power soccer, slalom, quad rugby, swimming, softball, track, weightlifting and more. The Games are overseen by Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Department of Veterans Affairs, funded in part by civic and corporate sponsors as well as veteran service organizations. The Games are also backed by more than 3,000 local volunteers, many of whom return every year to assist in everything from transportation assistance to ticket taking, water distribution, meals and crowd control.
In tandem with the National Veterans Wheelchair Games was the annual Kids Day event. Now in its 14th year, the Kids Day event offers local children with physical disabilities the opportunity to try adaptive sports activities. Kids Day is designed to promote active and fun activities as well as teamwork and determination to children with physical disabilities. Participating children are traditionally presenting with participating medals by veteran athlete mentors at the conclusion of the Kids Day events.
The Games first began in 1981 in the Tampa, Florida area. Thousands of disabled veterans have participated over the past 33 years in the events designed to support sports, competition and camaraderie among the nation’s military.
Source
http://www.va.gov/health/NewsFeatures/2013/July/600-Veterans-to-Seize-the-Day-in-Tampa-Bay.asp
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games Welcomed More Than 500 Athletes first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>In the last year, I have spoken to VA representatives over 600 times for clients of the firm. I am asked to call on files where the VA process seems stalled for our clients. The reason for the stalled claim process varies in each case. I have to call ROs all over the country. By and large, the VA employees that I talk to are hard working and dedicated but overwhelmed. I recently spoke to a RO coordinator that told me they are working on late 2009 and 2010 claims. Even remands from the Board are taking 3 years. I know our clients are frustrated and some people will tell you they can move the claim faster, but it is not true. If you want the truth, it is what I hear from talking to VA every day. Do not get so frustrated you do something silly like dismissing your claim that has been pending for 2.5 years and starting over because you think it will go faster. It won’t and all you did was give up the back pay award to which you are entitled. We will keep marching forward together.
If you are waiting on your claim to be decided, even if it’s on remand, the old rule of 1 year has stretched to 3 years. That is just the truth of the matter at many ROs.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post The Truth of How Long it Takes first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Claims raters working with the VA have been combing through the oldest claims in the system to allow those vets to get their benefits, if eligible. The Veterans Administration has announced that vets who are waiting for their claim to be processed are able to submit additional materials as evidence up to one full year after their provisional rating and prior to the VA issuing its final decision on their claim. Provisional decisions are intended to provide vets with their benefits faster and also will allow them the safety of an additional year to submit additional evidence if necessary. Those cases will be “fast-traced,” said the Undersecretary for Benefits, Allison Hickey.
In tandem with this initiative, VA has announced that it still intends to prioritize the benefits claims of veterans who are homeless as well as the benefits claims for former prisoners of war, terminally ill vets, vets who claim financial hardship, and recipients of the Medal of Honor.
Decisions on benefit claims will be predicated on the evidence submitted, if needed, medical exams will be ordered and processed expeditiously. If an increase of a benefit is determined after additional evidence is submitted, those benefit payment will be paid retroactively to the initial claim file date.
This new initiative is also designed to allow a vet to appeal a decision, including lower benefits than expected, a denial of claim or another issue. The vet will have one full year to submit additional evidence, after which, the VBA will contact the vet to inform them that their rating has been determined and will provide standard appeal information.
The plan is that, as the oldest claims are processed, the average claim competition time through the VA’s system will improve and the average number of days a claim is in the benefits inventory will dramatically decrease.
During the pending phase of compensation claims, vets who are eligible can receive their healthcare benefits from the VA. Vets from recent conflicts are currently eligible for as many as five years of VA healthcare for free. More than 55 percent of vets who have returned fromIraqandAfghanistanare now using VA health care.
Wounded Warrior claims, meanwhile, are continuing to be processed separately with Department of Defense via the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES). Vets designated as “Wounded Warriors” are receiving their VA compensation benefits just 61 days, on average, after separating from military service.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA Backlog Initiative To Process Oldest Veteran Benefit Claims first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Principi argued that current eligibility requirements are far more liberal than, as President Lincoln once charged, “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.” He said that the 50,000 veterans wounded inIraqandAfghanistanwho have filed for disability claims are not the reason the system is clogged, but that the system was already overwhelmed by veterans who were filing claims from long-ago service.
“While every benefits system may face the occasional questionable filing, the focus of the VA disability benefits system needs to support the servicemen and servicewomen who need those benefits to which they are entitled,” commented veterans disability attorneyJames Fausone.
Principi called for the restoration of the “integrity” of the Veterans Administration claims system in a keynote address this June at forum on the VA. The forum, co-hosted by Concerned Veterans for America The Weekly Standard magazine, featured Principi’s keynote, where he stated that Congress, vet service organizations and the VA must address the expansion of disability pay eligibility. Principi has called for a “rebalancing” of priorities or the VA system will be at risk, he said. His remarks were in sharp contrast to other speakers, who urged the VA to work more efficiently and faster on the backlog of disability claims still pending.
More than one million claims are filed each year; an estimated 80 percent of these are filed from veterans who served prior to 2001, Principi said. A vet who served a single day inVietnamcan file for medical conditions typically seen in aging men, Principi said, such as prostate cancer, lung cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and Type II diabetes.
It has been 40 years since the end of the Vietnam War, and 37 percent of VA claims have been filed byVietnamvets, twice as many as those filed by recently discharged vet, according to Principi. And, says Principi, as much as 11 percent of claims, 100,000 or more, have been filed by veterans who never saw conflict. Vietnam-era vet claims increased, posited Principi, due to assumptions that “ailments of aging” such as some heart diseases and Type II diabetes, were added to the list the VA accepted as caused by exposure to Agent Orange.
The VA paid out $26.6 billion in 2005 in disability compensation. By the end of 2013, it will pay out more than $60 billion.
Source
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Former VA Secretary Calls for VA Disability Benefits Reform first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veteran Disability Lawyer
If you are a veteran navigating the VA disability process, you are amazed at the numerous forms that must be completed. If you are like many vets, the DOD experience with forms did not train you for the VA collection of forms, some of which seem designed to confuse. A recent article discussed the federal government’s desire to create a form for every event. “The American Action Forum found that paperwork needed for health benefits claims — in part the result of 31.2 million Veterans Affairs claims each year — takes federal employees roughly 43.3 million hours to process.”
“Other findings in the study:
• A disabled veteran seeking health and educational benefits could encounter up to 49 different forms, more than four hours of paperwork, and an aggregate cost of $125, assuming $31 per hour of compliance time.
• One collection, “Income-Net Worth and Employment Statement,” contains 40 questions, takes one hour to complete, and VA receives more than 104,000 responses every year.”
What do you think is the worst form in the VA universe of forms?
http://www.stripes.com/news/new-study-shows-complications-in-va-claims-process-1.228830
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA Forms Challenge first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The House panel did agree to allow a $4 co-pay increase for retirees and their family members below the age of 65 for outpatient care. Doctor visit co-pays are slated to increase to $16, while the co-pay for mental health care visits will stay at $12. The $4 increase is expected to save funds for health programs and medical research. The Department of Defense has not been authorized to increase any additional TRICARE fees.
The Secretary of Defense along with the Joint Chiefs of Staff had pushed for higher TRICARE fees to save fund for supplies, training, maintenance, and weapons procurement from being slashed. But resistance to boosting fees or capping pay from bipartisan members of the House Armed Services Committee has so far kept fees low. Additionally, Defense officials have reportedly overstated health care costs to the tune of $400 million a year, on average, to fund other defense accounts.
President Obama may decide to cap the military pay raise regardless of congressional approval by declaring a national emergency or claiming that “serious economic conditions” make it necessary, and presenting “alternative pay adjustment” plans to Congress by the first of September. It is hoped that the White House will not decide to do so, as there is currently in place a proposed 1.8 percent raise for military pay as of January 2013.
The Department of Defense currently plans to roll out a plan to stop TRICARE Prime coverage for the more than 170,000 current TRICARE enrollees who live more than 40 miles from a military treatment facility. Retirees below the age of 65 and their families will be forced to use TRICARE Standard, a more economic version of the fee-for-service program. As of October 1, TRICARE beneficiaries age 65 and up will be required to have their long-term medications filled via mail order or on base, in order to save millions of dollars a year for TRICARE that would otherwise go to local pharmacies.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post House Okays Some Changes to TRICARE, Rejects Military Pay Cap first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>A new study has determined that vets with mental health conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression typically must wait an average of two years after returning from deployment before their mental health issues are addressed by Veterans Affairs.
”When the vets do begin to receive mental health treatment, the study also found that care is often fragmented and not as effective as is needed,” commented veterans disability lawyer James Fausone.
The study, published in the journal Psychiatric Services in December 2012, looked at vets of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars between 2001and 2011 processed by Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers. These men and women typically were given with eight sessions of mental health treatment, a number considered far lower than that in the civilian population looking for PTSD or depression support, and widely considered “minimally adequate.” Seventy-five percent of vets who went to the VA for support did not even receive what researchers dubbed “minimally adequate care.”
Numerous issues may delay mental health care for veterans, including the social stigma that still may longer around mental health issues for some people, including concern that seeking care may jeopardize future job prospects. The overburdened VA system also means that many vets have long waits to get appointments for initial assessment; the average wait for a mental health evaluation at the VA was 50 days, according to a 2012 report from the VA’s inspector general.
The VA has announced that it is adding additional staff and partnering with community health centers to broaden support for veterans in their communities; 15 clinics in sevenU.S.states are now able to treat veterans with the VA’s approval.
But more is needed, say mental health advocates. The VA inspector general’s report found that approximately 30 percent of high-risk (i.e., potential suicidal) vets were not receiving the mandated multiple follow-up mental health visits within 30 days after an emergency hospitalization. There was no documented contact by the VA of even reaching out to those vets to remind them of follow-up appointments.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/31/for-veterans-mental-health-care-often-fragmented/
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Veterans Need Better Mental Health Support From Veterans Administration, Study Shows first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veteran Disability Attorney
The military has been subject to a number of high profile sexual assault news items in recent weeks. Currently Air Force Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, the Air Force’s head of sexual assault prevention, is under investigation for allegedly groping a woman inNorth Virginia, while more than 30 Texas-based instructors with the Air Force are under investigation regarding assault charges against trainees.
Although military sexual assaults have been garnering increased attention due to these latest, high-profile news stories, according to the latest estimates, the majority of military sexual assaults still go unreported. There were possibly as many as 26,000 assaults in 2012, according to a new report released by the Pentagon.
Of the estimated 26,000 military members who may have been sexually assaulted in 2012, just over 3,300 made a report, and fewer than 800 sought assistance while declining to file a complaint. The victims of military sexual assault or unwanted sexual contact are usually young, low-ranking service members. The perpetrators are usually also in the armed forces.
Two House members, Reps. Niki Tsongas, D-Mass, and Mike Turner, R-Ohio, have proposed a bill that would strip officers of their authority to dismiss or change the court-martial conviction of sexual assault and other major cases, and would require the dismissal or dishonorable discharge of anyone found guilty of the attempt of or act of rape, sexual assault, or forcible sodomy. Their goal, said Turner, is to establish guidelines for the punishment for sexual assault convictions and to remove that punishment from the chain of command.
The Pentagon’s report indicated that sexual assault reporting is on the rise, from an estimated 26,000 assaults in 2012 from an estimated 19,000 assaults in 2011. According to the report, at least 6 percent of the more than 1 million active duty members in 2012, both men and women, reported unwanted sexual contact. A significant percentage of the offenders were either Defense Department civilians or contractors or active military members.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has instructed military leaders to design a way to hold commanders accountable for fostering an environment of “dignity and respect,” including a July 1 deadline to complete visual inspections of workspaces to ensure they do not include the display of degrading materials.
Sens. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., recently introduced legislation which would prohibit sexual contact between instructors and trainees for the duration of basic training and for an additional 30 days after training is completed, and which would provide sexual assault victims with a lawyer advocate trained in sexual assault complaints, and which would make available to the National Guard and Reserve trained sexual assault response coordinators. Murphy stated that not only are service members failed by the system by having a climate in which assaults happen, but they are further failed by not having a support system in place for victims after the incident.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Military Sexual Assaults On the Rise first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veteran Disability Attorney
So it seems every week the VA offers a new plan to reduce the backlog. Last week it was the requirement of mandatory overtime. Everyone will be spending the summer working an extra 20 hours a month through September 30th. At Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC, we often work long hours and Saturday mornings to keep up on the work. My staff does it because they are dedicated and motivated to help veterans.
The VA has taken the approach it must mandate overtime. Under the plan, all 10,000-plus VA employees who process disability claims will be required to work at least 20 hours overtime each month. We won’t speculate how this will impact morale. I would hope that those employees do not take out missing the summer events on the veterans who have claims in the backlog.
http://www.stripes.com/news/va-workers-told-to-work-overtime-to-clear-claims-backlog-1.221099
The post Overtime is the Solution first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>U.S. News & World Report has released its most recent listing of top online education programs for military vets. Almost fifty percent of vets return from service looking to further their education by enrolling in post-secondary schools. A large percentage of those vets, according to Student Veterans of America, attend online programs as a way to meet family and work obligations.
Vets are attending college as never before, in large part perhaps due to the U.S. unemployment numbers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment for vets between the ages of 18 and 24 was 30 percent in 2011, while unemployment was just 18 percent for ages 18 to 24 in the general population.
The online schools listed by U.S. News include a number of educational programs that award college credit for eligible students who have military experience. There were also schools listed that focus on flexibility for students who are taking courses with more than one school or program. U.S. News also ranked programs based on their graduation rates and the amount of debt students faced after graduation. Their ranking, said a U.S. News spokesperson, was not just based on the benefits of each program, but also based on overall quality of the program offerings.
The ten top online programs offering bachelor degrees in terms of quality, affordability and program selection, according to U.S. News, are offered by: Pace University; Charter Oak State College; Brandman University; Bellevue University; Regent University; University of Nebraska – Omaha; California Baptist University; Post University; Ball State University, and Fort Hays State University.
The ten top online Master of Business Administration programs, according to U.S. News, are offered by: Central Michigan University; West Virginia University; Washington State University; Temple University; University of Nebraska – Lincoln; University of Mississippi; University of Colorado – Denver; University of Memphis (Fogelman); Ball State University (Miller); and Columbia College.
The revised G.I. Bill covers college tuition of $280 per unit and three years of full-time school, and includes a book allowance of $500 as well as a basic housing allowance of up to $1,500 per month. The housing allowance is based on the cost of living in the nearest military installation. Vets with extended years of service can often transfer their own education benefits to be used by their immediate family members.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post New Report Releases Best Online College Programs for Military Vets first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veterans Disability Lawyer
The largest group of veterans with claims pending are from the Vietnam era. It has been 40 years since the war ended and the tale of that war, which shows in disability claims, is still lengthening. We can expect that the Iraq/Afghanistan tale to also be 40 years in the making with claims increasing until 2054.
VA officials recently blogged:
“In fact, about 60% of the 845,000 pending disability claims are from Veterans for whom VA has already completed at least one claim. About 78% of those Veterans are already receiving monetary compensation at some level—and about half of those are rated with at least a 50% disability, receiving $1000 or more monthly. The other 40% of the total inventory are from Veterans filing for the first time. This 60/40 percent split is roughly the same proportion for claims that have been pending more than 125 days—i.e. the backlog. Also, many people—including reporters covering the story—attribute the growing number of claims to the wind-down of current conflicts.
In reality, only one in five claims in the inventory come from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans. The largest portion is actually from Vietnam-era Veterans. “
So veteran advocates, like the VA, have no shortage of work.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post 40 Year Tale first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veteran Disability Lawyer
We work with over a 1000 veterans and most of those veterans are waiting on appeals of VA decisions. The initial decision backlog at VA is getting a lot of national attention. A hidden story has finally made the national news. That story is how long it takes to have an appeal heard of a VA denial of service connection or low rating by the regional office in an initial decision. So after waiting a year for that initial decision, the veteran can expect a multi year wait on an appeal. At the first level, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals in Washington, it takes an average of 1,040 days, almost 3 years, for the agency to render a ruling. That’s 3½ times slower than the response for those awaiting word on their initial filings. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review recently published an article on its study of 4 years of data. It found:
”Sifting through more than 160,0000 appeals from 2009 through early 2013, the Trib discovered 2,936 cases in which veterans or their surviving spouses died before getting decisions on their disputed claims.
If that rate holds, more than 500 veterans will die this year while their appeals languish — about one vet every 18 hours.”
Some may dismiss this as only 1.8% of the cases. But if it was your mother, father, brother or sister waiting on a decision to improve their quality of life, you would not think this way. This story proves what many suspected – VA denies and delays until you die. Our veterans deserve better.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Appeals Wait Longer first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veterans Disability Attorney
If you are a veteran and obtain your health care from the VA, you may think there is no need for Medicare. However if you qualify for Medicare, by age or disability, then you should obtain your Medicare card and use it to supplement your VA care.
You should then look into Medicare Advantage. 14 million Americans are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan, which covers hospital stays, doctor visits and other major medical needs.
Obtaining a Medicare Advantage Plan will not only help you maximize the value you are receiving in benefits, but, in many cases, it will also help you achieve better health and well-being.
If you want to know more about Medicare Advantage Plans, contact us at Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Medicare Advantage for Veterans first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veteran Disability Attorney
Ok, you have heard about the backlog of claims at VA. But who is in that clog? Vietnam era veterans account for the largest share of the 865,000 veterans stuck in the clog. They are 37% of the clog according to VA statistics. The post 9-11 wars inAfghanistan andIraq account for 20%. The remainder,43%, are from the 1991 Gulf War,Korea, World War II and times of peace. Some reasons are obvious – aging population and resulting increasing health issues and some reasons are subtle – changing attitudes. This LA Times article discusses the clog and the reasons.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Who is in the Backlog? first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veteran Advocate
A scientist is alleging that the Department of Veterans’ Affairs is hiding data.
According to a scientist for the VA, the agency’s Office of Public Health has been hiding research which indicated that vets have been affected by exposure to toxins since the Persian Gulf War.
Steven Coughlin quit working at the VA in late 2012 due to what he called “serious ethical concerns.” He testified to the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations that the VA’s public health office is invested in hiding evidence of illnesses attributed to the Gulf War. Evidence that has been released, alleges Coughlin, has been recalibrated to look “unintelligible.” He also said that his office did not release their findings as part of a study which cost as much as $10 million and which found exposure to oil well fires, pesticides and other toxins for as many as 60,000Iraqand Afghan war veterans.
Coughlin also stated that a study which was congressionally mandated regarding Gulf War vets and family was not released, and alleges that he was told the results of the study were “permanently lost.” He said that research which points to Gulf War illnesses as neurological was unlikely to be released, and that one of his supervisors threatened to retaliate against Coughlin when he did not want to intentionally leave out data.
The chief of the VA’s public health and environmental hazards office, Victoria Davey, has stated that her office maintains strict analysis and publishing guidelines, but she did not address directly the allegations made by Coughlin. The VA has issued a statement that the VA Office of Research Oversight will be reviewing the claims put forth by Coughlin, and that they took every opportunity to seriously and fully pursue allegations of malfeasance.
Coughlin’s claim includes allegations that he was told to not examine data on the number and type of medical visits and hospitalizations as part of his research on burn pits and health issues among troops inIraqandAfghanistan.IraqandAfghanistanwar vets reported a number of debilitating respiratory issues many believe may be the result of inhaling trash burn pit smoke located in combat zones. Coughlin stated that he was threatened after informing his supervisor that he would not continue his research project with redacted information.
Gulf War vets returned to the States after 1991, and have reported numerous medical issues. While the VA has recognized some medical issues as the result of Gulf War service, many vets have been told their medical issues are psychologically based. The VA formally recognized nine illnesses resulting from Gulf War service in 2010.
The VA has spent an estimated $120 million on research since 2002 to determine the origins of Gulf War illnesses, but some researchers allege that a portion of the funds never made it to back the research. They also allege that ten million dollars from the fund went to the “Gulf War Biorepository Trust,” a brain bank for vets with ALS. But of the 60 brains in the bank, all but one was from older vets, not ones who served in the Gulf War.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA Accused of Hiding Veteran Health Data first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veterans Disability Attorney
One of the upcoming problems for veterans is understanding how their VA health care and Obama Care fit together. Since no one seems to understand how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obama Care or PPACA) will work come January 2014, it seems a little bit of a stretch to think veterans can figure out how to coordinate these different federal health care programs. Roughly 40 percent of the 22.3 million military veterans receive health care services from the VA. Some veterans are eligible for both VA health care and Medicare, Medicaid or Tricare. About half of veterans have private insurance. Approximately one in 10 veterans younger than 65 are uninsured. About 4 in 10 uninsured veterans are covered by Medicare. How will all this work. Again no one is exactly sure and how a veteran will get good advice is unclear. The article below provides some insight.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA & Obama Care first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>A number of groups representing military associations and vet service organizations had lobbied the White House to instruct the Defense Department to lower the ranking of the new drone medal. They would like the Distinguished Warfare Medal to be ranked below the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
The Distinguished Warfare Medal had been announced by former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. The new Defense Secretary, Chuck Hagel, then asked the Pentagon to review the metal’s ranking after public outcry. The 19 organizations banded together as part of the request stated in their letter to president Obama that they would like the Distinguished Warfare metal to be demoted to below the Purple Heart, and were soliciting the president’s “personal involvement.”
The groups included The American Legion, The Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans of America, and other associations representing both active duty and reserve duty members of the Navy, Army, Air Force and Marines.
The Distinguished Warfare Medal was to be awarded to recognize the actions of the drone pilots and cyber warfare specialists when they have “a direct impact” on operations of combat. But critics said they were concerned that decorating a service member who may be hundreds or even thousands of miles from active action would be given precedence over those who risk their lives and are not fighting from remote, secure locations.
The Distinguished Warfare Medal was to rank just below the valor award that is the Distinguished Flying Cross, and above the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Drone operators and cyber warriors can contribute tremendously to any combat operation in which they are involved, critics agreed, but they argued that the proposed new medal awarded to individuals who do not physically serve in a war zone and yet would be ranked above injury and valor medals from physical combat seemed unjust.
President Obama could, as Commander-In-Chief, order the medal’s ranking be changed or direct the Defense Secretary to do so, said former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Lawrence Korb. But with the Department of Defense withdrawing the plan, neither Obama nor Hagel needed to do so.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your PTSD, TBI, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, TDIU, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your PTSD, TBI, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, TDIU, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Plans for Drone Medal Struck Down first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Veteran Advocate
The federal government, in an attempt to address its long-term debt problem, has proposed changes to the way it calculates inflation for VA disability payments. Currently, government benefits (ex. VA disability benefits, Social Security benefits, etc.) are adjusted according to inflation. In an attempt to save some money, the government has endorsed using a slightly different measure of inflation to calculate Social Security benefits. This would allow the benefits to still grow, but at a slower rate.
The conventional Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures changes in retail prices of a constant market of goods and services. The Chained CPI (the variation that the government wants to utilize) considers changes in the quantity of goods purchased, as well as the prices of those goods. So, for example, if the price of steak goes up, many consumers will buy chicken, a cheaper alternative to steak, rather than buying less steak or going without meat.
Supporters of Chained CPI argue that it’s a truer indication of inflation. However, it tends to be less than the conventional CPI. Under the conventional CPI, disability payments increased 1.7 percent this year. Under Chained CPI, the disability payments would have only increased 1.4 percent.
There has been talk by the government to apply this alternative inflation measure to VA disability payments for nearly 4 million veterans, as well as pension payments for 500,000 low income veterans and surviving families. However, veterans groups are rallying together to fight any potential change in the calculation. The argument is that the veterans have already suffered through their wounds and sacrifices while in service, and now they would be unduly burdened while they are trying to recover from those wounds. The groups are complaining that the government is attempting to balance a budget on the backs of disabled veterans, which is absurd given the administration’s history of generous funding for the VA.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Changes to Disability Payments first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>