Extension will ensure that no Veteran or survivor will miss out on a single day of backdated PACT Act benefits Today, VA announced that Veterans and survivors who apply (or submit their intent to file) for PACT Act benefits by 11:59PM ET on Monday, August 14, 2023 will be eligible Read more…
It is still tough to figure the complete score concerning Camp Lejeune tort claims raised by the “Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022” provision (Section 804 of PL 117-168) in the Honor Our PACT past last August — especially the puzzle of how the VA will calculate a successful filing’s Read more…
On 14 May, the VA formally announced that military veterans who were previously denied service connection for an herbicide related presumptive condition due to lack of in-country Vietnam service will have their claims automatically readjudicated by VA. “Readjudication means VA will review the evidence of record and provide replacement decisions in the cases of those who were previously denied service connection benefits,” said Acting VA Under Secretary for Benefits Thomas Murphy. The review also applies to eligible survivors of deceased Vietnam-era veterans, an issue of significance nowadays due to past VA delays. (more…)
All C&P Exam Locations Now Open For those in the process of settling a claim submission, some good news. Not everything is resolvable via telecommunications, the use of which is reportedly up a thousand percent. The Veterans Benefits Administration’s operations must have been severely affected, therefore. The VA has partnered Read more…
Today the the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it had updated portions, of the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD or Rating Schedule), effective December 9, 2018, which evaluate the hematologic and lymphatic systems.
One diagnostic code was removed, nine were added, and several were restructured. The complete list of updates to the rating schedule are now available online. (more…)
As an update, the Senate continues to stall since we have last written on the bill. From the VFW, which emphasizes the importance of acting now in whatever way you can:
“During the Vietnam War, veterans who served in the offshore waters of Vietnam drank, bathed in, and cooked with water contaminated by Agent Orange. They are now arbitrarily and unjustly denied benefits for illnesses associated (more…)
You may not be aware of the fact that the VA maintains an “Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry” to allow eligible veterans and service members to document their exposures and report health concerns through an online questionnaire. Like its cousin, the Agent Orange Registry, it is often the first step towards VA long-term healthcare; and also in recognizing service related illnesses and diseases, to include making some presumptive. (more…)
If you are a Gulf War Veteran, know this date: December 31, 2021. On 24 October 2017, the VA made its final ruling on the extension of the deadline for Gulf War veterans to receive disability benefits for certain presumptive conditions: December 31, 2021. (more…)
On 29 January 2018, the Ms. Kelsey Yoon, the national director for the Veterans Benefits Program (VBP) of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), wrote the state councils of her organization to provide general guidance on the Rapid Appeals Modernization Program (RAMP) put in place by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as one of the means to produce faster turnaround times for compensation claims, thereby reducing the backlog continuing to plague the VA. The letter was disturbing, and we believe it important to spread word of its contents to a wider audience, since it may affect you or one of your loved ones. The following is an extracted from her letter: (more…)
Finally on 9 September, after waiting nine months since the announcement it would do so and after announcing in August it was extending the period of consideration, the VA announced it has published proposed regulations to establish presumptions for the service connection of eight diseases affecting military members [and others] exposed to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. (more…)