Legislation Alert: Veteran Burn Pit Exposure
VA Benefits1 year ago
Help for veterans exposed to toxic chemicals on Okinawa
Deuterman Law Group’s Veterans Disability Team recently helped a Vietnam veteran receive a total disability rating, decades after being exposed to toxic chemicals on Okinawa and later developing prostate cancer. The former soldier, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2016, had previously been denied multiple times for disability benefits by the Department of Veterans […]
Vet Your Records: Free Legal Clinic for Veterans
Attorney Chris Stevens will be volunteering as part of Pro Bono Week at Elon Law. During a free legal clinic on Oct. 26, the DLG attorneys, along with Elon Law students, will be helping former military service members veterans and their family members request the veterans’ military service records. The Vet Your Records clinic […]
VA Changes Process for Handling Appeals for Disability Benefits
The Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 went into effect in February 2019, changing how the Department of Veterans Affairs handles appeals in VA Disability benefits cases. The new law was designed to chip away at the 400,000 backlogged cases now waiting for review and provide veterans with quicker decisions on their VA Disability […]
Military Vets Who Used Defective Ear Plugs May be Able to Sue 3M for Hearing Loss
Thousands of military veterans who served between 2003 and 2015 may have suffered hearing loss because they used defective combat earplugs made by 3M. Affected military veterans may be entitled to bring a lawsuit related to the hearing loss or tinnitus they suffered as a result. If you or a family member served in the […]
Benefits for Veterans’ Surviving Spouses & Children
When a veteran passes away and leaves behind a family, the government allows for the surviving spouse and children to receive tax-free monthly benefits, known as dependency and indemnity compensation. This compensation isn’t automatically awarded. In order to receive benefits, the surviving family members must submit an application to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs […]
Paying for Your Veterans Disability Attorney
When clients have an injury or disability that keeps them from working or impacts their ability to live independently, financial issues often come hand in hand. When clients can’t work or have to pay out for large medical expenses, it can be a real struggle to make ends meet. Budgets are tight, barely enough to […]
Are You Eligible for Veterans Disability Benefits if You Can Still Work?
Here’s something many disabled veterans may not know: Even if one is working or able to work, eligibility for VA disability compensation may still be possible – even at the 100 percent evaluation level. For many VA claims, current employment or ability to work does not bar you from receiving benefits. In fact, it’s not […]
The Myth of “Requests for Reconsideration” in VA Benefits Claims
Veterans routinely ask our Veterans Disability Benefits staff, “Why is the attorney filing a Notice of Disagreement for my claim? I was told by my previous representative to file a request for reconsideration and that it would produce results much faster.” My initial response to that inquiry almost always includes the phrase, “You should know […]
Help for veterans with PTSD
What does the face of PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) look like? For too many veterans, they simply have to look in the mirror to know the answer to this question. PTSD is a serious and very complex disorder that affects veterans as a result of the horrors of war, injury, or other in-service event that […]
VA Benefits for Gulf War Syndrome
Frequently in my practice I meet veterans who have a variety of symptoms that can’t be attributed to a single cause. The vets go to doctors in and outside the VA who can’t easily figure out what is going on with their health, and they are often misdiagnosed as a result. The problems are very […]