A veteran was once able to file different types of VA claims in the legacy claims and appeals system, and they generally fit into two categories. One category encompassed VA claims recognized by the VA: new claims, claims for increased rating, and reopened claims. A...
Used to be the only way to challenge a VA rating decision was to file a Notice of Disagreement. Effective February 2019, though, the VA appeals system changed with the passage of the Appeals Improvement Modernization Act (AMA). Now, the “ins-and-outs” of...
What is VA Apportionment? Although Congress has done a pretty thorough job of protecting veterans benefits from assignment or garnishing, VA apportionment is one way that Congress specifically allowed this veil to be peirced. VA disability compensation is not taxable,...
When the Veterans Law Blog® started in 2007, there was nothing like it. I was the only lawyer teaching veterans – on a blog – how to improve and hopefully win their VA claims and appeals. Thirteen years later, this blog reaches hundreds of thousands of...
More to follow on this document….for right now, I wanted to just get it out there to ya’ll. If you missed – or may miss – certain types of VA deadlines in your claims and appeals due to COVID or coronavirus, this document addresses how the VA...
benefit of the What is SMC? To understand SMC T, you must first understand VA Special monthly compensation (SMC). To understand SMC, you must understand the basic principle behind the rating aspect of a VA disability claim. Typically, when your condition is...
Did you know that Black veterans – and veterans of color in general – are more likely to be diagnosed with PTSD from military service? That’s what a recent study at the VA concluded. The table below shows the percentage of veterans, by race/ethnicity...
If you are a veteran filing a TDIU claim or appeal, a Vocational Expert is a powerful ally who can help to explain to the VA, in their language, how and why you are unable to get and keep substantially gainful employment, and how an expert can help in your VA TDIU...
“I am a Black man who jogs” was written by Augustus Turner. Mr. Turner retains all copyright to the image and content; it is republished here with his permission. You can – and SHOULD – read his essays on his website “The Venerable...
In this post, I hope to take some of the mystery out of how a veteran is assigned a COPD VA disability rating. What is COPD? COPD is shorthand for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. It is a lung disease that is characterized by a chronic obstructive of airflow in...
If you have been following the Veterans Law Blog® facebook page for the last 2 weeks, you will have seen daily posts covering Black history, civil rights history, and the experiences of Black veterans in America. “This doesn’t have anything to do with...
Agent Orange was not only used in Vietnam. In fact, it was used all around the world, even a couple of bases here stateside. Veterans who served in Korea during a certain time period in the Vietnam war were likely exposed to herbicides, including Agent Orange. The...
How to Hire an Attorney For Your VA Claim or Appeal.
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