Most Recent Blog Posts
SMC-T: VA Disability Special Monthly Compensation for some veterans with a TBI.
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 "rated" - i.e., assigned...
Does systemic racism affect a Black veterans ability to service connect PTSD?
[video_player type="url" auto_play="Y" url1="" url2="" style="1" dimensions="560x315" width="560" height="315" align="center" margin_top="0" margin_bottom="20"...
The Bridge
This article was written by Yalitza Ledgister of the law firm of Attig | Curran | Steel, PLLC (I'm told a link to Yalitza's bio is coming soon). In mid June 2020, I promised that, in an effort to take a step towards ending the systematic oppression of Black veterans,...
Are you using a Vocational Expert in your VA TDIU and Social Security Disability claims?
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.”
"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. This post was originally published on the website of the law firm of Attig | Curran | Steel, PLLC, and is...
How to maximize a veteran’s COPD VA disability rating.
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...
There is a racism problem in the Veterans Community (and what I intend to do about it).
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 Veterans Law,"...
Agent Orange Korea Claims: the ultimate guide.
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...
