Another year is in the books….and this year, over 225 new posts were added to the Veterans Law Blog.
At the end of 2014, I polled Veterans Law Blog members to ask which posts they found most useful – if you want to see that list, here it is.
This year, I “asked” the Veterans Law Blog Facebook followers to tell me which posts they found the most helpful. To do that, I looked at the posts that were shared the most on Facebook throughout 2015.
Are you following the Veterans Law Blog on Facebook?
If not, come join over 4,000 Veterans that follow us on Facebook…… click here to “like” or “follow” the Veterans Law Blog.
Without further delay, here’s 2015’s “Facebook Fan Awards”….
#10: 4 VA Aid and Attendance Benefits You May Never Have Heard About.
Do a Google search for “VA Aid and Attendance Benefits” …. the first 10 pages of results are littered with Pension Poacher ads and links.
These posts almost never explain the many other types of aid and attendance benefits that can yield more benefits to a Veteran or his/her surviving spouse.
Click here to learn about 4 VA Aid And Attendance Benefits You May Never Have Heard About.
#9: How To Unlock MORE in Your VA Disability Hearing Loss Claim.
The VA Rating Tables notoriously under-rate hearing loss: in fact, they are designed to compensate for the late stages of hearing loss that appear years after military service….long enough that the VA is justified in using the passage of time as a basis to deny your claim.
But there is a solution … and the Veterans Court showed us the path in a single-judge (non-precedential) decision earlier this year.
Learn how to Unlock MORE in your VA Disability Hearing Loss claim by reading this post.
#8: Where to Start with a VA Sleep Apnea Claim (VIDEO)
In my surveys last year, y’all told me to record more video blog entries.
They are a lot more expensive to make, but we released almost 2 dozen video blog entries in 2014.
This one – teaching Veterans 4 Things that they need to know about Sleep Apnea – reached over 132,000 Veterans on Facebook (according to the stats Mark Zuckerburg gives on our facebook page).
Oh…and by the way….we have a TON of video coming your way in 2016. Stay tuned for a radical new way of learning about Veterans Benefits from the Veterans Law Blog!
Click Here to Learn “Where to Start With Your VA Sleep Apnea Claim” (VIDEO)
#7: How to Read a Statement of the Case (SOC) (VIDEO)
Another new way of posting information that the Veterans Law Blog started in 2015….the Screencast.
This 26 minute screencast walks you through a Statement of Case, how to read it, what to look out for, and other traps that the VA drops into this extremely important document.
This type of post was so popular in 2015 that I expect to see more than a couple law firms copy this style to try to market legal services to you. The VA actually started doing this a few weeks ago, too. This mimicry is fine – imitation is the best form of flattery.
Just remember – the goal of the Veterans Law Blog is here to help you Take Back the Power in your own VA Claim. Stick with the Veterans Law Blog and you’ll know how to keep an eye on those VSOs and attorneys, and how to make sure that the VA isn’t trying to “slip you a Mickey”.
Click Here for a Video Walk-Through of the Statement of the Case (SOC)
#6: NOBODY Else Taught Veterans How to Use the Evidence Intake Centers…except the Veterans Law Blog.
The VA is progressing to a National Work Queue concept – meaning that in the very near future, the concept of the VA Regional Office is going to disappear.
Your claims will – like your taxes – be handled by an army of raters, locked into their cubicles in an abandoned salt mine in Kentucky.
Just kidding about the salt mine. Sort of.
The point is that the ONLY folks getting you ready for this is the Veterans Law Blog. The Top 5 VSOs haven’t said a peep…..the lawyers aren’t saying anything (yet)….and many other big Veterans blogs aren’t even aware this is happening.
The first step in the VA’s National Work Queue process is the nationalization of the VA’s mailing system….aka, the EIC or the VA Evidence Intake Center.
Read all about what the EIC is – and how to properly submit information to them – in this post.
#5: So Many of You are Asking about VA C&P Exam Preparation …
One of the most common questions I get asked goes something like this:
“I have a C&P Exam next week and I’m really nervous: how do I get ready? What do I do? What do I say?”
The post linked below is the first in a 3 part series that tries to answers those questions as best as possible – that tries to give you the best tips I know for staying calm and being ready for your C&P Exam.
Click here to learn how to Get Ready for your VA C&P Exam.
#4: 5 Things You Didn’t Know about the Total VA Disability Rating.
The phrases “100% disabled” or “Total VA Disability Ratings” get thrown around a lot in Veterans disability benefits claims.
Problem is, that phrase doesn’t always mean the same thing to everyone.
In fact it can mean several different things in at least 5 different types of service connection claims.
Click here to get the “real” scoop on the Total VA Disability Rating.
#3: How to Find Out if You got the Right VA PTSD Rating.
This post started out as the checklist I use when I am reviewing a PTSD case at my law firm.
I got to thinking – this checklist is so helpful to me, why not let Veterans use it themselves?
Just remember – these are not the ONLY ways to see if you got the right rating. They are just the 10 most common ones that I see when reviewing C-Files in VA PTSD Rating appeals.
How to Know if You Got the Right VA PTSD Rating.
#2: 8 Steps to Improve Your OWN VA Disability Claims.
This post made the 2014 Readers’ Choice Lists – meaning it was the 5th most useful post on the Veterans Law Blog according to subscribers of the blog.
This year, it is the second most shared post on the Veterans Law Blog’s Facebook page.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised…
….I’ve seen a HUGE uptick in the number of messages and emails from Veterans who used my 8 Step Process to win their VA Claims without needing to hire a VSO or pay a lawyer.
Click Here to See my 8 Steps to Improve Your VA Disability Claim.
#1: Can You Use an Extra $347 per month?
The concept of Special Monthly Compensation is a well-kept secret in VA Claims and Benefits law.
Basically, you CAN get more than a 100% rating. The highest levels of special monthly compensation can yield monthly benefits way over $8,000/month (although these Veterans are typically in really bad shape).
But of the most commonly available – and one of the most overlooked – types of Special Monthly Compensation is known as Statutory-Housebound SMC.
Click here to read about This Commonly Available Form of VA Special Monthly Compensation.
