On August 23, 2017, the Veteran Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 (Pub L. 115-55) was enacted, often referred to as the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA). For a complete understanding, you can explore the legislation on Congress.gov. This groundbreaking law: Appeal Review Options All VA rating decisions must be appealed within one year of […]
The VA uses an effective date to determine the start of a veteran’s disability benefit payment for a claim, typically the date of their initial or increased compensation application. However, this date may not be the earliest, and there may be various arguments for a different effective date. It’s important for a veteran to pay […]
The VA Tele-Hearing Modernization Act allows Veterans and their representatives to appear at BVA virtual hearings via videoconference from locations other than a VA regional office. The BVA virtual hearing option is available to any Veteran who can access a WiFi connection from a personal computer or mobile device. That’s right, you can even appear […]
The VA discontinued public facing DBQ (Disability Benefit Questionnaire) forms online. We believe this to be a great disservice to all Veterans. Why rely on an inadequate C&P exam for your disability claim? Download your own DBQ form(s) now for your private doctor to complete. If you are not satisfied with the decision on your […]
Dependency & Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a tax free monetary benefit paid to eligible survivors of military Servicemembers who died in the line of duty or eligible survivors of Veterans whose death resulted from a service-related injury or disease. Eligibility (Surviving Spouse) To qualify for DIC, a surviving spouse must meet the requirements below. The […]
Filing a VA disability claim? Here is what you need to know. Service connected disability compensation is a benefit that is exactly what it sounds like: it’s compensation for a current disability that occurred as a result of your active duty service. When you are filing a VA disability claim, you are going to have […]
So, after all the hard work involved with replying to the VA’s requests for more records and for enduring one or more Compensation and Pension, or C&P, exams, you get a notification letter from the VA where they deny your claim or don’t rate your disability high enough. Welcome to the VA appeals process. It […]
VA Wait Times What is the secret to expediting VA disability compensation claims? Anyone who has ever dealt with the VA knows that they do not do anything quickly, and decisions usually take at least a year if not longer. VA Backlog When the VA brags about reducing the claims backlog, they are only telling […]
What route should you take with your denied VA disability claim: NOD vs reconsideration / reopen? Make sure that you know the facts before you make a decision. First, I want to say upfront that I advise filing an NOD 99% of the time. Let’s start out by talking about the advantages of an appeal […]
The VA Aid & Attendance Benefit is a non-service connected pension available to wartime veterans and their surviving spouses to help with long-term care expenses including assisted living and in-home care. Eligibility for VA Aid & Attendance: 1. MILITARY: Veteran had 90 days active of service with one day during a qualified war period: a. […]
