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 […]
Veterans who were exposed to toxic substances including burn pits and other airborne hazards may soon be eligible for disability compensation.
Migraine Headaches, or migraines, are a painful type of headache with one or more of the following symptoms: Nausea Vomiting Sensitivity to light Sensitivity to sound Changes in vision (such as scotoma, flashes of light, tunnel vision) Sensory changes (such as feeling of pins and needles in extremities) Oftentimes, migraine headaches can be so painful […]
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 […]
Blue Water Navy Veterans who served during Vietnam may now be eligible for VA disability compensation for claims related to Agent Orange (herbicide) exposure. The Blue Water Navy (BWN) Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 (PL 116-23) along with the recent Federal Circuit Court decision, Procopio v. Wilkie, establish the presumption of herbicide exposure to any veteran […]
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 […]
