September is Suicide Prevention Month, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is commemorating the occasion by seeking new ways to reduce suicide among veterans. In that vein, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie has called upon Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to allow a vote for the “IMPROVE Well-Being for Veterans Act.” The proposed legislation would grant funding to community groups to help support veterans at risk of suicide or self-harm. Continue reading “VA Urges Congress to Pass New Suicide Prevention Bill”
Category: Veterans Disability Law
VA Urges Congress to Pass New Veteran Suicide Prevention Bill
September is Suicide Prevention Month, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is commemorating the occasion by seeking new ways to reduce suicide among veterans. In that vein, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie has called upon Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to allow a vote for the “IMPROVE Well-Being for Veterans Act.” The proposed legislation would grant funding to community groups to help support veterans at risk of suicide or self-harm. Continue reading “VA Urges Congress to Pass New Veteran Suicide Prevention Bill”
VA Updates Disability Rating Schedule For Certain Diseases
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has recently updated its disability rating schedule for certain infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and nutritional deficiencies. This change in the schedule is meant to bring the disability ratings for these diseases in line with the current understanding of medical science. As a result, it could affect the disability ratings of many veterans who either are currently receiving disability benefits, or who are looking to receive those benefits. Continue reading “VA Updates Disability Rating Schedule For Certain Diseases”
What Does It Mean to Be Legally Disabled?
According to the 2017 American Community Survey (ACS), more than 40 million Americans, or about one in eight people in the United States, suffers from some form of disability. However, only about 10 million people in the United States received Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits in that same year. Partly that’s due to variations in how disabilities are defined, but more importantly, it has to do with the difference between having a disability and being legally disabled. Continue reading “What Does It Mean to Be Legally Disabled?”
VA Extends Agent Orange Presumption to “Blue Water Navy” Veterans
The Veterans Administration recently announced that it would extend the presumption of Agent Orange exposure to “Blue Water Navy” veterans for the first time, according to a press release on the Department of Veterans Affairs website. These veterans include those who served offshore of the Republic of Vietnam between Jan. 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, no more than twelve nautical miles seaward of demarcation line between Vietnam and Cambodia. This new ruling is estimated to affect between 420,000 and 560,000 Vietnam-era veterans. Continue reading “VA Extends Agent Orange Presumption to “Blue Water Navy” Veterans”
New Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Erase Student Loans for Disabled Vets
According to the Military Times, a new law currently being considered in Congress (called the Federally Requiring Earned Education-Debt Discharges for Veterans Act (FREED Vets) Act) would discharge the student debt of veterans determined to be at 100% disability who had not yet paid back their student loans. The bill follows a proposal made the Department of Education and the Department of Veterans Affairs last year and would affect an estimated 42,000 veterans in the United States. Continue reading “New Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Erase Student Loans for Disabled Vets”
Social Security Disability Trust Fund Expected to be Funded Until 2052
According to the Washington Post, the trustees for the Social Security Disability fund have announced that it will be funded at its current rate until 2052. The trustees had previously announced, back in 2015, that the trust might run out of funds as early as 2016, but a combination of low unemployment and few new disability claims have led to the positive revision to estimates of Social Security’s continued solvency. This is good news for anyone who relies on Social Security Disability, as it means they will continue to have its support for at least a few more decades.
Continue reading “Social Security Disability Trust Fund Expected to be Funded Until 2052”
VA Improperly Charged Disabled Veterans $286 Million in Home Loan Fees
Disabled veterans may have been improperly charged $286 million in home loan fees that they were meant to be exempt from, according to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Veterans’ Administration (VA). These fees affected an estimated 53,000 disabled veterans between 2012 and 2017, according to the report, and although the issue was originally discovered in 2014, no action was initially taken to stop it.
Continue reading “VA Improperly Charged Disabled Veterans $286 Million in Home Loan Fees”
Veterans Administration Launches New Anti-Suicide Initiative
The Veterans Administration’s Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention (OMHSP) has recently announced a new initiative to reduce the rate of suicide by veterans across the country. Described as a “community-focused health model,” this new initiative is part of the National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide, announced earlier this year, which calls upon local communities to become more involved in caring for veterans, particularly those struggling with mental health issues as a result of their service. This initiative seeks to coordinate with local stakeholders to help veterans and make sure they have community support whenever they suffer from suicidal thoughts.
Continue reading “Veterans Administration Launches New Anti-Suicide Initiative”
AMVETS Says CBO’s Proposed Cuts Will Hurt Veterans
Stars and Stripes reported that AMVETS is protesting a series of cuts in veterans’ benefits proposed by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The agency said such reductions are necessary but AMVETS argues these will negatively impact veterans in need.
Continue reading “AMVETS Says CBO’s Proposed Cuts Will Hurt Veterans”
