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”
Category: Veterans Disability Law
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Mobile VA Clinic Makes a Stop on Long Island
On October 24, Newsday reported that the Northport VA Medical Center is providing veterans living in the Town of North Hempstead the use of a mobile unit so that they can receive the necessary medical treatment. This was brought about as the result of a petition started by North Hempstead officials to provide medical services locally to veterans who live in the town so that they do not have to travel to Northport to get the care they need.
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Veterans’ Disability Compensation Recipients Will Be Provided a Cost-of-Living Increase
The White House issued a briefing on October 10 that President Trump signed into law the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2018. This allows those receiving veterans’ disability compensation to receive a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase similar to what Social Security recipients receive.
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The VA and Walgreens Collaborate
In a previous article, the innovative technological advancement of “VEText” and its benefits to veterans was discussed. However, the Department of Veterans Affairs has not stopped there; the VA is continuously implementing new ways to improve how our nation’s veterans receive care.
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Benefit Application for Spanish-Speaking Veterans
The United States is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. To no surprise, our nation’s armed forces are also extremely diverse with 40% of active-duty military personnel considered to be of ethnic descent in 2015. The second largest minority category for the United States military is Hispanic and Latino. With millions of Hispanic veterans living throughout the country, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has released a health care benefit application to help Spanish-speaking veterans.
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