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Archive for February, 2011
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) felt a new office was needed to bridge the gap between the VA and tribal veterans. The new Office of Tribal Government Relations will serve the approximately 200,000 veterans the VA considers tribal, including:
- Native Alaskans;
- Native Hawaiians; and
- American Indians.
Tribal veterans have a lengthy and notable history of service in this country’s military. Their honorable service entitles them to the full spectrum of benefits available through the VA, and the VA’s mission is to take care of this nation’s soldiers, including even hard to reach veterans.
The American government recognizes 800 different tribal governments, which means 800 different agendas to accommodate. This is the mission of the Office of Tribal Government Relations. Tribal veterans have long since received VA benefits, but the VA hopes to not only strengthen existing relationships with tribal veterans, but develop and build new ones.
Many Native Alaskan veterans living in rural areas have real problems utilizing their earned benefits. Despite having earned them, accessing health care and other benefits can prove to be almost impossible for those veterans living a significant distance from major cities, especially in Alaska.
The need for the Office of Tribal Government Relations became apparent once multiple VA officials spent a week in Alaska last summer as part of a planned trip. The trip was designed to demonstrate to the officials the hardships faced by many of these tribal veterans. The trip proved to be an eye opener, the needs evident, and the new office will strive to meet these needs.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Tribal Government Relations, Tribal Veterans, Veterans disability
Posted in General, VA News | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011
Mentally debilitating conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) receive a dominating amount of press coverage. Given the amount of press these two conditions receive, it is impressive to learn neither one of them is the most common service-connected disability among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. That distinction goes to a hearing disorder most likely never even consider as being a major medical issue: tinnitus.
Of all those veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan, about 640,000 suffer from tinnitus. The condition has been described as the sound a cricket makes. Multiplied by 1000. In each ear. Problems arise because many of the triggers that will set off the ringing are very ordinary and frequent, such as:
- Slamming doors;
- Barking dogs; and
- Clanking dishes.
Veterans seeking help are given unfortunate news: there is no cure. The treatments available however, but they will vary depending on how bad the condition is in the veteran seeking help. To some it is just a little annoying. To others, it can be unbearable and completely incapacitating.
Progressive Tinnitus Management utilizes multiple avenues of treatment. Help can come in the form of personal counseling to devices worn in the veterans’ ears emitting white noise to create a canceling effect and hopefully counteracting the ringing. These treatments will continue to develop and hopefully become more effective.
The Department of Defense (DoD) is taking proactive steps and attempting to stop the tinnitus from becoming an ongoing issue by issuing new earplugs. These earplugs protect the wearer from loud noises yet allow everyday noises to permeate.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Department of Defense (DoD), hearing disabilities, Progressive Tinnitus Management, service-connected disabilities, Tinnitus, Veterans disability
Posted in Disabled Veterans, General | No Comments »
Monday, February 7th, 2011
Soldiers during World War II and the Korean War were able to get their hands on firearms and weapons of soldiers from different countries. At the time this was a completely legal act. Existing law, however, requires all these weapons to be registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. If those firearms are not registered, those veterans or their family members are subject to conviction for illegal possession of those firearms.
New legislation has been introduced to the House to protect those veterans and their families. In response to this situation. U.S. Representatives Denny Rehberg (R-MT), and Leonard Boswell (D-IA) introduced H.R. 420, known as the Veterans’ Heritage Firearms Act.”
If the Veterans Heritage Firearms Act HR 420 passes, it will provide select veterans a temporary period of amnesty. The provisional reprieve will apply to any veteran who served in an overseas capacity prior to 1968. During the momentary pardon, veterans will be able to register any relic firearm of which they are in possession without fear of being prosecuted for possession.
While soldiers are certainly not allowed to collect firearms from enemy soldiers anymore, there is no reason veterans or their families should have to worry about being prosecuted for committing what were legal acts at the time.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Korean War, Relic Firearms, Veteran Legislation. Veterans Disability, Veterans heritage Firearms Act HR 420, WW II
Posted in General, US Military Legislation | No Comments »
Thursday, February 3rd, 2011
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is building a medical simulation training center in Orlando, Florida to give clinicians the ability to train on completing complex surgical procedures. The simulations exist in environments that attempt to mimic real life situations. This allows clinicians to perfect their techniques without risking patient injury.
The Medical Simulation Center for Excellence will open in December, at the same time as the new Orlando, Florida VA Medical Center. The Center for Excellence, or SimLEARN, will set the standard for medical simulation enhancements across the country. The Center will also serve as a nexus for an advanced research network.
The center will not only serve as a training environment for doctors individually, it will also support training for entire surgical teams. Team procedure, such as marking limbs for operation, to ensure a properly aligned surgery. The SimLEARN center itself includes:
- Operation and instruction theaters;
- Emergency Rooms;
- Intensive care units;
- Realistic mannequins with anatomically correct organs.
Finally, the Center will be fully equipped with state-of-the-art computer systems, which will include virtual reality capability. Because it is a teaching center, the control room will allow full management of the mock surgeries including video recording, documentation, and playback.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Medical Simulation Center for Excellence, SimLEARN, Surgical Simulations, VA training
Posted in VA News, Veterans' Resources | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently performed a specialized audit on several VA Medical Facilities. Specifically, they traveled to 43 VA Medical Centers to examine 50 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offices. The point of the inspection was to assess the facilities’ use of the equipment, to determine if they are following safety and training guidelines, and to ensure they do not perform any procedures without informed consent.
In 2008, an independent group known as the Joint Commission foresaw a rise in MRI-connected injuries over 10 years. MRIs are generally safe procedures. They collect images through use of magnetic fields. Those same magnetic fields are powerful enough to project metallic instruments across rooms, making them dangerous projectiles. There are recommended safety guidelines published by the American College of Radiology (ACR) when using MRIs. The Veterans Health Administration, however, does not mandate every MRI office follow those protocols.
The OIG report detailed improvements the VA needs to make. These included improving employee training, which includes patient screening, obtaining informed consent, handling various physical barriers, and being prepared for emergencies. The VA is already planning on implementing these changes.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: MRI training, Office of the Inspector General (OIG), VA Health Care System, VA medical facilities
Posted in VA News | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently passed a rule expanding the number of Korean War veterans exposed to herbicides who are eligible for health benefits through the VA. The new rule extends the years Veterans exposed to herbicide while serving adjacent to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) qualify for VA benefits.
Prior to this rule, only veterans who had served in specific units qualified, and those units were limited to serving along the DMZ between April 1, 1968 and July 31, 1969. The new rules pushes those time lines out to April 1, 1968 and August 31, 1971. Any veteran who served in Korea during these times are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides. Only indisputable evidence to the contrary, such as proof the veteran was on leave at the time, will be able to overcome the presumption.
Exposure to herbicides such as Agent Orange have proven to cause a number of diseases ranging from acute and sub-acute peripheral neuropathy to heart disease to Parkinson’s disease to a great number of cancers. Many times diseases do not surface for years and spina bifida is a common disease among those exposed veterans’ children. Somewhere around 21,000 gallons of Agent Orange were used between 1968 and 196 in the DMZ alone. It is likely thousands of veterans were exposed during this time.
The VA’s new rule will go live on February 24, 2011. As of that date, the rule will be applied to all claims for benefits submitted on or after that date as well as any and all claims not yet resolved in front of the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the VA itself as of that date.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Agent Orange, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), DMZ, Korean War, VA Health Care System, Veterans' Benefits
Posted in Veterans' Benefits, Veterans' Disability | No Comments »
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