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Archive for June, 2011
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system has come a long way in recent years, and currently srves more than 6 million veterans and their families.
Improving the VA health care system included putting more focus on not only long-term care, but preventative care as well. Those improvements have made the VA’s system at least as good as any private care currently provided. In some instances, VA care surpasses privately offered care.
A recent study focusing solely on cancer care confirmed that claim. In many areas, VA cancer care surpasses private sector care for those beneficiaries of free-for-service Medicare patients. At the same time, the VA is lagging in adopting some new and expensive technologies used in the treatment of prostate cancer.
The study focused on the following types of cancers:
- lymphoma;
- multiple myeloma;
- colorectal;
- prostate; and
- lung.
The study’s subjects were male, at least 65-years-old, and received treatment between 2001 and 2004 in the VA medical system. Researchers compared those results with those of patients in the same demographic receiving care for cancer under Medicare’s free-for-service benefit.
The study’s results painted a very favorable picture for VA health care as to the effectiveness of their specialized cancer care. Researchers go even further to suggest much of the VA’s health care system can be used as a model by the private sector.
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: Cancer Care, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Private Health Care Providers, VA health care, Veterans disability
Posted in Disabled Veterans, Veterans' Benefits | No Comments »
Friday, June 10th, 2011
Los Angeles is in possession of a 387-acre campus consisting of green fields and low-lying buildings. This campus sits in the affluent Brentwood neighborhood. Although the land was donated more than 100 years ago for the explicit use of wounded veterans, that is no longer the case. Two days ago, advocates for the homeless filed a class action lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) due to their neglect of the campus.
The lawsuit seeks to require the VA to use the campus for its originally intended purpose, which is the care and housing of veterans determined to be mentally ill. Lawyers argue the VA is violating the conditions of the agreement under which the property came into the government’s possession. Lawyers further argue the VA is violating federal discrimination laws by not providing housing to mentally ill veterans.
Many of the buildings on the campus are abandoned, and many others have been commercially leased. Advocates for the homeless argue the VA has been kowtowing to residents of the local neighborhood and giving into their commercial interests. The commercial value of the land has been made very obvious over the last 20 to 30 years.
If the lawsuit succeeds, it will only apply to homeless veterans the VA has determined are mentally disabled. If the land was used as intended, much of the homelessness among veterans in the area would be non-existent.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), homeless veterans, Veterans disability
Posted in Disabled Veterans, VA News | No Comments »
Thursday, June 9th, 2011
When soldiers become disabled, the design of their home is probably the last thing on their mind. Many return home, however, and find their ability to navigate in their home is either limited or non-existent. The Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) Program is a federal grant program designed to help such veterans make the necessary modifications and/or repairs to their homes to make them negotiable.
The grants are awarded to veterans with disabilities, even if those disabilities are not service-related. Those grants are used to make home improvements, which are essential for the veterans’ daily functioning. The improvements will be used to either aid in the veterans’ treatment or to grant greater and easier access to the veterans’ homes.
The recently signed Caregiver and Veterans Omnibus Health Service Act of 2010 boosted the amount of money HISA grants can award. For those veterans rated at least 50% disabled, HISA grants provide $6,800. All other veterans who have registered with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for health care can be awarded up to $2,000.
There are limits, however, as to what HISA grants can be used to improve.
HISA grants can be used to:
- allocate entrances and exits from the veterans’ homes;
- grant easier access for necessary bathrooms;
- grant easier access to kitchen and bathroom counters;
- improve or construct handrails;
- lower switches and plugs; and
- improve driveways and/or walkways.
Although the grants do cover a good range of improvements, they are limited. Veterans cannot use HISA grants to improve paths to exterior buildings, to perform routine renovations, or to install hot tubs or jacuzzis.
To qualify for HISA grants, veterans must first obtain prescriptions from a physician documenting the need for the improvements. Those improvements must be necessary for the veterans’ disability treatment.
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: Disabled Veterans, Federal Grants, HISA Grants, Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) Program, Veterans disability
Posted in Veterans' Disability, Veterans' Resources | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
Soldiers are currently unable to have insurance coverage for injuries received outside Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. That practice is coming to an end, as soldiers will now be able to submit such claims for coverage to the Traumatic Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (TSGLI) Injury Protection Program.
The change in policy will become effective October 1 and will apply to soldiers who suffered an injury while not in a combat zone. Soldiers with qualifying injuries may be able to draw benefits between $25,000 and $100,000, as long as the injury occurred between Oct. 7 2001 and Nov. 30, 2005.
In order to be covered, the injuries must qualify, or rise to a certain standard including:
- loss of limbs;
- limb salvage;
- paralysis;
- burns;
- loss of sight/hearing/speech; and
- inability to function on a daily basis due to traumatic injuries including TBIs.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) manages the TSGLI program. The VA is currently contacting those veterans whose injury claims were previously denied because they did not happen while engaged in combat. The burden is being put on the veterans to notify the VA with their renewed claims.
Although TSGLI does not affect VA benefits, the VA plans on working with the branches of service to not only locate veterans, but in collecting information supporting veterans’ claims. Once the VA determines veterans eligibility, they determine how much disability to pay the veteran, and the insurance company issues the payment.
TSGLI covers all soldiers, to include inactive Reserve and Guard members. The coverage does not, however, continue once the soldier separates from the service. Since the inception of TSGLI in 2005, the program has paid out $550 million in benefits.
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: Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Traumatic Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (TSGLI) Injury Protection Program, Veterans disability
Posted in Disabled Veterans, Iraq-Afghanistan War, VA News, Veterans' Benefits, Veterans' Disability | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is supposed to bill all private health care providers for services they provide veterans for conditions not related to their service. Those services range from providing medical care to supplies to prescriptions. Veterans usually do not pay any balances their insurance does not cover.
The VA, however, is not billing those third party medical care providers as required by law. According to a report issued by the VA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), in failing to do so, the VA is losing more than $110 million billable income every year.
More specifically, the OIG found the VA does not bill third party insurers for almost 50% of what they should be billing. Citing “ineffective and unreliable” practices, the OIG referred to the VA’s failure to bill as they are mandated a “missed opportunity.”
Part of the problem likely lies with specific medical center guidelines. For instance, during their investigation, the OIG discovered some VA medical centers had no leadership or direction as to when they should bill a private insurer. At the same time, some VA medical centers’ billing department could not produce evidence they have ever billed a private insurer.
This isn’t the first time the OIG has discovered these insufficiencies. The OIG report did make some recommendations as to the changes the VA must make in their billing practices, and the VA agreed with those 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: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Non-Service Related Condition, Office of Inspector General (OIG), Private Health Care Providers, Private Insurer, Veterans disability
Posted in VA News, Veterans' Disability | No Comments »
Friday, June 3rd, 2011
The Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry (ATSDR) is planning on performing two health surveys, one from Camp Lejeune and one from Camp Pendleton, and then comparing the two. They are making the comparison to determine the health levels of those people serving on these bases between certain years.
Between June and December, ATSDR will be surveying people who either worked or lived at Camp Lejeune prior to 1986. This group of people run the risk of being exposed to toxic drinking water as Lejeune’s wells were contaminated between 1957 and 1987 with toxic chemicals. The contamination could have affected between 500,000 and 1 million people.
Researchers will compare the health of those people with those of Camp Pendleton, an “external, unexposed comparison group.” This means it is demographically similar to Camp Lejeune save for being exposed to contaminated water.
Apparently, the survey is attempting to determine if there are higher rates of birth defects, cancer, and other health complications for those people exposed to the contaminated water than should naturally exist. Discovering higher rates will likely make it easier on veterans filing for disability based on their exposure while at Lejeune.
Why Lejeune is being directly compared to Pendleton raises certain questions. One of those questions is why not just make a cross country comparison as opposed to another military post?
Like Lejeune, Pendleton is a superfund site, meaning the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined there is hazardous waste on site. It doesn’t make sense for the direct comparison, as two superfund sites are likely to have higher levels of cancers and other health problems. The probable result is Lejeune’s cancer and health problem rates will not appear to be as high as they likely are.
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: Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry (ATSDR), Camp Lejeune, Camp Pendleton, Contaminated Water, Health Survey, Superfund, Veterans disability
Posted in Disabled Veterans, VA News | No Comments »
Thursday, June 2nd, 2011
Rev. Scott Rainey was invited to perform an invocation prayer at a Memorial Day ceremony at the Houston National Ceremony. This would have been the third year in which Rev. Rainey delivered this prayer for this ceremony. This was the first year Rev. Rainey was asked to submit his prayer for review prior to the ceremony.
After reviewing his written prayer, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and cemetery director Arleen Ocasio informed Rev. Rainey he would not be able to mention Jesus in his prayer. According to Ocasio, Rev. Rainey’s prayer was not inclusive enough.
The VA supported their decision on the basis that saying Jesus Christ would likely offend those veterans of different religions. The Liberty Institute filed a federal lawsuit against the VA and petitioned the Court for a temporary restraining order under the premise it is unconstitutional for the government to stifle private speech occurring on public lands.
A federal judge in Texas agreed with the Liberty Institute and informed the VA they could not censor Rev. Rainey’s invocation prayer. U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes wrote “the government cannot gag citizens when it says it is in the interest of national security, and it cannot do it in some bureaucrat’s notion of cultural homogeneity.”
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), Houston National Cemetery, The Liberty Institute, US District Judge Lynn Hughes, Veterans disability
Posted in General | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
Not all military personnel qualify or use VA or government-backed loans. For those that do not, private mortgage lenders have made life uncomfortable for some military personnel over the last couple of months.
A number of soldiers and veterans who are wounded or disabled, however, are being offered a relief program. Those wounded warriors with mortgages through Citigroup are being offered reduced interest rates as well as forgiven late fees and past due amounts. These benefits are being offered through their Homeowner Assistance Program.
Qualified homeowners will have their interest rates cut by 2.5% on mortgages they already hold. The program will be extended to surviving spouses as well and does not require any showing of hardship to qualify.
The only qualifying documents applicants will need to show are:
- DD-214s or discharge paperwork; and
- VA correspondence.
In order to qualify for the two-year reduction, veterans must not be eligible for a “permanent mortgage modification.” Further, the offer is not being extended to any homeowners with government-backed loans, such as FHA, VA, USDA, or those mortgages made under the Service members Civil Relief Act.
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.
Posted in VA News, Veterans' Resources | No Comments »
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