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Archive for August, 2012
Monday, August 20th, 2012
A 2007 report on the Department of Veterans’ Affairs website examined the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Vietnam veterans, finding that ethnic veterans suffered from this disorder at a higher rate than white veterans. The report cautioned that not all reports were consistent, but noted that the cumulative findings may suggest a higher risk of PTSD among minority servicemembers and veterans.
The report cites a 1990 study, the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study, which found rates of current PTSD at the time were 28% for Hispanic Vietnam vets, 21% for African American vets, and 14% for white vets. The VA report also indicated a higher rate of lifetime PTSD events among minorities compared to white veterans – 45-57% for American Indians, 43% for African Americans, 39% for Hispanics, 38% for Native Hawaiians, and 24% for whites.
In VA reports, many experts have concluded that ethnic minority veterans, especially Hispanics and African-Americans, are exposed to more war trauma and stresses than their Caucasian counterparts. One study on PTSD rates accounted for the additional stressors to Hispanic veterans and still found that rates for the disorder were higher than Caucasian soldiers.
PTSD may occur in any servicemember regardless of ethnicity. Many veterans advocates believe that the recently higher rates of PTSD in the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is due to the higher occurrence of servicemembers who deploy on multiple tours with little time between orders. A 2008 RAND study found that about 18.5% of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars experience PTSD or depression.
Veterans of any era who suffer from PTSD have the right to file a veterans’ disability claim to seek benefits from the VA. Through the services and amenities offered with these benefits, a disabled veteran may cope with their symptoms and find help in leading a healthy veteran life.
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 veteran’s disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: hispanic veterans, PTSD, Veterans Mental Health
Posted in Disabled Veterans, General, Iraq-Afghanistan War, Vietnam veterans | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 14th, 2012
On Tuesday, July 31, during a workshop for Veterans Service Organizations, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) emphasized the importance of the Fully Developed Claims (FDC) initiative.
The initiative is designed to encourage veterans and those that assist them with VA disability claims to strive to submit a FDC to help reduce the backlog of disability claims the VA is currently dealing with. According to CBSNews, over 500,000 claims are awaiting decisions, which can take an average of 254 days to reach.
The VA considers a veterans’ disability claim to be fully developed when it includes all available supporting evidence, especially private and federal treatment records. These records can often take the VA up to 175 days to obtain, while the veteran themselves or their veterans’ disability attorney can often gather them much faster.
During the workshop, the VA encouraged Veterans Service Organizations to promote the submission of more FDCs. Currently, only about three percent of the claims filed with the VA are FDCs, which can process in about 110 days.
Veterans Service Organizations have outreach programs across the nation, but one of the best local resources for disabled veterans is still their area veterans’ disability attorneys.
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 veteran’s disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: claims backlog, Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans disability claims
Posted in Disabled Veterans, VA News, Vet Groups & Networking, Veterans' Benefits, Veterans' Disability | No Comments »
Monday, August 13th, 2012
In a memorandum released on Tuesday, July 31, President Obama praised the recent and ongoing initiatives to hire more veterans in the federal sectors. He highlighted the success of tax credits, such as the Wounded Warriors Tax Credit and Returning Heroes Tax Credit, which helped promote the hiring of veterans by private businesses.
Other initiatives, such as the Veterans Employment Initiative, have resulted in over 200,000 veteran hires and 25,000 in the federal sector, while the Joining Forces Initiative helped over 90,000 veterans and their spouses find jobs. Even with these positive numbers, President Obama has called for further actions, including:
- improved communication of hiring initiatives and services;
- gathering information about veterans already serving in the federal workforce;
- increasing access to reemployment services for veterans;
- developing online tools for enhancing veteran employment initiatives; and
- encouraging more employment opportunities for veterans in the health care field.
Veterans who suffer from disabling conditions related to their military service are not necessarily unable to seek employment after their diagnosis. Many disabled veterans seek disability benefits to augment their income as they seek jobs either in the private or federal sectors.
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: President Obama, Veterans Employment
Posted in General, US Military Legislation, Veterans' Benefits | No Comments »
Friday, August 10th, 2012
Earlier this year, the misdiagnosis or revocation of several cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has led to several investigations of the mental health screening process. An official policy released by the Army Surgeon General’s Office hopes to prevent situations, such as those that occurred at the Madigan Army Medical Center, from taking place again.
According to Veterans News Now, the new policy specifically criticizes the tests used to rule that a servicemember or veteran is faking the symptoms of PTSD. These tests were used at Madigan to revoke or deny hundreds of disability ratings for veterans in need of mental health care.
Another point of scrutiny identified in the policy was the use of written test questions used to determine if a servicemember was faking PTSD symptoms for financial gain. Hundreds of questions were used to make these determinations, and Army officials concluded that a poor score on the test was not always an indication of malingering for benefits, as there was no proof of intent gathered from the results.
After the Madigan investigations, it was found that servicemembers who faked PTSD symptoms were a rare occurrence and that the disabling condition is unfortunately becoming more common. Symptoms of PTSD can include flashbacks, anxiety, nightmares, depression, and emotional instability, which can all cause disability in a veterans’ daily life.
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: PTSD, Veterans disability, Veterans Mental Health
Posted in General, US Military Legislation, Veterans' Disability | No Comments »
Thursday, August 9th, 2012
While other medical centers run by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) struggle to upgrade and expand facilities, Las Vegas veterans will soon be able to access the latest in veterans’ health care at the new Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The new $600 million facility is set to begin its phased opening this month with the goal of full operational status by December. The first unit to open will be the outpatient mental health clinic, which is completely dedicated to mental health care for disabling conditions such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Other enhanced services that will be opening throughout the year include a full dental clinic, a skilled nursing home care facility for up to 120 residents, an ambulatory care center, a Telehealth unit, and inpatient beds for up to 22 mental health patients, 48 medical/surgical beds, and 20 intensive care unit beds.
The center will boast some of the latest in technological advances for veterans’ health care. Transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy will be available for veterans suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury and other mental health conditions. Advanced “smart boards” will be in place in all areas of the VMAC and its outlying clinics to help improve employee education and patient interaction.
As enhanced health services come to new VA facilities there is hope that improvements can be made across the U.S. in existing and future VA hospitals and clinics. The best way for disabled veterans to keep up with the latest health care services available to them is to apply for veterans’ disability benefits.
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 veteran’s disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: VA medical center, veterans’ health care
Posted in Veterans' Benefits | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 8th, 2012
According to Stars and Stripes, the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act has made the final push through the legislative process. It now heads to the White House for a final presidential signature.
President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law by the end of August, creating several provisions for the veterans and families who may now suffer disabling health conditions after being exposed to polluted water at Camp Lejeune.
The Camp Lejeune veterans and families will now be eligible for health care benefits similar to those offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for disabled veterans. It will cover a wide range of issues faced by veterans and their loved ones.
The legislation also provides new benefits and assistance to existing disabled veterans such as:
- eliminated copays for rural veterans using telehealth services which will include travel reimbursement;
- new policies on sexual assaults that occur at VA facilities;
- new rehabilitation and reintegration services for veterans suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI);
- expansion of the VA’s adaptive housing program;
- VA home loan eligibility up to 10 years for surviving spouses as well as waived fees for disabled veterans; and
- more assistance in preventing funeral protesters’ presence at military funerals.
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 veteran’s disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: Camp Lejeune, veterans legislation
Posted in US Military Legislation | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 7th, 2012
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates 131 national cemeteries, but these burial sites are only present in 39 states and Puerto Rico. There are also 33 monument sites and soldiers’ lots. These limited spaces leave the families of thousands of veterans in less populated areas wondering where to honor their loved one when they pass.
To help the families of veterans make this decision, the VA is establishing a Rural Initiative plan to open eight initial National Veterans Burial Grounds in the Midwest. This will create small sections within existing public and private cemeteries where an estimated 136,000 veterans and dependents may benefit.
With the success of these initial sites, the VA will continue vetting out new opportunities across the nation where there is a veteran population of 25,000 or less in need of such services. This will help allow veterans with a discharge other than dishonorable gain access to the burial benefits they are entitled to through the VA.
The VA provides burial benefits and services for eligible veterans, their spouses, and, in some cases, their dependents. Disabled veterans who apply for and receive veterans’ disability benefits are connected to many VA benefits such as the burial benefits.
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 veteran’s disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), veterans burial benefits
Posted in Veterans' Benefits | No Comments »
Friday, August 3rd, 2012
A 15-year study of the effectiveness of prostate cancer surgery has found that there is no significant increase in a man’s lifespan if they elect for prostate removal rather than other treatment methods. This study was conducted thanks to 731 veterans who volunteered to be monitored by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Cooperative Studies Program.
The men in the national study received treatment at VA hospitals which involved either a prostatectomy or “observation” in which their physicians provided treatment necessary for relieving the often disabling symptoms of the cancer.
The findings showed that the men whose prostates were removed experienced more erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and bowel dysfunction over the group treated with observation. There was no significant difference in overall mortality or death from prostate cancer.
Veterans are often an important resource for doctors to seek for trials on new treatments for disabling conditions. Disabled veterans with common conditions such as diabetes, heart diseases, and cancers can often serve their country yet again by participating in medical research through their local VA hospital.
Disabled veterans can receive more health care benefits and resources when they apply for, and are approved to receive veterans’ disability benefits through the VA.
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 veteran’s disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: Disabled Veterans, prostate cancer
Posted in Veterans' Disability | No Comments »
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