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Archive for the ‘Disabled Veterans’ Category
Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012
The veteran soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are showing a high number of common respiratory illnesses, including a rare disease that’s sparking some controversy.
While military veterans are able to seek treatment for respiratory conditions at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals, many of these facilities treat only the acute symptoms and don’t investigate the long-term disabilities that some veterans may be facing. A rare respiratory disease, constrictive bronchiolitis, is difficult to diagnose and incurable, making it difficult for many disabled veterans to get the medical assistance they need.
Diagnosing this rare condition involves an invasive lung biopsy, which many VA hospitals are reluctant to perform as it’s a costly procedure. This has lead to many veterans potentially suffering from this disabling condition to have to seek a diagnosis from a doctor outside the VA hospital network – meaning high out of pocket costs that their veterans’ disability benefits or VA health care may not cover.
Disabled veterans and their families are seeking to draw attention to the many respiratory illnesses and disabling conditions that have been connected to burn pit exposure and desert air quality. Soldiers that served in the Iraq and Afghanistan War may have been exposed to several airborne toxins and particles that can cause shortness of breath, chronic bronchitis, and even cancers of the respiratory system.
Respiratory illness is just one of the many conditions a veteran may suffer from due to their military service. If you or a loved one is experiencing medical conditions that may be related to their service in the military you may qualify 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: constrivtive bronchiolitis, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, respiratory conditions, Respiratory Illnesses, Veterans Disability Benefits
Posted in Disabled Veterans, General, Iraq-Afghanistan War, Veterans' Benefits, Veterans' Disability | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
New rule changes from the Obama Administration seek to minimize the risk of job and income loss for caregivers of disabled veterans.
Under the current Family and Medical Leave Act, benefits for leave time for a family caregiver of military personnel only apply to active duty service members in the National Guard. The new rule changes, announced in late January, seek to extend these benefits for up to 5 years for caregivers to take care of their wounded and/or disabled veteran who were medically discharged following active duty in any military branch.
Other policy changes include allowing up to 12 weeks of leave for a family member to help prepare for a short-notice deployment of an active duty household member. This will allow for military families to make arrangements for child care, attend military functions, and make financial and legal arrangements.
For injured soldiers or those who become ill during deployment, family members would now be allowed 26 weeks of leave to help care for them upon their return. It also expands the current 5-day allowance to 15 days for family members to rest and recuperate.
Supporting caregivers of disabled veterans is almost as important as supporting disabled veterans themselves. As the importance of family caregivers continues to become more apparent, the VA has been working to implement new benefits and resources to help keep these individuals active in supporting our wounded soldiers.
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, veterans caregivers, Veterans' Benefits
Posted in Disabled Veterans, General, US Military Legislation, Veterans' Benefits, Veterans' Dependents | No Comments »
Monday, February 6th, 2012
A recent count of veterans’ disability claims waiting in queue to be processed stood at 853,831 on January 27, while it was about 100,000 claims lower in 2011 and 500,000 claims lower in 2009. This number is only expected to rise in the coming months.
According to Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House VA Affairs Committee, at least half of the disabled veterans, with claims already filed, wait at least 6 months just to get into the initial processing stage. This may be due to the mixed regulations for disability ratings seen in the Department of Defense (DoD) and VA’s application systems, and also the increased eligibility for Agent Orange cases. Furthermore, of the estimated 2.2 million troops from the Iraq and Aghanistan Wars, nearly 624,000 have filed veterans’ disability benefits claims and more are anticipated.
Current efforts to combat the increasing backlog focus heavily on budget increases and switching to a paperless system for claim processing. The system was recently tested in Utah and Rhode Island and is set for a national launch this summer through 2013. For 2012, the VA’s budget was increased 20% to nearly $2 billion to help fund claim processing efforts.
Considering the disability ratings systems hasn’t been modified since it was created, which was at the end of WWII, one of the biggest challenges faced is the discrepancies between disability ratings from the DoD or 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: disability ratings system, VA Backlog, veterans disability claims, Veterans' Benefits
Posted in Disabled Veterans, General, VA News, Veterans' Benefits, Veterans' Disability | No Comments »
Monday, January 16th, 2012
The window of opportunity was closing for certain Gulf War veterans to qualify for disability benefits, but a recent amendment to the U.S. federal code has extended an important deadline.
Many Gulf War veterans have been diagnosed with multiple, seemingly unrelated diseases sometimes referred to as “Gulf War Syndrome.” These conditions range from diabetes to chronic fatigue and can impair several body systems without an apparent underlying cause. It may also produce multiple disabling symptoms, which cannot be medically explained or connected to a single condition.
The legislation in question, Title 38 CFR 3.317, placed a December 31, 2011 deadline for Gulf War veterans to file and qualify for disability related to an undiagnosed or multi-symptom illness. As the deadline approached, disabled veterans’ advocacy groups and lawmakers lobbied to have the date pushed back.
Veterans of the Persian Gulf War now have until December 31, 2016 to obtain the medical evaluation necessary for their disability rating. With the proper rating, Gulf War veterans can apply for veterans’ disability benefits through the VA.
Unlike many other qualifying conditions for disability, Gulf War veterans who suffer from illnesses that cannot be medically explained or produce multiple unrelated symptoms may qualify for benefits without establishing a connection to their military service.
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, Gulf War Syndrome, gulf war veterans, Veterans disability, Veterans' Benefits
Posted in Disabled Veterans, General, Veterans' Benefits, Veterans' Disability | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012
An article in Reuters detailed how a veteran who underwent surgery discovered that his surgeons left 2 towels inside of him, causing several more surgeries.
The veteran was 47-years-old and originally went into his local Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital for cancer-related kidney surgery in May of 2008. He complained of pain in his abdomen following the surgery and eventually had to return to the VA hospital.
When he returned doctors performed a scan on his abdomen and found 2 11×14 surgical towels had been left inside of him when he was sewn up following his original surgery. He was forced to undergo a second surgery to have the towels removed.
That second surgery, however, did not happen until August of that same year, which was more than 3 months after the initial surgery. Possibly related to the towels being left behind, a third surgery was necessary to repair a hernia, which is also common for many people after undergoing abdominal surgery.
The entire ordeal caused the veteran to lose almost a year’s worth of work due to health issues. He was awarded 275,000 by a federal court for his troubles, and the VA did admit their surgeons breached their surgical standard of care through their actions.
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, medical malpractice, Surgical Mistake, Veterans disability, veterans healthcare
Posted in Disabled Veterans, General, VA News, Veterans' Disability | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012
According to an article in Naples News, Disabled Veterans Insurance Careers (DVIC), a non-profit organization, is focused on finding careers for disabled veterans within the insurance world by utilizing modern technology.
The fact is that many veterans will make highly valuable employees. Many of the traits and skills employers look for can be found in today’s young and modern veterans, such as:
- being mission driven;
- being tech-savvy; and
- more mature than their peers.
The DVIC is looking to place capable disabled veterans with “independent insurance agencies and insurance companies” by training them on sales and customer service.
Training will be offered free of charge, a stipend will be offered to veterans while they attend training, and if everything goes as planned, the first class is scheduled to be held in the spring of 2012. At the end of the classes, veterans will be “trained as account service managers.”
The DVIC itself will “act as an employment agency” and will help place veterans into positions once they successfully complete the training class. This program will provide disabled veterans opportunities they would not have otherwise been given as many of the nation’s largest insurance companies have responded favorably to the proposal.
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: Disabled Veterans Insurance Careers, Veterans disability, Veterans Unemployment
Posted in Disabled Veterans, General, Veterans' Benefits, Veterans' Disability, Veterans' Resources | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011
A recent report from the Huffington Post states that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plans on spending $100 million to prevent homelessness among U.S. veterans. More specifically, the VA is granting the money to local and community organizations that can help veterans stop from becoming homeless in the first place.
Local and community organizations will be able to apply for a share of the $100 million so they can get involved and help U.S. veterans before they lose their home. The VA believes prevention is the key to eliminating homelessness among veterans. It’s much easier, and takes less effort, to prevent veterans from becoming homeless than it does to establish housing once the homelessness has occurred.
VA Sec. Eric Shinseki hopes to help 35,000 veterans and their families with this grant program. The grant money will be used to offer the necessary services to prevent homelessness, such as education, counseling, and training.
There are over 100,000 homeless veterans, and the VA has already stated that by 2015 they plan on lowering that number to zero. Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will need help on many levels from many different organizations. While some needs may be much more severe than others, no veteran should return to this country and not have a roof over his or her head.
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, homeless veterans, U.S. veterans, Veterans disability, veterans prevention programs
Posted in Disabled Veterans, General, Iraq-Afghanistan War, VA News, Vet Groups & Networking, Veterans' Disability, Veterans' Resources | 1 Comment »
Thursday, December 15th, 2011
According to an article on My Fox Atlanta¸ the Wounded Warrior Project joined forces with the Georgia Aquarium to provide veterans with disabilities an opportunity to take part in a physical therapy swimming method in the biggest aquatic exhibit in the world.
Their guide for the day was Scott Rigsby, who is has been a double-leg amputee for the last 20 years. Unlike many others, Rigsby knows what the veterans participating in the therapy program are going through and what they are capable of accomplishing.
More importantly, he identifies with the 3 biggest, and most common mental problems facing veterans in the program: depression, anxiety, and fear. He told the veterans in his program that it is only the beginning of what they will face and they should get out of their comfort zone to surpass those feelings.
The therapy program refers to it as a confidence building swim. It’s more than just being around beautiful whale sharks and manta rays; it’s about what the water does for therapy.
For some, being in the water offers a relief to their aching bodies because of the weightless environment. Others see the water as being able to remove certain limitations they face because of their disabilities. The confidence derived from the experience builds motivation and shows veterans that they alone posses the ability to change their lives, along with their families, after war.
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: physical therapy program, Veterans Disabilities, Wounded Warrior Project
Posted in Disabled Veterans, Veterans' Disability, Veterans' Events, Veterans' Resources | No Comments »
Friday, December 9th, 2011
As injured soldiers roll into a hospital following attacks, there are a million things going through their minds. The majority of them, however, have a single question they ask, and that is if their genitals are still attached and functioning, according to an article on Stars and Stripes. Although traumatic brain injuries outnumber all other injuries U.S. veterans and soldiers report suffering from the Iraq and Afghanistan War, they pale in comparison to the worry placed on the possibility of a genital injury.
Over the last couple years the increased use of improvised explosive devices and roadside bombs has left more soldiers with injuries to their “reproductive and urinary organs.” The number of these types of injuries has increased so much that the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) group life insurance plan will now cover them as traumatic injuries.
The traumatic injury benefit will make a single payment to soldiers and veterans with qualifying genital injuries ranging from $25,000 and $50,000, depending on the injury. Although there has been an increase in the number of soldiers with these types of injuries, genital injuries are not a new phenomenon. Therefore, the payment will apply to any such injuries sustained after Oct. 11, 2001.
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: Genital Injury, traumatic injury, U.S. veterans, VA insurance, Veterans disability
Posted in Disabled Veterans, VA News, Veterans' Benefits, Veterans' Disability | No Comments »
Thursday, December 8th, 2011
According to an article NJ.com, Leonard McQuown is walking across the county to “spread awareness” about the large number of veterans with disabilities as well as those veterans unable to find employment. He has hopes at the end of his journey he will form a non-profit, the Veterans Miracle Network, to provide help to any veteran in need.
McQuown has taken the first steps in what will amount to a 15,000 mile journey, which he will complete on foot to raise awareness for disabled veterans. His first stop was ground zero where the mother of a fallen soldier gave McQuown her son’s dog tags to wear along his journey and he recently walked through the state of New Jersey. He plans to head south to complete the 48 more states he has left, so as to avoid the oncoming weather.
Over the next 5 years McQuown will visit every capital in the continental United States. So far, he has been taking shelter at firehouses along the way, where he has been provided meals and companionship.
Upon leaving his military service, McQuown moved around the country and worked various jobs in multiple states. He was always in search of solid employment and stability. Being from a military family, however, it just isn’t in him to stay in one place for too long.
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: Veterans disability, Veterans Employment, Veterans Groups
Posted in Disabled Veterans, General, Vet Groups & Networking | No Comments »
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