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Archive for the ‘Iraq-Afghanistan War’ 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 »
Wednesday, February 15th, 2012
The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) organization has been petitioning for a nationally recognized parade to honor returning veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, but their efforts will have to wait longer.
According to officials at the Pentagon and the Department of Defense, there’s full support for such a celebration, but right now is not an appropriate time. With troop withdrawals still a long way to go, and deployments still actively scheduled, the Pentagon wishes to wait until all efforts in the war zones are completed and the troops have returned home.
In the meantime, the White House will be hosting a special dinner honoring the Iraq veterans by inviting members of every military branch, rank, and state to represent their respective backgrounds. While the IAVA appreciates the gesture, they believe that this effort only honors a select few service members and does nothing to foster connections between civilians and veterans.
Small scale efforts to honor returning Iraq veterans have been seen across the country with a notable effort having recently taken place in St. Louis. A couple friends organized the event through Facebook, which gathered nearly 1,000 veterans and tens of thousands of civilian supporters.
The Pentagon officials recognized the efforts of the St. Louis group and praised small community events like these, stating that, “they’re the right size and scope for what military leaders feel comfortable with now.” As for a large-scale parade, officials are still holding off on making plans until all troops return home.
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: honoring veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans, veteran events
Posted in General, Iraq-Afghanistan War, Veterans' Events | No Comments »
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
Camp Pendleton’s 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment unit suffered some of the highest causalities due to heavy combat in Afghanistan, including 25 deaths, more than 150 injuries, and over a dozen traumatic amputation. Instead of bringing the unit back and releasing the members to fend for themselves, the Marine Corps required the remaining soldiers to remain at Camp Pendleton for 90 days for mental health evaluation and to help ease their transition back into civilian society.
In the 90-day “decompression” program, the soldiers were given the opportunity to hold a memorial for their fallen comrades, participate in social events, like barbeques and banquets, and learn how to communicate about their war experiences. The veterans will be monitored to see if the program has helped improve their mental health and prevent many of the problems faced by veterans coping with conditions like PTSD or anxiety disorders.
As more veterans have had to file for veterans’ disability due to PTSD and other mental health conditions related to combat experience, the military has increased its efforts to help soldiers both active and retired with psychological health care. If a veteran still suffers from these conditions, veterans disability benefits may be available to help.
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: mental health treatment, U.S. veterans, Veterans Mental Health
Posted in General, Iraq-Afghanistan War, Veterans' Disability | No Comments »
Thursday, January 12th, 2012
Due to the fact that the Department of Veterans Affairs is misclassified post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in regards to veterans’ disability benefits, a class action lawsuit was filed against the federal government. The lawsuit represented 1,029 Iraq and Aghanistan War veterans who claimed they were denied benefits for their PTSD disability due to improper disability ratings.
The claimants were veterans diagnosed with the medical condition between 2003 and 2008 but did not receive disability benefits for their PTSD disability rating. A decision from Judge George W. Miller of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims ruled in favor of the veterans on December 22, 2011. His decision requires the U.S. Military to award lifetime disability retirement benefits to the 1,029 veterans that were named in the class action lawsuit.
Additional veterans may soon see help from this decision as well. There were 66 other veterans included in the class that will be eligible for the lifetime disability benefits if they file their veterans’ disability claim for PTSD with a minimum 30% disability rating. The settlement also increased the disability rating for 1,066 OIF/OEF veterans who were only receiving partial 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: PTSD, Veterans disability, Veterans' Benefits
Posted in General, Iraq-Afghanistan War, Veterans' Benefits, Veterans' Disability | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 4th, 2012
According to an article on Truthout, the Department of Defense (DoD) is readying itself in preparation to implement a “new safeguard” for U.S. veterans with mental and emotional health issues.
U.S. Veterans returning from combat will undergo “intensive screenings” designed to detect “mental and emotional” problems brought on by their deployments. According to recent studies, a soldier takes his or her own life every 36 hours.
A couple years ago Congress passed a law mandating every soldier undergo 3 different mental-health screenings within 2 years of returning from combat. This program was first implemented by the Montana National Guard, and proved very successful as a pilot program.
For the most part, the main concern is being able to detect post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Army has examined 400,000 troops without releasing any information as to the results yet. The DoD has added 3500 new health-care providers to its ranks to help examine combat veterans for “elevated stress levels.”
The new law required screenings be done individually every 6-months, which is how they were done in the Montana model, and not via paper questionnaire, which is how it had been done previously. Soldiers and veterans are given “personal, and private, one-on-one attention from a trained health-care provider” under the law, which includes 2-years of follow up assessments.
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: Military Legislation, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), suicide prevention, Veterans disability, Veterans Mental Health
Posted in General, Iraq-Afghanistan War, US Military Legislation, Veterans' Disability | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 27th, 2011
A couple of years ago, Stephen Goodman took it upon himself to write and hand-deliver more than 200 thank you cards to U.S. veterans recovering from injuries in his local Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. The response he got from the veterans was so positive, that he soon wanted to thank every deployed soldier for their service, according to an article in Top Secret Writers.
It took Stephen 2 years to do it, but he was able to write a thank you card to the 180,000 deployed soldiers. He started out writing individual hand-decorated cards with personal messages in them. One at a time he plugged away and, with the help of his family, soon 15,000 cards were completed.
Eventually word of Stephen’s efforts got out, and Kodak decided to help with the effort. Kodak worked with Stephen to create 2 card templates and eventually donated more than 100,000 copies to his cause. On December 16th, Stephen and his family delivered 180,000 cards to Luke Air Force Base to be sent out to the deployed soldiers.
Stephen’s grandfather is a Vietnam veteran, and like most other Vietnam veterans, he did not receive a warm welcome upon his return to this country from that war. Stephen was determined not to let any soldier feel what his grandfather felt upon their return from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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: Iraw war soldiers, Vietnam veteran
Posted in General, Iraq-Afghanistan War | 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 »
Monday, December 19th, 2011
According to an article in The Navy Times, in an attempt to secure some solid answers about the general condition of the war area in the Middle East, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is going to study the “medical records and stored tissue samples” collected from 450 military dogs that were deployed to that region. This study is part of the continued effort of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses Task Force to identify sicknesses in U.S. veterans and troops.
Researchers will create a database of information and then use it to locate “trends in canine diseases.” They will then compare those results with human diseases and look for common elements that could be due to the local environment, such as toxic dust.
The canines will serve as the proverbial canaries in the coal mines, but in a more retroactive sense. Researchers hope to be able to use the information from the canines’ tissues to determine if there are any future health problems expected in veterans.
Modern day soldiers are being exposed to “a host of environmental health hazards,” which can and has included low levels of toxic chemicals, as was reported in an earlier VA report, just as Gulf War veterans were in the early 1990s.
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: gulf war veterans, Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses Task Force, military dogs, U.S. veterans, Veterans disability, Veterans Health
Posted in General, Iraq-Afghanistan War, Veterans' Events | No Comments »
Friday, December 16th, 2011
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently conducted a survey that showed 1/3 of female veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder had reported having been raped, sexually harassed, or sexually assaulted and forced sexual contact occurred with every 1 in 100 male veterans. The results forced the VA to revamp how sexual trauma disability claims are handled, according to an article in The Navy Times.
The VA issued new guidelines to all regional offices to be used when evaluating claims from soldiers for PTSD brought on by military sexual trauma (MST). The VA has in place certain specific requirements veterans must meet when filing for disability compensation claims. Specifically, most claims must contain:
- a statement from the veteran;
- evidence of participation in a traumatic event; or
- medical documentation supporting a diagnosis.
Under the new guidelines, those reviewing MST disability claims are encouraged to look for proof that a physical attack or harassment happened, which will be considered in conjunction with the veteran’s statement. That evidence can come in multiple forms, which includes:
- pregnancy tests;
- claimants seeking mental health attention for depression; and/or
- requests for assignments to new units.
The VA acknowledges the difficulty veterans encounter in reporting MST at the time when it happens. Therefore, the new guidelines instruct examiners to “weigh evidence in a ‘light most favorable to the veteran.’”
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: Disability Compensation Claims, Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans, Military sexual trauma claims, Veterans' Benefits
Posted in General, Iraq-Afghanistan War, VA News, Veterans' Benefits | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 14th, 2011
According to an article on CBS News, the Air Force was responsible for incinerating the “partial remains” of at least 274 U.S. soldiers and then dumping the ashes in a landfill in Virginia, which was officially halted 3 years ago.
Military families had given previous consent to the military to dispose of the soldiers’ remains in a “dignified and respectful manner.” Consequently, the families were not told the remains were dumped into a landfill.
According to the Air Force, there are no future plans of notifying the families that are involved considering it would require an immense effort to entail individual searches of over 6,300 soldiers’ records. At the same time, Senior Air Force officials insist there was no active intention to deceive anyone about the secret practice.
Dover Air Force Base is the “main port of entry” for fallen soldiers as they return to the U.S. There is no way for the Air Force to determine just how many soldiers’ remains were shipped to the landfill, but it does acknowledge that there is no formal military authorization, policy, or regulation permitting such a practice. Unclaimed and unidentified soldiers’ remains are now cremated and buried at sea.
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: Dover Air Force Base, Military Families, U.S. veterans, Veterans' Dependents
Posted in General, Iraq-Afghanistan War, Veterans' Dependents | No Comments »
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