Veterans Discharged for Sexual Orientation to Receive VA Benefits
Posted by Gregory M. Rada | September 20, 2021 | Disability Compensation,Legal Update
On the 10th anniversary of the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, VA announced that LGBTQ+ service members who received an other than honorable discharge would now be eligible for VA benefits such as vocational rehabilitation, home loan guaranty, compensation & pension, health care, homeless program, and/or burial benefits. Veterans Discharged for Sexual Orientation,… read more
Is the VA Biased Against Male Victims of Military Sexual Trauma?
Posted by Gregory M. Rada | May 12, 2018 | Legal Update
Military Sexual Trauma (military sexual trauma) is psychological trauma, which results from a physical assault of a sexual nature, battery of a sexual nature, or sexual harassment and which occurs while a veteran is serving on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training. It happens more often than many people know –… read more
Veterans Sue Navy Over Discharge Upgrade Denials
Posted by Gregory M. Rada | May 10, 2018 | Legal Update
Earlier this month, attorneys working with the Yale Law School Veterans Legal Services Clinic filed a class action law suit in federal court alleging that the Navy illegally denies requests for discharge upgrades made by veterans with PTSD and other mental health conditions. The lead plaintiff is a Marine veteran of the 2003 invasion… read more
DoD Issues New Guidance for Discharge Upgrades Involving Mental Health
Posted by Gregory M. Rada | November 13, 2017 | Legal Update
New DoD Guidance for Discharge Upgrades Involving Mental Health As I have noted before, service-connected mental health conditions frequently lead to veterans receiving other-than-honorable discharges. In turn, other-than-honorable discharges often prevent veterans from receiving much needed VA benefits and health care. In response to this problem, the Department of Defense (DoD) has issued new New… read more
Posted by Gregory M. Rada | October 10, 2017 | Disability Compensation,Legal Update
Big changes are coming to the VA appeals process as a result of a new law, the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017, which became law on August 23, 2017. The new law restructures the current appeals process to address the massive backlog of veterans presently waiting for decisions on their appeals. Gregory… read more
Members of Congress Introduce Legislation to Support Survivors of Military Sexual Trauma
Posted by Gregory M. Rada | May 31, 2017 | Legal Update
Last month U.S. legislators introduced H.R. 1954 – the Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act of 2017. In large part, legislators drafted H.R. 1954 in response to reports of nude photos of female service members being posted online. The bill is aimed at ensuring that these veterans have sufficient access to counseling and benefits…. read more
VA Finalizes Camp Lejeune Presumptive Conditions
Posted by Gregory M. Rada | March 2, 2017 | Disability Compensation,Legal Update
After a long wait, the Department of Veterans Affairs has finalized and released regulations that establish a presumption of service connection for certain conditions caused by contaminants in the water supply at the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The amended regulations apply to veterans, former reservists, and former National Guard members who… read more
VA Issues Updated Guidelines for Partial Knee Replacements
Posted by Gregory M. Rada | February 6, 2017 | Disability Compensation,Legal Update
This past November, the VA updated the portion of the M21-1 Manual that instructs VA raters how to process claims for evaluations of partial knee replacements. This update is a response to a decision by the Federal Circuit in Hudgens v. McDonald, which I wrote about in a previous post. In Hudgens, the Federal Circuit held that… read more
Federal Circuit Rules Partial Knee Replacements Qualify for Temporary 100 Percent Rating
Posted by Gregory M. Rada | June 14, 2016 | Disability Compensation,Legal Update
On May 18, 2016, in Hudgens v. McDonald, the Federal Circuit ruled that partial knee joint replacements qualify for ratings under Diagnostic Code (DC) 5055, which is the diagnostic code that grants a temporary 100% rating for the year following a knee joint replacement, and then a minimum 30% rating thereafter. This is a great outcome for veterans undergoing… read more
Update on Camp Lejeune Presumptive Conditions
Posted by Gregory M. Rada | January 6, 2016 | Disability Compensation,Legal Update
Secretary McDonald recently revealed more details regarding VA’s plan to expand disability compensation eligibility to veterans who were exposed to contaminated water while stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987, including Reserve and National Guard personnel who would not normally be eligible for VA disability compensation benefits. The Department of Health… read more
