As a former rating specialist for the US Department of Veterans Affairs, I can tell you firsthand that a claim for PTSD is one of the most complicated and time-consuming claims the VA handles. As a result — an unfortunate result — many veterans wait years for decisions on these claims. This article provides a […]

Most people are familiar with the statistics commonly bandied about regarding the relatively high divorce rates of military personnel. Although these rates generally are not quite as high in non-military populations, divorce remains relatively common among veterans. Questions commonly arise as to what impact the end of a marriage will have upon veterans’ military pensions.

  “The irony is that when I was, before I got into government, I used to say to my staff when I ran hospitals, what’s it going to take, an act of congress?‘ These are the words stated by David J. Shulkin, M.D. moments after having been sworn in as the ninth Secretary of the US

Earlier today outgoing-US Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald published his Cabinet Exit Memo.  The Memo shines a light on the high points of Secretary McDonald’s career, which began under difficult circumstances following the resignation of his predecessor, GEN Eric Shinseki.  Although his tenure will come to a close as the new presidential administration

A hallmark of the veterans benefits system is the obligation that has been imposed upon the US Department of Veterans Affairs to assist veterans with the development of their claims. Congress has declared that the VA “shall make reasonable efforts to assist a claimant in obtaining evidence necessary to substantiate the claimant’s claim for a

On December 14, 2016, Judge Mary Schoelen of the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) issued a memorandum decision granting the appeal of Amanda Thompson, a Wisconsin widow represented by West & Dunn. Ms. Thompson currently serves as a substitute party for her husband, James Thompson, who passed away during the pendency of his

Last week the USA Today published an exclusive story addressing the manner in which the US Department of Veterans Affairs rates Veterans Health Administration medical centers. The amazing part of this story is not that the VA rates its own hospitals and clinics, but rather that it keeps these ratings secret from the veterans receiving

While many of us think of the US Department of Veterans Affairs as a single entity, its functions are actually divided among three separate administrations:  The Veterans Benefits Administration, Veterans Health Administration, and the National Cemetery Administration. The Veterans Health Administration, or VHA, reports that it currently administers over 1,700 health care sites, providing medical

All told, there are relatively few lawyers who practice veterans benefits law. This is particularly true in comparison with the number of legal advocates who are involved in similar administrative programs, such as Social Security. One of the primary reasons there are so few lawyers involved with veterans disability benefits claims process is that for