Effective February 7, 2021, the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has implemented major changes to the rating schedule for musculoskeletal disabilities. Diagnostic codes have been added, others have been removed, and an attempt has been made to update medical terminology and to provide more objective rating criteria. The changes are a mixed bag for veterans. For […]

On November 5, 2020, a federal judge ordered that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs must re-adjudicate claims for disability benefits arising from exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, if those claims were previously denied because the veteran had served offshore during Vietnam rather than setting foot on the land or serving within

On January 27, 2020, the Department of Defense (“DoD”) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) changed the list of locations where the military used and stored herbicides such as Agent Orange. To the surprise of many, this list no longer includes approximately 40 locations that VA previously recognized as places where herbicides were known to be used. Sadly, VA is

In 2019, the Board of Veterans Appeals (sometimes called the Board or BVA) issued over 95,000 appeals decisions. Whenever the Board issues a decision, federal law requires that it provide a statement of “reasons and bases” explaining how it reached its decision. One of the most common reasons that the Board’s decisions are eventually overturned