While the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted much of normal life, the VA disability benefits system is still open and processing claims. According to VA’s most recent Veterans Benefits Newsletter, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) continues to provide services and decide claims despite the ongoing pandemic through the increased use of virtual technology. THE BOARD AND VETERANS […]

Occasionally a veteran’s claim for disability compensation must be appealed to the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, commonly called the “Veterans Court” or the “Court” for short. Cases pending before the Court use a modified version of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, and can often be confusing for those who are unfamiliar

The Board of Veterans Appeals is celebrating a record-breaking year. In Fiscal Year 2019, which ended on October 1, the Board of Veterans Appeals decided 95,089 appeals, surpassing their goal by 5,000 decisions. The number of hearings held was also up by nearly 40 percent. This comes after 2018 saw a record-breaking number of appeals decided. While veterans would

Only July 1, 2019, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ordered the Veterans Benefits Administration and Board of Veterans Appeals to stay proceedings with respect to all claims for disability compensation that are based on service in the offshore waters of the Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975. Secretary

A recent paper published by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research confirms what veteran’s advocates have long known to be true – BVA’s claimed 90-95% accuracy rates are, at best, misleading. In this study, researchers looked at data on nearly 600,000 BVA appeals over a 15 year period to determine whether BVA’s quality review process reduced appeals or

VA has finalized regulations which change the Rating Schedule relating to Infectious Diseases, Immune Disorders and Nutritional Deficiencies. This schedule includes the rating criteria for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). VA proposed major changes to these diagnostic criteria, to include adding a list of diagnoses (current or past) that would exclude the diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), including sleep

In most circumstances a veteran filing a claim for service connected disability benefits must submit evidence that demonstrates that his or her disability was caused by something that occurred during service. However, for veterans that served on the ground during the Vietnam War, VA will presume that certain illnesses and conditions were caused by dioxin

There are a number of benefit programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, but the most well known is the program that pays veterans for disabilities incurred in service.  This benefit is commonly referred to as service connected compensation. In order to prove entitlement to this benefit, a veteran must demonstrate: 1) an in-service event,

When VA grants a claim for service connection, each service-connected disability is assigned a percentage according to VA’s rating schedule. If a veteran is service-connected for multiple disabilities, the combined evaluation determines the rate at which the veteran is paid. Many veterans are surprised that the combined evaluation is not always equal to the sum of