The Backlog.  The backlog of pending claims for veterans’ disability benefits has become the bogeyman that haunts the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Over the past several years VA exerted substantial efforts to exorcise this demon at the initial filing stage. In other words, VA focused its attention, with mixed results, on shortening the time it […]

During the month of March the law firm Van Every Creedon is offering trademark services for veterans at a flat rate of $995. The offer includes the clearance search, government filing fee, and trademark monitoring for the year. This is a phenomenal opportunity to which veteran business owners should give serious consideration. The importance of

On a Friday afternoon in late February, the US Department of Veterans Affairs filed a motion with the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. In this motion, the VA asked the court to stay (lawyer-speak for “pause”) the effect of the court’s decision in a case called Staab v. Shulkin. The Staab case addresses the question of when the VA

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