To promote awareness, VA launched a new website, www.va.gov/vsafe, that provides information on identifying fraud, reporting scams and finding an accredited individual or organization to help with claims....
17 November, 2023 Veteran AdvocateMilitary.com | By Patricia Kime A new study of more than 300,000 Vietnam-era U.S. veterans has found that those who were exposed to Agent Orange are nearly twice as likely to develop dementia as those who were not. The new finding, published Monday in JAMA......
28 January, 2021 Veteran AdvocateLandmark Bill Would Designate 12 Illnesses as Connected to Burn Pits 15 Sep 2020 Military.com | By Patricia Kime Lawmakers introduced legislation Tuesday that would streamline the process for veterans to receive disability benefits for diseases that may be related to exposure to burn pits......
17 September, 2020 Veteran AdvocateThe U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims issued a decision last month that could make it easier for veterans with injuries to the back, neck, and joints to obtain higher disability ratings, even in cases where veterans are already receiving disability benefits for such......
26 October, 2017 Veteran AdvocateWashington, DC — Senators Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) and Steve Daines (R-MT) reintroduced the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act on Friday. The legislation would ensure that thousands of Navy veterans, known as “Blue Water” veterans are able to receive disability and health care benefits they......
23 February, 2017 Veteran AdvocateA recent VA study points to a possible breakthrough in differentiating between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), otherwise known as a concussion. The two disorders often carry similar symptoms, such as irritability, restlessness, hypersensitivity to stimulation, memory loss, fatigue and......
17 February, 2017 Veteran AdvocateAfter years of waiting, veterans who were exposed to contaminated drinking water while assigned to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina may now be able to receive a portion of government disability benefits totaling more than $2 billion. The Department of Veterans Affairs described the new......
19 January, 2017 Veteran AdvocateMore than four decades after the end of the Vietnam War, research is still showing the effects of the herbicide Agent Orange. The latest findings: An association between exposure and high blood pressure. This story was co-published with The Virginian-Pilot. A new study has found......
18 November, 2016 Veteran AdvocateWASHINGTON — An expected 15,000 veterans whose serious illnesses are linked to a contaminated water supply at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina could receive compensation more quickly under a proposed Department of Veterans Affairs rule announced Friday. The rule establishes that for veterans who served......
16 September, 2016 Veteran AdvocateThe case of a service member diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder but found instead to have brain damage caused by a malaria drug raises questions about the origin of similar symptoms in other post-9/11 veterans. According to the case study published online in Drug Safety......
22 August, 2016 Veteran Advocatehttp://www.stripes.com/va-might-add-more-presumptive-illnesses-for-vietnam-veterans-1.399750 August this year many more thousands of Vietnam War veterans, those suffering from bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, Parkinson’s-like symptoms and even high blood pressure, could learn they will be eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs health benefits and disability compensation. Or perhaps not. Difficult months......
28 March, 2016 Veteran AdvocateOnce Again, the VA Turns Down Navy Vets for Agent Orange Benefits The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has once again turned down an effort by Navy veterans to get compensation for possible exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. In a document released......
11 February, 2016 Veteran Advocatehttp://www.tampabay.com/news/military/veterans/va-automatic-benefits-for-camp-lejeune-vets-will-take-a-year/2258346 The Department of Veterans Affairs says it will take at least a year to formulate regulations enabling Camp Lejeune veterans to receive automatic benefits for any of eight diseases linked to contaminated drinking water at the base. The VA announced Thursday that it would grant......
05 January, 2016 Veteran AdvocateThe process used by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to adjudicate claims for veterans’ benefits consists of two levels. Claims are filed and adjudicated at the first level, which is considered the “agency of original jurisdiction” (AOJ) (38 U.S.C.S. 7105 (b) (1)). The agencies......
17 October, 2015 Veteran Advocate