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Will My VA Benefits be reduced if I receive SS Benefits?

The Department of Veterans Affairs offers two major disability benefits programs: (1) service-connected disability compensation and (2) non-service connected disability pension. Both benefits are based on the disability of the veteran and the disability’s effect on employability. VA pension is a needs based program. To be eligible for pension, a veteran must have wartime service,…

From Military to Manufacturing

A number of corporations, including GE, Alcoa, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin have joined in a new coalition to train veterans for jobs in advanced manufacturing technologies. The coalition will focus on assisting veterans and employers to translate military skills to advanced manufacturing jobs and on empowering employers to recruit and mentor veterans. The initial program…

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VA releases new update to eBenefits website

In October 2009, the Department of Veterans Affairs, in conjunction with the Department of Defense, launched a web portal that provides resources and self-service capabilities to Veterans, Servicemembers, and their families. It provides the ability to research, access and manage their VA and military benefits and personal information. The site is intended to help achieve…

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The Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee

On June 4, 2012, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that its Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation will hold a meeting, open to the public, on June 25-26, 2012, at the St. Regis Hotel, 923 16th and K streets, NW, Washington, D.C. The Committee advises the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on the maintenance and periodic…

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New judges for the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

On May 24, 2012, the Senate confirmed two new judges for the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. The Court has three vacancies and the addition of two new judges to fill two of those vacancies will be a welcome development. The two new judges are Margaret Bartley and Coral Wong Pietsch. Judge Bartley was…

VA Plans on Increasing Mental Health Staff By 1,900

VA recently announced that it will add around 1,600 mental health clinicians, which include nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers and approximately 300 support staff to its already existing workforce of 20,590 mental health employees. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki explained that as more Veterans return home from war, all must be…

Veterans Benefit Group Participated in Legal Clinic for Veterans

On April 14, 2012, four attorneys and a paralegal from Goodman Allen Donnelly’s Veterans Benefit Group participated in a free legal clinic for veterans and their dependents in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The clinic, which was sponsored by the American Bar Association and the Old Dominion University Student Veteran Association, was attended by 85 veterans, who…

Open House – Intel Veteran Employment Training Initiative

OPEN HOUSE – November 9, 2011 Celebrating the launch of the Intel Veteran Employment Training (VET) Initiative Join Intel and the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services and honored guests: • The Honorable, James Moran, U.S. House of Representatives • Rodney Lewis, White House Fellow, Office of the First Lady Intel VET is…

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WHY IS VA SO SLOW? What Can You Do About It?

Why is VA so slow to process claims? VA is a huge government bureaucracy. All bureaucracies, whether government or corporate, are slow, inefficient, subject to channeled thinking. They are inherently cautious and have many interconnected parts, and actions require multiple reviews and sign-offs. Political influences on, and scrutiny of, government bureaucracies increase the natural cautiousness….