VA announced on October 13, 2009, that it will add three more illnesses to the “presumptive list” of Agent Orange related diseases: Parkinson’s disease, B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia, and ischemic heart disease. In practical effect, this means that a service person who served in Vietnam during the war and has one […]
Blog
“Evidence” is a subject law students devote considerable effort in studying, and it can present complexities even to the best legal minds. But it is quite possible and useful to understand the basic concepts as they relate to the veterans claims system, which is in some ways unique in this regard. You will have a […]
One of the most common complaints we hear is that it appears that VA took away part of a veteran’s service connected disability compensation benefits when it granted an award. That is VA awarded an increased disability rating, but the overall compensation did not change, or the disability ratings assigned, do not “add up” correctly. So […]
We frequently hear complaints from our clients that VA is taking a long time to render a decision on a claim for VA benefits. Given the enormous backlog and understaffing from which VA suffers, this is to be expected. In fact, delay is inherent in the VA system. After a claim is filed, VA must […]
PTSD is a psychiatric condition where a traumatic event occurs (called a “stressor”), and later (sometimes many years later), the veteran experiences symptoms related to that event. These symptoms can include nightmares, flashbacks, guilty feelings, an increased startle response, social isolation, and difficulty with authority figures, to name a few. Normally, when a veteran seeks […]
We are pleased to announce that David J. Lowenstein has joined the firm’s Veterans Benefit Group as an Associate. Mr. Lowenstein concentrates his practice in Veterans Benefits and brings extensive experience in the VA adjudicative process following eight years as an Appellate Attorney in the Office of the VA General Counsel (serving four of those […]
Goodman Allen Donnelly, a mid-sized business and litigation regional law firm, is pleased to announce the addition of five experienced attorneys joining as the Veterans Benefits Team. Charles M. Allen, managing partner, stated,”We have six retired veterans in our firm. Supporting military veterans is and has been one of our firm’s significant core competencies.” He […]
