Eligibility building block

What Are The Eligibility Requirements for VA Benefits?

Today, countless Veterans remain unaware of the benefits they may be entitled to following their military service in the United States Air Force, Army, Navy, Coast Guard, or Marines. These benefits can play a significant part in providing assistance in cases where the Veteran has suffered a service-related disability or injury or where a person…

Appealing Disability Ratings: What It Can Mean For You

Appealing Disability Ratings: What It Can Mean For You

The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) disability ratings are not always accurate, nor do they reflect a Veteran’s actual degree of disability. In fact, there are frequent complaints that these ratings are inaccurate because a Veteran’s condition has deteriorated or the VA assigned the wrong rating from the start. Unfortunately, getting a VA disability rating…

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Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) and Marginal Employment

For many veterans, their individual or collective disabilities prevent them from working. In these scenarios, the VA can award compensation for total disability ratings based on unemployability of the individual, or TDIU. This is covered by 38 CFR § 4.16, and results in the veteran being paid at the 100% amount. To be awarded TDIU,…

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What’s the Appeal? A Successful Case Handled by the GAD VA Benefits Team

The Board of Veterans’ Appeals denied the veteran’s claims for entitlement to an increased rating for a right foot condition and a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability.  The Veteran hired our office to appeal that denial to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Our office was able to favorably resolve this…

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The PACT Act & You: How the PACT Act May Affect Your VA Disability Compensation Claim

President Biden signed the bipartisan Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act on August 10, 2022. The PACT Act is the most significant expansion of benefits for veterans affected by toxic exposure in over thirty years. But what does the PACT Act mean for your claim? There are…

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Exposure to Dioxin from Contact with Aircraft

A recent study published in the journal Environmental Research  indicates that military personnel who flew in dioxin-contaminated aircraft used to spray Agent Orange in the Vietnam War (Operation Ranch Hand) may have been exposed to greater levels of dioxin than has previously been recognized. The recent study indicates that the potential for exposure to personnel…

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5 New Illnesses Linked to Traumatic Brain Injuries

Effective January 16, 2014, VA has amended 38 C.F.R. § 3.310 to add five illnesses found to secondarily related to traumatic brain injuries.  A report by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine, entitled “Gulf War and Health, Volume 7: Long-Term Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury,” found sufficient evidence to link the moderate to…