Veterans Affairs

Are you eligible for VA benefits, or could certain laws and VA regulations restrict your access? In this blog post, we will delve into the complexities of VA benefits eligibility, exploring the legal and regulatory bars that may impact your entitlement. Regardless of the nature of your military discharge, specific circumstances outlined by Congress and […]

Lately we’ve received many questions asking if a Reservist is able to qualify for VA benefits. This can be a tricky question, because it’s not as black and white as some VA benefit qualifications. Below we’ll clarify how the VA defines “active duty” and how this definition determines if a Reservist can qualify for VA

To qualify for surviving spouse VA benefits, you as a claimant must be able to show that you were the valid or “deemed valid” spouse of a Veteran at the time of the Veterans death. The surviving spouse may also have to satisfy one or more of the following additional requirements: Married One Year Prior

Did you know you could get more disability compensation from the VA by changing the effective date of your claim? Here we’ll explain how to obtain an earlier effective date under non-PACT Act rules. We’ve done several PACT Act blogs over the last couple years, but here we’re talking about non-PACT Act rules. Getting an

Believe it or not, the VA has now become a debt collector. Many Veterans have received a debt letter from the Department of Veteran Affairs Debt Management Center, claiming that the Veterans have been overpaid. The VA wants their money back, or they’ll stop providing benefits. If you’re a Veteran, you may or may not

A valid medical diagnosis is an essential part of any VA disability claim, but this medical diagnosis can’t be given by anyone. To increase the likelihood of success with your claim, the medical diagnosis needs to be from a credible source. In this blog we’ll explain best practices for obtaining that diagnosis and why you

In this blog we’re going to be talking about buddy statements and how important they are when submitting VA disability claims. We’ll definite a buddy statement below, but let’s start by telling you about a client of mine that was active duty in the Army for 1 year and was in the Reserves for 12

I recently received a letter that I wanted to share on our blog. This is a situation we see far too frequently where the VA is trying to reduce the VA pension amount that a Veteran is receiving. Many Veterans are not aware of the unreimbursed medical expenses they can claim, so hopefully this will

If you served in the US military, there is a good chance that you were exposed to some kind of environmental hazard. Depending on your service location and your MOS, you might have been exposed to a wide range of toxic substances during your service. Many chemicals present at toxic military bases in the United

This is a follow-up to our previous blog where we showed a letter from “Feeling Screwed by My Government.” We talked about his multiple sclerosis and his exposure to toxins while serving in the US Army at Fort McClellan. In this blog we’re going to be talking about the medical evidence for his case and

In this blog I wanted to share a letter that we recently received from a Veteran suffering from multiple sclerosis. We’ll show the letter below and then examine the information in the letter as it relates to the disability claim this Veteran is seeking to obtain. Here’s the letter. Multiple Sclerosis Letter Dear VA Guy,

Did you know that the VA has a duty to assist you with your disability claim? The Veterans Claims Assistance Act was passed by Congress in 2000 and requires that the VA assist you by both notifying you of information necessary to prove your claim, and by helping you obtain the evidence and information necessary

Lately we’ve been getting a lot of questions about Special Monthly Compensation (SMC). Veterans are wondering if they qualify and if they can get Special Monthly Compensation in addition to their disability compensation. In this blog we’ll define Special Monthly Compensation and provide a list of questions that you should consider before applying. What is

We recently received a letter from a lady named who was unfortunately born with spina bifida and trying to get VA dependent benefits. She was born in 1985 in a rural town where the hospital didn’t have a lot of resources at the time. Because of this, she was not diagnosed for her birth defect

We’ve gotten a lot of questions lately about protected vs unprotected VA disability ratings. Many people are worried that they’re going to be subject to a new C&P exam and that their rating is going to be reduced. Here we’ll explain how your VA disability rating can be protected and what to do if it’s

I have a letter I want to share regarding mental disabilities and the timing of VA claims. After the letter, I’ll respond and tell you how those things can interact with each other. I’ll specifically discuss how accrued benefits can be obtained for dependents of Veterans, and what you need to know before filing a

In this blog I wanted to address VA benefits for hypertension caused by exposure to agent orange in the Vietnam Era. We have a letter from a gentleman that I wanted to share and then I’ll respond to that letter. Dear VA Guy, I served in the US Air Force and was stationed at the

In this blog we’re going to be talking about VA compensation claims for mental disorders besides PTSD. PTSD claims have their own separate set of circumstances, so we’ll cover them in another blog. Just to recap from previous blogs, there are three things you have to show to get VA disability compensation: a medical diagnosis,

There are three basic requirements that a Veteran needs to meet to be entitled to disability compensation. They must have a medical diagnosis for a current disability, the injury must have occurred during their service, and there has to be a connection established between the service and the disability. That service connection is called a

Can you “double dip” when it comes to VA disability compensation and other VA benefits? Generally, you can’t. If you’re entitled to monetary benefits under more than one provision of the VA laws and regulations, you have to elect which VA benefit to receive. Below we’ll explain the situations in which “double dipping” isn’t allowed

In this blog I wanted to follow up on a recent YouTube video that discusses how recently proposed budget cuts could affect Veterans benefits. We’re not trying to use this information to create fear amongst Veterans, but we do want to educate everyone as to what’s happening in Washington DC. We want to inform Veterans

In this blog I’m going to list 24 different Federal and State VA benefits that are available to you as a Veteran. If you are a Veteran who was honorably discharged and have a service-connected disability, you may be eligible! Most of the Federal VA benefits apply to those who are rated as 100% disabled,

In this blog we’re going to be discussing the “secret sauce” to a successful VA compensation or pension claim. That secret sauce includes utilizing the Disability Benefit Questionnaire provided by the VA. Below we’ll explain the Disability Benefit Questionnaire and why you should use it. What is a Disability Benefit Questionnaire? This is a downloadable

The VA often times makes it difficult to go through the compensation and pension application process. They make you jump through a bunch of hoops and hurdles to qualify for benefits. One of those hoops is the VA medical exam. In this blog we’ll be discussing the VA medical exam process and whether you should

Some of our previous blogs discuss presumptive conditions as it relates to burn pits and agent orange exposure. Here I wanted to talk about presumptive conditions for asbestos exposure. If you were exposed and have these conditions, then you don’t have to prove a service connection with your condition. It’s presumed that your exposure caused

This blog includes a rather sad topic because it involves children and birth defects as a result of toxic exposure during the Vietnam War and service at Camp Lejeune. We’ve all heard about the terrible side effects from agent orange exposure in Vietnam and the illnesses caused by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. When these

Several months ago we published a YouTube video about Total Disability Individual Unemployment (TDIU) for Veterans and we’ve received a lot of good feedback on that video. One of the more frequent questions was whether a Veteran could lose their current disability rating when making a claim for TDIU. That’s a scary proposition for many

Did you know that you could get paid for your travel expenses to VA appointments? You sure can! The VA offers travel reimbursement for mileage, lodging, and meals if you qualify. This travel reimbursement if available for Veterans and eligible caretakers. Below we’ll explain the program and how you can get reimbursed. First we’ll discuss

A divorce can be a stressful event for both spouses and any family involved. As a result, estate planning is usually not at the forefront of someone’s mind when going through a legal separation. But if you’re going through a divorce, it’s very important to check your estate planning documents and modify if necessary. This

Everyone has heard about agent orange at some time in their lifetime. There are commercials all over the radio and television about filing an agent orange claim. It was a widely-used herbicide in Vietnam and Thailand during the Vietnam War. They used it as a defoliant to kill the shrubbery and trees, reducing the amount