On Thursday, May 11, the Associated Press reported that Congressional Democrats and Republicans had reached an agreement on legislation that would make it easier for the Department of Veterans Affairs to fire employees. Progress on this issue has been stalled since wait-time scandals erupted in 2014, when it was revealed that employees attempted to cover… Read More »
On May 17, 2017, the National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates, Inc. presented a statement to the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs concerning pending legislation entitled S.B. 1024, Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017. Founded in 1993, NOVA “represents more than 500 attorneys and agents assisting tens of thousands of our nation’s military veterans,… Read More »
When Independence Day rolls around, it’s important to take a little time, before the barbeque and the fireworks, to reflect on our nation’s founding and the principles that make this country unique. What began in the 1770s as an economic revolt over the “tyranny” of “taxation without representation” morphed into a sacred struggle to establish… Read More »
On May 23, the U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of H.R. 2288 — the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017. This came weeks after DAV (Disabled American Veterans) national service director Jim Marszalek appeared before Congress to call for the bill’s passage. As Mr. Marszalek testified, “The new appeals framework developed… Read More »
As mentioned, in Part 1 of this series of blog posts on the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017, this blog will discuss two topics; Dockets at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals and Advancement on the Docket. If the bill is passed into law, there will be two separate dockets maintained at the… Read More »
On Sunday, May 21st, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs (HVAC) passed H.R. 2288, the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017. If passed into law it will mean many changes for the VA and for our veterans. One notable revision is the options in which veterans may appeal their rating decision. The bill… Read More »
Testifying before the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees, leaders of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and Disabled American Veterans expressed concern that too much outsourcing of healthcare under a new Choice program could undermine the mission of the VA. Some warned against “all-out privatization” that could eventually lead to the… Read More »
Just as Veterans Day is our occasion to honor all who wore a U.S. military uniform, and Memorial Day is when we remember warriors who made the ultimate sacrifice, Armed Forces Day — today, May 20 — is our time to celebrate those men and women who currently serve our nation in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines,… Read More »
The Associated Press recently reported on federal investigations targeting opioid theft from VA medical centers throughout the country, which has been on the rise since 2009. The culprits are believed to be doctors, nurses, and pharmacy staff at the hospitals, who steal the drugs for their own use, to profit through street sales, or mismanage… Read More »
Veterans appealing a denial of VA benefits are currently waiting about five years for a determination, and if the present pace continues, vets 10 years from now could be waiting as long as 25 years for an answer. That’s the bottom line from a recent article by Luanne Rife of The Roanoke Times. Ms. Rife… Read More »
