VA Disability Legal News Articles & Interviews

Washington, DC: Talk about clout. When retired US Army veteran Leonard K. Jackson talks of his years-long wait to secure VA disability benefits for a range of physical and mental health issues suffered while serving, he has the White House behind him. That’s right, the White House, as the Obama Administration has used Jackson as a poster boy of sorts for Obama’s efforts to simplify and speed up the veteran benefits appeals process.

Norfolk, VA: After LawyersandSettlements wrote about QTC Medical Services and its lawsuit involving Vietnam veterans’ disability cases and QTC reviewers inadequately reviewing their Agent Orange claims, the whistleblower in the lawsuit contacted us. “Under this federal contract, veterans’ claims were recklessly processed and as a result, they were denied disability benefits,” says David Vatan, a former QTC claims file analyst and doctor.

Norfolk, VA: Retired service personal in dire need of VA benefits would not be cheered by the allegation that a contractor hired to review the cases of thousands of Vietnam veterans for exposure to Agent Orange may have denied benefits in spite of obvious need, all because the contractor was less than thorough in reviewing cases, or so it has been alleged.

Tulare County, CA: Retired service personnel have experience with giving their all in the line of duty, and sometimes experiencing horrific physical or emotional trauma after the fact. However, rather than easing a veteran’s effort when it comes to filing a claim for VA benefits, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (the VA) appears to require, once again, the complete attention and commitment of the veteran in order to win the battle against the denial of benefits.

Washington, DC: The inability for deserving veterans to obtain VA disability benefits is thanks in part to a continuing backlog at the US Department of Veterans Affairs, and the status quo in the non-traditional court system that precludes plaintiffs from launching class-action lawsuits. According to a report late last year in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ 12/30/15), there continues to be a groundswell of support to reform the status quo. However, for now, veterans in need have little choice but to languish in a lengthening queue for veteran benefits.

Washington, DC: A specific sector of veterans and their families who carry various maladies and illness from their time of service got an early Christmas present this year in the form of federal approval for VA benefits. Still to be determined are when those benefits will begin to actually flow, and whether VA disability benefits will be extended for other groups of veterans who have been shut out completely, or have been made to wait through a series of denials and delays measured in years.

Washington, DC: As we are not too far beyond Veteran’s Day, the occasion when the nation pauses to honor and to remember those who fought and died for democracy and freedom, it’s useful to also pause and consider the real-world challenges faced by our nation’s veterans. Many of those challenges revolve around veteran benefits.

New Brunswick, NJ: A troubling trend appears to be emerging with regard to VA benefits, and it’s a trend of interest to anyone contemplating or currently litigating a VA lawsuit. According to a published study, it appears that those veterans in greatest need of help, health care, services and disability benefits aren’t getting them from Veterans Affairs.

New Haven, CT In early April of this year, an offshoot of the hallowed Yale Law School filed a VA disability benefits class-action lawsuit on behalf of thousands of veterans still waiting for needed benefits. It wasn’t exactly done quietly, as the lead plaintiff in the case, together with students from the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale and Senator Richard Blumenthal, held a press conference the day on which the lawsuit was filed, April 6, in the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC).

Washington, DC A damning exposé by National Public Radio (NPR) back in June casts Veterans Affairs (VA) in the worst possible light with regard to denied VA disability benefits. The issue relates to the thousands of soldiers who served as test subjects for mustard gas, but were never compensated.