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The VA’s Duty to Maximize a Veteran’s Benefit

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By regulation, the VA has a duty to grant “every benefit that can be supported in law.”[1]  However, the same regulation also states, in the same sentence, that the VA must also protect the interests of the Government.[2]  This competing interest necessitated the courts to continually refine the VA’s duty to maximize a Veteran’s benefits.  […]

Student Loan Payments Pose Unique Issues for Social Security Recipients

diploma with graduation cap and money

Student loan payments can be a heavy burden for many people, but for those who rely on Social Security disability benefits to get by, the burden is especially heavy. With many returning to college at later ages for a change in career, and others co-signing on student loans for family members, there are more older […]

Increasing the Rating for a Current Service-Connected Disability

doctor explaining paper to soldier

Because most injuries and illnesses change over time, the Veterans Administration allows Veterans to file for an increase in certain disability ratings.  It is important to note that the VA will not automatically adjust a Veteran’s compensation if his or her condition worsens – the Veteran has to actively file for an increase, even if […]

Addressing Injuries Caused by the VA

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If an illness or injury is caused by VA activities, including VA healthcare, the VA offers an alternative procedure (38 U.S.C. § 1151, hereinafter referred to as “§ 1151”) to the usual remedies under the Federal Tort Claim Act (28 U.S.C. §§ 1346(b), 2671-2680, hereinafter referred to as “FTCA”).  This internal procedure mirrors the VA’s […]

How To Prepare For a VA Compensation and Pension Exam

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So, you just received an appointment for a VA Compensation and Pension (C&P) Examination.  Now what?

The Facts Behind “Reopening Claims” After a Final VA Denial

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The VA minimizes large legal hurdles in a disability benefit claim by allowing Veterans to reopen closed claims after the VA has issued a final denial. Though most Veterans and veteran service organizations put the primary focus of disability benefit claims upon medical evidence, in the end VA claims are legal procedures.  They are specific […]

Two Teens Killed by a Wrong-Way Driver in North Carolina Car Accident

caution tape at crime scene

A teen car accident in North Carolina killed two 17-year-old girls recently. The accident happened on U.S. 64 in Nash County, just east of Spring Hope, according to ABC 11. A vehicle, carrying three teenagers, was struck by an oncoming vehicle that was heading westbound in the eastbound lanes of Highway 64. The backseat teenage […]

Alcohol-Related Car Accidents in Buncombe County Increase in 2011

alcohol and car keys on table

The North Carolina Highway Patrol reports that it investigated more alcohol-related car accidents in Asheville and elsewhere in Buncombe County over the last year. The number of these accidents has shown a significant increase from 2010 to 2011, in spite of the statewide reduction, according to the Citizen-Times. Alcohol-related accidents in Buncombe saw an 18 […]

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