VETERANS SERVICE OFFICERS INFORMATION CENTER
Welcome VSOs to the Veterans Law Group’s (VLG) new section created specifically for your needs. In this section, the VLG has made available several resources including, access to the VLG brief bank (containing thousands of written arguments on VA issues), updates of new and important VA statutes and regulations, and use of Q & A feedback.
We hope that this new section will be an important aid in your representation of disabled veterans and their dependents. We, of course, are open to any suggestions or comments to better serve you.
Access to VLGs Legal Brief's & Memos
In the last few years, veterans’ disability law has become noticeably more complex. In fact, for this very reason, many lawyers avoid this area of the law. The VLG has practiced veterans’ disability law for the last 16 years, briefing issues before the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claim, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals and the local regional offices. In short, the VLG has prepared written briefs and memorandums on a vast range of veterans’ disability issues.
The VLG would be happy to share its briefs and memorandums with service officers to assist their clients. In addition, the VLG is available to consult with service officers, identifying the best legal issues to argue and tailoring the legal analysis to the facts of the particular case.
To review a VLG brief relevant to one of your cases, please indicate the specific facts and legal issues involved, and VLG staff will send a copy of a brief or written memorandum, discussing the same or similar issue(s).
Click Here To Request Access to the Brief Bank
Law Update
Every once in awhile, a claim presents a unique or important legal issue, having significance to the veterans' community as a whole. These issues are usually decided in published opinions by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals or by the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Service officers are encouraged to consult the VLG on these issues, ensuring that they are properly developed and argued at the agency level as well as at the judicial level.
Click Here To View Law Updates
Assistance in Developing the Record
For the most part, claims are won or lost by what has or has not been submitted in the record. For example, a claimant seeking service connection for a disability must prove three elements: 1) an in-service incurrence, 2) a current disability, and most importantly, 3) a nexus between his current disability and the in-service incurrence.
To effectively represent clients, service officers must ensure that the record covers all three elements. In this regard, the VLG can be a valuable resource to service officers, providing advice on what may be needed to properly develop the record.
Click Here To Contact Us Online
