Now that you or your spouse have completed your active military duty and returned to the civilian world, you may feel like you have merely exchanged one set of stresses for another, including navigating the VA’s application process for any disability benefits to which you might be entitled. You might have heard about TDIU – total disability individual unemployability – …

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders that military members suffer from during and after their service. Yet, it is also one of the most difficult conditions to prove for the purposes of establishing disability benefits for veterans. A knowledgeable disability benefits attorney in your area is your best chance to prove that you are …

Disability Benefits Questionnaires or DBQs are the standard VA templates for VA and private examination reports.  DBQs set forth an exhaustive list of questions to be addressed by physicians and these responses are used to evaluate a veteran’s disability claim.  If your treating physician or a consulting physician is going to write an opinion in support of your claim, have …

After serving your country selflessly and completing your military service, you were left with a life-altering injury or condition. You completed an application for veterans’ disability compensation for your service-related injury, but you just received a denial or lower rating than expected. This can be incredibly disappointing, but it does not mean that you should give up! You can appeal …

A recent NPR story examines the connection between veteran suicides and access to guns. Recent trends dramatize the urgency of the issue, but taking any action is controversial. Suicide rates have been rising in the US, and veterans now have a higher rate than civilians for the first time in history. The situation is especially alarming for women. Female veterans have a …

You served your country selflessly, but during your service you were injured or developed a condition that is still affecting your life today. After applying for veterans’ disability benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs, you have finally received a decision about your application. Upon opening the decision, you will see two important pieces of information: Notification Letter and …

One of the most divisive challenges our country faces is spreading intolerance and the use of hate campaigns to target vulnerable people. Since the last presidential election, instances of both individual and group sponsored hate attacks have been multiplying across America. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has been a leader in teaching tolerance and tracking hate movements in this country since …

The rate of suicide for female veterans is six times the rate of their civilian counterparts, and there is a very strong association between PTSD, sexual victimization as children and during military service, and suicide. The majority of efforts through the VA focus on the significantly larger population of male veterans, though recent efforts have been made to reach out …

Once you have begun an application for veterans disability benefits, you may be required to complete a medical exam called the Compensation & Pension Exam. This examination is sometimes referred to as the C&P Exam or the VA Claims Exam. The exam is given by a doctor who works for the Veterans Administration (VA) or a private doctor that is …

The Challenge of Sparse Medical Records We are all familiar with cases involving sparse medical records. Claim folders with minimal treatment records, both service and post-service, pose a challenge for all claims, including claims for service-connection, claims for increased ratings and even for claims seeking appropriate effective dates for disability awards. EXAMPLE: In 1990, the veteran filed a claim for …