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Veterans Affairs Budget Bill Passes Advances in House But Faces Uncertainty in Senate and the White House

August 3, 2020

The largest budget spending package in history passed in the House of Representatives last Friday. The package’s success in the Senate faces an uncertain future and even worse odds if it comes across the desk of President Donald Trump. The pushback from the Senate and Trump will likely have to do with the language in the spending bill that directly blocks Trump from transferring funds to build a border wall. Additionally, certain provisions have been…

NY Disability Law Blog

Amendment to the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act Targets Forever Chemicals

By William Turley

July 27, 2020

Representative Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., heads a new amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that is designed to scale back the risks of exposure to toxic fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS. PFAS have been linked to several types of cancer and have contaminated at least 328 U.S. military installations according to the Environmental Working Group. The amendment proposed by Dingell would require the Environmental Protection Agency to list PFAS chemicals, including those found in firefighting…

NY Disability Law Blog

VA Advocates Plead for Congress to Address Bad-paper Discharges that Keep Veterans From Critical Benefits

By William Turley

July 16, 2020

Last week, Army veteran and advocate Kris Goldsmith told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that that failure of the VA to help veterans with bad-paper discharges is “deadly serious.” Bad-paper discharges refers to veterans who received less-than-honorable discharges and have as a result been denied access to critical benefits. Currently, there are nearly 500,000 veterans with bad-paper discharges, 125,000 of which, from the post-9/11 era. Out of these veterans, only 35,000 have applied for the VA…

NY Disability Law Blog

Sen. Chuck Schumer Pushing to Expand VA Benefits to More Agent Orange-linked Diseases

By William Turley

July 9, 2020

Sen. Chuck Schumer has claimed “broad bipartisan support” for his plan to extend Veterans Affairs disability benefits to more Agent Orange-linked diseases. On Tuesday, July 6th, he stated that he would be including the new coverage as an amendment to the annual defense spending bill that is working its way through Congress. “We’re here to unveil a national plan. We’re about to win this fight,” Schumer said. “The plan … will expand the list of…

NY Disability Law Blog

Senator Tillis Pleads for Congressional Action To Protect Troops From Toxic Conditions

By William Turley

July 2, 2020

North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis spoke last week on the dangers of burn puts at military sites, specifically sites designed for the open-air combustion of waste. In a discussion with the Washington Post, Tillis advocated for further attention and support when it comes to veterans who have been exposed to toxic conditions. In a comparison to Vietnam, Tillis noted that it took decades to get support for those veterans, a problem that he says is…

NY Disability Law Blog

Veterans Denied Benefits After Missing VA Exams Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

By William Turley

June 29, 2020

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the nation in March, the VA was still instructing veterans to report to mandatory physical exams when in many cases, this would have put them at risk as the coronavirus crisis worsened in cities across the United States. It was not until April 3rd that the VA ordered in-person benefits exams be cancelled due to health risks because of the pandemic. At that time, the VA website stated that “We…

NY Disability Law Blog

Competent Representation for Veterans Benefits Ended Abruptly By the VA

By William Turley

April 8, 2020

For decades, service representatives across the country such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars have been fighting for fair benefits for veterans. The Veterans of Foreign Wars employs over 300 representatives across the country that review benefits decisions for accuracy before the decisions are finalized and passed along to veterans. Last week, Paul Lawrence, the VA undersecretary of benefits, announced that these reviews would no longer happen, effective by the end of April. Understandably, the…

NY Disability Law Blog

VA to Begin Processing Blue Water Navy Disability Claims on Jan. 1, 2020

By William Turley

December 16, 2019

A federal court ruling declined to lift a delay on Blue Water Navy disability claims imposed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Claims processing is expected to begin January 1st, 2020. In total, the delay has affected over 400,000 veterans or surviving members who could be eligible. Agent Orange is a herbicide and defoliant chemical that is used as part of the U.S. Military’s chemical warfare program. It was used from 1962 to 1975 during…

NY Disability Law Blog

Pentagon Admits It Undercounted Sites Contaminated by Forever Chemicals

By William Turley

December 16, 2019

Pentagon officials have admitted that the number of military bases contaminated by forever chemicals has been previously understated. Forever chemicals are perfluorinated compounds and are named as such because they do not break down. Once absorbed, they can build up in the blood and tissues and have been linked to certain cancers and birth defects. The chemicals are used in firefighting foams when battling aircraft and ship fires. “The Defense Department worked with 3M to…

NY Disability Law Blog

Helping Thousands of Veterans with Less-than-honorable Discharge Status

By William Turley

December 12, 2019

Tens of thousands of military veterans suffering from TBI’s or PTSD are denied VA resources because of their discharge status. However, a recent Federal Court ruling could have a positive impact on the benefits that these veterans receive. Discharge characterizations play an important role in determining the resources that can be provided to a veteran by the VA. The lawsuit seeks fair treatment of veterans when they apply to have their discharge characterizations changed. The…

NY Disability Law Blog

Blog Authors

Veterans Affairs Budget Bill Passes Advances in House But Faces Uncertainty in Senate and the White House

Amendment to the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act Targets Forever Chemicals

VA Advocates Plead for Congress to Address Bad-paper Discharges that Keep Veterans From Critical Benefits

Sen. Chuck Schumer Pushing to Expand VA Benefits to More Agent Orange-linked Diseases

Senator Tillis Pleads for Congressional Action To Protect Troops From Toxic Conditions

Veterans Denied Benefits After Missing VA Exams Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

Competent Representation for Veterans Benefits Ended Abruptly By the VA

VA to Begin Processing Blue Water Navy Disability Claims on Jan. 1, 2020

Pentagon Admits It Undercounted Sites Contaminated by Forever Chemicals

Helping Thousands of Veterans with Less-than-honorable Discharge Status

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