Veterans-For-Change.org

The VA appeals process is going through its biggest change since the 1980s. In 2017, Congress passed the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act. This act takes apart the current appeal system and replaces it with a new process aimed to improve the experience for all involved in the process.

Over 250,000 Veterans are receiving disability compensation for eye or vision conditions; over 80,000 alone from the Gulf War. Also, 75% of Veterans with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) have vision problems, often without even realizing the problems are related to their TBI or getting compensation for the vision condition as secondary to the TBI. Eye conditions range from injuries, damage from exposures and illnesses or diseases contracted while in service. There are also eye conditions that are secondary to other medical conditions that are eligible for VA disability. The VA Healthcare system also provides eligible Veterans with eyeglasses or eye care if they meet certain requirements. In this blog, we will explore some of the eye conditions that are eligible for disability benefits, how they are rated by the VA, and what requirements a Veteran must meet to get eye care through the VA Health Care system.

Most US Veterans who worked around asbestos and have an asbestos related lung condition know to apply for VA disability compensation benefits. At Hill and Ponton, we are here to help Veterans fight for their VA benefits. Today, however, we are leaving our area of specialization to make sure Veterans who have been exposed to asbestos know about another benefit they can file for, the Asbestos Trust Funds. Veterans, and their family members, who have asbestos-related conditions, are eligible for a monetary compensation from one or more of several trust funds created to pay victims of asbestos exposure by companies who manufactured and used asbestos, including the US Military. The creation of the trust funds started with the Federal-Mogul Corporation.

In a recent study, researchers from the University of Exeter, King’s College London and the University of Bergen find that commonly-prescribed opioid-based painkillers led to harmful side effects tripling in people with dementia.

WASHINGTON,D.C.(WFLA) - It happened again this week.

Agent Blue. Agent Orange. Agents Pink, Green, White, and Purple. The Rainbow Agents. Usually, they are all listed under “Agent Orange.” Each agent causes varying degrees of harm to living creatures, from plants to birds to humans. Agent Orange and most of the Rainbow Agents were phenoxy herbicides contaminated with dioxin.

Members of the United States military may receive their biggest pay raise in nine years if a defense bill just approved by the U.S. House becomes law.

The persistence of serious problems endangering America’s Veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, DC has employees begging Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie for assistance.

According to the Veterans Administration, millions of Veterans suffer from PTSD. And when service members with PTSD return home, it usually doesn't mean returning to normal.

Editor’s note: The following is an opinion piece. The writer is not employed by Military Times and the views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Military Times or its editorial staff, nor those of the Defense Department.