Veterans-For-Change.org

The Departments of Education and Veterans Affairs (VA) have teamed up to notify Veterans with severe disabilities that they may be eligible to have their federal student loans discharged tax-free.

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — A federal jury has convicted an ex-U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs worker of defrauding a disabled and incompetent Veteran of $680,000-plus.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — A Department of Veterans Affairs facility sits unassuming, behind a hotel in a small, riverside town on the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. The single-story brick building is nondescript except for a sign indicating the doors for VA deliveries.

Robert Wilkie took the oath of office Monday to become the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs and take over a department riddled by poor morale among employees and political infighting at the top.

After 18 months of review by his department, Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David J. Shulkin awkwardly announced Wednesday that he plans to “further explore” adding ailments to the list of compensable conditions VA presumes were caused by exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides used during the Vietnam War.

We often blog about the intricate details of specific issues in VA law, so I wanted to take a moment to take us back to the basics of VA disability benefits. The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) provides a number of different types of benefits, including: pension benefits, vocational benefits, readjustment benefits, Section 1151 benefits (similar to medical malpractice benefits), dependency and indemnity benefits (DIC), and VA disability compensation benefits. This blog will focus on the basics of VA disability compensation benefits.

Veterans who have certain health issues such as diabetes or hypertension often are prescribed Viagra for erectile dysfunction secondary to their medical issues. Viagra, generic sildenafil citrate, dilates blood vessels to increase blood flow. It is in a class of medications called phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors, which have been found in numerous studies to be linked to an increases risk of metastasis of skin cancers such as melanoma and basal cell carcinomas.

The purpose of this blog is to create recognition of a disease called Soft Tissue Sarcoma. Soft tissue sarcoma is a type of cancer that could be related to a Veteran’s military service. That’s because soft tissue sarcoma is one of the illnesses on the list of “Presumptive Diseases”. Click here for a list of other presumptive diseases and eligibility requirements. The VA assumes that certain diseases can be related to a Veteran’s qualifying active military service. The gradual developing nature of soft tissue sarcoma may lead someone to prematurely dismiss the negligible symptoms of an otherwise serious health problem. Additionally, we will discuss possible steps to take to ensure you get the information and care you need should your symptoms be associated with soft tissue sarcoma. In most cases, it’s not clear what causes soft tissue sarcoma but the VA presumes some soft tissue sarcomas in Veterans are related to their exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service.

The Veterans Affairs clinic in Springfield is looking to hire about 80 people before it opens its doors this fall.

The agency has no problem attacking whistleblowers, but when it comes to the good ole boys club, the agency lets wrongdoers off with sweet retirement gigs in charge of a regional office near you.