Blog Archive: Veteran Disability

In a press release from March 1, 2016, the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) has announced that it has proposed disciplinary action against three attorneys on the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, and has also filed a complaint against two Veterans Law judges. According a complaint made by Sloan D. Gibson, Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs, …

On this Veteran’s Day, we at Shook & Stone would like to take a moment to honor the faithful and brave service our country’s men and women have rendered to protect our freedom. Their sacrifices have made our lives safer and better in so many ways. Our sincere appreciation for our country’s veterans has led …

Although the VA has recently claimed to have caught up with a massive backlog of disability claims, taking the wait time down from 357 days in 2013 down to 95 days this past August, many frustrated veterans are still having trouble obtaining any kind of determination. In the case of one Northern Nevada man, a …

The past several years there has rightly been an intense focus on the issue of sexual assaults within the military. A Pentagon study released in 2014 found a 50% increase in reports of military sexual assault. These crimes are heinous and negatively impact the morale of our women and men in uniform by degrading unit …

If you receive a rating decision from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) you do not agree with, you will have a few opportunities to appeal this decision. One such opportunity is requesting a decision review officer hearing, or DRO hearing. A decision review officer hearing is not a required part of the appeals process …

In recent years, advocates and federal officials throughout the country have been devoting increased attention and resources to helping vets with mental health issues. Despite these efforts, many believe that there is still a significant amount of work to be done in providing accessible and effective mental health services to veterans. A newly nominated physician …

Joining the military the mantra hurry up and wait is drilled into your head. This prepares you for the long waiting times and bursts of activity that will suddenly follow all of that waiting. Unfortunately, that same hurry up and wait mentality follows over to the VA. This can be a disaster when you are …

For years veterans who disagreed with their VA disability claim decision were able to let the Department of Veterans Affairs know in a very straightforward way. They picked up a pen, some paper, and could write almost anything to the effect of “I disagree with your decision.” That was the simple process of how to …

When appealing a rating decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), it is important that you get the Statement of Case. If you have never appealed a VA rating decision before, chances are that you do not know what a Statement of Case is and why it is so important. The Statement of Case …