On Federal News Network with Tom Temin, National Veterans Legal Services Program Executive Director Bart Stichman discusses the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) recent admission that it misled tens of thousands of veterans who had applied for reimbursement of the emergency –care expenses … [more]
Released 4/17/19 | Tags: Class Actions, Veteran's Benefits
The National Veterans Legal Services Program and Swords to Plowshares are fighting for access to VA services for veterans with "bad paper" discharges. The information below details the problem and the solution that we are proposing. Swords to Plowshares and NVLSP with the assistance of the Veterans Legal Clinic at the Legal Service Center of Harvard Law School and Latham & Watkins LLP submitted a formal request to the VA to correct the problem. In addition, NVLSP and Swords to Plowshares have also produced a detailed report on the subject, “Underserved: How the VA Wrongfully Excludes Veterans with Bad Paper.” [more]
Released 3/7/19 | Tags: Discharge Upgrades
Today, the veteran behind the national case that changed the law still remains without a refund from the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs. [more]
Released 2/22/19 | Tags:
House lawmakers are planning to introduce a bipartisan bill Wednesday that would make court records free to the public. [more]
Released 2/13/19 | Tags: Class Actions, Congressional Legislation
Advice for Blue Water Vietnam Veterans Regarding Procopio v. Wilkie Decision On January 29, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued the groundbreaking decision Procopio v. Wilkie, No. 2017-1821 (Fed. Cir. Jan. 29, 2019). The Court held that veterans who served in the 12 nautical … [more]
Released 2/7/19 | Tags: Agent Orange, Veteran's Benefits
The federal judiciary has built an imposing pay wall around its court filings, charging a preposterous 10 cents a page for electronic access to what are meant to be public records. A pending lawsuit could help tear that wall down. [more]
Released 2/4/19 | Tags: Class Actions
Do you have questions about the lawsuit against the VA over the reimbursement of emergency medical costs at non-VA facilities? We talked to Bart Stichman, executive director at the National Veterans Legal Services Program to get some answers. [more]
Released 1/31/19 | Tags: Agent Orange, Board of Veterans' Appeals, Class Actions, Congressional Legislation, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Veteran's Benefits
In a huge victory for tens of thousands of Vietnam-era sailors, a federal court on Tuesday ruled the Department of Veterans Affairs must presume "Blue Water" Navy veterans were exposed to Agent Orange, unlocking VA benefits and disability compensation. [more]
Released 1/30/19 | Tags: Agent Orange, Board of Veterans' Appeals, Class Actions, Congressional Legislation, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Veteran's Benefits
A federal court ruled Tuesday that the Department of Veterans Affairs cannot deny disability benefits to thousands of Vietnam veterans who claim exposure to cancer-causing chemical defoliants simply because those vets served in the waters off the country’s coastline, and not inland. [more]
Released 1/30/19 | Tags: Agent Orange, Board of Veterans' Appeals, Class Actions, Congressional Legislation, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Veteran's Benefits
When Navy veteran Peter Boerschinger, 79, required emergency treatment for pneumonia and congestive heart failure, he assumed that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs would pick up the cost of the emergency room visit that his private insurance didn’t pay for. [more]
Released 1/13/19 | Tags: Board of Veterans' Appeals, Class Actions, Congressional Legislation, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Veteran's Benefits