When Bart Stichman ’74 first began working on behalf of veterans rights more than 40 years ago, he says, “veterans were really treated as second-class citizens.” [more]
Released 6/2/19 | Tags: Agent Orange, Class Actions, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Discharge Upgrades, Veteran's Benefits
In a hearing last week over what could become the first ever certified class action at the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, a panel of three judges lambasted the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for "doing everything it could" to limit emergency medical care reimbursements to veterans. [more]
Released 5/20/19 | Tags: Class Actions
Department of Veteran Affairs representatives said only a single $12 reimbursement has been paid under the law meant to stop the VA from denying payment for non-VA emergency care, a congressional aide familiar with specifics of a meeting between congressional staff and the VA told News Center 7’s … [more]
Released 5/7/19 | Tags: Class Actions, Veteran's Benefits
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