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National Veterans Legal Services Program Releases 2020-2021 Veterans Benefits Manual

Released 10/20/20 | Tags: Veteran's Benefits

National Veterans Legal Services Program Releases 2020-2021 Veterans Benefits Manual

For Immediate Release: October 20, 2020

WASHINGTON – The National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) today announced the release of the 2020-2021 edition of its landmark Veterans Benefits Manual, which NVLSP created in 1991.

“We are delighted to offer the 2020-2021 edition of the Veterans Benefits Manual to help all those who advocate on behalf of veterans more easily navigate the complex and evolving laws and regulations governing the benefits to which our veterans are entitled,” said NVLSP Executive Director Bart Stichman. “Every year we take painstaking care to chronicle the changes in veterans law, because we know, for many veterans advocates, The Veterans Benefits Manual is a vital tool in helping them to assist veterans who are wrongfully denied their benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
The 2,200-page Manual is updated annually and contains essential insight and analysis from practicing lawyers at NVLSP, a team of experts on the front line of veterans law.  Each annual edition of the Manual is designed as a stand-alone product, so there is no need to reference prior editions.

The 2020-2021 edition of the Veterans Benefits Manual has been thoroughly updated with the important developments in veterans law over the past year. Highlights of these updates include advocacy essentials such as:

• Information about changes to VA policy and procedures due to the COVID-19 pandemic (throughout);
• A new section about how to find out the status of a VA claim (Section 12.5.7);
• A new section on how to avoid losing months of retroactive disability compensation when you aren’t sure whether you should file an initial claim form or supplemental claim form (Section 12.2.4);
• Tips for the use of Disability Benefits Questionnaires following the VA's removal of these forms from the VA's Website (Sections 12.5.5 and 17.9.5.1);
• Information about the VA's new Appeals and Reviews Manual, M21-5 (Section 12.1.3, and throughout Chapter 12);
• A new section explaining the effective date rules for Blue Water Vietnam Veterans and their survivors for claims for service connection for Agent Orange-related diseases (Section 8.11);
• A new section about the strong evidence that currently exists that veterans who served in Guam between 1962 and 1975 were exposed to toxic herbicides like Agent Orange (Section 3.8.1.1.2.2);
• Updated advice on what a claimant must do to challenge a particular VA medical examination report or opinion because the examiner was not competent to analyze the medical issues (Sections 3.2.1 and 3.4.5.2);
• A discussion of the Veteran Apprenticeship and Labor Opportunity Reform (VALOR) Act and its implications for veterans who seek to use their Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits to pursue on-the-job training and apprenticeship programs (Section 11.2.4.1);
• Discussion of the VA's proposed changes for rating cardiovascular conditions by eliminating ejection fraction and congestive heart failure as indicators, in favor of METs testing (Section 5.2.7);
• A detailed description of a significant new class action ruling in favor of veterans who seek reimbursement of emergency medical expenses incurred in non-VA facilities (Section 10.18.2); and
• All new guidance about reviewing the Record Before the Agency in an appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Chapter 16)
The editors of this year’s Manual are Co-Founder and Executive Director Barton F. Stichman, former Joint Executive Director Ronald B. Abrams, Director of Training and Publications Richard V. Spataro, and Stacy A. Tromble, Director of Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Litigation.

To order your printed copy or eBook version of the 2020-2021 edition, go to Veterans Benefits Manual.

About NVLSP
The National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) is an independent, nonprofit veterans service organization that has served active duty military personnel and veterans since 1981. NVLSP strives to ensure that our nation honors its commitment to its 22 million veterans and active duty personnel by ensuring they have the benefits they have earned through their service to our country. NVLSP has represented veterans in lawsuits that compelled enforcement of the law where the VA or other military services denied benefits to veterans in violation of the law.  NVLSP’s success in these lawsuits has resulted in more than $5.2 billion dollars being awarded in disability, death and medical benefits to hundreds of thousands of veterans and their survivors. NVLSP offers training for attorneys and other advocates; connects veterans and active duty personnel with pro bono legal help when seeking disability benefits; publishes the nation’s definitive guide on veteran benefits; and represents and litigates for veterans and their families before the VA, military discharge review agencies and federal courts. For more information go to www.nvlsp.org. 

Media contact:
For NVLSP: Patty Briotta, office 202-621-5698 or email: patty@nvlsp.org

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