By Kenneth Kabb
Veteran Law Advocate
Kabb Law Firm
March 29 was Vietnam Veterans Day. WVIZ recently previewed Last Days in Vietnam, a documentary of the heroic effort to evacuate as many Vietnamese as possible from the United States embassy shortly before Saigon fell. Those who could not escape were condemned to an often terrible fate, if not execution. The film documents efforts of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and the Vietnamese navy and air force pilots during an under the radar rescue operation. WVIZ will be broadcasting it on PBS channel at 9:00 PM on April 28. Don’t miss it!
I often hear that veterans are discouraged from seeking legal counsel since VSOs handle claims at no cost. Often there are valid reasons to engage an attorney to represent a veteran or family.
- Unless an attorney files a Notice of Disagreement, there is usually no fee.
- Most of the claims I have successfully handled have been lost or abandoned by one or more VSOs, sometimes with the loss of years of benefits.
- The Kabb Law Firm has resources, education, and experience that many VSOs lack.
- We have been successful in obtaining Social Security Disability and other benefits in addition to VA compensation.
- We are sometimes able to move a claim through the system to payment in a short time.
- We have provided substantial services to veterans and their families pro bono.
In VA claims legal news, there is much pending activity. The following are from the National Organization of Veterans Advocates Bulletin from April 9, 2015.
Lawsuit Seeks to Speed Veterans Disability Compensation Appeals
Military.com – More than four decades after he first showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, Vietnam War veteran Conley Monk Jr. still is waiting for approval of medical coverage and, more recently, disability benefits, from the Veterans Administration.
Veterans Clinic Files Nation-Wide Class Action, Challenging Delays in VA Benefits Processing
Yale Law School – The Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School filed a lawsuit Monday on behalf of a Marine Corps veteran and thousands of other veterans seeking to compel the Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs to decide initial disability compensation appeals that have been pending more than one year.
Veterans’ Health Records Lost in VA – Department of Defense Divide
The Washington Times – Veterans advocates are urging the Defense Department and VA to collaborate better so electronic health records can simply be clicked and dragged from one system to another when a service member transitions to civilian life, eliminating problems like the ones faced by Sgt. Morey.
Could Vets Have Concussion-Related Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)?
CNN (VIDEO) – A study finds a similar pattern of crippling brain damage in brains of living ex- soldiers and in former NFL players who have committed suicide.
For more information on these or other veteran related issues, contact Ken Kabb at The Kabb Law Firm 216-991-5222.
