May
14
2013
Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) May 14, 2013 – One man thinks he can help lower the 82 percent U.S. unemployment rate for disabled veterans. He suggests that they learn watch-making. The Delaware Veterans Coalition, together with the state council of the Vietnam Veterans of America, is helping Sam Cannan open a school which will train vets how to repair watches – tuition-free. There is no other school like it. “Making and repairing watches is a dying art,” stated veterans disability lawyer James Fausone. “This is a vocation that may well be a good fit for a number of vets [...]
May
7
2013
Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) May 7, 2013 – Disabled vets are still waiting too long for medical benefits. In Seattle, Washington, 25,000 disabled vets are still waiting to receive medical benefits. According to a new report, it could take a year or more for those benefits to be processed. “There are at least 2.1 million claims for U.S. vets currently pending before the Veterans Benefits Administration,” commented veterans disability attorney James Fausone. “These men and women deserve to be better supported by their government, and not have to wait an egregiously long time for basic benefits to which they [...]
May
3
2013
Virginia Beach, VA (Law Firm Newswire) May 3, 2013 – President Obama proposed a budget that would grant significant increases to VA funding. The President’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2014, beginning October, 2013, allocates $152.7 billion to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an increase of 10.2 percent over current spending levels. The budget includes $86.1 billion in mandatory spending, which is mostly disability benefits and pensions, and $66.5 billion in discretionary spending, which goes mainly toward health care. “This is welcome news for our nation’s veterans and their families,” commented veterans attorney Andrew Hook. “This funding increase for the [...]
Apr
24
2013
Virginia Beach, VA (Law Firm Newswire) April 24, 2013 – A new report says wait times and claims backlogs for veterans filing for disability are growing. The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) has released a report detailing the findings of a lengthy review of internal documents from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The report shows that delays encountered by first-time applicants for veterans disability benefits are much longer than the VA has previously acknowledged. Virginia veteran’s attorney Andrew Hook commented, “We owe it to our veterans to ensure they get the benefits they deserve and were promised, and in [...]
Apr
18
2013
Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) April 18, 2013 – In spite of incoming troops and vocal criticism, VA benefits backlog only continues to grow. Military veterans are waiting an average of nine months after returning home for the Department of Veterans Affairs to process their disability claims. Congress recently criticized the VA and the Department of Defense for failing to merge troop records into one streamlined electronic system which would help to shorten the backlog. “It seems impossible to have such a level of bureaucracy that vets are not getting the benefits to which they are entitled for such a [...]
Apr
12
2013
Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) April 12, 2013 – Unemployment for post-9/11 veterans continues to be at high levels. The recent numbers confirm what many military unemployment specialists have suspected: unemployment rates for younger vets continues to outpace the numbers for unemployed civilians. Almost one in 10 returned members from Iraq and Afghanistan is unemployed. The latest numbers by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that young male vets are unemployed at 9 percent, up from 7.6 percent in February of 2012. Young female vets who reported an unemployment rate of 7.4 percent last year now face unemployment at [...]
Apr
5
2013
Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) April 5, 2013 – A nonprofit organization is working to connect returning vets with innovative investors and new companies. A new nonprofit organization based in Milwaukee, with funds from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ innovation initiative, is supporting entrepreneurial vets. “Veterans often are educated in the most cutting-edge technologies available,” stated veterans disability attorney James Fausone. “And they have the discipline and drive to succeed.” The nonprofit, VETransfer, is working with current and returning veterans to help them find the funding and the support they need to launch start-up ventures. Cofounders Greg Meier and [...]
Apr
5
2013
White Plains, NY (Law Firm Newswire) April 5, 2013 – Some U.S. vets are not aware of the long-term care offered to them by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA provides a health care benefit plan for military vets. It includes a number of diagnostic services, preventive and treatment services and hospitalization. There is also a variety of long-term care options, if needed. When enrolled in the plan, vets are eligible for: * Adult day health care, offering both medical and rehabilitation services * Home care, including nursing and physical therapy in the home * Geriatric evaluations, [...]
Mar
27
2013
Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) March 27, 2013 – A new technology may help vets in more ways than one. A new wheeled chair which resembles a wheelchair but can go up stairs, over curbs and can even balance on two wheels to allow the rider to “stand” on two feet is an elegant solution for many disabled vets and civilians alike. The chair is the iBOT, invented Dean Kamen, the creator of the Segway. The iBOT runs on the typical four wheels, can balance on two wheels when height is needed, and can traverse up stairs and go over [...]
Mar
20
2013
Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) March 20, 2013 – Nursing assistants at The Grand Rapids Home for Veterans have been given their pink slips. In Michigan, almost 150 nursing assistants working in a state-run home for veterans have been told they are being laid off. The Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, a state-run hospital for veterans, currently cares for more than 700 veteran residents. Governor Rick Snyder has approved the privatization of the nursing assistant jobs as a way to save an estimated $4 million each year for the state of Michigan. Other services provided to the home such as [...]
Mar
11
2013
Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) March 11, 2013 – There may soon be revised and much more accessible tuition support for Florida vets. A bill was recently introduced to require Florida schools to grant tuition benefits to vets eligible for GI bill educations, regardless of the vet’s residency status. The bill would allow U.S. military vets to receive in-state tuition at in-state universities and other schools in the Florida College System, as well as online schools. If the bill gets through the Florida House and Senate, it goes into effect on July 1 of this year. “Any support for vets [...]
Mar
5
2013
Virginia Beach, VA (Law Firm Newswire) March 5, 2013 – Beneficiary forms can derail your carefully-laid estate plans. On a wide variety of investment vehicles, people have the option of directly naming beneficiaries for those assets. The advantage is that when the owner dies, the assets go directly to the beneficiaries, bypassing probate, which can be time-consuming and expensive. The disadvantage is that designating a beneficiary overrides your will. Elder law attorney Andrew Hook commented, “Naming beneficiaries for your investments certainly has a place in estate planning. But it is important to manage those designations carefully and incorporate them into [...]
Feb
14
2013
Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) February 14, 2013 – Single Stop has been providing government and private anti-poverty benefits counseling to clients at or below the poverty level for more than ten years. Single Stop uses a specialized computer system which calculates each client’s program eligibility and indicates the appropriate social service offices for assistance with child care, food pantry access, transportation services and welfare benefits. Now, the people at Single Stop have teamed up with financial support from the Robin Hood Foundation to help military veterans reintegrate after service in a pilot program scheduled to run to the end [...]
Feb
12
2013
Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) February 12, 2013 – President Obama and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pledged in 2010 to work together to end homelessness among veterans within five years. A report released to Congress in December 2012 by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) found that the number of homeless vets has, indeed, dropped since then. According to the report, a 2011 assessment was done by the Department of Housing and Urban Development that found 67,495 veterans were homeless in January 2011 during a one-day count. That number was a 12 percent decrease from the [...]
Feb
5
2013
Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) February 5, 2013 – The American Service Animal Society (ASAS) is a nonprofit program which educates veterans with disabilities on how to care for and train their assistance dogs. If the vet does not yet have a service dog, the society, based in Arizona, helps find a suitable one from one of several rescue agencies in their area. Working with rescue dogs and making new dog-owner partnerships helps the vets and the dogs, and keeps their expenses down. The organization is doing so well that it is looking for a high-capacity training center. They say [...]
Jan
16
2013
Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) January 16, 2013 – Vietnam Veterans of America has joined a proposed class action lawsuit in Connecticut against the Armed Forces. The lawsuit, which was filed by a veteran last year against the Army, Navy and Air Force, states that Vietnam War-era veterans who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were discharged under other-than-honorable conditions, which meant they were ineligible for disability and other benefits. The military has not reviewed or attempted to upgrade the status of discharges for many thousands of those vets with service-related PTSD. According to the National President of Vietnam Veterans of [...]
Jan
4
2013
Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) January 4, 2013 – Studies show that substance abuse continues to be an issue for veterans. According to a new study from the Public Health Institute’s Alcohol Research Group, male military vets, with a history of heavy drinking, are seeking treatment in higher numbers than ever before. Many veterans who have sought treatment, report better health and lower instances of depression, when compared to their civilian counterparts. “There are a number of effective solutions for vets dealing with alcohol or other substance abuse issues,” said Tampa veterans attorney David W. Magann. The study was recently [...]
Jan
3
2013
Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) January 3, 2013 – The issue of veterans and gun rights has been a speed bump in the $631 billion defense bill. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. has attempted to halt the Veterans Affairs Department (VA) plan to place the names of some veterans into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Sen. Coburn has stated that, in order to take away someone’s Second Amendment rights, it should be adjudicated, rather than simply mandated by an automated system. Inclusion on the list means veterans would be prohibited from owning or buying firearms. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., [...]
Dec
11
2012
Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) December 11, 2012 – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) finally awarded Louisiana money for a cemetery. The state had asked for more than $8 million to develop a veterans’ cemetery on land donated by the Louisiana National Guard. The project will be placed within the 75 acre-parcel, and it is hoped the cemetery will completed by the end of 2013. The cemetery will be built out in phases, starting with the first 21 acres visible from Interstate 12; the entrance will be located just beyond Camp Villere’s gates. The grant was announced in [...]
Dec
7
2012
Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) December 7, 2012 – Female vets are having an especially difficult time re-entering the workforce. Although women make up some 15 percent of the military troops re-entering the U.S., and 15 percent of the entire U.S. armed forces, few Americans seem aware of women as veterans. The unemployment rate for post-9/11 female vets is currently at 19.9 percent, up from 14.7 percent in 2011. “Many factors may be contributing to the unemployment numbers, including the largest-ever enlistment by women, ” says David Magann, a Tampa veterans attorney. “More women in the military means more women [...]
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