FYI Series #19
Did You Know?
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Veterans Corner Helping Veterans
At Veteran’s Corner, giving help to veterans from other veterans is a mission not taken lightly. The group at Veteran’s Corner is made up of former servicemen and woman who have bonded over the idea of “veterans helping veterans.” Neal Owens, one of the volunteers with Veteran’s Corner, said many veterans have never applied for all the benefits they can receive from the government for their service to their country. The volunteers help file claims, get benefits or other assistants. The group is in a new facility located at 3805 SE 44th Ave., Norman, OK. They also travel around to meet with veterans who may not be able to get to there location. For more information call 405-387-5070.
How to Check Accuracy of Your Rated Disability
You can visit Military Disability Made Easy to find out about the accuracy of your VA rated disability. The site is comprised of a team of military medical professionals. With experience ranging from health care administration to analyzing military medical laws, policies, and directives, and reporting to congressional committees.
Free Resource Guide for Veterans & Family Members
Accredited Schools Online publishes an online guidebook that provides financial information and options for veterans, different associations and groups available for educational purposes, and pointers on how to choose the college best suited to the needs of veterans and their family members.
Boots On Ground Not Necessary
Reversing a long-held position, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) now says Air Force reservists who became ill after being exposed to Agent Orange residue while working on planes after the Vietnam War should be eligible for disability benefits.
The VA said it has been working to finalize a rule that could cover more than 2,000 military personnel who flew or worked on Fairchild C-123 aircraft in the U.S. from 1972 to 1982. Many of the Vietnam-era planes, used by the reservists for medical and cargo transport, had sprayed millions of gallons of herbicide during the 1955-1975 military conflict in Southeast Asia.
If the White House Office of Management and Budget approves the change, it would be the first time the VA had established a special category of Agent Orange exposure for military personnel without “boots on the ground” or inland waterways service in Vietnam. That could open the VA to renewed claims by thousands of other veterans who say they were exposed to Agent Orange in less direct circumstances, such as on the open sea.
Semper Fi Fund
The Semper Fi Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and its program America’s Fund, are set up to provide immediate financial assistance and lifetime support for wounded, critically-ill and injured members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. Since establishing the Semper Fi Fund in 2004, they’ve issued more than 71,500 grants, totaling close to $91 million in assistance to over 11,500 heroes and their families. For assistance call 760-725-3680.
Pain May Be Considered A Disability
On April 3, 2018, the Federal Circuit revived a U.S. Army veteran’s claim for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability benefits stemming from knee pain, ruling that pain alone can be considered a disability.
Apparently, the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims misinterpreted a disability benefit statute when it ruled that Melba Saunders’ knee pain could not, in the absence of a specific diagnosis or other identified disease or injury, be considered the basis for benefits, a three-judge panel ruled in a precedential decision.
According to the court’s decision, “We conclude that pain is an impairment because it diminishes the body’s ability to function, and that pain need not be diagnosed as connected to a current underlying condition to function as an impairment.”
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