By Jodee Dietzenbach On August 2, 2021, the VA announced new presumptive conditions related to exposure to particulate matter. The VA will now begin processing claims for asthma, rhinitis, and sinusitis on a presumptive basis for Veterans who were exposed to particulates in Southwest Asia and certain other areas. For a Veteran to qualify, the…
Due to the pandemic, the Board of Veterans Appeals has been allowing Veterans to participate in virtual hearings. Here, we explain how they work. These hearings are scheduled a few weeks in advance. The Board sends an email to the Veteran and their representative (if the Veteran has one). The email contains a couple of…
The Board of Veterans’ Appeals has struggled with backlogs in deciding disability claims for years. Recently, the Board has had additional challenges to attacking this backlog. Regional Office (RO) closures, limited access to medical records within the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and Veterans continuing to file new claims have all contributed to a…
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced they will be readjudicating previously denied claims for Veterans who served in offshore waters in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam war. The case, Nehmer v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs challenged a VA regulation that stated chloracne is the only disease associated with exposure to…
Recently, the Veterans Administration issued a new set of appeal options for Veterans appealing their VA disability claims. When a Veteran gets denied at the initial level, they may request a review of the decision (an appeal). The VA now gives a Veteran several ways to do this. The first option is a Supplemental…
