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Perspective for veterans from Gregory Bannister, paralegal
Gregory Bannister actively serves our nation’s veterans as paralegal for Wolf & Brown. The NJ Vet Wire recently sat down with Gregory to ask him a few questions about his work. His experience and insight is valuable to veterans seeking disability benefits and highlights the importance of seeking the assistance of a VA accredited attorney.…
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What veterans need to know about The PACT Act in 2026
To date, the PACT Act marks the most significant expansion of veterans’ disability benefits in a generation. The policy, initially passed in 2022, is reshaping how VA claims are processed, evaluated, and appealed. While the PACT Act has offered more opportunities for veterans to qualify for benefits, there is as expected new complexities that impact…
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Hiring a lawyer for VA disability claims and appeals now more important than ever
Over our many years of experience with veterans disability law, we have observed that veterans endure more challenging obstacles than most of us with face in our lifetimes. Yet, when their service is completed and they seek help for their service-related injuries, they face an increasingly confusing and adversarial system. Even in 2026, the VA…
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Why is VA rating my Sleep Apnea and Asthma-COPD together?
One of the most common Rating Decisions our office reviews involves Veterans who are granted service connection for both a respiratory condition and obstructive sleep apnea, only to discover that the VA assigned a single disability rating instead of separate evaluations. This understandably causes confusion, especially when the VA acknowledges both conditions as service connected…
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The Difference between VA-Accredited Attorneys and Veteran Service Officers (VSOs)
Veterans are often told that a Veterans Service Officer (VSO) and a VA-accredited attorney provide the same assistance with VA disability claims. From a legal and practical standpoint, that simply is not true. While both are permitted to represent Veterans before the Department of Veterans Affairs, the scope of representation, level of accountability, and depth…
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Social Security is not your friend
By Michael J. Brown, Esq. † This Social Security Administration spends a great deal of time and effort trying to convince disabled claimants that they can be trusted with their claim. My recent court experience suggests otherwise. My client was a 61-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with breast cancer and who underwent a partial…
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How do I talk to my doctor?
By Michael J. Brown, Esq. † In my last blog I wrote about the need to regularly see your family doctor. I would like to concentrate on how to get the most out of your family doctor visit. I have already mentioned that I hold family doctors in high esteem. They keep us healthy, and…
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How your Social Security Disability Lawyer can get the most out of the family doctor records
By Michael J. Brown, Esq. † We all probably sense that insurance companies have taken over the world. This is becoming more and more true in medicine. Early in my career I wrote the disability decisions for Social Security. In my office they had various physicians who would review the medical portions of the case. …
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Perspective on disability law from Michael J. Brown, Esq. †
As a partner at Wolf & Brown Law Offices, Attorney Michael J. Brown was passionate about providing his clients with expert representation and fighting for the benefits they deserve. Before Mr. Brown passed away in 2025, after a 30+ year career in disability law, he offered his valuable perspective on engaging with the Social Security…
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VA Proposal to Reduce Your Disability Rating – What it Means
When the Veterans Administration (VA) proposes to reduce a veteran’s disability rating, it creates one of the most stressful times in a veteran’s life. By Matthew J. Brown, Esq. VA-accredited attorney and partner at Wolf & Brown Law Offices Routinely, our office encounters a situation where the veteran believed in good faith their service-connected disability…
