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Advocacy Groups Urge Congress to Approve Housing Grants for Disabled Veterans
Veterans advocacy groups are urging lawmakers to hasten a bill that would extend grants to disabled veterans to modify their properties in order to meet their physical needs. According to an article published by Stars and Stripes, “The Ryan Kules and Paul Benne Specially Adaptive Housing Improvement Act of 2019 provide money for veterans with…
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Disabled Veterans Granted Free Lifetime Access to National Parks
On June 29. 2020 lawmakers passed the Wounded Veterans Recreation Act, a bill that grants veterans with service-connected disabilities free lifetime entry to the country’s 400+ national parks. According to an article published by Stripes.com, “The Wounded Veterans Recreation Act, which now goes to the House for consideration, amends the current eligibility standards for national park passes.…
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VA Approves More Than 17K Blue Water Navy Disability Claims in First Year
Since the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act was passed into law a year ago, the Department of Veterans Affairs has received more than 58k Blue Water Navy disability claims and has already granted around 17,400 of those. According to an article published by Connecting Vets, “The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act required the Department…
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VA’s Plans to Expand Remote Health Care Raises Concerns from Advocates
During a recent House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, chief consultant at the Veterans Health Administration Dr. Jennifer MacDonald stated that the department intends to continue offering and expanding telehealth services to veterans. However, several advocacy groups are voicing concern that this may not provide adequate medical alternatives for low-income veterans. According to an article published by MilitaryTimes, “VA leaders…
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VA Operations Continue Despite Rise in COVID-19 Cases
Last week Thursday, the number of VA patients diagnosed with coronavirus rose to the highest level in three weeks however, VA officials maintain that this increase is not a cause for concern. According to an article published by Military Times, “VA press secretary Christina Noel said that case counts “are not the best measure of…
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June is PTSD Awareness Month
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that severely impacts the lives of countless individuals across the country, including many of our veterans. In honor of PTSD Awareness Month, Wolf & Brown is sharing some helpful resources from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Understanding PTSD Resources for Family & Friends Treatment Options How to…
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VA Claims Backlog Continues to Grow
Officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that the backlog of VA claims has increased by thousands of cases due to the shutdown of operations caused by the coronavirus pandemic. According to an article published by The American Legion, “There were 119,000 backlogged claims as of Wednesday, up from 64,000 in November. The VA considers…
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In-person VA Disability Exams Begin to Resume
The Department of Veterans Affairs will recommence in-person disability exams at various department medical centers across the country in an attempt to reduce the backlog of cases caused by the coronavirus pandemic. According to an article published by Military Times, “The exams backlog currently sits at 114,000 cases, up from 65,000 in November 2019. The news…
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Wounded Warrior Project Livestream Interview with VA Undersecretary Dr. Paul Lawrence
The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) recently hosted a livestream interview between WWP Financial Wellness Vice President Tom Kastner and VA Undersecretary of Benefits Dr. Paul Lawrence about the hurdles that the COVID-19 pandemic presents for veterans benefits processing. According to an article published by Cision PR Newswire, Lawrence was quoted as saying, “With the onset of…
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Report Shows Vietnam-era Veterans on Guam Exposed to Agent Orange
A recent report by the National Veterans Legal Services Program and the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School stated that veterans who served on Guam between 1962 and 1975 are now eligible to make a valid claim for service-related toxic exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange. According to an article published by Stars and Stripes,…
