“The new bill — Healthcare, Equality and Rights for Heroes, or HERO Act — would allow troops to take their claims to district court”, Stars & Stripes reports. “The way that the process works now is a service member’s first step is submitting a claim with their military branch, Panetta said. If that is denied,…
According to VA.gov, most Veterans and survivors who apply for benefits or submit an “Intent to File” by August 9, if granted, will have their benefits backdated to August 10th of last year – the day that President Biden signed the PACT Act into law.
This week, the Supreme Court rejected retroactive benefits for service members that have missed application deadlines. The case was brought to lawmakers by a disabled veteran that claimed that all service members should be eligible for retroactive benefits if they are able to provide legitimate reasons for late applications. According to an article published by…
A recent watchdog report revealed that the Pentagon does not properly monitor and track poor conditions of privatized housing that pose serious health risks for U.S. service members and their loved ones. According to an article published by Task & Purpose, “Despite the well-publicized prevalence of mold, lead paint, and other unsafe health conditions among…
A study conducted by the Defense Department last year concluded that drinking water found at 24 bases exposes about 175,000 troops to toxic chemicals that have been associated with cancer and other serious illnesses. According to an article published by Military Times, “The report, made public by the Environmental Working Group on Thursday, found that…
Both the VA and the Veterans Benefits Administration are hiring additional staff to help deal with the increase in claims made by veterans through the newly-passed PACT Act – a bill that will provide the 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits and served after Sept. 11, 2001. According to an article published…
This month the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that staff members will immediately start processing toxic exposure claims for veterans with terminal illnesses – officials said that these veterans will receive the benefits as soon as possible. According to an article published by Military Times, “Payout of those benefits originally was scheduled to be phased…
Days after the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2022 was signed, it was announced that veterans and military retirees can expect will see an increase in their disability compensation to match the 8.7% increase in Social Security benefits next year. According to an article published by Stars and Stripes, “The cost-of living adjustment —…
Officials announced Wednesday that The Department of Veterans Affairs’ new needs electronic health records system requires significant upgrades. According to an article published by Stripes.com, “At the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, Wash., where the system was first launched in October 2020, issues included unauthorized and inaccurate medication orders, patients’ name and gender errors,…
The approval of a nearly $300-billion measure toxic exposure bill for veterans is now hinged on a governmental accounting dispute. According to an article published by MilitaryTimes.com, “The bill advanced on a 342–88 vote in the House two weeks ago with significant Republican support and was supported by 34 Republicans in the Senate during an 84–14…
