Tag Archives: Wolf and Brown News

Two new bills introduced to support veterans exposed to burn pits


Lawmakers and advocates have urged new action to support those exposed to toxic burn pits that are assumed to be the cause of a long list of chronic illnesses. Today, more than 173,000 servicemembers who spent time in Iraq have signed their names onto a national government registry that tracks exposure to burn pits, oil well fires,…

Lawmakers advocate for ‘Blue Water’ bill in wake of court ruling


Lawmakers recently gathered to discuss the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 and made their case for why the legislation is needed, saying it was the “quickest and clearest route” for providing benefits to ‘Blue Water’ Navy veterans. According to an article published by Stars and Stripes, the “Court of Appeals for the…

New act would recognize nine more diseases caused by Agent Orange


A new legislation that was introduced would add nine more diseases to a list of illnesses assumed to be caused by Agent Orange, giving veterans who suffer from these conditions a fast-track to disability benefits and health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs. According to an article published by Stripes.com, the Keeping Our Promises…

Final ruling delayed on ‘blue water’ Vietnam veterans benefits


This week the Supreme Court granted a 30-day extension to Department of Justice officials regarding the appeal of a January court ruling which extended presumptive benefits to tens of thousands of Navy veterans. According to an article published by MilitaryTimes.com, “advocates say they are not concerned by the move, calling it a typical legal maneuver and…

New ruling promises fix for ‘Blue Water’ Veterans


Last week, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., announced plans to back a ruling that promises a permanent fix for ‘Blue Water’ Vietnam veterans who claim that their rare illnesses are caused by exposure to chemical defoliants while in service. According to an article published by MilitaryTimes.com “[The] “blue water” veterans problem centers on…

New step in disability benefits process for Pennsylvania residents


Anyone in Pennsylvania who is denied federal disability benefits and wants to appeal will now go through a new step that the Social Security Administration says is meant to reduce a large case backlog. For the past decade, Pennsylvania had a special exception to the rule that a person denied disability benefits after an initial application…

Professionals qualified to diagnose TBI expected to expand


According to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is expected to expand the requirement in the disability compensation process regarding who can diagnose traumatic brain injury (TBI) to include any health care professional with sufficient brain injury training and experience. According to…

New policy proposal on social media monitoring accelerates controversial issue


A new policy proposal is calling for the monitoring of disabled people’s social media profiles to determine the validity and necessity of their disability benefits. According to an article published by Forbes, “the proposal, which reportedly aims to cut down on the number of fraudulent disability claims would monitor the profiles of disabled people and…

New veterans education and employment administration


Lawmakers are renewing plans to create a new fourth administration within the Department of Veterans Affairs that will focus on education and employment for veterans. According to an article published by MilitaryTimes.com, “The new bill mirrors legislation that passed out of a House committee last year and was introduced in the Senate, but failed to gain further…

Supreme Court Backs Social Security Expert Who Declined to Provide Evidence


Last week, the Supreme Court denied a Social Security Disability Insurance plaintiff’s proposal to establish a rule that effectively requires vocational experts to turn over the “substantial evidence” underlying their opinions in every case. Michael Biestek claimed that he was unable to work because he suffered from degenerative disc disease, Hepatitis C and depression. However,…