The Department of Veterans Affairs reports “increasing scams” involving VA Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs) used to process veteran claims. The VA began an awareness campaign in 2024 to help applicants understand how to “successfully” complete and submit DBQ forms and avoid becoming the victims of disability benefits fraud. What is a DBQ? A DBQ is… Read more »
If you manage your VA benefits using DS Logon or MyHealtheVet,, your days of using those options are numbered. In 2025, the VA will discontinue support for those two platforms commonly used to access VA apps, websites, benefits, and records. The Department of Veterans Affairs announced a transition to a “more modern sign-in experience,” which… Read more »
The Department of Veterans Affairs offers education benefits and disability compensation for qualifying veterans. It also provides a range of healthcare treatment benefits and services for veterans and qualifying family members. Healthcare is provided to all qualifying veterans, but some benefits, like dental care, have additional eligibility requirements. The full scope of VA benefits may… Read more »
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) official site describes bariatric surgery as “an operation that changes the digestive system. It is intended for people who have obesity and need to lose weight but have not been able to do so through other means.” If you are a military service member or veteran struggling with your… Read more »
In 2018, the VA MISSION Act was signed into law, creating a new veteran program designed to expand access to community healthcare options. The MISSION Act, also known as the VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018, ended the previous Veterans Choice Program. But in July of 2024, a group… Read more »
In late June 2024, President Biden issued a pardon for service members convicted of so-called “sodomy laws” forbidding what used to be called “homosexual conduct” by the Department of Defense. The pardon allows those forced out of the military for identifying as LGTBQ+ to have their discharges reviewed and upgraded where approved. The pardon does… Read more »
Update: In June 2024, President Joe Biden issued a pardon for those convicted of violations of UCMJ Article 125 which formerly prohibited so-called “homosexual conduct.” At press time, there is no indication of how this pardon may affect the lawsuit, which is discussed below. This is an ongoing story. A federal court in California ruled… Read more »
Close to two thousand lawsuits have been filed against the federal government related to the human cost of what the online publication Roll Call reports as “decades of contaminated drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.” But progress on those lawsuits is slow and some in Washington want to change that. It’s telling that… Read more »
The Department of Veterans Affairs has expanded the list of qualifying presumptive conditions eligible under the PACT Act. Passed in 2022, the PACT Act offers expanded VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances in the line of duty, even if veterans filed a prior claim… Read more »
In the first quarter of 2024, a class action lawsuit settlement affected how certain real estate fees were handled in real estate transactions. The National Association of Realtors settled a lawsuit over real estate broker fees, but the terms of that settlement can be confusing for borrowers and sellers alike. Many changes to real estate… Read more »