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For first time, some burn pit victims will get presumptive status for disability benefits
Veterans exposed to harmful burn pit smoke while serving in certain overseas war zones will for the first time get presumptive disability benefits status under a new announcement by the Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday. Read the article on Military Times
Local VA hospital increasing mental health resources amid Taliban take over in Afghanistan
Many U.S. service members, veterans and active-duty members who served in Afghanistan are having a hard time dealing with the chaos in that region following the Taliban take over. The local VA is stepping in to help. Read the article on ABC Action News
VA buddy check program helping local Afghanistan veterans
The events unfolding in Afghanistan have been hard to watch, particularly for our veterans who served in the Middle East. Read more on Wood TV
“Nearly All” VA Claims for Gulf War Illness “Improperly Denied”
Suppose two people visited the same stateside U.S. military hospital at the same time: one a civilian, the other a soldier, and military doctors made the same negligent mistakes in both instances. Read the article on Task and Purpose
VA secretary promises ‘urgency’ in implementing new Agent Orange presumptive benefits rules
Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough on Tuesday promised an “urgent” review of new rules regarding presumptive benefits status for Vietnam veterans suffering from serious illnesses. Read the article on Military Times
VA, Defense Department under new pressure to help ailing veterans who served at toxic Uzbek base
Hundreds of veterans have come forward after a CBS News investigation revealed new evidence of toxic materials at a remote base the U.S. military used after 9/11. Read the article on CBSNews
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019
The Blue Water Navy (BWN) Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 (PL 116-23) extended the presumption of herbicide exposure, such as Agent OrangeZ. Read more on va.gov
Troops exposed to Agent Orange outside of Vietnam could be in line for presumptive benefits
On Thursday, Pennsylvania Reps. Matt Cartwright (D) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R) introduced new legislation to expand the presumption of exposure to Agent Orange for disability benefits. Read the article on Military Times
For the US’s Vietnam-era covert special operators, the quietest missions were also the most dangerous
During the Vietnam War, a select group of US commandos carried out secret missions behind enemy lines. MACV-SOG, as it was known, sent small teams on across Vietnam’s borders to conduct raids and gather intelligence. Read the article on MSN
Article on Rebecca Deming
BOSS MOVE OF THE WEEK Today we’re celebrating Rebecca in Florida! Rebecca wrote into HQ with a lovely email update last week all about how the LifeTracker Planner helped her make some major boss moves! After seeing a negotiation workshop I delivered last year, Rebecca started researching what it would take to practice law on her own so she could approach her supervisor with concrete numbers. What started as background research to support negotiations sparked Rebecca’s entrepreneurial interest. The more she spoke with others, the more she realized she had the tools to manage her own Veterans Disability Law practice, and was motivated to make it a reality! In February, Rebecca picked up a 2021 LifeTracker Planner and plotted out her vision. She broke down this massive undertaking into concrete, manageable steps, and took things one month at a time. Despite facing a few setbacks along the way, she made incremental progress and met her big