Jim Strickland is a Vietnam era Army veteran and nationally recognized expert on VA disability benefits.
Jim writes extensively about VA and Social Security disability benefits.
Jim's Mailbag is a regular column featured at Stateside Legal where veterans, servicemembers, and family members can ask Jim their questions about VA and Social Security disability benefits.
Kidney Disease, Prostate Cancer
Veterans toxic exposure bill stalls in Senate
Stewart responded to the stalled vote by tweeting that not one "of these stab vets in the back Senators
should get to leave for the Summer" until this s**t is fixed. "Not one," he said.
Christian school duped veterans on GI Bill in NC, advocates say. ‘Really sickening’
He was deceived by a church that operated more like a cult than a religious organization, and a veterans advocacy
organization says the church as a whole has defrauded veterans out of at least $7 million over the last two years.
Though VBA staff nearly always made the correct decision in granting compensation for conditions identified as burn pit-related, the OIG found most denials were premature.
Veterans are waiting longer for care at Georgia VA than anywhere in country
Atlanta veterans are waiting an average of more than 100 days to see doctors in some specialties at the Atlanta VA Medical Center — in some cases, double the wait time elsewhere around the country.
Until America Can Care For Her Military Veterans,
She Should Stop Making Them
Would you urge your daughter or son to enlist today?
There was Charles R. Forbes, who was a Scottish-American politician and military officer.
Appointed the first Director of the Veterans' Bureau by President Warren G. Harding on August 9, 1921, Forbes served until February 28, 1923. Caught for army desertion in 1900, he returned to the military and was a decorated World War I veteran.
He first became active in politics in the Pacific Northwest. In 1912, Forbes moved to Hawaii and served as chairman on various federal commissions. While Senator Warren G. Harding was on vacation in Hawaii the two met by chance and became friends.
After the 1920 U.S. Presidential election, President Harding appointed Forbes director to the newly created Veterans' Bureau, a powerful position in charge of millions of dollars in government expenditures and supplies.
His tenure as the first Veterans' Bureau director was characterized by corruption and scandal.
And your VA has been on a downhill slide ever since...Good Luck!
Military struggling to find new troops as fewer young Americans willing or able to serve
Fewer young Americans are qualified to serve, and even fewer want to.
Their Greatest Weakness
Only a deranged political
party votes against health
care for wounded
veterans out of pure spite.
The Party of Veterans: Democrats or Republicans?
In her new book, "Congress and U.S. Veterans: From the GI Bill to the VA Crisis," Stevens Assistant Professor Lindsey Cormack evaluates how the parties legislate and communicate veterans' policies.
Military veterans targeted by extremists preying on patriots
He didn’t know the group was part of a larger community, until one day, his Navy friend asked if Buckley realized whom he’d been chatting with. “I was like, ‘I have no idea, bro,’” Buckley says. “He was like, ‘This is the Ku Klux Klan.’” The group spoke to a lot of his interests. He liked the distinct “pro-America, pro-Constitution” vibe. But he liked the rage, too.
At Liberty University, Veterans’ Complaints Keep Coming
The evangelical school earns substantial revenues
from former members of the military whose tuition
is supported by the GI Bill, but it continues to
generate complaints from aggrieved vets.
Are You Scheduled For
C&P Service Clinician’s Guide
Get a head start
on the C & P
process...learn what the
examiner already knows
and
be prepared to win your claim!
Detailed Claims Data Status Reports
Reports contain data covering claims inventory, claims backlog, claims accuracy, and Fully Developed Claims.
Your state provides you with a wide
array of benefits and professional representation...all for free.
Alabama
38 CFR Book C Schedule for Rating Disabilities
This collection tells you thestandards you must meet to be awarded a % rating for a given condition. Below we've selected a few of the most frequently needed sections of
Welcome Home
The VA Watchdog Dot Org
Below you'll find much of the law, the regulations and the rules that govern our benefits. Doing your own research and understanding what effect all this has on you can be an onerous task but these are some of the things you need to understand. Taking the time to learn this stuff will bring you a lifetime of benefits...
Go For It!
Need A Little Help?
Start Here...
What You Won't Find Here
User Fees, Hidden Fees,
Rumors, Requests For Donations,
Mailing Lists or Registration Requirements
VA DISABILITY COMPENSATION
A veteran is entitled to disability compensation if he or she were
(1) discharged or released from the military under conditions other than dishonorable,
(2) their disease or injury was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, and
(3) the disease or injury was not the
result of the their own willful
misconduct or abuse of drugs.
We’ve Got Your Six!
If you’re pursuing a bachelor’s degree,
see if you qualify for UA Military Tuition Grant.
What You'll Find Here
Up-To-Date News About Your Benefits,
Headlines Important To You, How-To Articles
& Links to Pros Who Can Help
Explore Your
IHD, Pacemakers
Hearing Loss & Tinnitus
Are You Having A Claims Crisis?
Delays? Misinformation?
Call
855 - 948 - 2311
Or Email
<Denis.McDonough@va.gov>
Yes, this really works.
Be sure to include your DOB, your last 4, contact info... a couple of numbers, your preferred email and such. Describe the problem as briefly as you can.
You Are Not Alone!
Right now is the time for you to
connect and begin to heal.
Right. Now.
Did you see combat, enemy fire,
or casualties? Were you or a buddy wounded, injured or hospitalized?
Do you have a claim pending for illness or injury related to your military service?
Do you have a service-connected condition?
Section 1151 Claims
When something goes wrong and
the veteran suffers an injury or
death due to the negligence of
a federal employee, the veteran
or his/her spouse may pursue
claims under the
THE VAWatchdogDotOrg has been advocating for veterans rights to their hard earned disability benefits since 2005. We publish carefully curated facts, not fiction or rumors from self proclaimed Internet experts.
The PACT Act is passed and now it's up to VBA to ratify the verbiage that Congress set up and start processing claims. What can you expect? The usual. Confusion will reign supreme and claims
will be inappropriately denied and many appeals will be filed. All that really matters is that you shouldn't wait to begin to file your well grounded claims today. Time to get busy! More updates here soon.../s/ Jim
Bones, Joints, Muscle Injuries
Question:
Since the VA adopted the new mileage application via the internet, I haven't received any travel money. I checked with my travel clerk and he told me that there is a big back log here in Florida. Have others experienced this problem? Thank you Jim.
Jim's Reply:
I'm in Florida so I feel your pain.
We're supposed to be reimbursed a per mile amount for certain travel to and from medical care. In my time with VHA I've seen long lines and over an hour wait to receive a few dollars gas money. Then we went to a fill-out-the-form system. The check-in kiosks were introduced a few years back and those worked well other than you had to remember to sign out and sign in again to submit the travel voucher.
Not all that long ago I checked in to my small clinic and the kiosks were unplugged and parked in a corner. I was told to check in the old school way and only when I asked, I was given an old form to complete for travel pay. I was told the kiosks were gone forever.
I returned to that clinic 2 weeks later and the check in kiosks were back, plugged in and ready to go. There was no option for travel reimbursement, I was told to go to the Internet and figure it out. I haven't seen any deposits either.
I don't have any answer for you other than...welcome to your VA. They care!