Veteran Advocacy Articles
Analysis of VA disability law, health care policy, and how the VA system actually operates under federal law.
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No Record? That’s Not Enough to Deny a Claim: What the VA Must Consider Before Denying
Many veterans believe that if there is no record from service, there is no case. That belief keeps a lot of valid claims from ever being filed. And that belief is wrong. VA claims are not based on perfect records. They are based on whether the evidence, taken as a whole, shows that something happened…
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You Don’t Feel Disabled. The VA May Disagree.
Most veterans who never file a VA claim have one thing in common. They feel fine. Many veterans I speak with say the same thing at first. They are working, staying active, and handling life. They naturally do not see themselves as “disabled” in the way most people think of it, so they assume VA…
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Why Many Veterans Think They Don’t Qualify for a Mental Health Rating (But Do)
A lot of veterans don’t have a VA mental health rating—not because the symptoms aren’t there, but because they never think they qualify. Why? Because they are: Still working. Still functioning. Still getting through the day. So they assume it doesn’t count. And the system moves forward without ever capturing it. Related VA Articles: There…
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The Law Says the VA Should Favor Veterans. So Why Does the System Often Feel Adversarial?
Federal law governing the Department of Veterans Affairs was designed with a clear principle in mind. When evidence is uncertain, the system is supposed to favor the veteran. Courts have repeatedly recognized this pro-veteran structure. Yet many veterans who interact with the VA system describe a very different experience. When Americans send service members into…
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With AI Reviewing 15 Years of DBQs, a Little-Known VA Directive Matters More Than Ever
Recent reporting indicates the Department of Veterans Affairs may begin using artificial intelligence tools to review large numbers of Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs) submitted in disability claims. According to reporting on testimony before a House VA subcommittee, the Department of Veterans Affairs is developing an automated fraud-detection tool that could review more than one million…