Three years ago, I had the honor of representing VetsFirst/United Spinal Association at the Memorial Day observance at Arlington National Cemetery. At the eleventh hour, Vice-president Joe Biden placed the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. My wife and I were maybe five or six people away from the Vice-president and Mrs. Biden. [...]
Question: I am currently on a VA pension and I have been told I should apply for Aid and Attendance. What is Aid and Attendance? Answer: Veterans who qualify for a non-service-connected pension may also qualify for additional benefits such as Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits. Aid and Attendance is a benefit that is [...]
United Spinal Association’s VetsFirst program will present U.S. Senator John McCain with the VetsFirst Congressional Bronze Star Award for his extraordinary efforts to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which is the first treaty to address disability rights globally. VetsFirst directly assists veterans and their eligible family members in [...]
Question: I am going into my VA medical center next month for back surgery. I will be laid up for a few months recovering. I am currently employed and am not rated at 100% but my doctor says I will not be able to work for a while. My doctor said I could be eligible [...]
When I arrived at my local VA Medical Center for the first time more than 45 years ago, apart from the female nurses, most of the other employees at that hospital were men. The same was true for the patient population. There were no female patients on my Spinal Cord Injury unit back then. Over [...]
Question: I am not rated as totally disabled but my medical conditions are preventing me from working. I can usually get a job but I can’t keep it. Do I have any options? Answer: Even if you are not rated at 100%, VA benefits may be available to compensate you at the 100% level if [...]
Question: What do I need to show or prove to win my claim for service-connected compensation? Answer: Since I do not know what type of claim you are filing I am going to provide you with general eligibility information for service-connected compensation. To win a claim for service-connection a claimant must generally meet, or show, [...]
Question: What is service-connected compensation? Answer: Although there are many different benefits available from the VA veterans are often most interested in service-connected compensation. Service-connected compensation, also referred to as disability compensation, is a monetary benefit paid to veterans on a monthly basis because of injuries or diseases that happened while on active duty, or [...]
The last couple of years when I’ve traveled by commercial airline here in the states, during the screening process, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel have required that my shoes be removed so that they can be screened along with whatever else my spouse and I were carrying on to the plane. This was aggravating more [...]
Question: I am an officer in my local VSO chapter and I have been tasked with giving an oral presentation to my chapter on the history of the VA. Do you by chance have anything handy I could steal, I mean use? Answer: Oddly enough I do have what you need. The United States Department [...]
