Thursday, July 31, 2008

Paralyzed Veterans of America - Legal Issues

Paralyzed Veterans of America, which has substantial experience helping veterans secure their legal rights, makes some of the fruit of that experience available free on the web.

From the PVA Legal Issues page:

Paralyzed Veterans of America's (Paralyzed Veterans) attorneys have litigated hundreds of cases on behalf of members and other veterans, helping them receive the benefits they have earned. When veterans are denied benefits by Board of Veterans’ Appeals, they have a right to appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and then to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Our professional staff represents claimants in these courts and tracks legal issues that matter to veterans.

Paralyzed Veterans’ attorneys recently secured settlement agreements in the following cases:

The first settlement was in Palaske v. Mansfield. Mr. Palaske is a World War II hero who flew more than 50 combat missions. Michael Horan, Paralyzed Veterans Deputy General Counsel, convinced VA that there was an error in a 1946 decision, and VA agreed to award more than 50 years of retroactive compensation.

The second settlement was in Bernstein v. Mansfield. Mrs. Bernstein is the wife of World War II veteran Frank Bernstein, who died in 1980 from complications from his service-connected diseases. Paralyzed Veterans Assistant General Counsel Jennifer Zajac demonstrated that VA should have granted Mrs. Bernstein surviving spouse benefits at an earlier date, which will result in approximately 13 years of retroactive Disability and Indemnity Compensation benefits to Mrs. Bernstein.

From the PVA Legal Issues page includes a host of resources, as links to it amicus curiae briefs, hot topics, and issues to watch. Its site also includes coverage of many other issues important to veterans, such as Accessible Design, Spinal Cord Research and Sports. There's even a facility for sending e-cards! Check it out - You'll be glad you did: http://www.pva.org

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