STORIES

Navy Vet wins 100-percent and years of back pay.
Robert Drury served in the U.S. Navy from 1974 to 1983. The Florida veteran had to fight the VA for years to win compensation from complications that resulted from a

Congrats to Kansas Army Vet
Jim Burnett is a Kansas veteran who served in the Army in field artillery, stationed in Fulda, Germany, in an area known as the Fulda Gap. He got out in

Riding along with Ed.
Brown & Curry has had the privilege of helping a Missouri veteran win in his fight against the VA for nearly a decade. Along the way, he taught us something

Missouri Air Force veteran wins 100-percent rating for vertigo.
Brown & Curry recently won a Missouri Air Force veteran a full 100-percent rating for Meniere’s syndrome secondary to tinnitus. Meniere’s disease (a.k.a. endolymphatic hydrops) is an inner-ear disorder that
Compensation & Pension Exams – TIPS ON HOW TO HANDLE THEM
Frequently, veterans contact us concerned that they have received a letter or a phone call regarding a Compensation & Pension Exam (“C&P exam”) that the VA has scheduled. Here are

When pain alone can qualify as a VA disability — Wait v. Wilkie
Wait v. Wilkie, CAVC No. 18-4349 (August 26, 2020) The United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (“Veterans Court”) continues to elaborate on what evidence necessary to establish a

Navy Veteran wins back pay going back 10 years.
Mr. Carlos Larralde served in the U.S. Navy from October 1965 to October 1967. He had been assigned to tug boat duty at the U.S. Long Beach Naval Station in

VA can still require DSM-V diagnosis before compensating for mental health
Martinez-Bodon v. Wilkie, CAVC No. 18-3721 (August 11, 2020) “Man’s best friend helps NC Guardsman with PTSD [Image 1 of 8]” by DVIDSHUB is licensed under CC BY 2.0In Martnez-Bodon,

Veterans Court rules veteran family members must have resided at Camp LeJeune to receive free healthcare benefits.
Straw v. Wilkie, CAVC No. 18-7129 (June 26, 2020) After the Honoring America’s Veterans and care for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012 became law, the VA was required to
RECENT FEDERAL CIRCUIT DECISION: Simmons v. Wilkie, (Fed. Cir. July 17, 2020)
The Simmons decision represents further erosion of the preferred status of veterans under VA law. • Any decision the VA makes regarding a veteran’s claim is subject to five (5)(!!!!!)

Veteran Spotlight: Bob Thomas
Brown & Curry is a big fan of Bob Thomas. Bob served in the US Army from 1970 to 1972 as a radio operator, spying on the Soviets from border

VA compensation for disabilities arising from Camp Lejeune contamination
Between 1953 and 1987 upwards of 1 million military personnel and their families stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina ingested and bathed in water that was contaminated with chemicals