NVLSP

Testimony: Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017

Testimony of NVLSP

The Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act provide a far-reaching restructuring of the VA administrative appeals process. It contains many positive features that are likely to decrease appeal times, while providing claimants with various options for pursuing their appeals. As with any substantial change to a complex system, there will clearly be effects that we cannot now predict. But given that the current appeals process is not functioning well, we have ultimately concluded that the proposed legislation - even without being able to predict all of its effects - is a necessary step. However, NVLSP opposes some of the substantive changes to the draft bill that VA is seeking under the guise of "technical amendments." [more]

Released 4/28/17 | Tags: Board of Veterans' Appeals, Congressional Legislation

Veterans: Get Free Legal Help Appealing VA Denials of Certain Types to Board of Veterans’ Appeals

NVLSP Stands Up New Project to Assist Veterans Appealing Denial of VA Disability Benefits for Mental Health Disorders, Reduction or Termination of VA Disability Benefits

Veterans who are appealing the denial of certain disability compensation claims to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA) can now request free legal help from the Lawyers Serving Warriors Project of the NVLSP. The Lawyers Serving Warriors project focuses on some of our nation’s most vulnerable veterans – those seeking benefits for mental health conditions who were denied, as well as those facing a reduction or termination of VA disability compensation. [more]

Released 11/19/15 | Tags: Board of Veterans' Appeals

CAVC Claims Certifies First Class Action in NVLSP Case Challenging Delays in VA Decision-Making

Released 6/18/19 at Veterans News Report | Tags: Board of Veterans' Appeals, Class Actions, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Veteran's Benefits

On June 13, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) certified its first class action. The case, styled Godsey v. Wilkie, was a petition for extraordinary relief brought by Covington & Burling LLP and the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP). [more]

For the first time ever, a federal court allows a whole class of veterans to sue the VA

Released 6/18/19 at Connecting Vets | Tags: Board of Veterans' Appeals, Class Actions, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Veteran's Benefits

A lawsuit seeking relief for veterans facing long wait times for disability benefits appeals was allowed to move ahead, a federal court ruled. It’s the first time a class-action lawsuit against the VA has been allowed by the court. [more]

Court allows a class-action lawsuit against VA for the first time

Released 6/18/19 at Military Times | Tags: Board of Veterans' Appeals, Class Actions, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Veteran's Benefits

A federal court for the first time will allow a class-action lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs to move ahead, a move that legal experts said opens the doors for a host of similar cases against the bureaucracy. [more]