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NVLSP News Articles
This week, the House Financial Services Committee will vote on whether to open the floodgates to abusive litigation conduct by debt collection attorneys and debt buyers who work in their name. The Practice of Law Technical Clarification Act would unwind a bedrock protection for the 77 million Americans with debts in collection, including struggling families, elders, servicemembers and veterans.
Debt collection is a multibillion dollar industry that consistently generates the most consumer complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Servicemembers and veterans are especially impacted by abusive debt collection activities, which were the subject of 42 percent of all complaints to the CFPB from military consumers. Why would Congress want to limit consumer protections against an industry that is clearly among the most abusive of consumers? [more]
Released 1/30/18 | Tags: Congressional Legislation
Hosted jointly by the Academy of United States Veterans (AUSV), Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes and Paralyzed Veterans of America, the annual event recognizes individuals and organizations that have demonstrated relentless dedication and selfless service to the veteran community and their families. [more]
Released 1/25/18 | Tags:
In acknowledgement of veterans that have gone beyond their call of duty, the 3rd annual VETTY awards recognized marquee veterans that have exemplified ongoing public service and advocacy efforts, and who have demonstrated exceptional contribution and service to the veteran community in 2017. NVLSP was an awardee. [more]
Released 1/22/18 | Tags:
NVLSP co-executive director co-authored this opinions piece. Debt collection is a multibillion dollar industry that consistently generates the most consumer complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Servicemembers and veterans are especially impacted by abusive debt collection activities, which were the subject of 42 percent of all complaints to the CFPB from military consumers. [more]
Released 1/17/18 | Tags:
The Department of Veterans Affairs published a revised rule Jan. 9 that allows payment of hundreds of thousands pending claims for private-sector emergency care that veterans’ other health insurance covered in part but not in full. [more]
Released 1/14/18 | Tags:
The Academy of United States Veterans and Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, along with CNN’s Jake Tapper will host the 2018 Veteran Awards “Vettys” on January 20 in Washington DC. The National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) will be honored. [more]
Released 1/9/18 | Tags:
The Veterans Affairs Department offers a long list of benefits to former military members. But it’s not always easy for an individual veteran to figure out which service he or she may be eligible for. Now, there’s an app for that from the National Veterans Legal Services Program. Bart Stichman, the program’s executive director, spoke to Eric White on Federal Drive with Tom Temin about the new application. [more]
Released 1/8/18 | Tags: Veteran's Benefits
Class actions, in which named parties bring claims on behalf of many different people, are the most famous kind of aggregate proceeding. But courts have found numerous other ways of aggregating disputes, including bankruptcy and trustee suits, statistical sampling, and parens patriae actions by states on behalf of certain citizens. What all these processes share is that a single party or proceeding binds numerous parties to the outcome of the proceeding, even if some of those parties never actually participate in the proceeding. The idea is simple: Consolidating many similar claims in a single proceeding would help agencies process claims more quickly, efficiently, and fairly. But aggregation presents unique challenges in the administrative context with respect to agencies that dole out entitlements. Such agencies, of course, have limited resources. An Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) with the authority to aggregate entitlement claims is thereby armed with the power to prioritize how those resources will be spent—whether in line with the agency’s own priorities or not. NVLSP executive director Bart Stichman is quoted. [more]
Released 1/1/18 | Tags: Staff
The veterans benefits system started more than a century ago, and in the time since — as new wars stacked on entitlements and new abuses stacked on reforms — it has grown into an unruly tower of regulations. It pays out more than $78 billion each year to nearly five million beneficiaries. But there are also more than 470,000 veterans who have been denied benefits and have appealed. When they do, they encounter an antiquated system where processing cases takes years — and sometimes even decades. NVLSP executive director Bart Stichman is interviewed. [more]
Released 11/13/17 | Tags: Veteran's Benefits
A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge on Wednesday refused to grant the federal government’s request to toss a suit brought by veterans and their families who allege they have not been fully paid benefits they are entitled to stemming from the military’s use of the toxic chemical Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. [more]
Released 10/26/17 | Tags: