These case summaries are just a few examples of the standard of excellence we strive for at The Veteran’s Advocate — although we cannot guarantee any particular outcome, as each case has specific facts, circumstances, and evidence.
Navy Veteran served in the 1980’s era and was denied service-connection for depression and related mental health disorders related to bullying and isolation while aboard ship.
After "going it alone" for five years and after repeated denials by the VA, the Veteran was on the brink of giving up, and even submitted a request to the BVA to cancel his hearing and appeal. The Veteran’s Advocate immediately recalled the cancellation request and went forward with the hearing, guiding Veteran through the process and his testimony. The Board granted service-connection at 50% and through further appeal work, the grant was increased to 100% with six years of backpay.
Air Force Veteran from the 1980’s era, for eight years was denied service connection for his mental health disorder.
For over six years, Veteran and his VSO unsuccessfully appealed the VA’s denials. The Veteran’s Advocate identified significant inconsistencies and even contradictions in the VA examiners’ findings over the years and worked with a local contracted psychologist to examine the Veteran and provide the definitive medical opinion on service connection. The VA continued for another year to try to discredit our private medical opinion but the BVA on remand found, essentially, that the VA had run out of time and excuses to justify continued denial, and granted service connection with eight years of backpay.
Marine Corps Veteran was boots on the ground as an 18-year-old sniper and “tunnel rat” in Vietnam during most of 1969.
He suffered a lifetime of severe PTSD and debilitating congenital heart failure but was denied service connection due to a less than honorable discharge.
A local VSO referred this Veteran to The Veteran’s Advocate after Veteran was denied VA benefits due to his unfavorable USMC discharge. The offense leading to his administrative discharge was AWOL—an offense easily understood after a review of his combat record in Vietnam. Veteran had undiagnosed severe PTSD and the Dept of the Navy failed to consider that as contributory to his AWOL in 1970. The Veteran’s Advocate successfully petitioned the Board for Correction of Naval Records and Veteran was given an honorable discharge. Accordingly, Veteran’s pending appeals at the VA were granted with over $250,000 in backpay to the Veteran. The Veteran’s Advocate doggedly pursued Veteran’s interests for over five years.
Navy Veteran served in the Gulf of Tonkin and South China Sea during the Vietnam war but even under the “Blue Water” vets Act was denied service connection for multiple debilitating symptoms, including diabetes, Parkinsons, and heart disease.
A local VSO referred this Veteran to The Veteran’s Advocate after three years of appeal work by the VSO. We retrieved the deck logs from the National Archives for Veteran’s ship and using coordinates in the log, plotted on a map the ship’s various locations during Veteran’s time aboard, showing criteria had been met for presumption of Agent Orange exposure. Veteran received five years of backpay and currently has his long-term assisted living paid by the VA, in addition to his 100% disability compensation.
Marine Corps Veteran was a 1990’s era military firefighter, suffering many life-long debilitating effects of sarcoidosis.
Veteran turned to The Veteran’s Advocate after nearly a decade of appeal work by a local VSO. Seeing new opportunities for advocacy that the VSO had not explored, and through advocacy at the BVA, Veteran went from 70% to 100% with nearly 12 years of backpay.
Navy Veteran served in the 1990’s era and is an MST survivor who had been denied service connection after the VSO assisted with the original claim and first level of appeal.
A local VSO referred this Veteran to The Veteran’s Advocate after being denied after the first level of appeal. Without any “SARC” reporting, criminal investigation, or command inquiry, The Veteran’s Advocate assisted Veteran in telling their story to the Board at hearing, without having to go into any detail as to the MST, but instead using “markers” of the MST as evidence enough. The Board quickly and decisively granted service-connection. Veteran was rated 100% with six years of backpay.
