If you ever hear someone tell you they know everything about the VA, you can safely grab your hat and head for the door. The VA is the second largest federal agency, soon to surpass the size of the DoD. There are literally hundreds of benefit programs available. Programs range from disability compensation, education benefits, to home loans. Are they all limited to Veterans? What about Camp Lejeune family members? One thing I love about this job is the number of niche areas within an already niche area of law. The Camp Lejeune Family Member Program is one of those. One I had no idea about.

I began pestering Annette just before Thanksgiving for some pictures of her and Monte. When I explained what I was up to, she said she didn’t mind if I used their names. I was delighted. The amount of lives you touch doing this grows rapidly. It always brings me joy to share some of these stories. You heard my side of representing Annette in my Thanksgiving post. Now, Annette gives us “the rest of the story”.

It’s hard to believe another year has almost came and went. Another year representing the best people America has to offer. For me, I still get that same sense of awe and wonder. The fact that I am allowed to represent so many fine Veterans, widows, and families, across the country, brings me so much joy. Each with a unique story. This Thanksgiving, I have been able to help make one wife’s Thanksgiving a little bit easier.

The best quality decision from the VA comes from the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. The downside? The wait time usually spans multiple years. To fix this, Congress allowed certain Veterans to ask for “advancement”, getting their case placed at the top of the line. Today, I will discuss the Board’s recent war on the bankrupt, dying, and seriously ill Veterans.