Category Archives: Military & Veterans
How Department of Veterans Affairs Decision Reviews Work
If you received a decision from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that you disagree with, you have the right to further review. The review process through Department of Veterans Affairs is has recently been updated. You will want a skilled Veterans Law Attorney who has experience handling VA claims. At Citizen Soldier Law,… Read More »
Expansion of Guidance for Discharge Upgrades in PTSD-Related Case
In September 2014, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel published a memorandum that directed discharge review boards to “fully and carefully consider” any petition concerning claims that PTSD symptoms existed at the time of the veteran’s discharge and contributed to underlying misconduct that prompted an adverse discharge. The memo directed the boards to give timely… Read More »
Veterans Benefits 2020: Most Unique or Newest State Benefit
Alabama “The most unique benefit Alabama offers is the Alabama G.I. Dependent Scholarship. There are few like it. It offers dependents of Alabama’s disabled Veterans educational opportunities that may not be possible otherwise. It helps cover the costs of tuition, textbooks and instructional fees for undergraduate courses at any public college in the state…. Read More »
Identifying Barriers and Best Practices Study Act: Getting Benefits to National Guard and Reservists
Almost all veterans are promised disability and pension benefits to compensate for injuries they received while serving in the United States Armed Forces. However, veterans of the National Guard and Reserve are often denied these benefits or given insufficient payments that do not cover their medical problems. This problem is so widespread because many… Read More »
Veterans Diversion Program in Federal Court
If a veteran is convicted of a federal crime, is there any way to avoid incarceration? While Veteran Diversion Programs are well-known at the state level, federal diversion programs for veterans can be more difficult to understand and gain admission to. Joseph Brodie is one veteran, convicted of a federal crime, who could have… Read More »
Compulsive Sexual Behavior and PTSD
Compulsive Sexual Behavior (CSB) is defined as a “pattern of abnormally frequent paraphelic … or normaphelic … thoughts and actions” that causes distress or problems in a person’s life. Symptoms of CSB include frequent sexual fantasies or urges, intercourse, masturbation, fetishism, sadism, or pedophilia. Roughly 3 to 5 percent of the general population report… Read More »
Combat Related Special Compensation
Passed by Congress in 2008, Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC) is a program to assist disabled, retired combat veterans. Before CRSC, veterans could not concurrently receive retirement pay from the Department of Defense (DoD) and disability benefits form the Department of Veterans Affairs. Prior to CRSC, any monetary benefits received from the VA was… Read More »
Which Attorney to Hire?
If you’re a veteran with a legal issue, hiring a fellow veteran as your attorney seems like a no-brainer. But in addition to the comradery and relatability factors, you may not realize that there are significant legal advantages to having a veteran handle your legal matter. Here at Citizen Solider Law, we focus in… Read More »
Title IX
There are very few traumatic experiences that equal the trauma of sexual assault. But consider the trauma of being wrongfully accused of sexual assault., especially in the age of the #metoo movement. Whether you are in the military or in higher education (Title IX process), or both, you will find yourself in an arcane… Read More »
Veterans Diversion Program
According to the RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research, 20% of the veterans who served in either Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from either major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder and according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, 25% of veterans showed signs of substance abuse disorder. Furthermore, more than half of the veterans involved with the… Read More »
