The Veterans Law Blog published 264 posts in 2014.

Nobody else – no other attorney, no other VSO, and certainly not the VA – provides the in-depth content that Veterans battling the VA get from the Veterans Law Blog.

The 2014 Readers’ Choice List.

Last week, I asked subscribers of the Veterans Law Blog – and some of our most avid Facebook followers – to tell me the post that they found most useful in 2014.

I received hundreds of emails – and read every one of them while waiting for Santa to squeeze down the chimney on Christmas eve.

I picked out the top 10 posts that were most commonly mentioned in those emails – these are our 2014 Reader’s Choice List.

 

#10 The Sad Truth about Military Sexual Trauma Claims. 

The sad truth of Military Sexual Trauma claims is that the VA makes them very, very adversarial.

That this post was so widely voted on as a “Top Veterans Law Post” for 2014 was encouraging.

More Veterans who are survivors of Military Sexual Trauma need to understand how the VA is going to come after them in a VA Claim – and how to prepare for the VA’s “attack”.

This post starts to help develop that understanding – be sure to read the post linked in it written by a vocal MST Survivor – and a public and visible national advocate for MST Survivors.

#9: Is Your VA Claims Evidence Worth “5 Stars”?

I am ecstatic that Veterans are benefiting from this post.

I’ve looked at hundreds, indeed thousands, of Veterans Claims Files, and one thing that I see so often is that Veterans are not using the best evidence in their VA Claims.

In this post, I lined out what I believe are the “5 Stars of VA Claims Evidence”, and the 4 Principles that can help Veterans to improve their own VA Claims Evidence.

#8: Here’s how to KNOW if you Got the Right VA PTSD Rating.

In my experience, the VA “under-rates” PTSD and Mental Health conditions.

In this post, I walked Veterans through 10 Practical Tips they can use to make sure the VA properly rated their PTSD.

From my thoughts on Veterans’ tendencies to downplay their PTSD Symptoms, to the “Best Keep Secret” in arguing for a better PTSD Rating…

…this post is one of the most thorough on the Veterans Law Blog.

#7: What’s an RBA? Hint – it’s only used at the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

This post was actually first written in 2012.   I began to get a lot of emails from Veterans about the mysterious term “RBA”…and as I referred them to this post, I began to realize that it didn’t answer the questions that Veterans had about the RBA.

So I rewrote it in December 2014….here’s what one Veteran wrote about it, summing up what many of you said:

“Some months ago, your office sent me an electronic copy of my C-file followed by an additional hard copy.  That has been VERY helpful.  Thank you. Your articles on how to prepare documentation for the VA have also been quite helpful…..In my preparation for the “next steps” in the process, your article on an RBA was very enlightening.  I don’t often come across NEW information.” – Steve L.  

#6:Are You Taking Advantage of Secondary Service Connection in YOUR VA Claim?

If I had a nickel for every Veteran that COULD have used Secondary Service Connection to prove their VA Claim – but did not – my stack of nickels would reach up and touch the New Years’ Ball in Times Square.

Seriously – Secondary Service Connection is the most under-utilized path to service connection – but also the most likely legal proof that Veterans need to show a condition is related to military service.

This post is going to get you familiar with the legal concept of “Secondary Service Connection”.

#5: 8 Steps to Make Your VA Disability Claim BETTER! 

 

This 8 step method works. I can see that from the emails that I get from Veterans every day. Veterans who tell me that they fixed their VA claim by getting a copy of their C-File and seeing what was NOT in it.

Veterans who tell me that by learning the law a little better, they made a more persuasive argument to the VA.

Veterans who read my book on the “Secret to Proving Your VA Disability Claim”…and used that new knowledge to get the evidence they needed to get out of the VA Hamster Wheel.

Start at the beginning, follow the steps, and start to improve your own VA claim.

#4: How to get Your VA C-File.

When I first started representing Veterans in 2007, I was shocked at what I found – and didn’t find – in Veterans C-Files.  I was even MORE shocked to find that my clients had no earthly idea what was – and was not – in their VA Claims File (or how it was killing their claim).

I was stunned to find so many of my fellow Veterans Advocates who take on clients without first seeing this C-File: by not doing so, they cannot know how to more quickly move their clients’ matters through the VA Claims Process.

Want to start getting your claim out of the VA backlog? Get your C-File.

#3: To DRO, or Not to DRO.

I am – and always have been – a big fan of the DRO review process. Why? Because more often than not, when a Veteran and a VA Rater can sit down and talk frankly about the claim, issues and disputes get resolved.

In any situation involving conflict, it is the discussion between both sides that first breaks the ice and resolves issues.

Take advantage of the DRO Review Process – despite what many will tell you, it does NOT delay your claim.

#2: 4 Lessons You Need to Service Connect Sleep Apnea.

 Sleep Apnea is a big problem in the Veterans Community.  So many are afflicted with it…

….either because it was directly caused by military service (like a TBI that interferes with the brain’s Sleep Breathing Mechanism), or because it was caused by something that is already service connected (like PTSD, for example).

So I was glad to see so many Veterans understanding what it takes to Service Connect Sleep Apnea – and this post hits the basics.

By the way, I’ve written the ONLY book that shows you how to develop aVA Sleep Apnea claim.

#1: If I see another VA Form 21–4138, I’m going to ____”

This post was born of my frustration – my frustration of seeing how valuable and important information was overlooked, ignored, or discredited by the VA….simply because it appeared on the form THEY told you to use.

Within weeks of publishing this post, I got this email from a Veteran who had just won every issue in his case – in his words – “all compensation issues were decided in my favor”

“I thought I had all my ducks in  row, until I bought your eBooks. They definitely help get my ducks in order. Especially the recommendation regarding use of a “Sworn Declaration” instead of a VA Statement In Support of Claim…the “Sworn Declaration” sealed the deal.  The DRO constantly referred to my “Sworn Declaration” while reviewing my evidence.”

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“I sort all your emails by topic into a separate email folder – this way if I ever have a question about a particular topic, I can instantly find what you have written about it.”  – Carl S.