DAV Press Releases
6 February 2008 update
VA Beneficiary Travel Mileage
Reimbursement Rates Increase. Under VHA Directive 2008-06,
beneficiary travel reimbursement rates and deductibles will increase on
February 1, 2008. On that date, the Beneficiary Travel Program mileage
reimbursement rate will increase from 11 cents per mile to 28.5 cents per mile. The associated deductible will go from
$3 for one way travel/$6 per round trip, with a maximum monthly deductible of $18; to $7.77 for one
way/$15.54 per round trip, with a
maximum calendar monthly deductible of $46.62.
Source: AFSA Newsletter February 1, 2008, Volume 3,
Edition 5
Nov 27, 2007
Release
The DAV March 2007 Walter Reed
Position Paper
From: Lisa Bogle,
Disabled American Veterans [mailto:lbogle@davmail.org]
Sent: Monday, August 21, 2006 9:14 AM
Subject: Press Release Attorneys in the Claims Process
|
Lawyers
Bill Unwarranted, Costly to Veterans Federal
legislation that would allow lawyers to charge veterans for helping them file
a claim for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs is unnecessary
and would increase costs to veterans, said Disabled American Veterans
National Commander Bradley S. Barton. Barton,
who is himself an attorney and a veteran’s advocate, said veterans should not
have to hire and pay a lawyer to help them with the largely administrative
claims process, which is designed to be open, informal and helpful to
veterans. “The
so-called Veterans’ Choice of Representation Act is unnecessary, and
involvement of lawyers would increase costs to veterans and to the VA without
significantly improving the process,” Barton said. “The
VA is required to assist veterans in completing and filing the relatively
informal application for benefits and then takes the initiative to advance
the claim through the appropriate steps,” Barton explained.
“In addition, veterans can get free help from the DAV’s professionally
trained National Service Officers or other organizations in navigating the VA
claims process.” “The
VA itself is opposed to the legislation, noting that attorney fees would
consume significant amounts of payments under programs meant to benefit
veterans,” Barton said. “The VA would
have to create a substantial new bureaucracy to perform the additional
accreditation and oversight responsibilities.
Instead the VA should use its scarce resources to hire more claims
adjudicators and provide them with the training needed to improve the quality
as well as timeliness of decisions.” Congress
placed the duty on the VA to ensure all alternative theories of entitlement
are exhausted and all laws and regulations pertinent to the case are
considered and applied. Currently,
veterans may hire an attorney for advice and counseling prior to filing a
claim for benefits or after the VA administrative proceedings have been
completed. Besides,
there is no evidence that attorneys would provide service superior to that
rendered by veterans’ service organization (VSO) representatives. In fiscal year 2005, for example, the Board
of Veterans’ Appeals granted one or more of the benefits sought in 21.3 percent
of the appeals in which claimants were represented by attorneys, who have the
luxury of hand picking their clients.
The board granted one or more of the benefits sought in 22.3 percent
of the cases in which a claimant was represented by a veteran’s service
organization. The
1.3 million-member Disabled American Veterans, a non-profit organization
founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932 represents this
nation’s disabled veterans. It is
dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives for our nation’s
disabled veterans and their families.
For more information, visit the organization’s Web site www.dav.org. |
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