The Veteran's Survival Guide: How to File and Collect on VA Claims - Softcover

Roche, John D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1574884158 ISBN 13: 9781574884159

Publisher: Potomac Books, 2002

Synopsis

Despite the rhetoric of “We can’t do enough for you” that has bombarded veterans since the early 1980s, veterans’ benefits are constantly being downsized, measured only by bottom-line costs. Gone are the pledges of a nation grateful for the sacrifices of those who have served. The results: a Veterans Administration with a diminished budget, and millions of veterans whose legitimate claims for federal benefits are denied, in most cases because the claimants don’t understand the procedures needed to meet the VA’s myriad requirements.

With the appeals process requiring years to resolve disputes, deserving veterans and their dependents are left confused and frustrated by the agency and a system that was created to serve them. In The Veteran's Survival Guide, veterans’ advocate John D. Roche equips veterans with the knowledge they need to submit well-grounded claims the first time, stating as Rule #1 that, “If you don’t submit evidence to support your claim it will be denied.”

Written in an accessible self-help style, The Veteran's Survival Guide should be required reading for all veterans or veterans’ dependents who wish to obtain their well-earned benefits, and for those officials of veterans’ service organizations whose job it is to assist veterans with their claims.

About this title

About the Author

Maj. John D. Roche, USAF (Ret.), served as a bomber pilot, had combat duty in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and held a variety of administrative assignments. Subsequently, he worked for sixteen years as a claims adjudicator specialist for the Veterans Administration and as a veterans’ service officer for Pinellas County, Florida, where he was a tireless advocate for veterans and their families. Roche enjoyed one of the highest rates of wins on appeal in the state. This book is based on his experience as a successful practitioner, many years of independent research, and personal consultations with some 80,000 veterans, widows, and dependents. Roche is also the author of The Veteran’s Survival Guide, Second Edition (Potomac Books, 2006) and The Veteran’s PTSD Handbook (Potomac Books, 2007). He lives in Palm Harbor, Florida.

Reviews

The author, a former claims adjudication specialist for the Veteran's Administration (VA), assembles the information veterans and their dependents need to file a claim for their federal benefits. According to Roche, the process is slow and complicated, and the VA is not helpful to those pursuing their rights. Roche concentrates on instructing readers in the key elements for securing benefits: constructing a "well-grounded claim" and complying with claims procedures. In plain language, he provides detailed descriptions of the steps involved and illustrates the discussion with examples and cautions. The author pulls no punches regarding the difficulties claimants encounter and succeeds in providing them with the information they need to work through a tangled system. Highly recommended for public libraries.
Joan Pedzich, Harris Beach LLP, Rochester, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Potomac Books
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1574884158
• ISBN 13: 9781574884159
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336