Legal assistance can help greatly in claims for veterans' benefits such as disability pensions or compensation, medical care, mental-health treatment, educational benefits, loan and housing help, cemetery and burial assistance and vocational rehabilitation.
A Guide to Veterans Benefits
The process of obtaining Veterans benefits should not be difficult, but for many veterans, it is. The amount of paperwork involved can be overwhelming. At the Ardmore law offices of Polly Murphy, PC, we are dedicated to helping disabled veterans in Oklahoma get the full extent of benefits they deserve. Our practice is dedicated to fighting for the disabled, and injured.
Fighting for the Underdog
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Veterans benefits can provide for more than just using VA medical facilities. In some situations, benefits are designed to help your family as well. We will help you understand the full reach of your benefits, so you can take full advantage of their support. Contact us to speak to an experienced lawyer.
The History of U.S. Veterans' Benefits
The federal Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) is responsible for providing benefits and services to our veterans, their families and survivors. According to its Web site, the mission of the VA is "to serve America's veterans and their families with dignity and compassion and to be their principal advocate in ensuring that they receive medical care, benefits, social support, and lasting memorials promoting the health, welfare, and dignity of all veterans in recognition of their service to this Nation."
Unfortunately, securing rightful VA benefits can be challenging and frustrating for veterans and their families. Many experience long delays and have difficulty proving their eligibility. The VA was understaffed and under-funded to adequately process the surge in claims from recent wars. As of 2008, more federal money will be spent to decrease this caseload.
Once benefits are secured, some veterans are experiencing low-quality or inadequate services. If you experience difficulty in obtaining quality veterans' benefits, a veterans' benefits lawyer such as one from Polly Murphy in Ardmore, Oklahoma, may be able to assist you.
VA Origins
Medical and social challenges associated with veterans returning from wars are age-old and worldwide problems. Even before the establishment of this country, the early Colonies paid disability pensions to their soldiers injured in skirmishes with Native Americans. Later, the Continental Congress gave pensions and land grants to some Revolutionary War veterans. Various pension and benefit programs evolved until the Civil War, which produced an additional almost 2 million Union veterans. This surge in need produced enhanced pensions, disability compensation, medical care, housing services and the national cemetery program. Confederate veterans and their survivors were finally served by the federal government in 1958.
The Modern Agency
The motto of today's VA comes from Lincoln's 1864 second inaugural address in which he implored Congress "to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan." Over the next 50 years several federal agencies were responsible for providing veterans' benefits and services. Finally in 1930 all veterans' issues were assigned to a single new agency: The Veterans' Administration (VA).
By signing the GI Bill in 1944, Roosevelt expanded veterans' benefits significantly for the millions of US veterans of World War II and their dependents. The GI Bill introduced programs for education assistance; home, business and farm loans; and unemployment compensation. The resulting economic stimulus to the economy contributed to the development of a strong American middle class and spacious new suburbs.
The Veterans' Administration became the Department of Veterans Affairs (also known as the VA) when the agency was elevated to presidential cabinet status in 1989. The modern VA still serves veterans of earlier eras and their survivors and dependents, as well as today's returning veterans and their families.
Conclusion
If you are struggling to obtain veterans' benefits from the VA or from your state veterans' agency, a veterans' benefit lawyer from Polly Murphy in Ardmore, Oklahoma, can answer your questions.
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