Latest posts
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SCRA Protections: The 6% Interest Cap Is Forgiveness, Not Deferral
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act can cap interest on qualifying pre-service debt at 6% and the excess is written off rather than postponed. Who qualifies, which debts are covered, and how to make the request.
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USERRA: The Job You’d Have Had, Not the One You Left
USERRA’s escalator principle entitles you to the position you would have attained. Here are the reporting deadlines, the five-year limit’s exceptions, and how health coverage continues.
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Back and Spine VA Ratings: The Degrees That Decide Everything
VA rates the spine on measured motion, not pain. Here are the thoracolumbar and cervical thresholds, the muscle spasm route to 20%, and why radiculopathy rates separately.
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Sleep Apnea VA Rating: Why ‘Requires’ CPAP Decides the 50%
Sleep apnea rates 0, 30, 50, or 100 percent under DC 6847. The 50% turns on whether a breathing device is medically required — here is what that means and why most claims run secondary.
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Tinnitus and Hearing Loss VA Ratings: Why 10% Is the Ceiling
Tinnitus is capped at 10% for both ears combined, and hearing loss runs on tables most veterans never see. Here are the thresholds, the 500 Hz trap, and the exceptional patterns worth checking.
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Veterans Treatment Court: How It Works and Who Qualifies
A veterans treatment court is harder than ordinary probation, not easier. Here is who qualifies, what a VJO specialist does, and what happens to VA compensation.
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VA Mental Health Ratings: Why Counting Symptoms Gets It Wrong
The symptom lists in the VA mental health rating criteria are examples, not requirements. Ratings turn on occupational and social impairment — here is what each level actually means.
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Adding Dependents to VA Compensation: The One-Year Rule
At 30% and above, VA pays more for a spouse, children, and dependent parents. Report the marriage or birth within a year and you are paid from the date it happened.
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The Oregon Veterans’ Home in Lebanon: Who Qualifies and What VA Pays
Oregon’s Edward C. Allworth Veterans’ Home is right here in Lebanon. Spouses and Gold Star parents can live there too, and VA covers the full cost for veterans rated 70% or higher.
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VA Intent to File: How One Date Decides Your Back Pay
An intent to file locks in your effective date for a year. Here are the three ways to file one, the supplemental-claim exception, and the discharge rule that pays back to the day you got out.