The Department of Veterans Affairs seemingly has a form for any action veterans want to take with their VA disability claims. In this podcast, we compile some of the most important VA forms with instructions for their use.

The message is clear:  People - and their rights - must be front and centre.

A human rights lens puts everyone in the picture and ensures that no one is left behind.

Human rights responses can help beat the pandemic, putting a focus on the imperative of healthcare for everyone.

The best response is one that responds proportionately to immediate threats while protecting human rights and the rule of law.

Pes Planus, often referred to as flat feet, is a common foot deformity in which the arch of the foot is flattened to the point where it touches the ground, or nearly touches the ground. Ligaments and tendons from the lower leg and the foot form the arches; when these tendons do not pull properly, the foot has little or no arch, resulting in flat feet.

Spinal stenosis is a medical condition in which the passages through which your nerves travel through your spine become narrow or partially blocked. This impinges on the nerves themselves, which can cause pain, tingling numbness, and muscle weakness. In severe cases, it can lead to myelopathy, paralysis, bladder and bowel incontinence or retention, headaches, and other debilitating symptoms.

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#SE2E10 The Spine. Arthritis.

Tinnitus, or ringing in the ear is not a disease, but a symptom which can result from a wide range of underlying causes, including: prolonged exposure to abnormally loud sounds in the ear canal, ear infections, foreign objects in the ear, nasal allergies which prevent (or induce) fluid drain, or wax build-up. Tinnitus can also be noticed as part of the natural aging process, as a side effect of some medications or of genetic hearing loss. However, the most common cause is noise-induced hearing loss.

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#SE1E18 Hearing Loss And Tinnitus (part 1)

#SE3E5 Hearing Loss And Tinnitus (part 2)

Many veterans suffer from different ear conditions later in life like vertigo, dizziness, and tinnitus. As a result, these conditions can affect the way they work and live. Service members are exposed to innumerable loud noises which can cause permanent ear damage and disability.

Clearly, we are living through an extraordinary period in human history. The rampant spread of Covid-19 has upended societies and economies. Its short-term effects have been dramatic and, in the medium-term and long-term, the virus may have profound consequences for all of us.

Most veterans are in the dark about how the VA actually determines a rating for PTSD. If a veteran is granted a service-connected disability for PTSD the VA will assign a rating based on the current severity of the symptoms (not on the severity of the stressful event). The VA actually has published regulations on how it is supposed to rate PTSD claims. The problem is that it’s just one set of regulations buried within thousands of VA regulations. Below are the specific regulations on how the VA is supposed to rate PTSD claims based upon the level of social and occupational impairment as determined by various symptoms. These ratings range from 0, 10, 30, 50, 70, and 100%.

A condition in which the tissue connecting muscle to bone becomes inflamed.  This inflammation can cause pain and limitation of motion.

The joints in your body are the connecting force that gives you the ability to move without discomfort. But when you suffer from tendonitis, the joints can’t function properly.

The VA awards disability compensation for each Skin condition that is service-connected. The DoD will also rate service-connected Skin conditions as long as they also make the service member Unfit for Duty. For Reservists, the Skin condition must have occurred in or resulted from an injury in the Line of Duty to qualify.