Amanda Mineer

NPR Looks at Veteran Suicides and Gun Availability

A recent NPR story examines the connection between veteran suicides and access to guns. Recent trends dramatize the urgency of the issue, but taking any action is controversial.

Reading a Rating Decision​

You served your country selflessly, but during your service you were injured or developed a condition that is still affecting your life today. After applying for veterans’ disability benefits through ...

Fighting Hate and Intolerance: Vets Step Up

One of the most divisive challenges our country faces is spreading intolerance and the use of hate campaigns to target vulnerable people. Since the last presidential election, instances of both ...

Female Veterans and Military Sexual Trauma

The rate of suicide for female veterans is six times the rate of their civilian counterparts, and there is a very strong association between PTSD, sexual victimization as children and during military ...

Compensation & Pension Exams and DBQs

Once you have begun an application for veterans disability benefits, you may be required to complete a medical exam called the Compensation & Pension Exam. This examination is sometimes referred ...

Retrospective Medical Opinions

The Challenge of Sparse Medical Records We are all familiar with cases involving sparse medical records. Claim folders with minimal treatment records, both service and post-service, pose a challenge ...

Orange Essential Oils, Genes and PTSD

One of the challenges of dealing with PTSD is the difficulty of finding an adequate treatment. There are few medications for PTSD that are FDA-approved. However, relief may soon be easier than you ...

Veteran Unemployability and Volunteer Work

The issue of volunteering is an important one for veterans, because vets have always contributed to their communities and the country. After facing the challenges of living with a disabling condition ...

Nexus Letter

Navigating Disability Benefits and Deportation: A Veteran's Dilemma

Service-connected psychiatric disability and traumatic brain injury (TBI) are commonalities among veterans with substance abuse challenges and involvement with the criminal justice system. While ...