Buffalo, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 06/08/2018 -- The Veterans Administration recently took two steps toward improving wait times for veterans applying for disability. Robert Wilkie, who has served as the VA's acting secretary since March, was appointed to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs; and the agency signed with Cerner for an electronic records system that will modernize the VA's health care IT system and help provide seamless care to veterans as they transition from military service to veteran status.

Curt Cashour, press secretary for the agency, says these actions will help reduce the time veterans wait for decisions on disability benefits. Currently, more than 338,000 veterans who have applied for disability benefits, and 69,000 who have appealed their rating for benefits, are waiting for decisions on their claims.

"Congress and the Trump administration have been playing politics with leadership at the Department of Veterans Affairs while disabled veterans go without disability benefits," said Jeffrey M. Freedman, managing attorney, Jeffrey Freedman Attorneys, PLLC. "Locally, we have seen clients appeal ratings and wait five years for a decision. While they wait, these applicants suffer severe financial stress, which impacts their health."

A lack of leadership at the top of the agency extends beyond the top position of Veteran Affairs secretary, according to John Hoellwarth, spokesman for Amvets.

"There has been a mass exodus of the organization's most knowledgeable and experienced personnel," Hoellwarth said. This includes losses in the rank and file — 33,000 vacancies in total. Curt Cashour, agency spokesman, said, "in many cases, employees who were not on board with this administrations' policies have departed."

"The 330,000 employees left at the VA are doing their best to stick to their mission," Freedman said. "But as the former chief of staff at the VA hospital in Cleveland has said, morale is running low."

President Trump's revised Veterans Choice Act – the original was signed by President Obama – allowing veterans to seek care from private physicians, has created a mountain of paperwork for VA doctors, according to recent reports. VA physicians say the data entry created when veterans see doctors from outside the agency, is taking them away from their primary job: to provide care for the general population of veterans, and medical evaluations and documentation to those applying for disability.

Cashour, however, says new patients seeking care are being seen more quickly than in the past: mental health requests went from 11.4 days to 11.2 days; primary care requests went from 24.3 days to 21.8 days; specialty care went from 23.5 to 20.7 days. All clinics combined went from 19.1 days to 17.1 days.

"We have to keep in mind, these are not huge improvements, and these statistics represent the national average, which means there are still many veterans waiting longer to get appointments," Freedman said. "Plus, there's a significant variation from one region to the next."

The impact of the leadership vacuum affects veterans on a very personal level, he said. For those disabled due to service-related injuries, obtaining disability benefits has become a long and arduous process.

"We serve clients from all over the nation," Freedman said. "And we have worked with veterans who have appealed their ratings and had to wait five years for a decision on their appeals. Veterans deserve better."

Jeffrey Freedman, is managing attorney of Jeffrey Freedman Attorneys, PLLC. The firm, which, in addition to veterans disability claims handles Social Security Disability, bankruptcy, personal injury cases, workers compensation, employment discrimination and long-term disability, has more than 38 years of experience helping clients.

For Further Information, contact:
Jeffrey M. Freedman
716-725-1233
Jeffrey@jeffreyfreedman.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

VA puts his claim through lengthy appeals process

Buffalo, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 03/28/2018 -- After six years of appeals, a veteran finally received an award of $198,000 from the Veterans Administration for the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his superior officer. The veteran (name withheld due to the sensitivity of his case), who initially contacted Jeffrey Freedman Attorneys, PLLC, for assistance with his claim, did not present any mental health issues when he enlisted in the service. He was receiving excellent performance reviews until he was stationed in Germany, where he was assaulted by a Sergeant.

"He was very ashamed of the incident and did not discuss it with anyone, nor were there any official records documenting the assault," said Jeffrey Freedman, managing attorney, Jeffrey Freedman Attorneys, PLLC. "The trauma he suffered manifested itself in disciplinary problems, which escalated over time."

The VA denied his claim of 100 percent disability in 2012, because he had not reported the assault or talked to anyone about it. Eric Gang, the attorney who handled the case knew this client had a solid claim. Gang and his legal team obtained a forensic psychiatric review which corroborated that the client's discipline problems only appeared after the attack.

"We knew the client deserved 100 percent disability, but getting a successful resolution took perseverance," Freedman said. "After the psychiatrist's report was submitted, the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) still denied the claim."

The next step was to go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, which remanded the case back to the BVA. At that time the legal team obtained another expert opinion and the BVA granted the client a 100 percent disability rating, with $198,000 in back pay and benefits of $3,000 per month.

"Since this client is only 65 years old and his life expectancy is at least another 10 years, he can expect to collect at least $324,000 in additional benefits," Freedman said. "So to the veteran, who fully deserved his benefits, the claim will result in more than $500,000 over his lifetime."

About Jeffrey Freedman Attorneys, PLLC
Jeffrey Freedman Attorneys, PLLC, assists clients throughout Western New York with consumer and disability matters. The firm has been handling disability claims for more than 35 years.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Buffalo, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 03/07/2018 -- Question: What industry receives the top number of consumer complaints at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) every year? Answer: Debt relief.

Each year the FTC goes to bat for debtors by taking companies in the debt relief industry to court. In 2017 alone, the agency mailed thousands of checks to people who paid up front for debt relief and ended up further behind due to the fees and false claims made by debt consolidation, debt settlement, or debt relief companies.

But the checks from the FTC barely made a dent in what the individuals had lost. Scott Laughlin, vice president, Community and Creditor Relations of the nonprofit Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Buffalo, Inc., named the three top local offenders — Freedom Debt Relief, CareOne, and National Debt Relief.

"We've had the most clients come to us after trying to correct their situation through these three for-profit companies. Debt relief or consolidation programs (which are almost all for-profit) claim they can save you thousands," Laughlin said. "In fact, even if they reduce your debt with your creditors, the fees they charge combined with the interest and late fees that accrue on your debt until it is completely paid off will end up costing you just as much."

For example, said Christopher J. Grover, attorney, Jeffrey Freedman, PLLC, if a debtor owes $15,000 on three credit cards and reaches out to a debt relief company, the company will start taking monthly payments until they are able to negotiate the first debt. In the meantime, none of the debts are being paid and will continue to accrue penalties and increased interest rates commonly above 20 percent. Once the debtor pays enough to the agency to "settle" the first debt, it could be several months down the road and the balance could be several hundred dollars more than the original amount. This still leaves the other two balances, which have not been touched, and continued to increase while the first debt was settled. The result is higher settlement amounts and longer time in the plan. This is a process that can work in theory, but rarely works in reality.

Another big problem is that debt settlement companies make promises they can't fulfill. Often times the individual may have several debts, but the debt settlement company can only help settle a few, not all of the accounts. Ultimately, the person is going to be sued by some creditors, however, debtors are never told this by the debt relief company.

"An additional downside," Laughlin said, "is that the debtor's credit rating won't improve because the debt was negotiated down. Whereas, debtors who work with agencies like CCCS get back on track financially are able to improve their credit ratings."

Once debtors have contracted with these debt relief or debt consolidation companies, all mail regarding their credit card bills goes directly to the company, so the clients don't know the true state of their accounts until an account ends up in court. In the case of debt validation companies, Laughlin said, clients pay thousands of dollars to have their accounts disputed, and there's no guarantee the debt validation company will be able to get results. They can still end up owing the original amount, plus any fees and interest that have accrued over the time of the dispute.

Additionally, the forgiveness of debt through a debt settlement company is considered imputed income. The creditor claiming the capital loss will send the debtor a 1099, and the difference between what was owed and what has been paid will be considered income by the IRS.

"These companies prey on people who are in dire financial straights and don't know what to do," Grover said. "Typically, debtors end up coming to our offices and filing bankruptcy in the end. Whether they file Chapter 7 (straight bankruptcy) or Chapter 13 (a plan to repay creditors often a percentage of what is owed) the debt that is discharged is not taxable income to the filer."

Legitimate not-for-profit credit counseling services are highly regulated and frequently audited by the New York State Department of Financial Services, whereas debt relief, consolidation and settlement companies are not.

"They would never pass the scrutiny of a state audit. They strictly exist for their own profit, at the expense of those who fallen upon hard times," Laughlin said.

About Jeffrey Freedman Attorneys, PLLC.
Jeffrey Freedman Attorneys, PLLC., has been assisting Western New York residents with overwhelming debt for more than 35 years. The firm also handles Social Security Disability, Veteran's and long-term disability, employment discrimination, and personal injury cases.

For Further Information, contact:
Christopher Grover
716-856-7091
cgrover@jeffreyfreedman.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm