COVID-19 RELIEF INFORMATION Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Regional Office is closed to the public. The Regional Office and the Insurance Center will no longer accept walk-ins for claims assistance, scheduled appointments, counseling, and other in-person services. This decision aligns with federal, state and local guidance and is…

We talk all the time about why we should be keeping Veteran pension as part of our estate planning practice.  Now, more than ever, it’s important to reach out to our Veterans or their spouses.  We are in the midst of a world wide crisis that seems to be much worse for the sick, the…

Victor B. Skaar v. Robert L. Wilkie, Secretary of Veterans Affairs    United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, No. 17-2574 A United States Air Force B-52 bomber and a KC-135 tanker aircraft collided over Palomares, Spain, while attempting in flight refueling on January 17, 1966. The collision caused four thermonuclear weapons to be…

The National Defense Authorization Act  (NDAA, P.L. 116-92) allows surviving spouses of military troops who died during active-duty service or retirees who died from a service-connected cause to keep all compensation from the government. Prior to the new law, surviving spouses who received a Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) paid a dollar-for-dollar offset from their…

Contributed by Valerie Peterson, J.D. Lately we’ve been hearing attorneys say they no longer practice in the Veterans pension benefits area. This is unsettling, as there is a huge need to help wartime Veterans (and surviving spouses) obtain benefits that will help pay for long term care and there simply aren’t enough attorneys to assist them….

By Jill Roamer, J.D. The VAPT (Veterans asset protection trust) is a powerful tool that can protect assets while enabling the grantor to qualify for needs-based pension benefits. There are two sub-trusts within the VAPT – one is a grantor sub-trust and the other is a non-grantor sub-trust. Why is it structured this way? The…