News & Events

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Publishes Final Rule to Help Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange

Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving in Vietnam and other areas will find it easier to access quality health care and qualify for disability compensation under a final rule published in the Federal Register.  The new rule expands the list of health problems VA will presume to be related to Agent Orange and other herbicide exposures, which will speed up the application process.  VA is adding Parkinson’s disease and ischemic heart disease and expanding chronic lymphocytic leukemia to include all chronic B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia. 

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2010 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age & Survivors Insurance (OASDI) & Federal Disability Insurance Trust Funds

Each year the Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds report on the current and projected financial status of the two programs.  A summary of this report is available in PDF format.

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Social Security Administration (SSA) Opens New National Hearing Center (NHC) to Reduce Backlog of Disability Cases

The opening of a new NHC in St. Louis is SSA's fifth and largest center in the country.  It is located with two other new Social Security facilities, the National Case Assistance Center and the Midwest Training Center.  These three facilities will bring over 200 new federal jobs to St. Louis and help reduce the backlog of disability cases in this region of the country.  The NHC uses state of the art electronic video technology to hold disability hearings remotely throughout the country.  The new office initially will hear disability cases for Cleveland, Ohio and Minneapolis, Minnesota – cities with two of the most backlogged hearing offices in the nation. For more information about appealing a decision on an application for Social Security disability benefits visit SSA's website.

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VA Makes Access to Health Care & Benefits Easier for Veterans with PTSD

As President Barack Obama announced in his weekly address, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), led by Secretary Shinseki, will begin to make it easier for Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to receive the benefits they need. Under the new rule, VA would not require corroboration of a stressor related to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity if a VA doctor confirms that the stressful experience recalled by a Veteran adequately supports a diagnosis of PTSD and the Veteran's symptoms are related to the claimed stressor. More than 400,000 Veterans currently receiving compensation benefits are service-connected for PTSD.

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VA Makes Filing Claims Easier & Faster for Veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is reducing the paperwork and speeding up the process for Veterans seeking compensation for disabilities related to their military service. VA has shortened application forms to reduce paperwork for Veterans. The new forms include a shortened VA Form 21-526 for Veterans applying for the first-time to VA for disability compensation or pension benefits and VA Form 21-526b for Veterans seeking increased benefits for conditions already determined by VA to be service-connected.

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