The Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of a Marine Corps veteran and thousands of other veterans seeking to compel the Secretary of Veterans' Affairs to decide initial disability compensation appeals that have been pending more than one year. The lawsuit specifically involves cases in which veterans are facing a medical or financial hardship. The case is the first class action filed in the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. The lawsuit claims that the long waits amount to a denial of benefits and asks the court to order the V.A. To make a decision within 30 days on every appeal that has been pending for more than a year if the applicant has a financial or medical hardship. The petition before the court is available on the Yale University Law School website at www.law.yale.edu/documents/pdf/News_&_Events/Monk_v_McDonald_Mandamus_Petition_FINAL_150406.pdf.
For more on veteran programs, visit the Military.com Benefits Center.
