By Steve Wright

Normally, a claimant who is receiving VA pension, must report all of their income, assets, and unreimbursed medical expenses at the end of each year. This process is referred to as a yearly Eligibility Verification Report, or EVR. This process is often a source of many problems for those who receive this pension.

Generally, the VA sends out the required forms to each claimant, and the claimant is responsible for submitting the information in a timely manner, usually by March 1^st. However, if you fail to complete the forms or if you make errors in completing the forms, the VA can stop the pension and request repayment of past pension benefits.

Once this repayment request has been made by the VA it is very hard to stop or reverse the process. Even after you have stopped the repayment request, the VA requires you to resubmit several forms and wait several months on a response.

Since this pension is designed to help our older war-time veterans and their spouses, it is troubling that such a system exists that can harm those desperately in need of these benefits.

A new VA rule has done away with EVR reporting. Instead, the VA requires that any claimant receiving pension benefits through the VA report any changes in assets, income, or unreimbursed medical expenses as the changes come about. This eases much of the heartache for claimants receiving pension benefits now. However, I urge all claimants to actively track their pension benefits as well as any changes in assets, income, or unreimbursed medical expenses. This will allow you to answer any requests for information that the VA may have relating to your claim. Understand that the VA still has the right to audit each claim.

If you have questions about this change or others related to VA benefits, it is a good idea to contact a knowledgable professional. The staff at Cooper, Adel and Associates can help answer your questions.

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By Steven Wright

As December 7^th approaches, it reminds me to be thankful for the brave men and women who went to work defending our way of life, as a result of the Japanese bombing at Pearl Harbor. So that we never lose sight of their sacrifices, lets remind ourselves of what occurred that day.

At 7:51 a.m. On Sunday, December 7^th, 1941, Japanese planes launched from six different Japanese carriers struck U.S. military installations in and around Pearl Harbor. While the planes attacked, U.S. service men and women were asleep in their barracks and on their ships. As soon as the attack started, these brave soldiers, sailors, and marines went to work attempting to fend off this stealthy surprise attack by the Japanese.

However, the surprise attack was a success for the Japanese, with 2,402 American lives lost, 188 Aircraft destroyed, and several battleships, cruisers and destroyers were either sunk or damaged. Among the severe loss, was the battleship U.S.S. Arizona. The Arizona with 1,177 of her crew still aboard sank to the bottom of Pearl Harbor after a Japanese bomb exploded its forward magazine causing a massive explosion.

The Japanese has hoped to cripple the U.S. Pacific fleet so that the Japanese would be able to carryout their plans to attack different possessions throughout the Pacific. However, through sheer determination and spirit, the U.S. Pacific fleet recovered, and relentlessly pursued the Japanese Navy until the Japanese Navy was driven to extinction.

Because of their determination, I find great pride in not only calling myself an American, but also being fortunate enough to help these veterans in my career. As part of my job at Cooper, Adel & Associates, I help these veterans seek out benefits available to them through the Department of Veterans Affairs. These benefits often mean the world to the veterans and their surviving spouses as it allows them to maintain dignity that they so long ago earned.

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By Attorney Mitch Adel

One of the more rewarding parts of my days are spent hearing the stories and memories of Veterans and their families who come in to see me for consultations.  Whether it is the actual war time memories told by veterans who served overseas or the spouses and widows reliving what they did while their spouses were away, hearing their renditions is extremely rewarding and satisfying.  Unfortunately with most living World War II veterans in their late 80s, making sure that their stories are forever remembered is becoming more of a challenge.    Kudos to the Ohio Department of Aging and Ohio Veterans Services for doing their part by asking that these stories be recovered and submitted.  Stories of 500-1000 words can be mailed to the Ohio Department of Aging, to the attention of War Era Story Project; 50 W. Broad Street, 9th Floor; Columbus, Ohio 43215.  The project is also asking for any photographs to be mailed in as well, with the caveat that they will not be returned.  

The deadline for the submissions is the end of July, so if you are a veteran or family member and have a story from this time period, please mail yours as soon as possible.  I would also ask that you bring in pictures that you want submitted if you are coming in for a meeting with Thom Cooper, myself, one of our attorneys or staff members.  We can duplicate them for submission to ensure that your original photos are preserved.

For more information please visit:

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Department-of-Aging-News-Release–War-Era-Story-Project.html?soid=1101509709959&aid=BkFwO70EqO8

By: Steve Wright

As many people already know, Memorial Day is a day to honor American veterans who fell defending our way of life. Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, a day to remember fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. As you can imagine, only the northern states recognized Decoration Day immediately following the Civil War. However, after World War I, Americans started to honor those who fought in Europe. At this time, Memorial Day was not yet an official holiday.

In 1971, the federal government made Memorial Day a national holiday when they passed the National Holiday Act of 1971. They designated the last Monday of May as the official day for Memorial Day. Over time, Memorial Day lost its meaning and become just another day off of work for many. Because of this the national government passed the National Moment of Remembrance resolution in a hope to restore meaning to the day.

The National Moment of Remembrance was a House resolution passed in 2000 that asks all Americans to take a moment at 3:00 pm and remember all those who sacrificed to protect our way of life. This is significant, as it is important that we remember those who made our lattes, flat screen televisions, and Xbox 360s possible. Many would even argue honoring the veterans who fought our wars is more important than celebrating the day we declared ourselves a county.

I hope many people read this and give up just a few moments out of their busy schedules on Monday the 28^th and honor all veterans past and present. Pass the word to others, and let's be grateful for the sacrifices of these brave men and women who willingly stand up to protect us, even if we do not agree with the political reasons for it.