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Loeb & Loeb LLP is pleased to announce a significant pro bono victory on behalf of a disabled U.S. Army veteran who, through the help of the firm’s Veterans Assistance Project team, was able to successfully raise his disability rating from 10 percent to 80 percent, securing a substantial increase in benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Loeb & Loeb’s client suffers from a debilitating degenerative joint condition connected with his military service. Since separating from the Army, his health has further declined due to diabetes, severe circulatory problems in his legs and depression resulting from his disability. Over the past several years, as his condition has worsened, the veteran made repeated attempts to get the VA to raise his disability rating and increase his $127 per month monetary benefit to an appropriate level. Each of his claims was denied.
Loeb & Loeb began working with the client in 2012 through the firm’s Veterans Assistance Project, which provides pro bono assistance to veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces with respect to service-connected disability benefits claims. Loeb attorneys arranged for a new series of examinations and filed a claim for the veteran supported by recent treatment records that showed the severity of his condition. Loeb’s team was ultimately successful in convincing the VA to raise the client’s disability rating to 80 percent and increase his monthly compensation from $127 to $1,503. Because the rating decision is backdated to the date the claim was submitted, the client immediately received back pay amounting to over $15,000. In addition, the rating increase entitles him to expanded medical and dental care.
“It is not an exaggeration to say that the favorable rating decision that our client received will change his life,” said Loeb & Loeb associate Jon Hollis, who is the founding member of the firm’s Veterans Assistance Project team and a veteran himself. “Close on the heels of Veterans Day, this result is particularly rewarding for our team. The VA claims system is a complex legal process that can be very difficult to navigate. Pro bono legal assistance goes a long way for veterans in need and we are proud to be able to provide that.”
The Loeb & Loeb attorneys who contributed to this case include Daniel B. Besikof, Jon Hollis, Stan Johnson and Gregory Schwed.
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Chair, Private Equity -
Of Counsel