On a happier note.

[vetquest]

I was helping a widow of an ALS victim get benefits from the VA.  She decided to use a VSO also.  When she filed a FDC the VA denied her as for some stupid reason the death certificate stated they were separated at the time of his death.  I requested that she cite CFR 3.214 in that she was his spouse but they filed a Supplemental claim with a revised death certificate and two buddy letters.  The claim finished last week and she received back pay for about a year and begins receiving benefits this month.  

[Berta]

That is Wonderful- thank you vetquest ,for helping her.

In part:

"VA Provides Benefits to Veterans with ALS and Families

Military veterans, regardless of the branch of service, the era in which they served, or whether they served during a time of peace or a time of war, are at a greater risk of dying from ALS than if they had not served in the military.  For reasons as yet unknown, veterans are, in fact, twice as likely to be diagnosed with ALS as the general population.

In 2008, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) implemented regulations to establish a presumption of service connection for ALS, thanks to the efforts of The ALS Association, key members of Congress, and advocates.  Under the regulations, the VA presumes that ALS was incurred or aggravated by a veteran’s service in the military.  As a result, veterans with ALS and their families and survivors are eligible for “service connected” benefits."

http://web.alsa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=va_provides_benefits

[paulstrgn]

That is wonderful news.