The Defense Department recently agreed to expedite the claims of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder but have been denied benefits.
The veterans’ advocacy group National Veterans Legal Services said at a press conference in Washington that more than 4,000 veterans could be eligible for benefits from a class action lawsuit if hey left the military because of their PTSD.
The original lawsuit was filed by seven veterans who suffer from PTSD in 2008. The seven veterans had been denied a required rating to make them eligible for a variety of long-term disability benefits. A court authorized mailing is now going out to veterans on a list of some 4,300 veterans informing them of their ability to join the lawsuit if they qualify.
Bart Stichman, a spokesman for National Veteran Legal Services, said “The legal notice gives thousands of veterans the right to join this class action under terms that are likely to result in millions of dollars in monetary and health care benefits.”
If you or someone you love has been physically or psychologically injured and is not receiving the long-term disability that he or she deserves, please contact a Indiana long term disability lawyer of the Hankey Law Office by calling 800-520-3633.
To help affected veterans navigate the process of seeking the benefits to which they are entitled, the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) and Morgan Lewis are bringing together approximately 100 volunteer lawyers to offer free counseling to all class members.
OIF/OEF veterans who qualify as class members for this lawsuit :
(a) served on active duty in the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Air Force,
(b) were found by a Physical Evaluation Board to be unfit for continued service due, at least in part, to the individual’s PTSD,
(c) were assigned a disability rating for PTSD of less than 50%, and, as a result,
(d) were released, separated, retired, or discharged from active duty after December 17, 2002, and prior to October 14, 2008 (regardless whether such release, separation, retirement, or discharge resulted in the individual’s placement on the Temporary Disability Retirement List).
Veterans who do not receive the legal notice in the mail, but who believe they may qualify as a class member in Sabo vs. United States, should go to http://www.ptsdlawsuit.com to obtain information about their rights in the lawsuit.