Overview: The VA Claims Process

First posted November 5, 2013

“The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their country.” George Washington, 1789

“…let us…care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan…” Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address, 1865

As demonstrated in these quotes, the mandate to care for those who have “borne the battle” has been ingrained in our National ethos since our earliest days.  I am so inspired to be contributing to this heritage by focusing a legal practice on my fellow veterans.  And I am grateful and humbled by the willingness of Bradley & Guzzetta to add this service to their practice.  In this column I’ll provide a brief summary of the VA disability claims process.  A future column will describe the lawyer’s role in this process and how, when and why to hire one.

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers a variety of benefits and services that provide financial and other forms of assistance to servicemembers, veterans, their dependents and survivors. One of the most common benefits is Disability Compensation (DC). Disability Compensation is a tax free monetary benefit paid to veterans with disabilities that are the result of a disease or injury incurred or aggravated during active military service (“service connected”). Compensation may also be paid for post-service disabilities that are considered related or secondary to disabilities incurred in service and for disabilities presumed to be related to circumstances of military service, even though they may arise after service. Generally, the degrees of disability specified are also designed to compensate for considerable loss of working time from exacerbations or illnesses. (See www.va.gov) The bottom line is that veterans who can prove an illness or injury connected to or aggravated by their service may be eligible for benefits. This summary is not meant to be a detailed guide as to how to apply, or all of the details that accompany each step, detailed instructions for which can be found several places online.

VA Disability Compensation is, of course, for veterans. What is a “veteran” is not always as obvious as it may seem and is the first step in determining eligibility for DC benefits. For purposes of qualifying for benefits, the VA identifies veterans as “those individuals who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and [were] discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.” Again, veteran status is not always clear under this definition, but that is a topic for another post

As heard frequently in the media, the VA has a large backlog of claims and the process of applying for and receiving final determination may take several years. The steps to the claims process are as follows:

1. File a Claim. A claim can be filed at the local VA office or online. It is common for veterans to receive the assistance of their county veterans’ service office, or one of the service organizations (DAV, VFW, American Legion, etc.). A surviving dependent of a veteran may also file a claim for dependency and indemnity compensation, death pension, and accrued benefits.

2. Receive the decision.

3. If not satisfied with the decision, the applicant has one year from the date the decision is mailed to file a Notice of Disagreement (NOD). The NOD must be submitted in writing and express a desire that the matter be reviewed by the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA). After sending a NOD, the veteran may request that an employee of the VA Regional Office, known as a Decision Review Officer (DRO), review the file. Once a NOD has been submitted, the veteran may hire an attorney to assist in the appeal.

4. After the NOD is reviewed, the VA will send the veteran a Statement of the Case (SOC), which will provide a detailed explanation of the laws, evidence, and regulations used in deciding the case. In addition, the veterans will receive a form for confirming that they still wish their appeal to go forward (VA Form 9).

5. Substantive Appeal. Using VA Form 9, the veteran provides specific reasons that he/she believes the VA decided the case incorrectly, within 60 days of the date the SOC was mailed or within one year of the date the VA mailed the original decision, whichever date is later.

6. Decision by the BVA. The BVA reviews cases in the order received. According to the National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates, as of 2011 it could take as long as 883 days for the BVA to review the appeal and make a decision. The BVA will grant the claim, deny the claim, or send it back for additional matters. The veteran’s options if the claim is denied are to try and reopen the claim at the Regional Office, ask the BVA to reconsider or review based on error, or appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC).

7. Appeal to the CAVC. If the BVA denies a claim, an appeal can be filed with the CAVC, which has exclusive jurisdiction to review adverse decisions of the BVA. This special federal court of appeals reviews the record for error. It is not a trial court and there are no witnesses or new evidence allowed. At this point the VA is represented in the proceedings for the first time by government attorneys opposing the appeal.

Although this summary of the VA disability claim process was short, the issues can be legally complex. Questions of veterans status, connection of the veteran’s service to the injury or illness, and the disability rating derived therein represent just a few of the reasons a veteran should consider a trained advocate on their side. A future post will cover the role of an attorney in representing a veteran in the appeal process and provide a guide as to when and why to hire an attorney for the appeal.

Tom Hagen is a 24-year member of the Minnesota National Guard where he serves as a judge advocate.  He deployed to Iraq twice with Minnesota’s 34th “Red Bull” Infantry Division.  Tom is a member of the National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates and has practiced law in Minnesota since 1997.

Welcome to Tom Hagen

First posted in October 2013
I want to take my first opportunity to contribute to the Bradley & Guzzetta website to introduce myself and thank Mike Bradley and Steve Guzzetta for inviting me to join their firm. I have been practicing law in Minnesota since 1997. I am focusing my current efforts on assisting veterans after over 15 years as a general practitioner, military lawyer and government employee. I also have a strong interest in public service as I strongly believe it to be critical to the health and vitality of our American experiment in self-government. My nearly 25 years in the National Guard with three overseas deployments since 2003 have also given me a strong appreciation for and desire to serve my fellow veterans. It is for them that I have returned to the private practice of law. Although I am focusing on veterans, I bring a wealth of experience in law, government, public policy and military affairs to the firm and am available for a wide range of matters.
I’ve known Mike since we served together in the National Guard as judge advocates (military lawyers) in the late 1990s. I am a born and raised Minnesotan and my family has deep roots in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. I was born at the old St. Mary’s Hospital (now University of Minnesota Riverside) and graduated from Chaska High School in 1986. While studying political science at the University of Minnesota-Duluth I developed my interest in government, politics and public policy. This led to my interning in then-U.S. Senator Dave Durenberger’s Washington, D.C. office and eventually a full-time gig on his staff after I graduated.
I returned to Minnesota to attend law school at William Mitchell at night while I worked for the State of Minnesota during the day. After graduating my wife and I decided that we wanted to start a family in a small town and I accepted my first attorney position with a small firm in Waseca, Minnesota. I commenced to start a family and a general practice focusing on family, criminal and municipal law. It was a great place to learn the ropes of the law. My interest in community service also led to my seeking public office and election as Mayor of Waseca in 2000.
In the post-9/11 era, my service with the Minnesota National Guard led to three overseas deployments starting in 2003. As a young captain and judge advocate with the 34th Infantry Division, we deployed to Bosnia-Herzogovina in support of the Dayton Peace Accords that ended the war following the break up of Yugoslavia. This was the largest deployment of the Minnesota National Guard and the first for the 34th Infantry Division headquarters since the end of World War II. Little did we know that this was just the first of many deployments for the Minnesota National Guard and its Red Bulls. I then served as the Brigade Judge Advocate (senior lawyer) for the 34th’s First Brigade Combat Team in southern Iraq in 2005-06. Caught in the 2007 surge, the First Brigade’s 22-month deployment turned out to be the longest for any U.S. Army unit in Operation Iraqi Freedom. I then deployed for my third time as the Deputy Staff Judge Advocate for the 34th Infantry Division headquarters as it deployed for the second time since World War II in 2009. The 34th provided command and control for 16,000 troops in the 9 provinces of southern Iraq. I currently hold the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Between deployments I returned to state service as an Assistant to the Commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Commerce. I recently completed a three year set of active duty orders with the National Guard in a mission supporting civil authorities in domestic emergencies and natural disasters.
My wife and I continue to live in Waseca, Minnesota with our three children. I am a member of the American Legion and VFW and coach youth baseball. My wife has been a financial advisor with Edward Jones since 1999. Our two boys are involved in baseball and football and our special needs daughter brings much joy and challenge to our lives. We like hunting, fishing, boat and camping. I guess you could say we are natural Minnesotans. My full professional bio can be found on the firm website at https://bradleyguzzetta.com/TomHagenBio.html, and I can be reached at[email protected].

Competitive Cable Franchising in Minnesota

Originally published on September 17, 2009

Companies that want to provide cable service are required by the Federal Cable Act to acquire a cable franchise from a unit of local government before providing service. In Minnesota, cities are the local unit of government that is authorized to grant cable franchises. Federal law also requires these franchises to be non-exclusive. In other words, no city may grant an exclusive franchise to any one particular company. For many years, most cities did not see more than one provider seeking a cable franchise. There are many reasons for this, but probably the biggest reason was that it was prohibitively expensive for a competing cable operator to construct cable wire and other facilities throughout a city. It was simply cost-prohibitive in most situations. However, with recent changes in technology and the ability of telephone companies to provide video service through IP technologies, the competitive landscape is changing. More telephone companies, particularly rural telephone companies are seeking to add video to their lineup of service offerings to their customers.

State Law Considerations

When there is an existing cable franchise in place in a city, the second competitive franchise must not be “more favorable or less burdensome than those in the existing franchise pertaining to: (1) the area served; (2) public, educational, or governmental access requirements; or (3) franchise fees.” When the new cable entrant is proposing different franchising requirements in these three areas, it is up to the franchising authority and the other interested parties to reach agreement on what “more favorable or less burdensome” means in this context. As of this posting, this issue has not yet been fleshed out by any court in Minnesota.

Another consideration is whether the competing company is a “cable communications company” as that term is defined by the Minnesota Cable Act. If it is not, the level playing field provisions of the Minnesota Cable would not apply.

Local Considerations

When looking at granting a competitive cable franchise, it is also important to understand any “competitive equity” or “level playing field” provisions in the existing cable franchise. It is not unusual for the existing franchise to have language that contains limitations beyond the level playing field conditions set forth in state law. The language may also apply to more companies than merely cable communications companies.

Federal Considerations

In 2007, the FCC released two orders relating to competitive franchising. The first order addressed competitive applicants for cable franchise and the second order addressed whether the rules in the first order applied to the existing franchise holder. Under the first order, the FCC adopted new rules concerning the application for an additional cable franchise starting with the time in which a request for a franchise must be acted upon.

Competitive Franchise Deadlines

If a company already has authority to access the public rights-of-way, the franchising authority my act on an application within 90-days.
All other applications must be acted on within six (6) months.
A franchise applicant has the burden of proving that it filed the requisite information with the franchising authority.
Unless otherwise agreed by the applicant and the franchising authority, if deadline is not met then an applicant is automatically granted interim authority to utilize public rights-of-way to provide cable service.
The terms of an “interim franchise” are those proposed in an applicant’s application and remains in effect until a local franchising authority takes final action on a franchise application.
Network Build-Out Requirements

Like state law, the FCC in its first order addressed the area a franchising authority may require in a cable franchise. The FCC declared it is unlawful for franchising authorities to refuse to grant a competitive franchise on the basis of “unreasonable build-out mandates.” In Minnesota, it will be up to the parties to apply this language consistent with the state level playing field language relating to area served.

While the FCC did not definitively define what constitutes an “unreasonable build-out” mandate, it did list examples of both reasonable and unreasonable build-out requirements.

Examples of Unreasonable Build-Out Requirements

The FCC’s examples of unreasonable build-out mandates include:

requiring a new entrant to serve everyone in a franchise area before it has begun to serve anyone;
requiring facilities-based entrants, such as incumbent LECs, to build out beyond the footprint of their existing facilities before they have even begun to provide cable service;
requiring more of a new entrant than an incumbent cable operator by, for instance, requiring the new entrant to build out its facilities in a shorter period of time than that afforded to the incumbent;
requiring the new entrant to build out and provide service to areas of lower density than those that the incumbent cable operator is required to build out to and serve;
requiring a new entrant to build out to and service buildings or developments to which the entrant cannot obtain access on reasonable terms or which cannot be reached using standard technologies; and
requiring a new entrant to build out to and provide service to areas where it cannot obtain reasonable access to and use of public rights-of-way.
Examples of Reasonable Build-Out Requirements

The FCC notes that it would seem reasonable for a local franchising authority to consider benchmarks requiring the new entrant to increase its build-out after a reasonable time, taking into account the new entrant’s market success. The FCC also opined that it would seem reasonable to establish build-out requirements based on a new entrant’s market penetration.

Redlining

With regard to redlining, the FCC continued to rely on 47 U.S.C. § 541(a)(3) to protect consumers against economic redlining, also known as cherry picking.

Conclusion

Franchising competitive operators in Minnesota involves the consideration of federal, state and local laws and contracts. For more information do not hesitate to contact the attorneys at Bradley & Guzzetta, LLC.

Originally published October 3, 2013.

An old saying for folks living on the East Side of St. Paul is “once an East Sider always an East Sider.” It’s still true today. Although I haven’t lived on St. Paul’s east side for over 20 years, I still identify with it. I guess I’ll always be an East Sider.

The East Side has always been a tough side of town. The people are a no nonsense type of people. You don’t get away with having fancy airs about you. But it has also been a place to raise families and a place that cares about its community. A place that takes care of its own. I don’t think that has changed.

But on the night of August 10, 2013 something terrible happened on the East Side. That night, Ray Widstrand, went out to walk his dog. He never got home.

As Ray walked toward a group of people, he was struck in the head so hard that he became unconscious. That was the first blow. After that the group took turns kicking and hitting Ray – mostly in the head. He was then stripped out of his clothes – still unconscious. Robbed. Left for dead.

Incredibly, Ray survived. But he suffered brutal brain injuries. He now has a long road of recovery ahead. He did nothing wrong. All he was doing was walking his dog. There was no reason for theattack.

Ray and his family need help. Ray’s friends have put together a fundraiser. It is being held this Saturday, October 5, 2013 at the Goodrich Golf Dome. This is the dome over by Aldrich Arena. The event is called Putts Fore Ray. It is meant to be a fun event. Miniature Golf, music, food, silent auction.

Please consider helping in any way that you can. There has also been a fund set up called Ray’s Fund. You can drop donations off at any Wells Fargo. East Siders, Ray needs our help. We are participating. I hope you will too.

But I Didn’t Order That!

Originally Published October 8, 2013

A Couple of years ago, Comcast told its subscribers that it was converting most of its channels from analog to digital. The transition, according to Comcast, would result in all sorts of great benefits to subscribers. But, there was a catch. You now had to have a converter box on all of your TVs.

No problem said Comcast, “we we will provide our residential customers at the Standard level of service and higher with one digital set-top converter and up to two digital adapters – all with remotes – at no change in the current monthly service cost.” All subscribers had to do was call and request the boxes. Subscribers did just that.

For about 2 years, everything went as promised. Then Comcast changed course. It started to charge subscribers $1.99 per subscriber per box for these converter boxes. Subscribers cried out, “wait a second, you said I wouldn’t be charged!” It was pointed out by some rate authorities that the $1.99 charge was $1.49 higher than the maximum permitted rate on Comcast’s Rate form.

Comcast changed course again, indicating that the $1.99 fee was a service fee rather than an equipment fee. Then Comcast said that of the $1.99 fee, $.50 was for equipment and $1.49 was for service. Not only were subscribers now being charged for equipment that they were previously told would be provided at no cost due to Comcast’s decision to convert its cable signals, but they were now being charged for a service that they never ordered at all. When subscribers realize they are now being charged for this new never-been-described service, the collective subscriber response has been, “but I didn’t order that!”

Years ago, Congress passed a law that was designed to protect cable subscribers from being duped into buying new equipment and services without actually asking for it. A practice called negative option billing. The FCC has a similar rule.

Were subscribers duped by Comcast? We think so. This story from King 5 News in Seattle shows that subscribers think so too.

Commercial Satellite Subscribers Beware!

Originally published October 25, 2013.

Many businesses buy Satellite television service. When they buy it, they want it working and they want it cheap. Satellite operators are happy to oblige and sign ‘em up. They might get residential service or a form of commercial service. Who cares, it’s working right? Buyer beware!

It does matter. What many businesses don’t realize is that they need specific authorization to publicly show the programming. When the service is ordered and installed, this may not be made clear to the business. Without the right authorization, the business could unwittingly be violating federal law. And the law is punitive.

Eventually, satellite operators like DirecTV investigate their commercial subscribers. Here’s how they do it. The operator, through a law firm, sends a private investigator to the place of business. The PI takes video inside the establishment and may even ask the establishment to change the channels to see different programming. The video will show the number of patrons and the programming. The PI sends the video and pictures to the attorney.

Armed with this information, the operator’s attorney will send a demand letter to the business claiming the business violated federal law, 47 U.S.C. §605(e), for the unlawful public showing of satellite programming. The attorney will demand money. A lot of money. If the business doesn’t pay, the operator may sue and seek the following:

· Actual or Statutory damages which allows for a recovery between $1,000 and $10,000, in the courts discretion. See [§ 605(e)(3)(C)(i)(I)-(II)]; and
· Enhanced damages for a willful violation in an amount up to $100,000. See [§ 605(e)(3)(C)(ii)]; and
· Attorneys fees and costs. See [§ 605(e)(3)(B)(iii)].

The suit is usually brought in federal court, where the operator knows it will be more expensive to litigate. In 2012, the U.S. District in Wisconsin ruled against a bar/restaurant for showing a sporting event without authorization to 43 patrons. The court calculated statutory damages at $55 per patron, but added another $19,978 for enhanced damages and attorney’s fees and costs. An award of $24,000. For a small business that is a big hit. In that case bar/restaurant didn’t appear and that was held against them in terms of enhanced damages.

Add in attorney’s fees to defend the business, and it’s easy to see how significant the impact could be on a small business.

The lesson for business owners is to review the satellite service agreement. Now! Don’t wait for the demand letter to show up at your door.

Cable Franchise Fees

Originally published September 27, 2010.

The FCC clarified several issues surrounding the calculation of cable franchise fees in its report and order in 2007, including:

(i) the franchise fee revenue base;

(ii) limitations on charges incidental to the awarding or enforcing of a franchise;

(iii) the proper classification of in-kind payments unrelated to the provision of cable service; and

(iv) the proper classification of contributions in support of PEG services and equipment.

Later in a Second Report and Order, the FCC applied the majority of these findings and rules to existing as well as competitive entrants.

Franchise Fee Revenue Base

In its order, the FCC clarified “that a cable operator is not required to pay franchise fees on revenues from non-cable services.” According to the FCC, this prohibition would specifically apply to cable modem service revenues, broadband data service revenues, Internet access revenues and other non-cable service revenues.

The FCC did not specifically address whether advertising revenues, home shopping channel commissions, launch support, late fees, installation fees and even equipment revenues, because they could be considered “non-cable” services. The FCC does note that advertising revenues and home shopping commissions have historically been included in gross revenues for franchise fee calculation purposes, but it does not say such revenues and commissions can be included in the calculation of gross revenues going forward.

Charges Incidental to the Awarding or Enforcing of a Franchise

Section 622(g)(2)(D) of the Cable Act excludes from the federal five percent franchise fee cap “requirements or charges incidental to the awarding or enforcing of the franchise, including payments for bonds, security funds, letters of credit, insurance, indemnification, penalties, or liquidated damages . . .” According to the FCC, the term “incidental” includes only those items listed in Section 622(g)(2)(D), “as well as other minor expenses” described in the order. Examples of charges that are not “necessarily” to be regarded as incidental include processing fees, acceptance fees, consultant fees, and attorney fees. Reasonable franchise application fees and processing fees are, however, to be regarded as proper incidental fees that do not count towards the federal franchise fee cap.

The FCC also concluded that “free or discounted services provided to an LFA” and certain “in-kind payments” are non-incidental costs that must be considered franchise fees. The order was silent on the specific treatment of institutional networks and whether the costs associated with providing fiber for institutional networks and furnishing free drops, outlets and cable service to governmental institutions could be deducted from a cable operator’s franchise fee payments.

In-Kind Payments Unrelated to the Provision of Cable Service

The Report and Order finds that “any requests made by LFAs that are unrelated to the provision of cable service by a new competitive entrant are subject to the statutory 5 percent franchise fee cap.” The FCC provides no concrete guidance as to what types of financial and in-kind requests would not be counted against the franchise fee cap, but does list certain examples of requirements that apparently would be deemed franchise fees, if included in franchise documents, such as scholarship grants, video hookups, money for wildflower seeds and fiber for traffic signal monitoring.

Contributions in Support of PEG Services and Equipment

Section 622(g)(2)(C) of the Cable Act specifies that “capital costs which are required by the franchise to be incurred by the cable operator for public, educational, or governmental access facilities” are not franchise fees. The FCC interprets this language to encompass “those costs incurred in or associated with the construction of PEG access facilities.” The order goes on to state that “payments in support of the use of PEG access facilities” are franchise fees. These payments in support of PEG include, but are not limited to, “salaries and training.”

PEG and I-NET Requirements Under FCC Local Franchising Order

Originally published on September 27, 2010.

The recently affirmed FCC order on local franchising concludes that “LFAs may not make unreasonable demands of competitive applicants for PEG and I-Net” and that doing so constitutes an unreasonable refusal to award a franchise.

Reasonable and Adequate Support

With regard to PEG channel capacity, the FCC determined that it would be unreasonable “to impose on a new entrant more burdensome PEG carriage obligations that it has imposed on the incumbent cable operator.” The FCC found that PEG support must be both “adequate and reasonable.” Adequacy is defined by the FCC as “satisfactory or sufficient.” The order does provide some examples of unreasonable PEG support obligations, including:

· completely duplicative PEG and I-Net requirements;
· payment of the face value of an I-Net that will not be constructed; and
· requirements that are in excess of the incumbent cable operator’s obligations.

Pro Rata Cost Sharing is Per Se Reasonable

According to the FCC, pro rata cost sharing of current (as opposed to future) PEG access obligations is per se reasonable. Unfortunately, the FCC did not provide additional guidance on how to properly and accurately calculate what the appropriate per subscriber payment should be made. Questions remain about situations where lump sum PEG grants and in-kind contributions are included in an existing franchise agreement.

In the event that pro rata cost sharing is utilized, PEG programming providers must permit a new entrant to interconnect with existing PEG video fees. The new entrant must bear the cost of interconnection. The order is silent on where interconnection must take place, or what type of transmission medium (e.g., fiber or coaxial cable) must be used.

Regulation of Mixed-Use Networks

The order states that “LFAs’ jurisdiction applies only to the provision of cable services over cable systems. To the extent a cable operator provides non-cable services and/or operates facilities that do not qualify as a cable system, it is unreasonable for an LFA to refuse to award a franchise based on issues related to such services or facilities.” In other words, cable franchising decisions can only be made based on issues related to cable service.

Is PEG Television Relevant in a Social Media World?

I’m re-posting this blog entry on PEG from 2010.

With technology today, a person interested in producing a video is as easy as pulling out a smart phone and shooting video and uploading it to Facebook or YouTube or some other type of interactive social media network. Anyone with access to widely available video recording devices can produce and distribute video. Add a mac or pc to the mix and now you can produce a fully edited video clip for distribution. So with these capabilities in our hands, is there any reason to support Public, Educational and Governmental (“PEG”) television?

PEG Channels are cable channels that are typically operated by cities or counties. A “Public Access” channel is generally open to anyone who wants to put some type of video programming on the channel. It is the public soapbox in the cable television world. An “Education Access” channel is typically a channel that is programmed by the local school district or college/university and could contain classroom instruction or video of school board meetings and other school activities, like a school pep fest. A channel that shows local government meetings and other information on the local community is a “Government Access” channel. These PEG channels have been around for about 30 years now.

While there are new and inexpensive ways to produce video, PEG operations still allow people to produce video in a higher quality and shown to a local audience. While you can put a video out on YouTube, the chances of it being seen by significant numbers of people is still very small. There are still some financial obstacles to producing video. Although the technology to produce a decent quality video has decreased significantly over the years, there are still many people that simply do not have access to the cameras to shoot the video, the computers to edit the video, or the internet to upload the content. Many PEG operations also provide training to help new producers make quality video productions. Sometimes these productions are later shown on other channels, such as PBS. Volunteer producers go on to careers in video production.

The audience of the PEG channels should also not be underestimated. For example, folks who want to know what is going on with their local government need only tune into their local government access channel. They will likely see the council or board meetings that they are interested in, shows about current city/county/state projects, and perhaps bulletin board notices with important information. Viewers know where this information is and the amount of content exceeds what you can put on a social networking site.

Is PEG Television relevant in a social media world? Yes! Should local governments exclude the use of social media? No! Local governments can and should use social media to highlight good programming and information. Robust viewership is good for the future of the PEG channels and good for the cable operator providing the channels. Food for thought!

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