))
The Journey of A Veteran Attorney
Manage episode 348904622 series 3423345
Content provided by Amanda Mineer. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Amanda Mineer or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.
As someone who grew up with values and respect for the military, hostess Amanda Mineer shares her story of how she became a veteran attorney for veterans who suffered from disabilities during and after their service.
Before the path she is set on today, Amanda was a business attorney for 10 years. Her life began to change as her veteran friend could no longer hold down a job after the VA saw him incompetent due to his mental health. They were referred to a veteran service officer and a retired Vietnam veteran named Mike Schuster and kindly aided them in the paperwork. Mike convinced Amanda into VFW training to become a veteran attorney to help disabled veterans who deserve max benefits from the VA.
Joining her in the discussion is her co-worker, Edward "Ed" Barick. Ed talks about his time as a US Navy officer in Afghanistan and later returned to the United States working as a US military law enforcement until 2005 to study business. Unfortunately, the economy collapsed by the time Ed got his bachelor's degree. While job searching, he found an opening for a paralegal position and now assists veterans to gain their maximum benefits from the VA, including himself.
Ed and Amanda explain how the VA disability program works for anyone who is or knows a veteran with disabilities. Ed shared his experience and learned how the doctors at the VA evaluate the physical and mental symptoms based on an overall percentage scale of their C&P exam. For most cases, if a veteran is 50 percent, but not as high as 100 percent, they cannot gain the full benefits of the VA. And why they need to be vocal with their veteran attorney to know their percentage.
Ending on a hopeful and emotional note, Amanda shares her update on the clients and the Veteran Law Group office situation during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the mask mandates were around, her co-workers have reported most of the clients refused to wear a mask because it would cause them to have a backlash of unpleasant memories of their service. Or, if they see someone wearing a mask, they are unable to identify a recognizable face. She also shares the loss of a client that she assisted for a decade and important news about the VA adding in benefits for the Blue Water Navy veterans who suffered disabilities during and after their service in Vietnam.
51 episodes
Share
