National Association of Department Service Officers - NADSO

National Association of Department Service Officers - NADSO This is an internal page for Association Members and former members.

09/05/2026

Eligible Veterans can now submit and track “mileage-only” travel cl...

https://lnkd.in/p/g_WJiekjSaunders v. Wilkie settled that pain alone can be a disability. It didn't settle whether VA pa...
09/05/2026

https://lnkd.in/p/g_WJiekj

Saunders v. Wilkie settled that pain alone can be a disability. It didn't settle whether VA pays for it.
The Federal Circuit's 2018 decision held that pain meets the disability requirement under
38 U.S.C. § 1110 if it causes functional impairment. Not a diagnosis. What you can no longer do, not just that you hurt.
That's the half everyone cites. Here's the half that gets skipped: VA's rating schedule has no listing for chronic pain. Raters assign a rating by analogy under 38 CFR § 4.20, matching the pain to a comparable listed condition. Whatever code they pick drives the percentage. That choice is reviewable, and it's a common place a decision goes sideways, sometimes landing at 0 percent even after service connection is granted.
For veterans already service connected for a joint, 38 CFR § 4.59 sets a floor. An actually painful joint gets at least the minimum compensable rating, even when range of motion measures out fine on paper.

Saunders v. Wilkie settled that pain alone can be a disability. It didn't settle whether VA pays for it. The Federal Circuit's 2018 decision held that pain meets the disability requirement under 38 U.S.C. § 1110 if it causes functional impairment. Not a diagnosis. What you can no longer do, not jus...

Memorial: Dean Casey was remembered at our VA&R Commission meeting’s memorial observance on August 26, 2026
08/29/2026

Memorial: Dean Casey was remembered at our VA&R Commission meeting’s memorial observance on August 26, 2026

08/06/2026

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection that is transmitted by sand flies and caused by multiple leishmania species, with different species capable of causing cutaneous, visceral, or mucosal forms of the disease.

Potentially Useful to encourage claimants to get care. It is remarkable how many want to claim PTSD but are reluctant t...
07/22/2026

Potentially Useful to encourage claimants to get care. It is remarkable how many want to claim PTSD but are reluctant to get treatment.

The PTSD Treatment Decision Aid helps Veterans learn about and compare effective treatments.

Get answers to questions you may have like, “Will I have to talk about my trauma? How long will I be in treatment?”

Explore information for Veterans with PTSD: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/apps/decisionaid/for-veterans/

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