Foley Pro Bono Team Helps Veteran Win Shot at Disability Benefits

A team of lawyers from Foley’s Houston and Detroit offices has helped an Army veteran obtain a remand of his claim for disability benefits from the Court of Veterans Appeals.

The veteran, who has multiple sclerosis, had been denied disability benefits because the Veterans Administration determined that his medical condition was not incurred during his military service.

The Foley team, which included Houston of counsel Jason Sharp, along with Detroit partners Jeff Kopp and John Trentacosta and associate Chris Struble, convinced the VA to remand the case to the hearing level so their client can present additional evidence in support of his claim before an administrative law judge, who could decide that the new evidence warrants an award of disability benefits.

The team said the decision amounts to a “complete victory” on appeal without the need for further briefing and unnecessary delay. Before Foley got involved, the veteran had lost at every hearing in the case over the past seven years.

“This victory allows (our client) to go back to the VA with a real chance to now win the benefits he deserves,” Sharp said.