Brad Andringa has been an attorney at HNB law for more than five years, drawn by the firm’s commitment to professionalism and working compassionately with clients. His practice focuses on veterans’ disability benefits, drawing from a versatile background of experience in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. HNB Law is an injury, employment and disability law firm based in Ohio. Its team covers a range of practice areas including Social Security, veterans’ disability, personal injury, workers’ compensation and employment law matters. Contact Brad Andringa Attorney Horenstein, Nicholson & Blumenthal, LPA (HNB Law) 124 East 3rd Street Fifth Floor, Dayton, OH 45402, USA Tel: +1 888-281-5930 E: bandringa@hnb-law.com www.hnb-law.com 32 LAWYER MONTHLY JUNE 2023 anywhere from two months to a year for a Supplemental Claim and at least two years for a decision from a Veterans Law Judge. Many clients still have claims that are moving through the VA’s older legacy appeal process. The VA’s website reports that when a veteran requests review from a Veterans Law Judge at the BVA, it could take five to seven years to get a decision. In practice, it is difficult to explain these wait times to a new client, and it is even harder to explain as the years tick by and their disabilities worsen, the medical bills pile up and their ability to maintain full-time employment diminishes. We also explain that this is the only way to obtain veterans disability benefits from the VA, and it is in the VA’s best interest if we give up and stop fighting. Our goal is to take on the stress and frustration of pursuing veterans disability compensation benefits. I remind our clients that we have a shared interest in ensuring their cases are decided as favourably and quickly as possible. We never want our clients to think that we have any part in how long the appeal process takes, so like any other practice area, it is helpful to provide regular updates and maintain open lines of communication. I have also learned that managing expectations is a process and not something that can be done once at the outset of representation. I realise that we can never fully understand what is like to be in our clients’ shoes, but it is important that we listen and try to understand. Empathy may be the most important attribute for success in this field. But without establishing healthy boundaries, it can also lead to burnout very quickly. Unfortunately, we are representing more and more surviving spouses of deceased veterans. In certain cases, dependents of disabled veterans or surviving spouses and children of deceased veterans may be eligible for additional benefits, such as Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) or the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) program. Surviving spouses may also be entitled to substitution benefits which are provided to compensate the spouse of a deceased veteran for the loss of the veteran’s disability benefits. By substituting into a claim, the surviving spouse is able to pursue pending claims at the time of the veteran’s passing. “For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a lawyer. My father was a state trial court judge, and my mother was a prosecutor, both in Pinellas County, Florida. I also had two brothers growing up – one was a lawyer and the other was a helicopter pilot in the Army. I wanted to be just like my brothers. I followed their footsteps and went to Florida State University and earned an undergraduate degree in economics. Then I attended the University of Dayton School of Law. When I graduated law school, I honestly did not have any idea what I wanted to do, but I needed a job. When Horenstein, Nicholson & Blumenthal, LPA interviewed me for the veterans’ disability position, it clicked. I immediately got along with the partners of the firm, and they were incredible mentors. When I graduated, I thought my two options were transactional or litigation work. But veterans’ disability law requires so many of the skills taught in law school. We speak with clients, doctors and adjudicators. We also draft briefs, memoranda and letters. We review medical records and conduct legal research. I love that we get to do a little bit of everything to help our clients obtain the disability benefits they are entitled to.
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