In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Hencely v. Fluor Corp. that state law tort claims against a military contractor are not preempted where the federal government neither ordered nor authorized the contractor’s alleged misconduct. The Court's ruling rejected the Fourth Circuit’s categorical “battlefield preemption” doctrine, thereby restricting military contractor immunity. When asked about the recent ruling, Glen Sturtevant, attorney and chairman of AAJ’s Feder

“This is more than just a code. This is long-overdue validation for the suffering of the quarter-million afflicted veterans — and a formal acknowledgment that their illness is real, physical and service-related.” - Beatrice Golomb, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine at University of California San Diego School of Medicine More than three decades after the end of the Gulf War, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially recognized Gulf War Illn

The Department of Veterans Affairs has implemented a policy change that significantly affects how male veterans with breast cancer access healthcare coverage, creating new procedural hurdles for a small but vulnerable population facing a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Effective September 30, 2025, the VA no longer provides presumptive service connection for new male breast cancer cases, which affects male veterans who receive new breast cancer diagnoses. While veterans w

In early 2025, the 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act (“Elizabeth Dole Act”) went into effect. The Act brings significant changes to how veterans can access care outside the VA system. Among the most important updates is the removal of the requirement for a second review of a clinician’s decision to refer a veteran to community care (care outside the VA). In other words, the Act makes it, so veteran patients don’t have to wait for another doctor or

Criminal Case Exposes Routine Medical Record Falsification at VA Medical Centers Nationwide A shocking case at the Houston VA Medical...

A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit represents a significant victory for veterans pursuing medical...