2019 Veterans Clinic Symposium
The Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017: Finding Footing
Hosted by the University of Missouri School of Law Veterans Clinic
November 9, 2019
![](https://law.missouri.edu/faculty/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/07/veterans-clinic-2018_v2.jpg)
Overview
In 2017, Congress passed the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017, which represented one of the most significant statutory changes to affect the Department of Veterans Affairs in decades. The new law will modernize the current claims and appeals processes. The department anticipates the new system will streamline resolutions, with added safeguards to ensure protections for veterans.
For many veterans, securing benefits from the VA proves challenging and time-consuming. According to recent estimates from the VA, veterans currently wait an average of three years for resolution of an appealed claim. Those who received a decision from the Board of Veterans Appeals waited for an average of seven years from the date they filed their Notice of Disagreement (NOD), the first step in the appeals process, until the decision.
The current life cycle of a veteran’s benefits claim is multi-faceted. Veterans can appeal any aspect of a claim decision and are given one year to file a NOD. Once the Regional Office conducts a review, it issues a Statement of the Case (SOC). If a veteran is dissatisfied with the SOC, he or she may file a formal appeal, also known as a Substantive Appeal. If new evidence is added, the Regional Office prepares a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) and the appeal continues. Often, the Board remands the claim to the Regional Office and the cycle restarts. Advocates call this the “hamster wheel” of VA adjudication.
View the Lifecycle of a VA Appeal
The department recognizes the current appeals process is “too complex, contains many unnecessary steps, is confusing to navigate and makes it very challenging to explain in simple terms.” Under the new law, there will be three review options: Higher Level Review, Supplemental Claim Lane and an Appeal Lane to the Board of Veterans Appeals. The new law will take effect in February 2019.
During a long appeals process, life does not stop for our nation’s veterans. The University of Missouri School of Law’s Veterans Clinic has witnessed its own clients suffer financially – or even die – prior to the resolution of their appeals. Time is not the only hindrance. The department has also seen a steady increase in the volume of claims in the system and this growth, according to the VA, is “beyond our capacity to timely resolve appeals under current law.” More than one million claims are adjudicated through the VA every year.
The Fifth Annual Veterans Clinic Symposium will address key factors in the decision-making process under the new law. As we approach the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, the clinic’s goal is to provide veterans, lawyers, medical practitioners and others who serve veterans with the navigational tools necessary to quickly deliver benefits to our nation’s most deserving population. Analysis of the new law, coupled with perspectives from veterans, doctors, attorneys and decision-makers will be provided.
The symposium will provide an open and honest discussion addressing the complex and challenging VA benefits system. Registration is requested but not required.
Location
All events will be held in Hulston Hall, Room 7, on the University of Missouri campus.
Cost and Registration
The symposium is free and open to the public. Registration is requested, but not required.
Register Online
Continuing Legal Education Credit
This symposium has been approved for a total of 7.8 hours of CLE credit in Missouri.
CLE Certificate
Questions?
If you have questions, please contact the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic at 573-882-7630 or email mulawvetclinic@missouri.edu.
Anticipated Symposium Program
8:15 – 8:30 a.m. | Welcome Angela Drake Director Veterans Clinic |
---|---|
8:30 – 9:30 am | The Current Path for Veterans
Doyle Shields |
9:30 – 10:30 am | Trail Angels: Practice Pointers from Experienced Attorneys
Zachary Stolz |
10:30- 10:45 am | Break |
10:45-11:45 am | Finding Your Bearings: Appeals Reform Donnie R. Hachey Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Download Presentation (PDF) Download Materials (PDF) Online Materials Online Materials |
11:45 am -12:15 pm | Refuel: Networking Lunch Lunch will be provided. |
12:15 – 1:05 pm | Keynote Presentation Guideposts from the Court: Avoiding Detours and Anticipating Road Blocks The Honorable Margaret Bartley United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Online Materials |
1:05 – 1:45 pm | Traversing the Terrain: Mile Markers for Effective Representation Before a DRO Amelia Tapp Decision Review Officer St. Louis VA Regional Office Download Presentation (PDF) |
1:45 – 2:00 pm | Break |
2:00 – 2:45 pm | Paving Pathways to More Meaningful C&P Exams Dr. Dennis Velez Neurosurgeon Veterans Evaluation Services Download Presentation (PDF) Online Materials |
2:45 – 3:30 pm | Bumps in the Road: Military Service and the Psychological Effects on Our Veterans Dr. Jared E. Ebert Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine University of Missouri Captain Missouri Army National Guard Medical Corps Download Presentation (PDF) Download Materials (PDF) Online Materials Online Materials Online Materials Online Materials |
3:30-3:45 pm | Break |
3:45 – 4:15 pm |
Blazing a Trail into the Future: VSOs’ Perspectives
David Myers National Appellate Representative National Association of County Veterans Service Officers at the Board of Veterans Appeals Director of Program Development Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program Ed Zackery Immediate Past President The National Association of County Veteran Service Officers Download Presentation (PDF) |
4:15 – 4:30 p.m |
Closing
Angela Drake Director Veterans Clinic |
7.8 hours of total CLE available.
Speaker Bios
![](https://law.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Lt_Gen_Richard_C._Harding-500x654.jpg)
Lt. Gen. Richard C. Harding
Judge Advocate General
U.S. Air Force
Upon retirement, General Harding and his wife, Linda, elected to leave Washington, D.C.and move to Columbia, Missouri, to be close to their children and young grandchildren. General Harding travels throughout the United States teaching continuing legal education programs for the Professional Education Group on the subjects of the law of armed conflict, ethics, and contemporary constitutional law. He also serves as a trustee for Columbia College and an advisory board member with the National Crime Victims’ Law Institute.
![Jared Ebert](https://law.missouri.edu/faculty/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/07/ebert.jpg)
Of Counsel
![](https://law.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/raupp_michael-333x500.jpg)
Michael T. Raupp
Associate
Husch Blackwell
Christina Pyle
Associate
Husch Blackwell
![](https://law.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Kretkowski-photo-400x500.jpg)
Amy Kretkowski
Founder
Veterans Law Office of Amy B. Kretkowski
Amy Kretkowski is a veterans law attorney in private practice in Iowa City, IA, and an Adjunct Professor of Veterans Benefits Law at the University of Iowa College of Law. She is also a mentoring attorney with the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program; Chair of the Rules Advisory Committee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims; Co-Chair of the Veterans Work Group of Iowa’s Access to Justice Commission; a member of the Military Affairs Committee of the Iowa State Bar Association; and a member of NOVA’s Congressional Testimony and Outreach committees. Ms. Kretkowskihas taught CLEprogramsfor Iowa Legal Aid and conducts annual training for various veterans service groups in Iowa and around the country. She has presented at severalNOVA conferences and the CAVC’s2019 and 2016 Judicial Conferences. Ms. Kretkowskibegan her career in veterans’ law in 2009 as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Mary J. Schoelenon the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. She received her J.D., with distinction, from the University of Iowa College of Law, and her B.F.A. from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Before moving to Iowa to study law, Ms. Kretkowskispent 18 years as an independent writer/producer for television in New York and Los Angeles. She lives in Iowa City with her husband Paul and an emotionally unstable husky mix named Ruckus.
Alexandria Curran![](https://law.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Curran-bio-picture-332x500.jpg)
Appellate Attorney
![](https://law.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2018.11.07-Amy-Odom-small-web-only-500x625.jpg)
Amy F. Odom
Appellate Attorney
CCK
Ms. Odom graduated from the University of Florida with her B.A., cum laude, in 2003 and her J.D., cum laude, in 2006. During law school, she participated in the moot court program, was an intern at the Center for Government Responsibility, and was an extern for the Honorable Stephan Mickle, Northern District of Florida. Before joining CCK, Ms. Odom served as a staff attorney and then as the Director of Litigation at the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP). From 2006 to 2008, Amy was an Attorney-Advisor at the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Administrative Law Judges.
Extremely active in the field of Veterans Law, Ms. Odom has served as the President of the CAVC Bar Association and the Veterans Court’s Judicial Advisory Committee. She also is a member of the National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates (NOVA). Ms. Odom was a panelist at the USCAVC Twelfth Judicial Conference in 2013 and the Fourteenth Judicial Conference in 2019. She was also a panelist at the NOVA Spring 2017 Conference. Ms. Odom is a credited author of the Veterans Benefits Manual 2009-2013 editions and a credited Editor of the 2014-2018/2019 editions. She has been a recurring speaker at the University of Missouri Veterans Law Clinic Symposium (2015, 2016, 2017).
In her free time, Ms. Odom enjoys spin classes on her Peloton, spending time with her two little girls and Navy vet husband and taking annual family vacations to her home state of Florida.
![](https://law.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/HEADSHOT-500x666.jpg)
Kenneth M. Carpenter
Chief Executive Officer
Carpenter Chartered
Kenneth M. Carpenter received a B.A. in History & Political Science and a B.A. in Philosophy & Religion from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas in June 1970. He received a J.D. from Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas in 1972 and a Masters in Adult & Community Counseling from Kansas State University om Manhattan, Kansas in 1983.
Mr. Carpenter has been engaged in the private practice of law in Topeka, Kansas since 1973. He has been admitted to the following courts: Kansas Supreme Court, 1973; Federal District Court for the District of Kansas, 1973; 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, 1984; U. S. Court of Federal Claims,1987; Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, 1989; Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, 1990; United States Supreme Court, 1990.
Carpenter exclusively practices veterans law and is a founding member of the National Organization of Veterans Advocates.
He is the Chief Executive Officer of Carpenter Chartered, a professional legal corporation which began doing pro bono representation of disabled veterans in 1983. The firm primarily represents psychiatrically disabled veterans, predominantly those with post-traumatic stress disorder. Carpenter Chartered also specializes in cases involving total disability ratings and earlier effective dates. The firm also does requests for revisions based on allegations of clear and unmistakable error and survivor claims for dependents of veterans.
![](https://law.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Courtney-Ross-731x1024-357x500.jpg)
Courtney Ross
Associate Attorney
Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick
Courtney Ross joined Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick in 2015 as an Associate Attorney. Her practice focuses on representing disabled veterans before the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Ms. Ross graduated from Roger Williams University where she earned her B.A. in Political Science, summa cum laude. After graduation, she worked as a legal assistant for a health benefits consulting company in Massachusetts. Ms. Rossthen earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2015. During her time in law school, she gained policy experience interning with the Office of House Policy for the Rhode Island General Assembly and with the National Women’s Law Center in Washington, D.C. Ross also gained experience in both corporate law and in the courtroom while interning for corporate counsel at Met Life Auto & Home and for the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office in Fall River, Massachusetts. Ms. Ross is a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association.
In her free time, Ms. Ross enjoys reading, traveling to new places, spending time with friends and family, and cheering on the New England Patriots!
![](https://law.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/BGen-Baker-Official-Photo1-400x500.jpg)
Brigadier General John G. Baker
Chief Defense Counsel (CDC)
Military Commissions Defense Organization
Brigadier General John G. Baker is the Chief Defense Counsel (CDC) for the Military Commissions Defense Organization. In his capacity as the CDC, he oversees a joint service and total force staff of more than 156 military and civilian lawyers, paralegals, investigators, intelligence analysts, defense security officers, translators and administrative officers providing the full spectrum trial defense services to GTMO detainees charged under the MCA, to include capital cases.
Before his appointment as the CDC for the Military Commissions, General Baker served as the Deputy Director, Judge Advocate Division, for Military Justice and Community Development. He was responsible for oversight of the Marine Corps military justice practice and the professional development of the Marine Corps legal community. General Baker also served as the Marine Corps representative to the Department of Defense’s Joint Service Committee on Military Justice. Before serving as Deputy Director, GeneralBaker served as the CDC of the Marine Corps and was responsible for mentoring, training, and supervising all defense attorneys and defense support personnel across the Marine Corps in their litigation of hundreds of courts-martial each year. While serving as the CDC of the Marine Corps, General Baker established the Marine Corps’ Defense Services Organization which transformed the delivery of defense counsel to Marines and sailors charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Before this position, General Baker served as the Regional Defense Counsel for the Eastern Region where he mentored and trained Marine Corps defense attorneys at all Marine Corps installations east of the Mississippi and in theater when II Marine Expeditionary Force was forward. General Baker also carried a small caseload of complex cases, which included capital murder, serious sexual assaults, and other felonies, as well as allegations of misconduct by senior officers. Before serving as the Regional Defense Counsel-East, General Baker personally participated in several hundred courts-martial and served in a variety of leadership and litigation billets within the Marine Corps legal community, to include Military Judge, Staff Judge Advocate and Law Center Director at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Senior Trial Counsel, Military Justice Officer, Chief Trial Counsel, Special Assistant United States Attorney, and Senior Defense Counsel. Before becoming a judge advocate, General Baker served as a supply officer until he was selected to attend law school under the Law Education Program.
General Baker is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law (J.D. 1997), Averett University (M.B.A. 1992), and Union College (B.S. 1989). He also holds an LL.M. from The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School (TJAGLCS), U.S. Army (2005). General Baker has been a faculty member for the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorney’s Capital Voir Dire Training and has lectured at Yale Law School, University of Pennsylvania School of Law, Pittsburgh School of Law, University of Colorado Law School, the Louisiana Capital Defenders Course, the New York City Bar Association, TJAGLCS, and the Naval Justice School. His decorations include the Legion of Merit with one gold star, Meritorious Service Medal with three gold stars, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, and the Combat Action Ribbon.
About
Since its inception in 2014, the University of Missouri School of Law Veterans Clinic has directly assisted 70 veteran clients and referred many other veterans to other accredited attorneys or the Missouri Veterans Commission.
Each semester students, under the supervision of Angela Drake and Brent Filbert, review veterans’ military records and disability files, track down witness statements and work with doctors to secure medical opinions.
The clinic hosts an annual symposium focused on the issues facing today’s veterans, including traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Parking
Please plan ahead for parking during the symposium. Information on visitor parking can be found on the MU website: https://parking.missouri.edu/parking/visitor/parking