Published on Oct. 28, 2024
Martha Bradley Kleinhesselink and Carter Brooks Templeton, staff attorneys at the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic, recently secured more than half a million dollars in retroactive payments for two veterans within the span of one month. These significant wins not only highlight the clinic’s dedication to advocating for veterans but also contribute to the more than $20 million in awards that the clinic has secured for veterans since its inception.
One of the victories involves a veteran who received a $373,000 retroactive payment for a heart condition, which was determined to be 100% service-connected back to 2013. The $373,000 payment is one of the largest retroactive awards the clinic has achieved for a veteran. This veteran first connected with the clinic during a rural outreach event in the fall of 2020. Carter Brooks Templeton, who represents the veteran, guided the case most recently at the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA), which is currently experiencing long wait times between three to five years. Because the veteran is 75 years old, the clinic successfully advanced his case on the BVA docket. Templeton filed a comprehensive brief and advocated for the veteran during a hearing before a BVA judge, ultimately securing this substantial outcome.
Another significant victory came last month when the clinic, led by Martha Bradley Kleinhesselink, helped another veteran secure a $219,000 retroactive payment for his Agent Orange-related Parkinson’s disease, retroactive to 2013. This veteran had been battling the VA since 2013, and his case involved years of back-and-forth between the VA Regional Office, the BVA, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC). Bradley Kleinhesselink’s efforts resulted in an increase to a 100% disability rating for the veteran’s Parkinson’s and related conditions, including balance impairment and slurred speech. The outcome was especially urgent, as the veteran, now 77 and in poor health, has no dependents to continue the claim if he were to pass away. This timely resolution provided a long-overdue sense of justice for the veteran.
“These awards represent not only the hard work of our staff attorneys but also highlight the inordinate wait times that veterans contend with at VA,” said Clinic Director Brent Filbert. “It’s rewarding to achieve such significant outcomes for our clients, but the lengthy appeals process is a reminder that many veterans face unnecessary delays in receiving the benefits they have earned.”
The University of Missouri School of Law Veterans Clinic represents veterans and their family members – free of charge – with their Department of Veterans Affairs disability benefits claims and Department of Defense discharge upgrades. Since its inception in 2014, the Clinic has secured more than $20 million in federal disability compensation benefits and numerous discharge upgrades for its clients.