On April 15, 2026, the VA Office of General Counsel published notice pertaining to the Freund v. Collins lawsuit (Freund). That notice addressed how the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Veterans Court) has certified the Freund lawsuit as a class action and appointed class counsel to represent the certified class’s interests. It also addressed how the Freund lawsuit’s parties have filed a proposed classwide settlement agreement (proposed class settlement), which the Veterans Court will review to ensure that it is fair, reasonable and adequate.
Part of the Veterans Court’s review will involve a hearing scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at 625 Indiana Ave. NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20004. At the hearing, the Veterans Court will consider whether the proposed class settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate.
The parties expect the Veterans Court to livestream the hearing and to post audio and video recordings at the Veterans Court’s website. For more information in this regard, please see https://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/oral_arguments.php.
The Freund lawsuit pertains to VA benefits claimants whose timely substantive appeals have not been processed. For more information on the Freund lawsuit and the proposed class settlement, please see https://news.va.gov/146172/notice-proposed-settlement-substantive-appeals/.
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Hello Mr. Niles, I was getting a boilerplate denial from the VBA for years. It was the same boilerplate denial that I received no matter which organization was helping me. Please add my name to be reviewed by the lawsuit also. All these denials were totally unnecessary when I was doing everything I could with every organization that tried to help me.
Mr. John D. Niles, Esq.
Carpenter Chartered
Topeka, KS 66601
Re: Another “Frend-class” Action?
VA Ultimate Fairness in Benefits
Dear Mr. Niles,
I received Freund information from a Vet organization and presume I’m not included from what I have read.
It appears that if Freund can prevail, cases such as mine should too.
Reasons:
VA unfairness is institutionalized denial of benefits without severe legal actions, this process should not be such a burden to veterans who are provided benefits, of honorable service, from the Congress.
I retired in Dec 1989 with 50% disability which I know was too low and repeatedly filed on my own for years. Always being denied.
However, I found in 2017 that a major law firm here, Morgan and Morgan, would provide legal representation, free up front, contingent on if their review showed eligibility to win.
In May 2017, Morgan took my case and in May 2019, won my case for 100% disability.
Same pre-retirement injury, same records (although treatment continued since 1990) but, with real lawyers, got mine done.
There should be a challenge and win to similar circumstances where veterans filing on their own do not get short changed until lawyers become involved and backpay is lost because of unjust rules. Main point “when a veteran wins a case, pay should be retroactive to the injury date. All other interim findings become null and void as admin error!
Why? Because veterans should not need to be a lawyer to get just benefits!! This should/must be challenged once and for all! When disability is awarded it should go back to the injury date of service!!
Sincerely,
Harold L Winslow, Retired Major
COUNT ME IN! VA IS DIRTY AS HELL TO ALL OF US!
I argued to the BVA the exact same behavior in my pending claim. My initial claim for head injury was filed in 95. I filed a notice of disagreement and VA Form9 and my claim was dismissed as untimely. I resubmitted in 2012 and 2023. My current pending is service connected at a 100% from issues from head injury and have a TBI diagnosis. Using pending claims theory I am seeking back pay from the original filing date of 1995.
Too many people get denied for claims that are clearly service related.
Thank You, Theresa. Leidos Reviewer was a joke and set back my nearly completed claim through suspect and questionable technique. Vascillated from not providing a review due to her inability to retrieve my Medical records, to writing a review in my abscence!? All the evidence was conclusive but she failed to recognize the nexus I provided earlier in my claim.
Still fighting for due compensation while suffering a laundry list of service-connected maladies, including 3 that are life-threatening, diagnosed and receiving treatment and meds for.
God Bless America and All Her Active and Veteran Military . . .
Of course my original comment was deleted. I listed too many complaints. It’s not like this is about being angry for denied claims or lack of care. It’s almost like that’s related to this article.
I am a 5 year Marine Corps veteran. I was no-showed by my mental health provider… 3 TIMES!!! This was at the Washington DC VA. I don’t even try to get mental health help anymore because nothing happened after I complained MULTIPLE TIMES!!! I also had to go elsewhere and pay out of pocket for a pap smear due to the OBGYN office telling me “family history does not mean you need one every year”. I would also like to add how annoying it is to have been denied about my stomach ulcer and GERD when medical loved to tell everyone to take ibuprofen, drink water, and change their socks as treatment for any and everything. What this meant was literally taking ibuprofen for breakfast before PT in the mornings on an empty stomach without having ever been warned about the possible consequences … especially because the chow hall is never open before PT.
My grandfather is a Vietnam veteran who served in the Army. He was discontinued from his primary care team without anyone being notified. Their justification when I showed up in person to ask about it is because he’s in a nursing home now….. as if somehow that rids the VA of responsibility for his care. The nursing home does not have doctors on site. This happened at the VA in Pottsville, PA. Another issue with the larger office, the Lebanon, PA office is they never answered the phone when I tried to arrange for his Special Mode Transportation to appointments. The ladies that work in that specific office spend more time away from their desk than actually at it.
I would REALLY love to know where the increased satisfaction or trust in the VA supposedly came from.
This is great. For my PTSD exam It last fifteen minutes. Never gave me a chance to explain what happen to me.
Jack C Montgomery veterans hospital Muskogee, Oklahoma procrastinated so long on scheduling my wives gall bladder surgery (removal) i was calling civilian hospitals in Tulsa asking if they could schedule the surgery. Tulsa civilian hospitals told me about the cares act where if the military could not schedule the civilian hospital could. The look on your face when the civilians are sharing information that the army hospital did NOT. My wife was miserable the whole time and the irony was i was a 91 Alpha Combat Medic. When they finally did the surgery the gall bladder ruptered when they removed it because they waited that long. You have to stay on top of them or they take their own sweet time, REO SpeedWagon song. -Do not enlist in todays military, dei woke policy offed all morale.
It is my opinion that the VA, Congress, and, no matter what administration, try, in some way, to save money at the disabled veterans’ expense. While at the same time, they hand out tremendous amounts of money to other countries, or in the form of substantial tax cuts for the rich. It makes absolutely no sense to any reasonable person.
1st time seeing any of this, I just figured it was standard procedure, to lose files, misdirect, and generally deny.
Its a shame to wait 60 years.
Exactly. The VA is just like the Government. I have a hard time believing anything that comes out of their mouth after all we’ve been through by both entities. But hey, “trust in the VA is up 82%” says the VA hahaha
The cavc I have a rittermendamus and they broke eight rules of the Court overlooked to see you emitted by a White House investigator overlooked my aod status and gave the VA shield from default hours before default bcavc judges are corrupt I have since sent my Rittiman Davis to the Federal Court of Appeals I’m waiting for a docket number the judge also overlooked 4 years of my most critical medical records They omitted from my evidence list and all of my power chairs they are crooked as the day is long
Thank you for letting me know about this letter.