January 22, 2026, 2:00-3:30 PM ET: Recent Court Decisions Veterans Advocates Need to Know About (May 2025-December 2025) (VSO)

The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issue dozens of precedential decisions each year that affect hundreds of thousands of veterans, dependents of veterans, and survivors of veterans who have claims before VA regional offices and the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. The U.S. Supreme Court also issues decisions that impact VA benefits. Without an understanding of recent caselaw, you will be less effective in developing strategies and arguments to help win VA claims. These court decisions could provide new ways for you to help claimants establish entitlement to VA benefits, but might also invalidate arguments you’ve made for claims that are awaiting a decision by the VA.

This webinar will highlight the most important changes in veterans law stemming from court decisions issued from May 2025 through December 2025, with a focus on how advocates can use these developments to the advantage of the claimants they represent. By the end of this webinar, you should understand:

• Whether veterans can be awarded service-connected disability compensation for “obesity” and, if so, under what circumstances
• Whether VA’s grant of a supplemental claim in an AMA case moots a legacy appeal of an earlier claim for the same benefit
• Whether the procedures for severing service connection apply when VA discontinues an award of special monthly compensation.
• Whether veterans are limited to 6 years of retroactive Combat-Related Special Compensation
• Whether the Board may award a total disability rating based on individual unemployability on an extraschedular basis in the first instance, rather than refer the issue for an initial determination by VA’s Director of Compensation
• For appeals processed under the AMA, whether a claimant’s right to due process or fair process requires the same Board member who conducts a hearing to render the Board’s decision in that case, and whether the Board member must fully explain the issues and suggest the submission of potentially overlooked advantageous evidence during the hearing
• Court holdings on many other important issues