Question:

I'm guardian and conservator for my 74 year old brother who served in the Air Force in Southeast Asia (Viet Nam and Thailand) during the war. He is disabled and I applied for VA benefits for him. His claim was denied but is still in the appeal process. After the Air Force he worked for the IRS. During his IRS career he suffered from depression and other issues indication he has PTSD. I requested his medical records from the OPM and was told it would require a court order to get those records.How do I go about getting a court order?  My brother lives in ME and I  live in California.

Jim's Reply:

You tell me that there was a denied claim for VA benefits and that the claim is in the appeal process. Although you don't state this, I'm going to assume that the VA denial is being managed by an accredited veterans law attorney. The veterans law attorney is where these sorts of questions must be directed. If you aren't working closely with an accredited veterans law attorney, I'll suggest that you speak with one at your earliest convenience. More information is here.https://www.vawatchdog.org/how-to-hire-a-veterans-law-attorney.html