As some of you know, I used (and still am) Bob Walsh as my mouthpiece to scale the CAVC mountain. I think it will be money well spent and keep him out of bars. With a new wife, he can ill afford to be kiting all over town after hours.

More to the point, he is a former VA attorney and realized their shenanigans early on. This inadvertently gave us a valuable asset who is familiar with all their wiles and ploys. Had he not become disgruntled, we’d be facing his legal acumen today. Even better, he’s a Vietnam Vet. It’s like a double scoop of ice creme for the price of one.

Today we did a program on the backlog and a lot of other information Vets need to be successful in pursuing evidence for their claims. Bob brings a cutting-edge, no-nonsense approach to litigation. I’d say he isn’t as overt as my “Win or Die” advocacy but he sure is a close second. Being an attorney, he and his ilk always caution against extremes or going overboard. I, on the other hand, have a “take no prisoners” approach as many know. I don’t cheat or advocate others do, mind you. I simply feel you need to prosecute it (the claim) with passion. It’s a tortoise vs. the hare thing.

The SVR tape can be accessed soon by visiting the SVR site and listening to it. It’s being edited and archived as I write. I wish to thank all the folks over at Hadit.com including Mike, Jerrell, Bertha, Stretch and any I neglected to mention for inviting me. I have another show scheduled for next Wednesday with them about the Independent Living Program. I’m sure it will go sideways and discuss other topics as well. I enjoy the unstructured format.

Contrary to what you may read on some Veteran’s sites, attorneys schooled in the VA discipline are are not out to “milk” you like a cow for all the Equal Access to Justice Funds (EAJA) they can. They find chasing ambulances to be beneath them and uncouth.  If they wanted to get rich, I’m sure they would pursue more lucrative venues like representing OJ Simpson or starting their own companies like Legalzoom.com. Face it. Repping Veterans is not the path to fame and riches. Quite the opposite. In spite of our stellar reputation defending the Country against all boarders, Veterans have a spotty record when it comes to remunerating their rainmakers. This is sad because they only charge 20% as mandated by law. As most know, you can’t get an avaricious lawyer to speak to you without signing a 40% pledge. The difference is night and day.

Bob is probably more biased in favor of Vets than even me. I take all claims I inveigh on with a grain of salt until I get a feel for the Vet. Some actually come to me with the most inconsequential, mundane requests for perceived injustices and ask me to sort them out. I honestly have a hard time trying to keep my composure. My claim to fame (if ever I get that lofty) will be for helping Vets dying of HCV who come to me as a last resort. Believe it or not, we here at HCVets and asknod are not that well known. We do not have flashy,wiggly widgets and a high-priced web site with all the whistles. We   have the free version of  the Earl Schieb $99.95 blog site. WordPress is wonderful platform for this and I can’t thank them enough for the forum.

Bob came to me to right an injustice to one of his clients in 2009. I complied and in the process we became acquaintances. It was a natural fit for him to be my mouthpiece when it came time to visit the CAVC. In spite of his pleadings to be given a bye and suggestions of getting a law dog closer to home, I insisted. As most who know me, this is one of my character flaws. I’m sure Cupcake could illuminate a litany of others but let’s not ask her. Bob is not someone you would want to have as an enemy unless you enjoy sleeping with one eye open at all times. He’s subtle but thorough. His able assistant Shawn is another I wouldn’t relish upsetting. She is calm and personable but that merely hides a fierce defense of Vet’s rights. She was a fast learner and never ceases to amaze me with her grasp of Vets concerns and problems.

I would recommend Bob to any of you who need his services. About five minutes after I put this up, he’ll probably call and threaten to disown me if I don’t take it down. He says he wants to retire, but we know better than that. Old law dogs don’t retire. They just adjudicate away. Besides, why would he come on the show if he didn’t need or want the exposure? He sure isn’t a glory hound. There’s no such thing in this VA law business.