*Alias used to protect client’s privacy
Mr. Cortez is a 77-year-old U.S. Army veteran who served from 1968 to 1971. When the VA threatened to strip him of his disability benefits — and demand repayment of everything he’d already received — he came to SALSA for help. Less than three months later, not only were his benefits protected, but he walked away with more recognition than ever before.
The Bottom Line
- Benefits severance: prevented — no repayment required
- Disability rating increased from 20% to 60%
- Monthly benefit amount increased by $1,209.36
- Back payment lump sum awarded: $27,146.73
Before SALSA
Mr. Cortez served in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1971, with duties in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) — an area where service members were exposed to Agent Orange, a toxic herbicide with serious long-term health consequences. Under the PACT Act and prior Agent Orange legislation, veterans who served in designated locations during specific periods are legally presumed to have been exposed. When those veterans develop illnesses on the VA’s recognized list, the law presumes their service caused those conditions.
Mr. Cortez suffers from glaucoma, hypertension, coronary artery disease, and type II diabetes — all conditions on that list. Despite this, his road to recognition was long and hard-fought:
- 2018 — Filed his first VA disability compensation claim
- 2019 — VA denied claims for coronary artery disease and type II diabetes
- 2022 — VA denied claims for hypertension and glaucoma
- 2023 — Won his appeal at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals
- January 2024 — VA awarded compensation for hypertension and glaucoma, acknowledging Agent Orange exposure as the cause
The Crisis
One year after his benefits were finally awarded, Mr. Cortez received a devastating letter. The VA claimed it had discovered a “clear and unmistakable error” — asserting he had never actually served in the Korean DMZ. On that basis, the VA announced its intent to terminate his disability compensation entirely and recoup all payments he had already received.
“The VA warned Mr. Cortez they planned to stop his benefits and recoup the payments he had already received. That is when he came to SALSA for help.”
From Mr. Cortez’s case file
Mr. Cortez attended SALSA’s Traveling Veterans Legal Advice Clinic at the San Antonio Central Library on January 31, 2025.
The Legal Work
After his intake interview, SALSA gathered Mr. Cortez’s service records, medical records, claims history, and targeted evidence of his service along the Korean DMZ. St. Mary’s Moody Law Fellow Regina Macias was assigned to assist SALSA Staff Attorney Todd Tagami in building a comprehensive rebuttal to the VA’s proposed severance of benefits.
Less than three months after Mr. Cortez first came to SALSA, the team submitted a response to the VA proving his DMZ service — successfully stopping the severance in its tracks.
But SALSA didn’t stop there. Because the law had changed since Mr. Cortez’s 2019 denials, his coronary artery disease and type II diabetes were now presumptively service-connected under updated Agent Orange regulations. With his DMZ service firmly established, SALSA successfully appealed those earlier denials as well. Mr. Cortez was ultimately awarded compensation for all four of his service-connected disabilities.
Why This Matters
Receiving VA benefits doesn’t mean the fight is over. The VA has the authority to challenge, reduce, or eliminate compensation — and many veterans don’t know how to respond or what rights they have. SALSA’s Veterans Legal Advice Clinics exist precisely for moments like this: to make sure veterans aren’t left to fight alone.
This is what happens when legal expertise meets community support. Access to justice isn’t abstract. For Mr. Cortez, it looks like financial stability, recognition of his sacrifice, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing someone stood in his corner.
Attorneys: You Can Do This Too
You don’t need to be a veterans law expert. SALSA will mentor and guide you every step of the way — training, experienced staff support, and a team behind you from start to finish. Your law license can change a veteran’s life.