{"id":34999,"date":"2025-12-08T20:25:24","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T20:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=34999"},"modified":"2025-12-08T20:25:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T20:25:24","slug":"supreme-court-drops-earth-shaking-7-2-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=34999","title":{"rendered":"SUPREME COURT DROPS EARTH-SHAKING 7-2 DECISION"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"151\" data-end=\"417\">Washington, D.C. \u2014 The Supreme Court, in a 7\u20132 ruling, has tightened the standard for challenging decisions by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In\u00a0<em data-start=\"306\" data-end=\"325\">Bufkin v. Collins<\/em>, the Court held that federal courts must defer to the VA unless a \u201cclear error\u201d is shown.<\/p><div class=\"jizfz69f5cef571200\" ><div style=\"width:100%; max-width:1200px; margin:0 auto;\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/bolt-casino.com?r=0BFDBF1283\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n    <img \n      src=\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/f8693ebb-2018-480f-a2f7-0096810c07f0.jpg\" \n      alt=\"200% Deposit Bonus + 10% Cashback\" \n      style=\"width:100%; height:auto; display:block; border-radius:8px; cursor:pointer;\"\n    \/>\n  <\/a>\n<\/div><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 1201px) {\r\n.jizfz69f5cef571200 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) {\r\n.jizfz69f5cef571200 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) {\r\n.jizfz69f5cef571200 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) {\r\n.jizfz69f5cef571200 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {\r\n.jizfz69f5cef571200 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1850529\" data-uid=\"01851\">\n<div id=\"mgw1850529_01851\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"mgbox card-media\" data-template-type=\"container\">\n<div class=\"mgheader\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"e4ccffb2-d473-11f0-aef1-d404e6774b40\" class=\"mgline teaser-25583615 type-w\" data-i=\"pxwChuG80UyxYUtz_gtKblGQjDRni9BPl_Hf5ZMroYyIdb77O5EG3AshPdf0CLxZcH0YVTEHELz55gVqYIoq93i7FH6nTRTiUHYkTH7YlV4bJUq7rMth3F1j2VrGAFn7\" data-observing-start=\"1765225488185\" data-observing-time=\"1530\" data-showed=\"1\">\n<div class=\"mgline-inner\">\n<div class=\"image-with-text\">\n<div class=\"mcimg mgimg-block\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mgline teaser-mgGpt_1850529_1_2 type-w mgline-gpt\" data-i=\"mgGpt_1850529_1_2\" data-backfill-append=\"true\" data-backfill-load=\"true\" data-observing-start=\"1765225488185\" data-observing-time=\"1531\" data-showed=\"1\" data-gpt-place-showed=\"true\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"e4ccffbc-d473-11f0-aef1-d404e6774b40\" class=\"mgline teaser-25572221 type-w\" data-i=\"pxwChuG80UyxYUtz_gtKbmTtbEp7PS_s80JCTOLSaewuzpdU6jtfXYZd8ul0bC00cH0YVTEHELz55gVqYIoq91T_ssamXE9oSJWh64m-mV9l2IaldOwUaVxIwKxViv75\" data-observing-start=\"1765225488185\" data-observing-time=\"1531\" data-showed=\"1\">\n<div class=\"mgline-inner\">\n<div class=\"image-with-text\">\n<div class=\"mcimg mgimg-block\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mgbottom_media\">\n<div class=\"mgmedia__metrics-value\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-start=\"419\" data-end=\"688\">The decision marks a departure from the long-standing \u201cbenefit-of-the-doubt\u201d principle. For decades, veterans prevailed when evidence for and against their claims was evenly balanced, reflecting recognition of the difficulties in documenting service-related injuries.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"690\" data-end=\"954\">At the heart of the case were veterans Joshua Bufkin and Norman Thornton, both denied disability benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They argued their evidence was strong enough to meet the benefit-of-the-doubt threshold, but the Court disagreed.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"956\" data-end=\"1164\">Under the new standard, veterans must now show overwhelming evidence of VA error in order to have denials overturned. This creates a significantly higher burden of proof compared with the earlier framework.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1166\" data-end=\"1450\">The ruling also curtails the scope of judicial review. Even when the record appears evenly divided, courts will be limited in second-guessing the VA\u2019s determinations. Supporters argue this reinforces administrative expertise, while critics say it tilts the system against claimants.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1452\" data-end=\"1719\">Veterans\u2019 advocates warn of ripple effects, particularly in complex medical cases where records are incomplete or contested. They caution that the new threshold may discourage appeals and reduce access to benefits for those with legitimate but hard-to-prove claims.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1721\" data-end=\"1981\">Two justices dissented, stressing that the decision erodes longstanding protections designed to honor veterans\u2019 sacrifices. They argued the Court had weakened an essential safeguard that recognized the unique challenges of proving service-related conditions.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1983\" data-end=\"2241\">Looking ahead, the ruling is expected to reshape veterans\u2019 disability litigation. Advocacy groups and lawmakers may press for legislative action to restore elements of the benefit-of-the-doubt principle, seeking to rebalance fairness in the claims process.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\">\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1867034\" data-uid=\"01e64\" data-disable-start=\"true\">\n<div id=\"mgw1867034_01e64\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1849014\" data-uid=\"0e295\">\n<div id=\"mgw1849014_0e295\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"mgbox\">\n<div class=\"mgheader\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington, D.C. \u2014 The Supreme Court, in a 7\u20132 ruling, has tightened the standard for challenging decisions by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In\u00a0Bufkin v. Collins, the Court held that federal courts must defer to the VA unless a \u201cclear error\u201d is shown. The decision marks a departure from the long-standing \u201cbenefit-of-the-doubt\u201d principle. For&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[19,17,11,20,24,15,12,25,22,18,16,21,14,23,13],"class_list":["post-34999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-chronic-diseases","tag-fitness","tag-health-tips","tag-healthcare-technology","tag-healthy-lifestyle","tag-healthy-living","tag-medical-advice","tag-medical-awareness","tag-medical-research","tag-mental-health","tag-nutrition","tag-patient-care","tag-preventive-care","tag-public-health","tag-wellness"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SUPREME COURT DROPS EARTH-SHAKING 7-2 DECISION - VM News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=34999\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SUPREME COURT DROPS EARTH-SHAKING 7-2 DECISION - VM News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Washington, D.C. \u2014 The Supreme Court, in a 7\u20132 ruling, has tightened the standard for challenging decisions by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 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