Williams & Connolly client, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas W. Meissgeier, an Army Special Forces veteran, prevailed in his appeal from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (“VA”) denial of disability benefits. Lt. Col. Meissgeier was among a group of claimants the firm represented in a civil lawsuit challenging on constitutional due process grounds the VA’s delays in resolving veterans’ claims. In May 2019, while the civil lawsuit was pending, Lt. Col. Meissgeier was granted a hearing before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, which subsequently reversed the Regional Office’s decision denying benefits.
Lt. Col. Meissgeier and the other veteran claimants were represented in federal court by Williams & Connolly partners Steve Raber, Tom Hentoff, and Liam Montgomery and associates Luke McCloud and Mindy Johnson. He was represented before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals by partner John McNichols.