United States – October 27, 2026 -- Veterans with an Other Than Honorable, Bad Conduct or Dishonorable discharge can still have a VA claim reviewed, and many of them skip filing because they assume the door is closed.

Honorable and General discharges skip this process entirely

Under 38 C.F.R. § 3.12(a), a discharge under honorable conditions, meaning Honorable or General, is binding on VA. There is nothing to review. The character of discharge determination applies only to Other Than Honorable, Bad Conduct and Dishonorable discharges.

United States – October 27, 2026 -- Before you hand your VA disability file to a lawyer, seven questions can show whether that lawyer is accredited, what they may legally charge, and who will actually work your case. VA checks its own examiners, but nobody automatically checks the attorney you are about to trust with your service treatment records, DD-214 and private doctor's notes.

Accreditation is a number you can verify

Accreditation under 38 U.S.C. § 5901 is a legal status, not a website slogan. VA recognizes three tracks under 38 C.F.R. § 14.629: attorney, claims agent and VSO representative. Ask for the accreditation number, then check it against VA's Office of General Counsel accredited representative search before you sign anything.

United States – October 27, 2026 -- Veterans with a federal VA rating can often add state property tax exemptions, income tax breaks, tuition waivers for dependents and housing help, but almost none of it is automatic. Most state benefits require a separate application, and the rules differ widely from state to state.

Federal compensation is only the floor

According to VetsForever, a veteran-founded organization, each state runs its own rules and deadlines on top of the federal baseline. Depending on where you live, that can include:

United States – October 27, 2026 -- Veterans who skip a scheduled VA Compensation & Pension (C&P) exam without good cause can see a claim rated on a thin file or denied outright. Preparing in advance, by bringing your own records and describing your worst days, protects the claim.

The exam gathers findings, not verdicts

VA schedules a C&P exam when the evidence in a claim isn't enough to rate it. Under 38 C.F.R. § 3.326, VA can skip the exam only if existing medical records are already adequate for rating purposes, which for most first-time claims they aren't. The exam can happen in person or, increasingly, over telehealth, and video findings carry the same weight as in-person ones.

United States – October 27, 2026 -- Veterans who have held a VA disability rating for years have federal protection against cuts, and that protection gets stronger the longer the rating has been in place. Three regulations, 38 C.F.R. § 3.344, § 3.957 and § 3.951(b), set the 5-year, 10-year and 20-year rules. Trinidad Aguirre, CEO and co-founder of VetsForever, explains them on the Beyond the Rating series.

After five years, one good exam can't cut your rating

Under § 3.344, a rating in place for five years or more can't be reduced based on a single good exam. The VA needs sustained, documented improvement across more than one exam, judged under the ordinary conditions of daily life.

The VA can still schedule reexaminations on a protected rating, and a re-exam notice is not a reduction notice. Skipping the exam or going in unprepared can turn that appointment into the first data point in a reduction case.

United States – October 27, 2026 -- Veterans can request a full copy of their VA claims file with one form, and a line-by-line read of it often shows where a denial went wrong, according to VetsForever, an organization that provides VA-accredited representation.

The VA rates only what sits in your file

The claims file, or C-file, is the VA's complete record on a veteran. It runs hundreds of pages, sometimes thousands, and holds every rating decision, Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam, service treatment record, private medical record, nexus letter, internal VA note and the full history of what was claimed and when.

A rater sets your percentage from that file alone. Under 38 C.F.R. § 3.159, the VA has a duty to assist with developing a claim and gathering relevant evidence. Still, it rates what is in front of it, so anything missing, recorded wrong or never developed shows up as a gap in the rating.

EPCOT – October 24, 2026 -- Figment, EPCOT's purple dragon, is getting a new journey into imagination at the park, and he is finally reunited with Dreamfinder.

Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum announced the project in the closing moments of the Disney Experiences showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by Visa. "We are taking a new journey into imagination at EPCOT with Dreamfinder and Figment!" he told the cheering crowd. More details about their return are still to come.

Figment has been an EPCOT fixture since 1983

The dragon arrived when the first Journey into Imagination opened in 1983. The attraction has gone through several versions since, and Figment has stayed a park staple throughout.

Canada – October 24, 2026 -- A set of Canadian banking case studies shows how mortgage insurance premiums, 0% balance transfer offers and card disputes can raise costs for ordinary customers.

Homebuyers and balance transfers face extra costs

Mr. and Ms. D put down less than 20% of the purchase price, so Canadian mortgage rules required an insured mortgage. The bank arranged the insurance. Their case centres on late disclosure of a higher premium, which added costs for the couple and ended in a low settlement.

Ms. J called her bank about a promotion offering 0% interest for 12 months on balances transferred from other cards. The bank confirmed the offer and a 3% transfer fee. Missed payments later increased her interest costs.

Ms. W always paid her cashback card in full. The 0% offer would have saved her money compared with the usual 20.99% on balances and 21.99% on cash advances. She later challenged the interest charges she received.

Paris – October 24, 2026 -- Construction is underway on a Lion King water ride at Disneyland Paris, the centerpiece of the first-ever immersive world themed to Walt Disney Animation Studios' 1994 film. It will sit inside Disney Adventure World.

The ride starts beneath a 120-foot Pride Rock

Guests will enter the caves under the 120-foot-high Pride Rock and set off on a musical journey through the Pride Lands. Along the way they will hear classic songs from the film and pass through memorable scenes, including Simba's final confrontation with Scar.

The ride retells Simba's story from cub to king, covering the happy times and the harder ones that stood in his way.

A new flume system ends in a 52-foot drop

The attraction will be one of the largest at the resort. It features a new flume system and a 52-foot drop. Audio-Animatronics figures, special effects and three slopes will bring the story to life.

Global – October 24, 2026 -- Disney Cruise Line will debut an entirely new ship class in 2029, with vessels sized between the Disney Wonder and the larger Disney Wish. The first-ever public teaser of the class was shown at the Disney Experiences Showcase, Horizons: A Carousel of Progress, where Claire Weiss joined host Neil Patrick Harris to talk about the new ships.

Three new ships follow Disney Believe in 2027

Announced at D23 in 2024, the expansion will take the Disney Cruise Line fleet to 13 ships over the coming years. Disney Believe, setting sail in 2027, will be the fourth ship in the Wish class. After it, three ships in a brand-new class will launch. Weiss said the teaser had never been seen publicly before.