VETERANS ASSISTANCE FOUNDATION

"Veterans Helping Veterans"

Bill Russo, Esq.
Vice President
Attorney-Advisor
Compensation and Pension Service, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Since 1999, Bill Russo has served as the Attorney-Advisor for the Compensation and Pension Service at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  In that position, Bill drafts regulations and legislation and advises the Service’s leaders on legal issues such as compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements and avoiding litigation.  In addition, he drafts testimony presented by Department officials to the U.S. Congress.  Bill also works with the Department’s Veterans Health Administration to produce guides on VA benefits for veterans and their families.  Finally, he helps train Department staff on legal and regulatory issues affecting veterans benefits.

 From 1994 to 1999, Bill served as Director of the Veterans Benefits Program of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). In that position, he was responsible for the training and oversight of more than 300 accredited Service Representatives nationwide and supervised VVA's representation at the Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) and the federal courts.  Under his leadership, VVA significantly increased its caseload at the BVA, and consistently had the highest win rate of any veterans organization.

 From 1991 to 1994, Bill practiced civil litigation for the firm of Margolis, Sakayan and Holtz, where he represented a number of disabled veterans pro bono.  From 1990 to 1991, he served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims’ Central Legal Staff, researching and analyzing cases for the Court's judges.  Bill worked from 1987 to 1990 as a law clerk and attorney for VVA Legal Services/National Veterans Legal Services Program, representing claimants at the BVA and advising VVA service officers on veterans advocacy.

 Bill has served on the Boards of the National Gulf War Resource Center and the Veterans Assistance Foundation, which runs transitional centers for homeless veterans.  He also served on the Advisory Committee for the American Legion/Columbia University Advisory Committee on Characterizing Herbicide Exposure.

 During his career, Bill has argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, testified to the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives Veterans Affairs Committees, and published numerous articles on veterans benefits.  He has been interviewed on National Public Radio and BBC Radio, and been quoted in The Wall Street Journal and USA Today on veterans issues.   Bill has conducted trainings for veterans service officers in Indiana, New York, Washington state and Wisconsin, as well as for the Blinded Veterans Association, National Association of County Veterans Service Officers, the National Organization of Veterans Advocates and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

 Over the years, Bill has received several awards for his work on behalf of disabled veterans. In 1991, he received a Special Service Award from the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, for his work on the American Bar Association study on pro se appellants.  In 1994, he was selected for the annual "Profiles of the Profession" issue of the ABA Barrister magazine, for his pro bono representation of disabled veterans.  In 1997, he received the VVA Government Affairs Distinguished Service Award for his legislative advocacy on veterans issues. In 2000, he was named "Employee of the Quarter" for VA's Compensation and Pension Service.

 Bill graduated with honors from the University of Maryland in 1985 and graduated from The George Washington University Law School in 1989.  He is a member of the bars of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.