She Helped Write the VA’s Rulebook. Now She Uses It to Fight for You.
For 17 years, Liz Tews worked inside the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — rating claims, reviewing appeals, and ultimately serving as one of the editors of the VA’s M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual: the document that governs how every VA rater in the country is supposed to evaluate your claim. She knows that rulebook inside and out — because she helped write it. Now she’s at Tucker Disability Law, using that knowledge to fight for veterans instead of against them.
Understanding Your Journey
A VA denial rarely means your claim wasn’t valid. It usually means the evidence wasn’t framed the way the VA needed to see it — or that the rater didn’t follow the procedures they were required to follow. Most veterans never know the difference. Liz does.
After spending nearly 15 years as a Rating Veterans Service Representative evaluating disability claims, she became a Decision Review Officer handling appeals, and then moved into a senior role editing the M21-1 — the adjudication procedures manual that shapes how every rating decision in the country is made. She has seen, from the inside, exactly how claims succeed and exactly how they fail.
That institutional knowledge is what she now brings to every veteran she works with at Tucker.
How I Help You Win
Liz’s focus is on the conditions that are most frequently underevaluated, misunderstood, or denied outright — the complex claims that require someone who understands both the medical evidence and the procedures the VA is bound to follow.
Her specializations include:
- PTSD and Military Sexual Trauma (MST)
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Toxic exposure claims — PACT Act and burn pit presumptives
- Migraines and sleep apnea
- Parkinson’s disease and ischemic heart disease
- Diabetes and related complications
- Joint injuries and musculoskeletal conditions
- Decision Review Officer (DRO) appeals and higher-level reviews
She also brings a social work foundation — a Master’s in Social Work from Baylor University — that shapes how she engages with veterans and their families. This isn’t just claims processing. It’s advocacy grounded in a genuine understanding of what veterans are going through.
Making Real Change Happen
Outside of her VA career, Liz founded SHE is Freedom, a community organization focused on program development and outreach in Central Texas. She has taught Social Welfare Systems, Current Issues in Sociology, and Motivational Interviewing for Counseling at the university level.
Her work has always centered on one idea: people navigating difficult systems deserve someone who understands those systems — and fights to make them work the way they’re supposed to.
At Tucker Disability Law, that’s exactly what she does.
My Commitment to You
When you work with Liz, you get:
- 17 years of VA adjudication experience — on the inside
- Direct knowledge of the policies, procedures, and manual that governs your claim
- Specialization in complex conditions that are frequently denied or underrated
- A social work background that keeps the human being at the center of the process
- Relentless follow-through from first evaluation to final decision
Take Your Next Step
If your claim was denied or your rating doesn’t reflect what you’re living with, Liz is ready to review your case. Call us at (866) 698-8406 or schedule your free case evaluation today.
Experience That Matters to Your Case
- Veteran Claims Advocate — Tucker Disability Law
- Program Analyst / Procedures Manual Editor — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (editor of the M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual)
- Decision Review Officer — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- Rating Veterans Service Representative — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (14 yrs 11 mos)
- Founder & Director of Program Development — SHE is Freedom
- Adjunct Professor — University of Mobile (Social Welfare Systems, Motivational Interviewing)
- MSW, Social Work — Baylor University
- BA, Political Science — Baylor University
With over 16 years of experience as a VA claims adjudicator, serving as both a Rating Veterans Service Officer and Decision Review Officer, she brings extensive expertise in the evaluation and adjudication of complex veterans’ disability claims. She specializes in cases involving traumatic brain injury (TBI), PTSD—including combat-related trauma, personal trauma, and military sexual trauma (MST)—as well as disabilities related to herbicide exposure and Toxic Exposure Risk Activity (TERA). She was selected as one of only eight editors of the VA’s M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual, where she helped revise and update national claims policies and procedures used by VA benefit processors nationwide. As the spouse of a combat infantry Veteran, she also understands firsthand the profound impact service-connected disabilities can have on veterans and their families. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in Social Work, with academic emphases in public policy, health and mental health, and nonprofit development.