Veterans Disability Lawyers

A veteran disability lawyer can help you through the entire claims process. From gathering medical and service evidence to filing an appeal of an appeal denied.

Choose a veterans disability attorney that is solely handling these cases and is aware of the VA system from head to toe. This will ensure that your case receives the attention it deserves.

Proving Service Connection

The VA will only offer disability benefits if it's proved that your condition is linked to your military experience. This is known as a relationship. There are a variety of evidence you can demonstrate this connection, such as medical records and independent medical examinations (IME), and nexus letters from current healthcare providers or therapists (especially for mental health issues). There are instances when veterans have medically determined disabilities, but they cannot be considered service-connected due to missing or incomplete documents. These cases require the help of experienced New York disability lawyers who know how to present a complete claim and present evidence that is backed up by experts who are impartial.

It is much easier to prove a direct connection when injuries or illnesses occurred during your time in the military. If you were injured in the military and you now suffer from headaches or concussions, it's easier to establish a direct connection to the service.

However, it's more difficult to get service connected if you suffer from an existing medical condition that got worse while in the military. In order to prove that your service aggravated or made worse an existing illness You must present expert medical evidence that reaches the level of "clear and irrefutable" evidence.

Appealing an Denial

After submitting an application and submitting medical evidence after which the VA will review the application. The VA typically issues an approval or denial of benefits. If the decision is deemed unfavorable, the veteran has one year to submit a Notice of Disagreement. A veterans disability attorney can help the claimant navigate through the three review options: either a supplemental claim or a more advanced review, or an direct appeal before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

When choosing the right New York veterans disability lawyer Take into consideration whether they understand your military experiences and the culture of the armed forces. This will make the process more relaxed and reduce the need for you to explain your experiences and situations in layman's terms.

You also want a firm that will work on your case throughout the duration of the appeals process over a period of years. Be wary of firms that only help you with the initial stages of your claim and then vanish.

A seasoned New York veterans disability attorney can assist you in all stages of your claim and appeals, including the appeals procedure. They can assist you in submitting additional medical evidence and request a formal hearing, and represent you at any Board meetings to ensure your case is handled in a fair manner. They can also assist you to win your benefits, including monetary compensation, aid and attendance, educational benefits, or unemployment benefits.

How can you get a better rating

There could be a point when your disability becomes more serious, or your symptoms get more difficult or wider. It makes sense in this case to request an increase in rating. A veteran disability lawyer can assist you with this process and assist you to collect evidence to prove your claim.

It's not unusual for the VA make mistakes, resulting in receiving a lower score than you deserve. It's worth contacting an expert to look over your records for mistakes. They may have overlooked an injury or missed a problem which could be coupled with another disability to get an increase in rating.

You can still file a higher-level claim and review if you have been evaluated for more than a calendar year. These are a thorough examination of your dossier and may result in the change of your effective date or an entirely new rating that's more accurate to how you feel.

If you think you're worthy of a rating of 100 percent, or more, it's worth making a claim for supplemental benefits. A disability lawyer can help you develop a compelling argument for this rating which is reserved for the most serious disabilities. For example an illness that is mental could be a reason to get a 100% disability rating due to the fact that it causes significant disruption to your work or frequent periods of hospitalization. These don't normally trigger this type of an assessment for a cardiovascular illness or other medical issues.

Helping with the Appeals Process

Despite what some people may think the denial of a disability claim by the VA isn't the end of a person's chances to get benefits. In fact, a former veteran has a year from the date that their local veterans hospital or office sends them a decision that is not favorable to appeal.

An experienced veterans disability attorney can assist a vet in determining which of the three options for appeal is best for his particular case. They can also help with gathering the evidence needed to convince a higher-level reviewer their previous decision was not correct. They may also give a veteran an additional formal hearing front of a Veterans Law judge.

The most appealing aspect of having a New York veteran disability attorney handle your appeal is that they'll provide the personal attention your claim deserves. They also have extensive experience handling VA disability claims, and they understand the rules and procedures in detail. Some attorneys are veterans, and therefore know the challenges that disabled veterans face. This creates an unique type of empathy, which can help improve the outcome of a disability claim for veterans.

The Sullivan & Kehoe team of highly trained lawyers can review your VA disability claims for free to determine if we are able to assist you. Call us today to schedule your complimentary evaluation.