Veterans Disability Lawyers

A veteran disability lawyer can help you throughout the entire claims process. From collecting medical and service proof to submitting an appeal of a claim that has been denied.

Choose a lawyer for veterans who is specialized in dealing with these cases, and who knows the VA system from head to toe. This will ensure that your case gets the attention it deserves.

Proving Service Connection

The VA will only offer disability benefits if it can be confirmed that your illness is connected to your military service. This is called a linkage. There are a variety of evidence that you can prove the connection, such as medical records or independent medical exams (IME) and the nexus letter from your current healthcare providers or therapists (especially for mental health issues). Sometimes veterans have medically determinable disabilities, but are not able to be connected because of incomplete or missing military treatment records. These cases require the assistance of experienced New York disability attorneys who are skilled at presenting an entire case and submit evidence backed by unbiased experts.

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

It is difficult to be service-connected if you had an existing medical condition that was worsened while you were in military service. To prove that your service aggravated or made worse an existing condition You must present expert medical evidence that rises to the level of "clear and irrefutable" proof.

Appealing a Denied Application

After submitting an application and submitting medical evidence The VA will review the application. It usually makes a decision which either approves or denies benefits. If the decision is not favorable, the veteran has a year to submit a notice of disagreement. A disability lawyer for veterans can help the claimant navigate the three review options -- an additional claim, a more extensive review or a direct appeal to the Board of veterans disability law firms' Appeals.

When deciding on when choosing a New York veterans disability lawyer Make sure you consider whether they understand your military background and culture of the armed forces. This will make it easier for you and lessen the requirement to explain your situation and experiences in layman's.

You also need a company that will continue to work on your case throughout the entire appeals process of several years. Be wary about firms that help you with the initial stages of your claim and then disappear.

An experienced New York veterans' disability attorney can assist you through all stages of the claim and appeals. They can help you submit additional medical evidence, request an official hearing and represent you in any Board sessions to ensure that your case will be handled in a fair manner. They can also assist you to obtain benefits including monetary compensation, aid and attendance, educational benefits or unemployment benefits.

Earning a higher rating

It is possible that your disability gets more severe or your symptoms become more severe. It makes sense in this situation to ask for an increase in the rating. A veterans disability lawyer can assist with this process, and they can assist you in locating evidence to back your request.

It's not uncommon for the VA to make mistakes that lead to an lower disability rating than you deserve. It's worth getting an expert to look over your records for errors. They may have overlooked an injury or missed any issue that could have been combined with another disability to get an even higher rating.

You are still able to file a higher-level claim and review if you have been assessed for more than a calendar year. This could include a thorough review of your entire file, that could lead to changes to your effective date, as well as a new rating that is more corresponding to your personal feelings.

It's also worth seeking an additional claim or a higher-level review if you're trying to argue that you are entitled to a disability rating of 100 percent or more. A disability lawyer can help you put together a compelling argument for this type of rating which is reserved only for severe disabilities. A mental health condition like this one, for veterans disability lawyer instance, may make you eligible for a 100 percent disability rating, as it could affect your job or cause frequent hospitalizations which do not normally trigger this level for a heart problem or any other medical condition.

Assistance with the Appeals Process

Contrary to what many people believe that denial of claims for disability by the VA is not the end of an individual's chance to get benefits. In fact, a former servicemember has one year from the date that their local veterans hospital or office mails them a negative decision to file an appeal.

A skilled veterans disability attorney can assist a vet in determining which of the current three appeals options is the best option for his case. They can also assist a vet in gathering the evidence needed to convince a higher-level reviewer the previous decision was not right. They can even provide veterans with a more formal hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The best thing about having an New York veteran disability attorney handle your appeal is that they'll provide the personalized attention your claim deserves. They also have extensive experience in managing VA disability claims, and they know the rules and procedures inside and out. In addition, some attorneys are veterans themselves, which means that they understand the challenges disabled veterans have to face. This can lead to a particular type of empathy which could help in the resolution of an issue involving veterans' disability.

The Sullivan & Kehoe team of highly trained lawyers can review your VA disability claims for no cost to determine whether we can help you. Call us today to schedule your free assessment.