Veterans Disability Lawyers

A veteran disability lawyer can assist you through the entire claim process. From collecting medical and service evidence to submitting an appeal for a denied claim A veteran disability lawyer can assist you through the entire claims process.

Choose a lawyer for veterans who is specialized in handling these cases and is aware of the VA's system inside and out. This will ensure that your case receives the attention it deserves.

Proving Service Connection

The VA will only award disability benefits when it can be confirmed that your illness is connected to your military service. This is referred to as a nexus. There are a variety of evidence that you could demonstrate this connection, including medical records, independent medical examinations (IME) and the nexus letter from your current health professionals or therapists (especially for mental health conditions). Sometimes, veterans suffer from medically-determinable disabilities but are not connected because of incomplete or missing military treatment records. These cases require the help of skilled New York disability attorneys who are skilled at presenting an entire case and submit evidence that is backed up by independent experts.

It is much easier to prove a direct connection when illnesses or injuries occurred while you served in the military. If you've been injured while in the military and now suffer from headaches or concussions, it is easier to prove a direct service connection.

However, it's more difficult to get connected if you have an existing medical condition that grew worse during your time in the military. In order to prove that your time in service aggravated or made worse an existing illness, you must supply expert medical evidence that reaches the level of "clear and undeniable" proof.

Appealing to a Denial

After filing an application and submitting medical evidence after which the VA will review the application. It usually issues a decision that either approves or denies benefits. If the decision is unfavorable the veteran is given one year to file a Notice of Disagreement. A lawyer for veterans' disabilities can help the claimant navigate the three options for review that include an additional claim, a higher-level review, or direct appeal to the Board of Veterans Disability Law Firms' Appeals.

Be sure to consider whether the lawyer has a good understanding of your military experiences and the tradition of the armed services when choosing a New York veterans' disability lawyer. This will make the process more relaxed and reduce the need for you to talk about your experiences and situations in plain language.

You need a firm that will take on your case throughout the long appeals procedure. Beware of firms who only assist you in the initial stages of your case, and then go away.

An experienced 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 that your case is dealt with fairly. They can also help you win you benefits like cash compensations, aid or attendance benefits, educational benefits, or even unemployment.

How do I obtain a higher rating

There may come a time where your disability gets more severe or your symptoms become broader or more challenging. It makes sense in this situation to ask for a higher rating. A veteran disability lawyer can help you with this process and help you collect evidence to prove your claim.

It's not uncommon for the VA to make mistakes that result in an under-rated rating than you deserve. If they miss an injury you have or miss a condition that could be combined with other disabilities to earn an improved rating, it's worth having a professional look over your records to look for mistakes.

Even if it's been more than one year since your initial rating decision, you still have the option of filing an additional review or claim. This involves a thorough review of your file, and could result in changes to your effective date or an entirely new rating that's more accurate to what you feel.

If you believe that you are entitled to a rating of 100 percent, or more, it's worth seeking a supplemental claim. An attorney for disability can help you put together an argument that is convincing for this type of rating, which is reserved for very serious disabilities. A mental illness like this one, for instance, may allow you to receive a 100% rating of disability because it could affect your job or trigger frequent hospitalizations that are not typically triggering this level of severity for a heart problem or other medical conditions.

Helping with the Appeals Process

Contrary to what some may believe that denial of a disability claim by the VA isn't the end of an individual's chance to recover benefits. In fact, a former veteran can wait one year from date that their local veterans disability attorneys hospital or office mails them a negative decision to file an appeal.

An experienced lawyer for veterans can help a veteran determine which of the three current pathways for appealing would be the best option for their situation. They can also assist with gathering the evidence needed to convince a higher-level reviewer that their prior decision was incorrect. They can even assist veterans disability law firm with a more formal hearing before an Veterans Law Judge.

A New York veteran disability lawyer can give you the personalized attention that your claim needs. They will also have extensive experience in managing VA disability claims, and they understand the rules and Veterans disability law firms procedures completely. Some lawyers are veterans, and therefore know the challenges that disabled veterans face. This can result in a unique type of empathy which could help in the resolution of an issue involving veterans' disability.

The team at Sullivan &Kehoe of highly trained lawyers will review your VA disability claims for free to determine if we can assist you. Call us today to set up your free evaluation.