Veterans Disability Lawyers

A veteran disability lawyer will guide you through the entire claim process. From collecting medical and service proof to submitting an appeal of an appeal denied.

Choose a veteran disability lawyer who limits their practice to handling these cases and knows the VA's system inside out. This will ensure that your case gets the attention it deserves.

Proving Service Connection

The VA will only award disability benefits if they can prove that the condition is connected to your military service. This is known as a connection. You can use different types of evidence to prove the connection. These include medical records, independent health exams (IME), or nexus letter from current health care providers (especially in the situation of mental health conditions). There are instances when veterans have medically determinable disabilities, but are unable to be considered service-connected due to incomplete or omitted documents. These cases require the help of experienced New York disability lawyers who are able to present an entire claim and provide evidence that is confirmed by experts who are independent.

It is simpler to prove that there is a direct connection to your service for illnesses or injuries that you sustained while in the military. If you suffered injuries in the military and you now suffer from headaches or concussions it is much easier to prove a direct service connection.

It is a lot more difficult to become service-connected if there was a pre-existing condition that worsened while you were in military service. To prove that your military service worsened or aggravated an existing illness You must present expert medical evidence that reaches the level of "clear and unmistakable" evidence.

Appealing a Denial

After submitting an application and providing medical evidence After submitting the application and providing medical evidence, the VA will review the case. It typically issues a decision that either approves or denies benefits. If the decision is not favorable, the veteran is given one year to file a notice of disagreement. A veterans disability attorney can help the claimant navigate through the three decision review options - a supplemental claim or higher-level review, or an direct appeal before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

Take note of whether the lawyer is familiar with your military experience as well as the culture of the armed services when choosing the New York veterans' disability lawyer. This will make the process more relaxed and less requiring you to talk about your experiences and situations in plain language.

You want a firm who will handle your case throughout the lengthy appeals process. Be wary of companies that assist you with the initial phases of your case and then go away.

An experienced New York veterans disability attorney can help you through all phases of your claim, including the appeals process. They can assist you in submitting more medical evidence, file an official hearing and assist you in any Board meetings to ensure your case will be handled in a fair manner. They can also assist in obtaining you benefits like financial compensations, aid and attendance benefits, education benefits, Vimeo or unemployment.

Achieving a Higher Rating

It may happen that your disability becomes worse or your symptoms are more severe. In that case it is sensible to ask for a higher rating. A lawyer for veterans' disability can assist with this process, and assist you in locating evidence to back your request.

It's not uncommon to see the VA to make mistakes that result in a lower rating than you deserve. It's worth contacting an expert to examine your records for errors. They may have missed an injury or omitted any issue that could have been combined with another disability to earn a higher rating.

You may still file a higher-level claim or review if you have been evaluated for Vimeo more than a calendar year. This involves a thorough review of your file. It could result in changes to your effective date or a new rating that's more accurate to how you really feel.

If you think you're worthy of a rating of 100 percent, or more, it's worth applying for a supplemental claim. A disability lawyer can assist you in putting together a compelling argument for this type of rating which is reserved only for debilitating disabilities. A mental health problem for instance, might make you eligible for a 100 percentage disability rating since it can interfere with employment or trigger frequent hospitalizations that are not typically triggering this level of severity for a heart problem or any other medical condition.

Need Help with the Appeals Process

Contrary to what many people think that denial of an appeal for disability by the VA is not the end of a person's chances to receive benefits. Former service members have a year to appeal an outcome that is not favorable.

An experienced attorney for veterans can help a vet determine which of the three options for appeal would be best for his case. They can also help with gathering the evidence required to convince a higher-level reviewer that their previous decision was not correct. They can even provide veterans with a more formal hearing before an Veterans Law Judge.

The benefit of having an New York veteran disability attorney handle your appeal is that they are able to give you the attention and care that your claim demands. They also have extensive experience handling VA disability claims, and they know the rules and procedures from top to bottom. Additionally, some attorneys are veterans themselves, which means they understand the issues disabled veterans face. This creates an unique type of empathy that can sometimes make a difference in the outcome of a case involving a disabled veteran.

Sullivan & Kehoe can review your VA disability claim free of charge to determine if we can help you. Call us today to schedule your complimentary evaluation.