The Veterans Affairs (VA) claim system is constantly filled with new claims, especially with an ongoing war of volunteers ready to retire or step away from the chaos. With reports of scandal and long wait times, you'll need to pack as much information into your claim or appeal as possible to avoid delays. Take the time to understand the VA process and what you can do to make your claim successful.
Denials Are Designed To Filter Fraud
As you develop your VA claim, you need to understand that the VA is dedicated to reducing fraudulent claims. There are veterans out there looking for a lifetime paycheck for disability, since you're allowed to work while receiving VA disability. Even if you have a complete medical record full of evidence, you still need to pass the VA's C&P exam and have current proof that you're suffering.
Another issue is that some veterans are injured as civilians. Some of those claims could be a simple misunderstanding, since many people believe that veterans are entitled to all VA assistance programs for life. Other veterans may try to manipulate their injury circumstances to make it look like a civilian injury actually happened while they were in the military.
Veterans with civilian conditions aren't completely turned away. There are basic benefits available for veterans with an other-than-dishonorable discharge, but the compensation is for service-connected conditions only.
The Service-Connection Requirements
Success with VA claims and appeals means differentiating yourself from these invalid claims. Thankfully, aside from the most egregious examples of fraud, the worst that the VA will do is deny your claim. To avoid these denials, you need to pass a service-connected test.
Service-connection is a term that means your claim is related to military service. An ideal claim will have a military medical record entry showing that you complained about the issue (or issues) during the military, as well as a current medical examination showing that you're still suffering.
The medical record entry is a helpful bonus, but the VA understands that not all veterans are able to produce related medical record entries. Whether it's because of a hectic military situation with no medical personnel in the area or if your record was lost by medical personnel, you can still succeed with a claim if you file the claim as soon as possible. The more time that passes, the more likely that your claim will look like a person claiming a civilian issue as a military issue.
Proving that you're currently suffering can be difficult as well. Not all conditions involve visual scars or obvious disease; some veterans have pain and mobility problems that can't be reproduced in military evidence. It's hard to prove or disprove that a veteran is truly in pain without a medical explanation for what is causing the pain.
If you've been denied and continue to suffer because of military-related conditions, contact a law firm immediately. Instead of doing the research on your own while suffering and trying to keep/find a job, allow the law firm to research your records and equip you with a team of medical professionals who can get the evidence you need.
Share