A VA disability claim can be very complicated. Every step of the way can be extremely challenging and confusing. While you may feel overwhelmed, taking full control of winning a VA disability claim is possible.
Here are some of the best tips to consider when striving to win your VA disability claim.
1. Acknowledge the Disability
Acknowledging a problem is always the best way to find its solutions. Many veterans often do not acknowledge their health problems early on and do not make a big deal out of their medical conditions.
While your medical condition may not affect you much in your years of youth, you may start to feel more challenged as you grow older. You may think that too much time has passed now to bring it up with Veteran Affairs. However, the right steps can help you get compensated.
Once you have made up your mind and can ask friends or family members to corroborate your story, you can hold an initial discussion with Veterans Affairs.
2. File a Claim
Many veterans consider applying for compensation for their pain and suffering when the urgent need arises. Even when years have passed since the initial ailment, applying sooner can be key to accessing your benefits.
It all starts with taking the right step as soon as possible. With the right legal help, many people in Georgia and all over the United States receive Georgia Veterans Disability Benefit Resources, and you can get it, too.
3. Ask Loved Ones to Provide a Statement
Your friends and family members can also help you greatly in securing compensation for your disability. They do not have to be medical professionals to observe and share the nature and symptoms of your disabilities. Every statement from your friends and family members can create an impact.
If needed, they can provide statements based on their observations and share how your disability impacts your everyday life. This way, your pain and suffering can become more urgent and realistic to Veterans Affairs.
4. Organize All Your Records
The path to securing veterans’ disability benefit resources can be filled with challenges. The intensity of these challenges can be made easier when you are organized. This way, you can see whether you have all the necessary paperwork to meet the requirements.
Start by filing your claim and obtaining a copy of it. This may include your treatment records, medical bills, and any previous VA decisions. Once you are organized, you can not only fill in the missing information but also feel more confident about your success.
5. Support Your Claim
In order to support your claim the best way, you must pursue all possible theories to support your claim. As mentioned before, dealing with Veteran Affairs is not easy, and you must be prepared for challenges.
For example, you have a current disability of anxiety that you claim resulted from being exposed to hazardous conditions during your service. Additionally, you are service-connected for a severe knee injury that causes chronic pain.
These records indicate that some of your anxiety symptoms may be related to the ongoing knee pain. It would be beneficial to include in your claim a theory that the anxiety is connected to your service-connected knee injury.
6. Avoid Limiting to a Single Diagnosis
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to rely on a single diagnosis based on how they feel and what they see. While you may think that things will work out and receive your benefits, an opposing diagnosis later may discredit your theory.
In order to avoid your claim to be rejected, it is important to consider all possible diagnoses. Your claim must include all possible medical conditions along with the symptoms to boost your benefits.
7. Present New Medical Records
If you have already filed a claim for veterans disability benefit resources, you must know that the legal process can take some time. During these times, your health conditions can progress further. In order to get compensated for your health problems, you must continue to make periodic requests.
A change in your health condition can give you a chance to secure higher benefits. In addition, these medical records enable you to strengthen your claim by working as additional evidence. That is the reason why it is always recommended that veterans keep their medical records organized.
8. Create a Link to the Disability
One of the most important things you must do is to ensure that your healthcare professionals and experts link the disability to the service. This step is very important and must not be skipped. The stronger the connection between your medical issues and military service, the greater the benefits you can secure.
You can get an opinion from different healthcare professionals who can create a link between your healthcare conditions and your time in service. You can also consult a private medical expert if you have the budget for it.
9. Never Back Down
If you are applying for veteran disability benefits for the first time, you may have high hopes. Unfortunately, the hopes of many Veterans are let down when their appeal for benefits is rejected by Veteran Affairs.
In some cases, even the smallest of mistakes and lapses lead to the rejection of your application and take you a step away from your benefits.
While your application being rejected can make you feel down, it does not mean you must back down, too. Instead, you can hire a veteran disability lawyer and file a claim for benefits again.
10. File an Appeal
If you are among the people whose appeal has been denied for veteran benefits, it does not mean that all hope is lost. If the regional office or the BVA denies your claim, you can always file an appeal.
Once the notice of disagreement has been filed, you can hire an attorney for your presentations. From there on, your legal representative can take charge of ensuring that you receive benefits for your pain and suffering.