Rejected VA Claim? Here's A Few Possible Causes

When dealing with specific injury compensation systems such as Veterans Affairs (VA) disability, an understanding of the surrounding cultures is just as important as understanding the paperwork language. If you're legitimately suffering from a problem caused by your military service, but have been denied compensation, there could be a few things wrong with both your claim and the VA's perception of your case. To do something about the former and to better understand the latter, take a look at a few features and flaws of the VA system surrounding your claim.

What The VA Looks For In A Claim

The VA exists to help veterans as they transition into a civilian lifestyle and continues to support them throughout their civilian life with multiple programs. Disability is one of the big ticket items because of the monetary compensation, and combating fraud is a big task that keeps funding within the circle of veterans who need it.

Because of strict regulations, even veterans who left the military because of their injuries may still be rejected if their claim doesn't pass the service-connected test. This test requires that an injury be documented as related to military service and currently causing problems for the veterans.

The level of disability ranges from 0-100% for monetary compensation, but even a 0% disability-rated veteran has more benefits than a veteran with a disability rating. It's important to note that 0% is still an admission of responsibility by the VA and simply doesn't deliver any monetary compensation.

Proof usually means having written documentation in your military medical record or a report of an incident in your military service record. This shows that you were injured in the military or as a result of military involvement. Unfortunately, veterans who injure themselves after leaving the military are not eligible for VA compensation—but the VA can still help in recovery and with finding the right program to seek compensation if applicable.

You'll also need a current medical examination showing your level of disability. The VA performs a compensation and pension (C&P) examination that includes an overall physical and more advanced analysis such as computerized tomography (CT) scans, audiology labs, and ultrasounds if applicable to your specific complaint. Even if you have written documentation from your military service, a lack of medical results can still result in a denial. 

How To Get Legal Assistance

A second opinion is necessary if you've been denied or if you know you're missing information, but a lawyer is necessary to make sure everything goes through smoothly. An injury lawyer can help you gather the information you need while building an appeal strategy.

With an injury lawyer's assistance, you can get connected with the right medical assistance for your specific problem. Not all military injuries are broken bones, concussions, and bullet wounds; the more complex problems may have hard-to-find symptoms and complex consequences that require specific medical examination that the VA may not include in its streamlined process.

As you gather new medical evidence, the injury lawyer can do the legal and administrative paperwork by contacting the appropriate offices, arranging your evidence and finding successful claims/appeals that can work as a model for your appeal. Contact an injury lawyer to discuss your VA claim issues, and if your injury isn't qualified for the VA, work with your lawyer to find the compensation program that fits you the best. For more information, contact local professionals like James Lee Katz.


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