Veterans (VA) Disability Lawyer Serving Idaho
If you are a U.S. military veteran living in Idaho with a disabling condition due to your military service, you may be eligible for disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
If you already filed a claim but VA denied you benefits, a Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD veterans (VA) disability lawyer serving Idaho may be able to help appeal the decision.
Call CCK today at 800-544-9144 to learn more.
VA Resources in Idaho
Veterans can access resources from several facilities in Idaho, including a VA Regional Office, a VA Medical Center in Boise, VA Outpatient Clinics, and Community Based Outpatient Clinics.
VA Regional Benefit Office
- Boise: Boise Regional Office
VA Medical Center
- Boise: Boise VA Medical Center
VA Outpatient Clinics
- Mountain Home: Mountain Home Idaho Outpatient Clinic
- Salmon: Salmon Idaho Outpatient Clinic
- Sandpoint: Sandpoint RHC
VA Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs)
- Caldwell: Caldwell Idaho Outpatient Clinic
- Coeur d’Alene: Coeur d’Alene VA Clinic
- Idaho Falls: Idaho Falls VA Clinic
- Lewiston: Lewiston VA Clinic
- Pocatello: Pocatello VA Clinic
- Twin Falls: Twin Falls VA Clinic
VA Idaho Veteran Statistics
More than 123,000 veterans live in Idaho, comprising about 10.1 percent of the state’s population. Of these veterans:
- Around 27,000 receive VA benefits;
- Nearly 60,000 are enrolled in VA’s health care system;
- About 44,000 have sought care at a VA facility; and
- More than 46 percent of Idaho’s veterans are 65 years or older.
How to Win VA Disability Benefits in Idaho
To secure VA disability benefits in Idaho, you need proof of these three things.
- A diagnosis of a current, disabling condition;
- An event, injury, or illness that occurred during your military service; and
- A “nexus”, or link, between your current condition and the in-service event.
A nexus is essential to establishing the connection between your medical condition and the in-service occurrence. Medical professionals can offer a nexus opinion to corroborate your claim. This opinion should state that it is “at least as likely as not” that the in-service event led to your disability.
VA Disability Compensation Rates
Once service connection is established, VA uses a numerical scale (0 to 100 percent) to assign a rating to your disability, with more severe disabilities typically being assigned higher ratings.
Your combined disability rating determines your monthly benefit amount. A 100 percent rating offers the highest monthly compensation for a single veteran with no dependents.
As of December 1st, 2023 the VA disability rate benefit amounts are as follows:
- 0 percent disability rating: $0.00 per month
- 10 percent disability rating: $171.23 per month
- 20 percent disability rating: $338.49 per month
- 30 percent disability rating: $524.31 per month
- 40 percent disability rating: $755.28 per month
- 50 percent disability rating: $1,075.16 per month
- 60 percent disability rating: $1,361.88 per month
- 70 percent disability rating: $1,716.28 per month
- 80 percent disability rating: $1,995.01 per month
- 90 percent disability rating: $2,241.91 per month
- 100 percent disability rating: $3,737.85 per month
Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU)
If you cannot work due to your service-connected medical condition and your combined disability rating is less than 100 percent, you may qualify for Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU). TDIU compensates veterans who cannot secure substantially gainful employment at a 100 percent schedular rate.
Appealing a VA Decision in Idaho
If you were denied disability benefits, you can appeal the VA decision in one of three ways:
- Request a Higher-Level Review of your current claim by a senior VA employee;
- Submit new and relevant evidence as part of a Supplemental Claim; or
- File a Notice of Disagreement with the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board).
Should I Get a Veterans (VA) Disability Lawyer?
A veterans (VA) disability lawyer may be able to help you choose which appeal option best fits your situation. They may also be able help you gather evidence to substantiate your claim and, if necessary, represent your case in front of the Board.
It is important to note that VA regulates who can represent a veteran and how much they can be paid under 38 CFR § 14.636. Typically, a veterans (VA) disability attorney charges on a contingency basis, meaning they will only take a percentage of recovered retroactive benefits. Representatives are not allowed to charge based on any future benefits.
Fees equal to or below 20 percent are considered reasonable by VA, while anything above 33.3 percent is presumed unreasonable.
How CCK Can Help Idaho Veterans
If you are a veteran living in Idaho with a service-related disability, a Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD veterans (VA) disability lawyer serving Idaho may be able to help. The experienced advocates and attorneys at CCK know what it takes to win VA disability benefits.
Call 800-544-9144 today for a free case review.
Idaho Blog Posts
- How Much Weight Does a C&P Exam Have?
Compensation and Pension (C&P) exams can often cause veterans a lot of anxiety, whether it be from going to the exam itself or from an unfavorable report an examiner has written. Continue reading to learn more about how important C&P exams really are to your VA disability benefits claim. What is a C&P Exam? A […]
- Appeals Reform: An Adjudicator’s Role in Processing Appeals Under the New System
How Do Adjudicators Process Appeals in the Legacy Appeals System? In the Legacy appeals system, adjudicators must address several tasks at different stages when processing appeals. Generally speaking, the adjudication process is broken down into three stages: Review. In this initial stage, the adjudicators will review the veteran’s claims file. Specifically, the adjudicator will go […]
- VA Disability for Pulmonary Embolism
What is a Pulmonary Embolism? An embolism is a blood clot that has broken off and is floating freely in the blood vessel, where it may travel to another area of the body and cause a blockage. This can happen with multiple blood clots and can lead to multiple embolisms. Most blood clots that go […]