A Day in the Life of a Paralegal (Claims Advocate) at CCK
Have you ever wanted to experience a day in the life of a paralegal?
At CCK, our paralegals practicing Veterans Law before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are known as Claims Advocates. Claims Advocates play a key role in helping disabled veterans secure rightfully earned disability compensation from VA.
If you are passionate about advocacy and want to learn more about this rewarding position, some of the key responsibilities of an entry-level Claims Advocate at CCK are listed below:
Checking in.
A Claims Advocate begins their day by reviewing messages and assessing the priority of any new or existing assignments. The requests are from senior-level paralegals, paralegals on various teams, their supervisor, an Accredited Claims Agent, or an Attorney at CCK.
Claims advocates are chief communicators with clients and VA.
Claims Advocates are the primary contact for veteran clients; they receive support from their team and Attorneys. Some responsibilities include written communication via e-mail and verbal communication via telephone to veteran clients, the VA, and team members at CCK as well as drafting letter correspondence.
Specific day-to-day responsibilities.
Claims Advocates complete applications for veterans’ claims and appeals. They also assist veterans in submitting essential documents and evidence through all stages of VA’s disability benefits process. Claims Advocates also update client files in the case management software systems for record-keeping purposes and to advance claims. Once the information is updated, they can advise veteran clients about their rights and options and what stage they are in the process/what additional information is needed for a complete file.
Through these daily responsibilities, Claims Advocates help to ensure cases run smoothly and veterans get much-needed information and assistance. Every step of a Claims Advocate’s day requires keen attention to detail, skilled communication, and the ability to adapt to any challenges that may arise.
Responsibilities evolve as Claims Advocates start to master their role. At CCK, you do not have to be an Attorney to be a leader. Many of our dedicated Claims Advocates advance quickly to begin drafting appeals with training, become team leaders or Accredited Claims Agents. Accredited Claims Agents are comparable to an attorney in the VA field without needing to attend law school. We will have another post to explain the steps of this process.
This is a small glimpse into a day in the life of a Claims Advocate at CCK. If you are interested in how we train new employees for this position, check out our post: “Learning to Be a Claims Advocate at CCK.”
