VA Disability Lawyer Serving Long Beach, CA
Was your disability claim for benefits denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)?
If you are veteran living in Long Beach, CA with a disability related to your military service, a veterans disability lawyer serving Long Beach from Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick may be able to help. Our team of experienced, accredited attorneys can help you file a VA disability appeal and secure your rightfully earned disability benefits.
Reach out to CCK today at 800-544-9144 for a free case evaluation with a member of the CCK team.
VA Facilities Serving Long Beach, California
VA Medical Center
The Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center in Long Beach, CA offers primary and specialty health care services to disabled veterans. These include cardiology, mental health care, suicide prevention, spinal cord injury treatment, and more.
Regional Office
The Los Angeles VA Regional Office serves thousands of veterans in the surrounding areas in Southern California, including Long Beach. It administers several services and benefits for veterans, including disability compensation, Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E), loans, insurance, outreach programs, and more.
VA Clinic
The Cabrillo VA Clinic in Long Beach, CA provides primary care, mental health care, telehealth, and more to Long Beach veterans.
How to Get VA Disability Benefits in Long Beach, CA
Establishing service connection is essential to securing VA disability compensation. To prove service connection, military veterans must have evidence of the following:
- An in-service event, injury, or illness;
- A current diagnosis of a disabling medical condition; and
- A nexus, or link, between the in-service event and current disability.
Once VA confirms service connection, it will assign a disability rating, ranging from 0 to 100 percent, to the veteran’s condition. A veteran’s combined disability rating (i.e., the combination of each of their individual ratings using VA math) determines their monthly compensation amount.
As of December 1st, 2022 the VA disability rate benefit amounts are as follows:
- 0 percent disability rating: $0.00 per month
- 10 percent disability rating: $165.92 per month
- 20 percent disability rating: $327.99 per month
- 30 percent disability rating: $508.05 per month
- 40 percent disability rating: $731.86 per month
- 50 percent disability rating: $1,041.82 per month
- 60 percent disability rating: $1,319.65 per month
- 70 percent disability rating: $1,663.06 per month
- 80 percent disability rating: $1,933.15 per month
- 90 percent disability rating: $2,172.39 per month
- 100 percent disability rating: $3,621.95 per month
Types of Evidence for VA Claims Process
There are different types of evidence that can be useful in proving a VA claim. Some examples include:
- Private, Service, and VA Medical records
- Military personnel service records
- Medical opinions and nexus letters from medical professionals
- Employment records (especially if the veteran is seeking Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability, or TDIU)
- Lay evidence (i.e., lay statements or buddy statements).
Additional VA Benefits for Dependents
Veterans with a combined disability rating of 30 percent or higher and at least one qualifying dependent may receive additional compensation. Dependents can include:
- A spouse
- Children under the age of 18
- Children between the ages of 18 and 23 who are attending school
- A dependent parent
Increasing Your VA Disability Rating
Sometimes VA will incorrectly evaluate a veteran’s condition and assign them a disability rating that does not accurately reflect the severity of their symptoms. If you believe your condition warrants a rating higher than the one VA assigned, you can request an increased rating. There are several ways to do so:
- File an appeal within VA’s deadlines (one year for most types of appeals);
- File a new claim for an increased rating;
- File for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) if your service-connected condition renders you unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment;
- File a claim for secondary service connection if you have symptoms or conditions resulting from an already service-connected disability.
The VA disability attorneys at CCK serving Long Beach, CA may be able to help you get a better rating decision.
Appealing a VA Benefits Denial in Long Beach
If you receive a denial letter from VA, there are three options to appeal claim denials in VA’s AMA appeals process:
- Higher-Level Review: Request a review of your current claim by a senior VA employee;
- Supplemental Claim: Submit new and relevant evidence as part of a Supplemental Claim; or
- Notice of Disagreement: File a Notice of Disagreement with the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
It is important to note that if you file a Notice of Disagreement, your appeal will go directly to the BVA. Then you must also select a docket: direct docket, hearing docket, or evidence docket. If BVA denies your appeal, you have one year to file a Supplemental Claim or appeal to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC).
How Much Can a Veterans (VA) Disability Lawyer Charge?
VA regulates who can represent a veteran during the VA appeals process and how much they can be paid under 38 CFR § 14.636. Veterans disability attorneys or accredited claims agents charge fees based on recovered retroactive benefits only.
An accredited VA disability attorney typically charges on a contingency basis, meaning they will take a previously agreed upon percentage of recovered retroactive benefits.
Get Assistance from a CCK Veterans Disability Lawyer Serving Long Beach, CA
The law firm of Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick serving Long Beach, CA may be able to help you with the VA appeals process. Our disability lawyers have decades of experience helping disabled veterans win the benefits they deserve for their service-related disabilities.
Call CCK today at 800-544-9144 for a free case evaluation.
Long Beach Blog Posts
- CCK Presents Oral Argument at CAVC for Veteran’s Severe Knee Disability
Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims calls for Oral Argument In August, CCK presented at an oral argument before the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in Washington, D.C. The case involved a Veteran client’s very severe knee disability. The Court called the case to oral argument to answer the question of whether […]
- VA Benefits for Dependents of Disabled Veterans
What Are Dependents for VA Purposes? For VA purposes, a dependent is a family member who relies on the veteran financially and meets certain criteria. Examples of dependents for VA purposes include: A spouse Unmarried children, including stepchildren, adopted children, and biological children, who: Are under the age of 18; or Are between the ages […]
- Board wrongly denies Veteran service connection for hip condition
Summary The veteran served on active duty from February 1962 to February 1965. He reenlisted and served again from December 1965 to January 1978, and May 1985 to April 1989. He filed a claim for a left hip condition in April 1989. An April 2011 medical opinion stated that the veteran’s left knee osteoarthritis had […]