Veterans (VA) Disability Lawyer Serving Fort Lauderdale, Florida
If you are a disabled veteran living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and your service in the U.S. military caused or exacerbated an injury or illness, you may qualify to receive benefits and compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Unfortunately, the VA claims and appeals process can be confusing, daunting, and frustrating. Too often, veterans who have served and sacrificed for our country work through the VA disability process only to have their claims denied.
The veterans (VA) disability lawyers serving Fort Lauderdale, Florida at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD do not want to see you give up on claiming the benefits you have earned. We are committed to helping you. Our experienced attorneys and advocates will take the time to review your claim and file an appeal on your behalf, devoting all the knowledge we have gained from years of experience dealing with VA to helping you get the rating, grant of benefits, and/or compensation you have earned.
Call Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD today at (800) 544-9144 for a free consultation.
Fort Lauderdale VA Local Benefit Offices
Fort Lauderdale: Broward County VA Outpatient Clinic VR&E
Miami: VetSuccess on Campus at Florida International University
Fort Lauderdale VA Regional Benefit Office
St. Petersburg VA Regional Benefit Office
Fort Lauderdale VA Medical Centers
Sunrise: William “Bill” Kling Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic
Hollywood: Hollywood VA Clinic
Deerfield Beach: Deerfield Beach VA Clinic
We Have the Experience Required to Build a Successful Appeal
If VA denied your claim for disability benefits or you feel they underrated your condition, the veterans’ advocates at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD can work with you to appeal. As national leaders in veterans’ disability law, we are uniquely equipped to represent you and to get you the benefits to which you are entitled.
Our team has years of experience fighting for veterans benefits at every step of the VA appeals process, from VA Regional Offices and the Board of Veterans’ appeals, to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Building Your Appeal
To successfully present your case to VA, every VA disability application must contain the following elements:
- Proof that you suffered an in-service injury or illness (or event);
- Documentation from a qualified medical professional that shows you have a current diagnosis;
- Evidence of a connection between your current diagnosis and an in-service injury, illness, or event (known as the “nexus”).
Presumption of Service Connection
There are certain situations in which VA presumes military service has caused a range of illnesses, conditions, or disabilities. For example, veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam are assumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange, which the government now links with a variety of diseases. As such, a veteran who suffers from one of these acknowledged diseases need only show that they served in Vietnam to establish their nexus. This is known as a presumption of service connection, and it applies to other areas of military service, too, including the following:
- Gulf War
- Nuclear testing
- Nagasaki/Hiroshima
- Former prisoners of war (POWs)
How Ratings and Compensation are Determined
Your VA rating is based on how severe the symptoms of your service-connected condition(s) are. For veterans who suffer from multiple disabilities or illnesses, VA applies a special formula to arrive at a combined rating.
The more severe or disabling VA assesses your symptoms and condition to be, the higher your disability rating. Schedular disability ratings range from 0 to 100, with higher ratings resulting in higher monthly compensation benefits.
Compensation Levels
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
Call Today to Benefit from Our Vast Experience with Veterans Disability Benefits
You have served this country, and you have made many sacrifices in doing so. The battle to receive your VA disability is not one you should have to fight alone. You have earned these benefits, and we are ready to fight on your behalf.
Call a veterans (VA) disability lawyer serving Fort Lauderdale, Florida from Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD today for a free consultation: (800) 544-9144.
Fort Lauderdale Blog Posts
- VA Disability Benefits for Eye Conditions
As of 2019, roughly 315,000 veterans are receiving VA disability compensation for eye conditions resulting from their time in military service. The most prominent eye condition in which veterans are service-connected for blindness is one or both eyes. Of the veterans who are service-connected for eye conditions, about one-third of them are Gulf War Veterans. […]
- Gulf War Veterans Remain at Risk of Gulf War Illness Years Later
About the GWI Study Chronic multisymptom illness/Gulf War illness (CMI/GWI) is the defining illness of the 1990-1991 Gulf War; however, few studies have examined changes over time in the prevalence of these conditions. Understanding the burden of chronic multisymptom illness/Gulf War illness (CMI/GWI) as Gulf War veterans age is critical to estimating current and future […]
- How to reopen a VA claim with new and material evidence
When can you reopen a VA claim? You can reopen a VA claim if you were denied benefits and the decision has become final. A decision becomes final when you have either 1) missed the deadline to appeal a decision, or, 2) exhausted the appeals process (i.e. gone through appeals with your VA Regional Office, […]