Veterans (VA) Disability Lawyer Serving Portland, Maine

Are you a veteran living in Portland, Maine with a service-related disabling condition?  If so, you may qualify for disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

If you filed a claim but VA denied you benefits, a Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD veterans (VA) disability lawyer may be able to help you appeal the decision.

Reach out to CCK today at 800-544-9144 for a complimentary consultation.

VA Facilities Serving Portland, Maine

Veterans living in Portland, Maine can access resources from several VA locations, including a Community Based Outpatient Clinic, a Regional Benefit Office, and a Vet Center.

VA Clinic

The Portland VA Clinic – a Community Based Outpatient Clinic located in Portland, Maine – provides a variety of services to Portland veterans, such as primary and mental health care; lab services; nephrology, cardiology, endocrinology, rheumatology, and pulmonary services; and telehealth services for mental health, retinal imaging, and more.

Veterans can learn more or schedule a visit by calling 207-771-3500.

VA Regional Office

The Togus Regional Office in Augusta, Maine administers a variety of services, including counseling about VA benefits, insurance loan guaranty, pension, outreach to homeless veterans, and more.

Veterans living in Portland, Maine can schedule a virtual video appointment to access these services by calling 207-621-6938.

VA Vet Center

The Portland, ME Vet Center offers counseling for veterans, including individual, group, family, and bereavement counseling.  It also provides community outreach and education, substance abuse assessment and referral, and employment referral.

Portland veterans interested in learning more can call the office at 207-780-3584.

How to Get VA Disability Compensation in Portland, Maine

VA extends disability compensation to veterans who show evidence of the three elements of service connection.  These are:

• An in-service event, injury, or illness;
• A current diagnosis of a disabling condition by a medical professional; and
• A nexus, or link, between the in-service event and current disability.

Establishing a nexus is essential to proving service connection and thus securing VA disability benefits.  Veterans can ask their private physician or another medical professional for a nexus opinion to support their claim.  VA may also schedule a Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam to fulfill the nexus element.

VA Disability Compensation Rates

After VA grants service connection, they assign a disability rating to the service-connected condition.  Disability ratings range from 0 to 100 and increase in severity by increments of 10.

If you have multiple service-connected conditions, VA will combine the ratings using VA math.  This combined disability rating will then determine your monthly compensation rate.

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

Veterans with at least a 30 percent combined disability rating and one or more dependents may qualify for additional compensation.

What Benefits Does a 100% Disabled Veteran Get in Portland, Maine?

Portland, Maine veterans with a 100 percent rating may also qualify for additional benefits, including:

• Medical, dental, and mental health care from VA’s Health Care Priority Group 1;
• A grant from VA to help build, modify, or buy a specially adapted home to meet a veteran’s needs;
• Military identification cards;
• Emergency care outside of VA;
• State-offered benefits (e.g., vehicle registration)
• Vocational and Rehabilitation and Employment Benefits for dependents
• And more.

How to Appeal a VA Decision in Portland, Maine

If VA denied your claim for disability benefits, you can appeal the 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.

A veterans (VA) disability attorney serving Portland, Maine may be able to assist you in choosing which appeal lane best fits your situation.

VA regulates who can represent a veteran and how much they can paid under 38 CFR § 14.636.  A veteran (VA) representative will typically charge on a contingency basis, meaning they will only take a previously agreed upon percentage of recovered retroactive benefits.

It is important to note that fees above 33.3 percent are presumed unreasonable.

How CCK Can Help You Appeal a VA Decision

The experienced, accredited veterans’ representatives at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD know what it takes to successfully appeal a VA decision.  If VA denied you disability benefits, CCK may be able to help you secure the compensation you deserve.

Call CCK today at 800-544-9144 to schedule a free consultation.