Veteran (VA) Disability Lawyer Serving Sterling Heights, Michigan
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides disability compensation to qualifying veterans who suffered service-related events, injuries, or illnesses. The process of filing a claim for disability benefits and receiving a decision can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months or longer.
All too often, disability benefits claims are denied by VA. Alternatively, some veterans receive combined disability ratings lower than what they feel their injuries or disabilities entitle them to receive. In such cases, you may be able to file an appeal. The veteran disability attorneys and professionals serving Sterling Heights, Michigan at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD may be able to help you. Contact us at 800-544-9144 for a complimentary initial consultation.
How a VA Disability Benefits Attorney Can Help With Your Appeal
To receive a grant of benefits, you generally need to prove three things:
- An in-service event, injury, or illness;
- A current diagnosis by a medical professional; and
- A medical nexus, or link, between your in-service event, injury, or illness and your current diagnosis.
If your initial claim for disability benefits was denied by VA, you have the right to file an appeal. It is important to remember that you have one year from the date on your denial letter to file this appeal. In the new appeal system under the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA), veterans are now able to choose between three appeal lanes. Depending on the circumstances of your specific claim, you can:
- File a Supplemental Claim including new and relevant evidence;
- Request a Higher-Level Review with a more senior VA employee; or
- File a Notice of Disagreement directly with the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
A veterans’ disability attorney may be able to help you determine the best appeal option for you.
If you are frustrated with the long, arduous process of filing a claim and following VA filing requirements, you are not alone. Many veterans give up along the way, especially when their initial claim is denied. Others simply accept a lower than anticipated combined disability rating, even if they may have a case for a review, because the process of filing an appeal seems overwhelming or confusing.
The team at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick has worked on countless VA appeals, and we know that. receiving a denial does not mean your opportunity to win a grant of disability benefits is gone. Our team of veterans’ advocates may be able to assist you with filing your appeal and following up with VA until a decision regarding your appeal is made.
Working With Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD
Contact the veteran’s advocates at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD serving Sterling Heights, Michigan at 800-544-9144 for a complimentary review of your case. Our team will determine if we are able to assist you with challenging a VA decision and get you the benefits to which you are entitled.
Sterling Heights Blog Posts
- CCK Uncovers Memo Used By VA To Wrongly Deny Claims Of Thailand Veterans
Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick (CCK) forced VA to make public for all veterans the memorandum used to deny many Thailand veterans’ claims based upon exposure to Agent Orange and/or herbicides. CCK did this through a Freedom of Information Request. The document entitled MEMORANDUM FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS dated August 11, 2015 shows […]
- VA To Establish Presumptive Service Connection For Camp Lejeune Veterans (1953-1987)
VA has stated that they intend to establish presumptive service connection for eight diseases associated with contaminated water at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987, including: Kidney Cancer Liver Cancer Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Leukemia, Multiple Myeloma Scleroderma Parkinson’s Disease Aplastic Anemia Myelodysplastic Syndromes Officials from VA determined that the diseases or conditions were caused by exposure to contaminated water […]
- Harvard Law School Partners With Chisholm, Chisholm & Kilpatrick To Launch Veterans Legal Clinic
Boston, Massachusetts: The Providence, Rhode Island law firm of Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick is partnering with Harvard Law School’s new Veterans Legal Clinic to help address the vast unmet legal needs of veterans. With a huge increase in recent years in the number of combat veterans, and an aging veteran population in declining health, the […]