Veterans (VA) Disability Lawyer Serving New Jersey

Disabled veterans are entitled to veterans disability compensation if they can prove their medical condition is connected to their service. Unfortunately, this can be quite difficult. If you applied for disability benefits and received a denial, a veterans disability lawyer serving New Jersey can help you appeal the denial.

Call Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD for a free consultation today. Let us put our resources to work for you: 800-544-9144.

New Jersey VA Benefit Resources

New Jersey only has one regional benefit office; however, there are two medical centers available where veterans in New Jersey can receive medical care.

New Jersey VA Regional Benefit Offices

Newark: Newark Regional Benefit Office

New Jersey VA Medical Centers

New Jersey VA Statistics

As of 2016, New Jersey has:

• More than 371,000 residents who served in the U.S. military (nearly six percent of the state’s adult population)
• Over 55,000 residents receiving VA disability benefits
• Over 143,000 veterans enrolled in the VA health care system (76,000 who have sought treatment at a VA medical center)

56 percent of New Jersey’s veterans are at least 65 years old. More than five percent of New Jersey’s veterans are military retirees, meaning they completed enough military service to receive full military retirement.

How to Win Your Disability Appeal in New Jersey

While you have the option of appealing the VA’s original decision, the appeals process is often difficult. To win VA disability benefits as a New Jersey military veteran, we must submit an appeal to the VA that establishes the following:

• You have a current diagnosis of a medical condition;
• The existence of an injury, illness, or event that occurred during your military service; and
• A link (“nexus”) between your diagnosis and this in-service event, injury, or illness.

Without this nexus — the link between an in-service injury, illness, or event and your medical diagnosis — you cannot prove service connection and the VA will not grant you service-connected disability benefits. Accordingly, we must gather strong evidence that identifies a specific event and shows the VA how this event caused you to become disabled. This is direct service connection. We may have a few other options to prove service connection. Two options include:

• Presumptive service connection: The VA presumes service connection for certain conditions. For example, if you served in the Southwest Asia theater of military operations on or after August 2, 1990 and now suffer from an undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness, the VA will presume service connection for what is commonly referred to as “Gulf War syndrome.”
• Secondary service connection: If the VA does not presume service connection and we cannot establish direct service connection, we may be able to prove secondary service connection. This includes proving the condition in question is the result of an already service-connected condition. For example, if there is medical evidence that your back condition resulted from your service-connected knee injury, you may be able to recover compensation as if both were service-connected.

We might use evidence, such as your service records, medical history, lab test results, or lay evidence to prove service connection.

VA Disability Compensation Levels

The amount of compensation you receive each month depends on your combined disability rating. This combined disability rating spans from 0 to 100 percent. Our goal as your attorneys is to build a strong case that shows the VA the full extent of your medical condition and how it limits your ability to earn a living. This will help you to receive the highest compensation warranted for the severity of your condition.

As of December 1st, 2024, 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

If you have dependents living in your home, such as your spouse, dependent parents, or children, you may be eligible for additional compensation — but you must receive a disability rating of 30 percent or higher to qualify for these additional benefits.

Call 800-544-9144 Today to Speak to a Member of Our Team

At Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD, our VA disability lawyers pride themselves on helping veterans get the benefits they deserve for serving our country. We want to help you too. For a free consultation, call 800-544-9144 today.