Veteran (VA) Disability Lawyer Serving Ohio
If you applied for veterans disability benefits and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) denied your claim, you are not alone. The team of veterans (VA) lawyers at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick serving Ohio has decades of collective experience helping veterans win the VA disability benefits they deserve. We may be able to help you too. Call CCK today at 800-544-9144 for a free consultation.
Ohio VA Benefit Resources
Regional Benefit Offices
- Cleveland: Cleveland Regional Benefit Office
VA Medical Centers
- Chillicothe: Chillicothe VA Medical Center
- Cincinnati: Cincinnati VA Medical Center
- Cleveland: Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center
- Columbus: Chalmers P. Wylie Ambulatory Care Center
- Dayton: Dayton VA Medical Center
VA Clinics
- Grove City: Grove City VA Clinic
- Hamilton: Hamilton VA Clinic
- Mansfield: David F. Winder VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic
- Middletown: Middletown VA Clinic
- Newark: Daniel L. Kinnard VA Clinic
- Warren: Warren VA Clinic
For location and contact information for these and more Ohio VA clinics, visit VA’s Ohio directory.
How to Obtain VA Disability Benefits in Ohio
To receive a grant of disability benefits from VA, veterans must provide evidence of these three things:
- 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.
It is essential for veterans seeking disability benefits to establish a nexus. Veterans can obtain a medical nexus opinion from a medical professional. VA may also schedule a Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam, in which the VA examiner will determine if service connection is “at least as likely as not.”
VA Disability Compensation Levels
Once service connection is established, VA will assign a disability rating 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.
Disability ratings range from 0 to 100 percent. A 0 percent rating provides no monthly compensation but possible ancillary benefits (e.g., health care), and a 100 percent rating qualifies veterans for the highest schedular amount of disability compensation. Veterans with 100 percent disability ratings also receive specialized ancillary benefits, such as Medical, dental, and mental health care from VA’s Health Care Priority Group 1, and more.
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
In addition, veterans with a combined disability rating of 30 percent or higher may be eligible for compensation for any qualifying dependents. Dependents can include spouses, children under the age of 18, children between the ages of 18 and 23 who are attending school, and/or dependent parents.
Common Medical Conditions Covered by VA Benefits
VA offers disability benefits for conditions affecting veterans’ bodies or minds, and if they meet other qualifications. We have helped veterans receive VA disability benefits from medical conditions such as:
- Chronic back pain diagnosed as a health condition
- Paralysis or loss of range of motion
- Blindness
- Hearing loss
- Scar tissue
- Breathing problems or lung disease
- Cancers caused by known toxins or other environmental hazards
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Depression
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Anxiety
If you have one of the above conditions or another debilitating injury or illness related to your service, the legal team at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD is ready to help.
Our Process for VA Appeals
Even with a valid diagnosis of a disabling condition, you may face several challenges during the claims process or even receive a VA denial. The veterans’ advocates serving Ohio at CCK understand VA’s system. We can help you file a successful appeal and obtain the benefits you deserve.
To put together a winning appeal for disability benefits, our team will work to show that a specific event, illness, or injury during your military service caused or contributed to your current medical condition. If we cannot establish a direct connection, we can determine whether secondary service connection is possible. This involves establishing that the condition in question stemmed from another service-connected condition.
To establish direct or secondary service connection, we gather evidence such as:
- Service medical records
- Service personnel records
- Private and VA medical records
- Medical opinions from the veteran’s treating doctor
- 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).
We assist veterans in developing and arguing their appeal before the VA Regional Office and the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. Our accredited attorneys also represent veterans before the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC), if needed.
We Help Veterans Nationwide
You do not have to live in our home state of Rhode Island or Texas to be a client of our experienced veterans disability legal services. We are a national litigation law firm dedicated to helping disabled veterans and other clients in complex cases, including veterans living in Ohio.
A CCK Veterans (VA) Disability Lawyer Serving Ohio Is Here to Help
The team at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD cares about those who have served our country, which is why we focus our practice on VA disability law. We want to help you get the benefits you deserve. To see if we may be able to help you with your claim or appeal, call CCK at 800-544-9144 today.
Ohio Blog Posts
- VA Ratings for Somatic Symptom Disorder
What is Somatic Symptom Disorder? Somatic symptom disorder is generally characterized by an extreme focus on physical- and health-related symptoms (e.g., pain or fatigue) that produces significant emotional distress and difficulty functioning. Signs and symptoms of this condition may include: Constant worry about potential illness Viewing normal physical sensations as a sign of severe physical […]
- How Do I Get a Nexus Letter for Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a common diagnosis among veterans, but it is still a challenging claim to make for VA disability benefits. VA rejects approximately a third of disability claims in general. On top of this, many cases of sleep apnea and other sleep disorders are a secondary disability—for example, caused by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), […]
- CCK Partners with Harvard Law School in a Class Action Case at the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
CCK’s Partnership with Harvard Law School In 2013, CCK partnered with Disabled American Veterans and Harvard Law School’s Veterans Legal Clinic to help address the vast unmet legal needs of veterans. This partnership also serves to facilitate law students’ participation in appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC). Through the Clinic, […]