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Veterans (VA) Disability Lawyer Serving Odessa, Texas

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If you have a diagnosed health condition caused by or related to your military service and it affects your ability to work and live, you could qualify for veterans’ disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). If you applied for benefits and VA denied your initial claim, reach out to an Odessa, Texas, veterans disability lawyer at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick for a free consultation.

Our team serves Odessa, Texas, and other locations in West Texas and the Texas panhandle. Call a Texas veterans (VA) disability lawyer today at (800) 544-9144 for a free consultation. Once you are a client with us, we can then formulate a plan for your unique case.

Odessa, TX Regional Benefit Office

Houston Regional Office

6900 Almeda Road
Houston, TX 77030

Waco Regional Office

701 Clay Avenue
Waco, Texas 76799

Odessa, TX VA Medical Center

Permian Basin VA Clinic

8050 East Highway 191
Odessa, TX 79765-8615

Qualifying for VA Disability Benefits in Odessa, Texas

Typically, your first step in getting VA disability compensation is for you to get a medical diagnosis for your condition. Your diagnosis could require seeing a doctor at the George H. O’Brien, Jr. VA Medical Center, Odessa VA clinic, another VA clinic, or at a private medical facility.

Service connection is possible for almost any illness or injury as long as it:

Some of the most common types of injuries covered by VA compensation include:

Generally, an approval, or grant, of a service connection claim requires 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.

To get disability compensation and other benefits through VA, you must present a thorough case to prove you meet all three of these requirements.

Understanding What Happens After You Submit Your VA Disability Claim

Typically, veterans apply for benefits online and then submit any necessary information that is not included in service personnel records or medical records.

VA personnel evaluating your case request your service records through the Department of Defense (DoD) and obtain your medical records from your VA medical center or private care provider you identify. It can be helpful to obtain these records yourself before you file your claim. This allows you to ensure everything is well-documented, and nothing is missing.

As soon as the necessary evidence is gathered, the rating specialist can review it to determine if you meet the three elements of service connection. If VA determines that you meet the requirements, they will then consider the severity of your condition and how it affects your life and work.

Based on this review of severity, VA assigns a disability rating for your condition. Your disability rating for that condition is then combined with ratings you have for any other service-connected conditions to calculate your combined disability rating, which determines your monthly disability compensation rate.

Challenging VA Disability Denial in Odessa, Texas

For VA disability decisions made after February 2019, veterans who appeal a decision will do so through the Appeals Modernization Act. This system offers three different options for appealing VA benefit decisions:

  • Supplemental Claim: Under this option, veterans can submit additional new and relevant evidence for VA to consider.
  • Higher-Level Review: Under this option, a higher-up VA rating specialist will take a fresh look at the evidence already in your claims file.
  • Board of Veterans’ Appeals or Notice of Disagreement: Under this option, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, also known as the Board, will assign a Veterans Law Judge to review your claim. You can choose whether or not you’d like to submit additional evidence and/or have a hearing with the Veterans Law Judge.

You have one year from the date of your benefits decision to appeal. Each of these options has pros and cons, but there is generally one that fits your needs better than the others.

Working With a Veterans Disability Attorney Serving Odessa and Nearby Areas

If you received a denial or an unfavorable disability rating, you may want to pursue an appeal to VA’s decision. You have the right to do so for up to one year following VA’s initial decision on your claim.

At Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick, our attorneys and advocates are highly trained and experienced in veterans law. We appreciate and support our military and veterans. We dedicate our work to helping veterans like you get any VA disability benefits you may be entitled to.

When one of our veterans (VA) disability lawyers serving Odessa, Texas, takes on your case, you can count on us to:

  • Review your claim and get to the bottom of why VA denied your benefits.
  • Gather evidence to establish eligibility for benefits and support your claim.
  • Help you understand your options for requesting a decision review.
  • Prepare your request for a review and submit new and relevant evidence if filing a Supplemental Claim.
  • File an appeal and represent you before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, if necessary.

Our team members understand how important VA disability compensation can be to you and your family. We work hard to develop a case and work with you to help you get approved for any disability compensation benefits you may be entitled to.

Call (800) 544-9144 today for a free review of your case.

Talk to a Veterans (VA) Disability Attorney Serving Odessa, Texas

If your ability to work and do other daily activities are affected by a service-connected injury or illness, you deserve VA disability compensation. You can apply online today.

If you already submitted a claim and received an unfavorable result, the veterans’ disability attorneys from Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick may be able to help you challenge VA’s decision and overturn their denial.

Call a veterans (VA) disability lawyer serving Odessa, Texas, at (800) 544-9144 for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.