Veterans (VA) Disability Lawyer Serving Odessa, Texas
If you have a diagnosed health condition caused by or related to your military service and this health condition 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 the VA denied your initial claim, reach out to an Odessa, Texas veterans disability lawyer at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD for a free consultation.
Our team serves Odessa, Texas, as well as other locations in West Texas and the Texas panhandle. Call a Texas veterans (VA) disability lawyer today at (800) 544-9144 today 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
6900 Almeda Road
Houston, TX 77030
701 Clay Avenue
Waco, Texas 76799
Odessa, TX VA Medical Center
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:
- Occurred during or as a result of your active-duty military service;
- Became worse because of your active-duty military service; or
- Occurred as a result of another injury or illness you sustained as a result of your active military service
Some of the most common types of injuries covered by VA compensation include:
- Back injuries
- Chronic pain related to injuries
- Lung conditions
- Hearing loss
- Scar tissue
- Cancers and other conditions caused by exposure to certain chemicals
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
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 strong 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 obtains 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 step 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. Your combined disability rating 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 have a new appeals system to navigate. Instead of following a linear appeals path, this system offers three different options for appealing VA benefit decisions. These options include:
- Supplemental claim. Under this option, veterans can submit additional evidence relevant to their claim 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 LTD, 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 your VA disability benefits. 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 fight to build a strong case and work with you to help you get approved for your disability compensation benefits.
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 LTD 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 now for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.
Odessa Blog Posts
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How to File VA Form 20-0996: Higher Level ReviewWhat Is a Higher-Level Review? Since the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act (AMA) was implemented on February 19, 2019, veterans have the option to appeal a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) decision through one of three lanes: Higher-Level Review (using VA Form 20-0996), Supplemental Claim, or Notice of Disagreement. A Higher-Level Review is an evaluation […]
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Federal Circuit Court Rules Veterans Can Get Disability Benefits for PainApril 11, 2018 – The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held VA must award disability benefits for pain due to military service. Prior to this Court decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims had held that pain alone without an underlying diagnosis was not compensable. What Does This Mean? […]
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VA Pension vs. VA CompensationWhat is VA Pension? What are the eligibility requirements? VA Pension, or Veterans Pension, is a tax-free monthly benefit for certain low-income, wartime veterans. Even though it’s called a pension, the benefit is has no relation to the number of years you served. Rather, it’s based on financial need, disability and/or age. You may be […]