VA Disability Denial In The Mail? Here's What Went Wrong

The Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation system has a bit of a reputation for denials and long wait times. Although the reasons for those rumors are steeped in rumors about negligence and factual examples of mistakes, the system generally delivers compensation to veterans who have legitimate disabilities. The issue is in proving that you have a legitimate, military-related disability that can be put in writing and verified by the VA. Take a look at how some claims are legitimately denied and what you can do to bring yourself closer to approval. 

Inexperienced Filing In A Complicated System

If you've looked at the requirements for VA disability, the paperwork isn't exactly simple. Like many government forms, there are a lot of fields asking for specific information. Within these fields, questions about your military service and your conditions are asked in order to get a good profile about your situation. Thankfully for you, mistakes in these areas aren't enough to create a denial.

If you don't have everything filled out properly, you'll simply get a call from a representative to fix some of the information. You should still try to be accurate as possible, because when your claim has to stop for corrections, it means that you'll fall behind many other veterans moving to the next stage of that particular claim process. You may not get a denial at that point, but it's just adding more opportunities for information to be lost in the shuffle.

The important part of the claim is the series of pages allowing you to describe your problem. In this area, you need to write each of your conditions, how they affect you and how they're related to military service. This is where it becomes confusing, because if you thought you knew how to describe specific conditions, you may be surprised at how specific some things can get.

The Devil Is In The Details

If you have a limp, damaged limbs or other issues with mobility, explaining the location of each pain or impairment is easy. If you have pain alone, describing just the location isn't enough. is it a throbbing pain or a stabbing pain? How long does it occur? What caused it? If you don't know what caused it, do you have a guess? If it's head pain, does it come with any dizziness, nausea, vision loss or spots before your eyes? All of these questions and more should be asked and listed, but you're not told that as you file the claim.

The result is a series of generic statements such as headaches, dizziness, depression or unsettled feelings. If you're lucky, the VA will contact you for more specific information, which can connect you with a few volunteer professionals who can help you get the information onto the claim. In some cases, your claim will simply be denied for lack of information. Thankfully, an attorney can help.

You're allowed to appeal the denial as much as you want for no cost and with a second opinion, but you should get a professional on your side. A personal injury attorney can connect you with medical professionals who can examine you closely and write the relevant information for you in a way that the VA is likely to understand. Contact a personal injury attorney to discuss your appeal and different levels of compensation you may be eligible for.