Need More Evidence For VA Appeals?

After being denied Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, many veterans are left with the daunting task of proving their point to a complex legal system. If you've already given all of the information you have, what else is there to give? A lot, since unless you're a doctor or have been to multiple hospitals to document your condition, your documentation may be less of a perfect set of evidence and more of an educated guess. To make your case stronger, here are a few VA system traits and requirements that aren't always in plain English.

Pain And Problems Written Documentation

Unfortunately, the VA won't provide disability for pain alone. It's impossible to prove pain without some sort of medically-accepted evidence to go along with it, and although most medical professionals don't doubt the pain of true sufferers, the system still errs on the side of caution and would rather that you found the source of the problem.

That said, the VA will help you find the source of the problem. Even after being denied, the VA can send you through other medical appointments to test other theories. It's better to treat the problem instead of giving away money without any real solution, since giving monetary compensation is no guarantee that the veteran will find a solution. There's no good in handing a veteran additional money to suffer with a full bank account--even though the money would be nice.

In most cases, continued treatment has nothing to do with the VA claim or appeal itself. Your appointments continue as planned, which isn't a problem for the VA budget, since these tests are likely to weed out veterans trying to commit fraud. It's also cheaper than giving a person lifetime payments with no incentive to get better.

An Attorney Can Research More Deeply

Pain is just an example, and many other conditions suffer the same problem of existing without easily observable evidence. Your VA clinic or hospital is split between you and every other veteran, and because of the long wait times in many locations, you may not get the timely and consistent medical attention needed to prove your case. 

A personal injury attorney can take you to a medical team that has the time and efficiency to stick with your treatment and evidence gathering, plus the expertise to write documentation that the VA is familiar with. There's a big difference between being a skilled doctor and understanding how to articulate connections, and you'll need a combination of both to get a definite 'yes' from the VA.

In addition to medical connections, personal injury attorneys can look at similar VA claims and veteran situations that were more successful to find something that could apply to your situation. It's a lot more than asking other veterans and searching the internet for published claims; knowing the right offices and people who have handled specific claims is something that comes with legal education and experience.

Contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your appeal and ways to strengthen your legal argument.


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