Joining the military the mantra hurry up and wait is drilled into your head. This prepares you for the long waiting times and bursts of activity that will suddenly follow all of that waiting. Unfortunately, that same hurry up and wait mentality follows over to the VA. This can be a disaster when you are waiting for earned care and benefits that are needed to continue to live a normal life.
When you have been unfairly denied a service connected disability or received an unfair disability rating decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs, you need to appeal your case. Unfortunately, by the time you have received your initial decision you have already waited, on average, over 8 months. Assuming that everything goes perfectly, the average waiting time for an appeal to work its way through the VA system is over two years.
However, let’s say that you get to the end of the appeal process and need to request a hearing in front of the Board of Veterans Appeals; this is where it would be beneficial to have a VA accredited attorney. An attorney will know exactly what needs to be presented to the BVA to help you get the rating decision you deserve.
A VA accredited attorney will generally only join your case once you have filed a Notice of Disagreement. From that point forward, the attorney and their staff will help you every step of the way. The appeals process may be long, but we will be there to help and answer any questions you may have until the time your claim is resolved. We can do this thanks to our lower caseloads and responsive staff.
If you have questions about veterans disability and how our legal team can be of assistance in your case, contact Shook & Stone today.
