There is a lot of paperwork that is involved in filing a VA disability claim. To avoid making the process complicated and to reduce the risk of delays, you should hire an attorney to help. Once you find the perfect lawyer to help you with your benefits, you should start preparing for your first meeting.
Details About Service
Spend some time to obtain your VAC file before attending your appointment. Your legal team needs to see your VAC file, especially any portions relating to injuries and symptoms. They can use this information to better prepare arguments in your favor. You should also bring with you details about your life after service, including financial information. This is particularly important if you are making a VA pension benefits claim.
Details About Disability
Before your first appointment, be sure that you have all relevant pieces of documentation relating to your disability. This includes notes from all physicians you are seeing, notes from past physicians, proof of diagnoses, prescription records, and anything else that relates to your disability. You may also need to show medical documentation from before your injury, to prove that it is not a pre-existing condition or to demonstrate how any pre-existing conditions have become worse as a result of your service-related injury.
Details About Claim Progress
If you have already started your claim, or if it was denied, you should bring all relevant paperwork with you to your first appointment. Your lawyer needs to review all documentation in detail, especially if it is an appeal. In some cases, they may ask for this information before your appointment, while in others they prefer to meet with you first.
There is a lot of work involved in filing or appealing a VA disability claim. Contact Jackson and MacNichol at http://www.veteransbenefits.com to find an attorney who can help.
