Working as a soldier of the United States army is such an honor for many young men and women all across the country. However, the job is not always easy and safe. The probability of getting injured is very high. And we are not just talking of physical injuries here; those who went to battle often come home with mental wounds that are far more difficult to heal.
Rightfully, the US government has an independent agency, the US Department of Veterans Affairs, that takes care of compensation for veterans who came home with permanent injuries that make it impossible or challenging to work. This is totally different from how the government handles and compensates personal injuries that civilians suffer from because of work-related mishaps and car accidents.
However, the people manning the agency are not perfect. No matter how noble their intentions are, there are cases when they make mistakes in appreciating the claims and compensation applications submitted to them. Fortunately, appeals are possible. If you are from the city of Lincoln in Nebraska, a good Lincoln VA Disability Lawyer will be of great help to you when you make an appeal. An appeal in the state of Nebraska and the rest of the country comes through one of three predetermined paths, according to the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act.
Higher-Level Review
It is totally understandable if a veteran feels frustrated when their reported disability is given a lower than expected rating or, worse, not recognized as worthy of compensation. But they must understand that this might be due to human error.
If the veteran and their counsel believes that the evidence that they have submitted is strong enough, they can opt for a higher-level review. Through this, there is no need to submit new evidence. The case is just elevated to a much more experienced senior claims adjudicator for review.
Supplemental claim
The problem that many veterans face is the fact that they don’t get the disability rating that they think they deserve. The disability rating is important because it directly affects the amount that they are going to receive as compensation for their suffering post-service.
So that the rating will be improved, they can work with a good disability lawyer to gather new evidence from doctors and other concerned government agencies. This new evidence should not just be duplications of what has previously been submitted. They must add value to them, by adding more details regarding the severity and duration of the reported disability.
Applicants and appellants must understand that adjudicators and assessors rely solely on documentary information. If the reports submitted to them are not detailed enough, then their decisions will surely be affected by such vagueness.
In-Court Appeals
If internal reviews of the decision still do not render the desired results, the veteran can take their case in court. This will be handled by a veterans law judge, who may require more additional evidence. They may even schedule hearings for the case.
If the decision rendered by the judge is still not satisfactory, the case can still be referred to the Court of Appeals.
Getting the disability compensation that a veteran deserves can be challenging. Because of this, they really need the help of a good disability lawyer to make the process a bit more bearable and organized.
