Pushing For Support From Veterans Affairs Claims
Navigating the Department of Veterans Affairs' compensation system can be difficult, and it may be even harder when dealing with head pain. Whether you're the victim of traumatic injury or suffering an unknown pain source, you need to get some sort of compensation or assistance before the problem gets worse. As you plan your claim, take the time to understand a few Veterans Affairs (VA) claim system characteristics to make your claim as successful as possible.
What Is Veterans Affairs Compensation?
In order to support veterans who were injured while serving their country, Veterans Affairs (VA) provides Compensation and Pension (C&P) for veterans with service-connected disabilities.
A service-connected disability is an injury, condition or any ailment that was caused or related to military service. This distinction is important because veterans who were injured outside of military service are not eligible for that specific compensation program.
For example, a broken leg or other problem that happened after leaving the military won't be covered by VA C&P. With such unrelated injuries, there may be other programs more suited for assisting with unrelated injuries, even within the VA.
Compensation is granted in percentages and dependent upon your injuries. It's difficult to guess how much money you'll be entitled to without knowing the exact injury category and percentage. Categories are as numerous as the people who can apply for benefits, so you'll need to file a claim with a professional, such as a personal injury attorney, to push for the most comprehensive compensation.
It Hurts, So Why Aren't They Helping?
Even if you know that you're in pain and that it was caused by military service, VA representatives and officials can only base their decision on what is present in paper. The VA needs to filter out false claims and claims that were not involved with military service.
It's up to you to build a claim that represents the validity of your injuries. You'll need to have medical documentation that details your injuries as well as a timeline that places your injuries during military service. Anything from military medical records to service records with your location can help. If the event was big enough, news reports or commentary from the military commands near the area of your injury can be used in support.
The process isn't always easy, and if you don't have any documentation you may need a legal professional, such as Barton Smith & Barton LLP, to help you with finding the right places to look. Contact a personal injury attorney to begin the search.
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