Many of the brave men and women that serve our country find that they are unable to work after suffering a serious physical or mental illness or injury during their time in service. Disabled veterans may recover disability benefits by filing a claim with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
The first step is filing an application for VA disability benefits and submitting it online or through the mail. Once you and your attorney have determined that you are eligible for disability compensation through the VA, you will need to gather evidence to support your claim. The VA will require you to submit your medical records, hospital reports, and other information relating to your injury or illness. You will also need to include statements from people you know about the affects of your condition on everyday life. The VA will let you know when your claim is received.
Once you have submitted your application, you will wait for the VA to review you claim and make a decision regarding your Veterans benefits. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, it took an average of 109 days for the VA to make decisions on disability claims in July 2019. You can help speed up the decision-making process by providing all requested information to the VA as quickly as possible.
Once the evidence has been gathered and reviewed, the VA will make their final decision. You will receive a claim decision packet in the mail detailing the decision over the seven to 10 days. Once you have received a decision, you may begin the appeals process.
A Georgia attorney specializing in Veterans’ benefits can assist you with every step of the application process and help you appeal your decision, if necessary.