Waiting for a response from Veterans Affairs (VA) officials can be an exercise in patience, but pain and inconvenience from disabling conditions can wear on that patience quickly. Although you can receive some medical care, pain suppression medication and basic therapy for your condition while waiting for full disability benefits, it can be hard to get on with your life with a huge financial burden on one side and a bureaucratic process on the other side. To make things easier on yourself and to push for faster approvals with fewer denials, take a look at a few traits of the VA disability system.
Get Medical, Dental And Psychological Assistance While You Wait
Unfortunately, the promise of free medical care for life for veterans is a falsehood. Many veterans--including the writer of this article--were given that promise by recruiters, but the policy simply doesn't exist. Veterans Affairs exists to assist all veterans as they transition to a successful civilian life, but the services are limited depending on your military service.
The VA provides medical assistance for qualifying veterans. Although the qualification statement is a bit long, veterans who have an other-than-dishonorable discharge are eligible for these medical benefits. There are even some exceptions for veterans with a dishonorable discharge status, and that status can be appealed.
The biggest problem with the medical assistance is that the wait time for VA clinics and hospitals can be fairly long. The wait time varies depending on the facility, and you may be lucky enough that your local clinic has a shorter wait time for most. Hospitals, however, are regional meeting points for veterans across the state. Some states have 2 or 3 VA hospitals that support the burden of an entire state's veterans in need, which is a recipe for waiting.
Ask for referrals as soon as possible. You are not restricted to VA facilities when it comes to getting care, even before receiving disability approval, but you do need to ask for permission to get a no-cost (or low cost) referral.
Service Connection Is The Biggest Hurdle
Aside from dealing with a big queue of claims (or a claim being lost), claims can take a long time if they're hard to understand. Your paperwork--not your wounds or your war stories--need to explain your condition and how your condition is related to the military.
The relationship between your condition and the military is called a service connection. A service-connected compensation claim needs official paperwork showing that the problem was either caused during your military service or that a pre-existing condition was made worse during military service.
Although there are many different ways to prove a service-connection, a few techniques work easier than others. The best chance for success is having a medical record entry during your military service that shows your complaint, along with some medical examinations. Having a medical visit is a good first step, but it's not unheard of for service members to make up a few problems before leaving the military--a fraudulent attempt that usually ends up in claim denial.
If you have no such evidence, you'll likely need a lawyer. A personal injury attorney can search your past military experience, including past medical reports and situations that could have caused the issue. A lawyer's medical contacts may be able to determine how and when your conditions took place, especially when certain forms of trauma are specific to a battlefield or workplace hazard.
Contact a personal injury attorney to discuss your claim and to get an in-depth explanation of the benefits you have now.
To speak to a personal injury attorney, contact a law firm such as Sarkisian, Sarkisian & Associates PC.
