Military veterans who suffer from a disability from their time in the service are often unable to find work. At least 28 % of all veterans with a disability say that it has prevented them from finding or keeping a job. More than 46% who do not have jobs say that their disability is the reason. If you are in that situation you may be looking for information on filing veterans disability claims. These tips can make the process go more smoothly.
- Admit that you have a disability. Most people who join the armed services do it when they are young. As a result, most are still pretty young when they leave the armed services. For these young people, admitting to having a disability is a hard thing to do but it is the first step in having veterans disability claims be processed and approved. Many veterans try to deal with serious medical and mental health issues for years on their own. There is no shame in needing help and you are entitled to the benefits so the sooner you accept your disability, the sooner you can get the help you need to move on with your life.
- Get your paperwork in as soon as you can. The process of filing for veterans disability claims is a long and complicated one. Getting your paperwork in as soon as you can will get the ball rolling. This means that you can start getting your benefit checks sooner. When you have accepted your disability, get cracking on filing the paperwork.
- Document how the disability is impacting your life. Keep a journal of your symptoms and how they affect you. Talk to your friends and family about how they observe how your are impacted by your disability. This can be used to bolster your claims and make it more real for the people who will evaluate your claim.
- Get all the documentation about your claim. Make sure you get all of the documentation from the medical treatments you receive for your problem. Before you submit any veterans disability claims, you should go through all of your documents and evaluate what you have and what you can prove. You may have to get more records or supplement the documentation with the testimonials from your friends and family. Make sure your medical records link the problems you are experiencing with your time in the service. When you seek out any treatments, make sure the medical professionals note where the injury occurred. The more documentation that links your disability back to your service the better. If you go to physical therapy, you need documentation for that.
- If you have more than one diagnosis, put that in your claim. When you file veterans disability claims, you need them to have all of the possible diagnoses that you have been given by your doctors. You need to make it as easy as possible for the staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs to understand the size and the scope of your problem. A back injury can cause back pain but it can also cause sciatica, pain and numbness that radiates down the leg and can make it hard to walk. Do not omit that information from your claim.
- Ask for updated records from your treatments. If your treatment is changed this can change the way your situation is looked at in the veterans disability calculator. Veterans disability ratings can be changed and increased depending on the treatments you are receiving. The new information in your treatment records may be helpful in your claim process. When the staff is using the military disability calculator, you need them to have the most up to date information on your treatments, symptoms and diagnoses.
- Be prepared to have your claim be rejected. Many veterans disability claims are rejected right away. You should not give up if this happens to you. Just be prepared to file an appeal and stay positive. You may also want to talk to a lawyer who specializes in these claims.
It should be easy to get the benefits you deserve but the process is long and frustrating. Persistence and patience will pay off.
