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Ensure to file your claim in a timely manner.
A timely filing of your claim will ensure that your effective date is as early as possible.
Many veterans until they have obtained all the necessary information they need, or until their condition has worsened significantly before they pursue filing a claim. Your claim is time sensitive and should be filed as quickly as possible.
What is an 'Effective Date'?
An effective date is the date in which your benefits become accessible to you, and is also used as the beginning date for when disability payments from claims are made. It also determines the amount of retroactive compensation that you will receive. The earlier the effective date, the more retroactive pay you are likely to receive.
You should also be aware that the VA has a rule called the “Duty to Assist". This means they are required to help you gather evidence to support your claim for VA benefits. With this in mind, waiting to file a claim in this instance, may cost you an earlier effective date, so it’s important to file as soon as possible.
Ensure all claim information is complete and accurate.
The VA disability claims process is known for being difficult to navigate. This is so because you are required to provide evidence:
That you are eligible for VA disability benefits
That something happened to you while serving that is the cause of the condition
That your condition is considered severe enough to warrant VA benefits
Quite frequently, first-time applications are denied due to incomplete documentation. Therefore, it is imperative to invest time and effort into ensuring that your forms and evidence are organized, complete, thorough and easy for the VA examiner to understand.
Gain you medical information from an expert, or a nexus letter from a private healthcare provider.
A nexus letter is a document that is specially generated for a veteran to connect an in-service event to the current condition that they are seeking compensation for. While the Compensation and Pension (C&P) examination is an important part of the claims process, relying on this alone may not adequately support the true extent of your condition.
Additional opinions from medical experts and nexus letters may further prove beneficial because they provide a clearer view of your symptoms and challenges as well as potentially counter a VA examiner’s findings.
Pursue claim benefits for secondary conditions.
Secondary service-connected disabilities are those that are a direct result of already existing service-connected conditions. Primary disabilities can cause a secondary disability. For example, some diseases lead to other health complications. A further example would be
hearing loss which could potentially lead to depression.
It is important to file for secondary conditions simultaneously with primary conditions for several reasons.
The evidence from the primary condition will likely pertain to the secondary condition.
The effective date for the secondary condition may match the primary condition, resulting in a larger retroactive award.
Detailing all of your secondary conditions is critical, and without it, the VA may overlook the evidence linking the secondary conditions to the primary condition due to lack of detail in the claim.
Only submit pertinent and relevant information with evidence.
As tempting as it may be to submit all your service and medical records to the VA, you may actually be hindering your case, if you do. Excessive paperwork may make it difficult for the VA to locate pertinent information needed to prove your claim and support your condition.
This is why it’s important to only submit records that are specifically related to the condition you are filing a claim for. You also should make sure that the evidence is necessary for you to obtain benefits. Otherwise, it may cause delays or important details to be overlooked.
Research and note the VA’s process for awarding benefits.
The VA disability claims process is a very lengthy and somewhat complicated process.
The VA only awards service-connected compensation when:
You have a current diagnosed condition.
You experienced an in-service event, injury or illness.
You provide a medical nexus linking your current diagnosis with the in-service event.
It is sometimes challenging to prove all three elements of service connection, but it is important for you to know what the VA is looking for when processing your claim to award benefits.
Reminder–just because your benefits claim was denied at first review does NOT mean it’s over! Many claims end up being denied on the first attempt, but once more information is provided, they often have a greater chance of success.
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