If you're dealing with physical pain, mental unrest, or other physical/mental conditions that affect the way you earn a living and enjoy your life, there's no reason to just suck it up. There are systems out there ready to help, and the money is going to waste if you don't claim it--it's a "use it or lose it" issue in many cases, and you're not just leaving funds for those who may "need it more". Before spending another day buying your own medication, figuring out your own coping strategies, or wondering what to do next, here are a few ways that veterans can get real financial and medical help.
Veterans Affairs Is The First Stop, Even After Denials
Not many veterans don't know about Veterans Affairs (VA) disability. What they may not realize is that it's nothing like other disability systems, such as social security or workers compensation.
VA disability is specifically a payment system that compensates you for what you lost during military service, and military service covers a broad range of issues. It doesn't matter if you were in or out of combat, on duty in an engine room of a ship, a communications center in the United States, a galley that no one visits in a foreign country, or a reservist who was called in for any kind of duty. If you served, whatever happens is related to the military.
Such connections are called service-connected conditions, and they can net hard cash and/or medical support. Worried that your condition isn't that severe? Even if it isn't, you shouldn't have to spend your own money getting medical care, and that includes everything from clinic/doctor's office visits and hospitals to buying some pain meds at the supermarket. The VA can pay for that if your condition is related, and there are stacks of medication not going anywhere for the more basic conditions.
It's not being taken from anyone. If anything, the assistance is going to waste if you don't claim the assistance. If you're the type of veteran who doesn't want a handout or doesn't feel deserving compared to veterans who lost limbs--or their lives--to service, just keep in mind that you're still serving your country as a veteran, and not taking these services is like letting equipment go without maintenance with the tools right in front of you.
Getting A Lawyer To Help Your Claims
Whether that pep talk convinced you or you were already ready to file a claim or appeal, there's still the issue of succeeding in the VA claim system. The VA disability system is notorious for denying claims, and although it's not official, not many veterans are surprised at being denied.
Like any bureaucratic process, the VA has policies that are often rigidly upheld instead of handled on a true case-by-case basis. This means that if your claim isn't filled out perfectly with every piece of supporting evidence, you could be denied because it's easier to tell you to do it again instead of helping you through the process.
If you're frustrated by the process or don't know where to start, a personal injury lawyer can help. In addition to knowing how to deal with compensation systems, a personal injury law expert can arrange your evidence, interview you for information that you may not have thought of, and even bring you to medical professionals to get new evidence.
Contact a personal injury lawyer like Teresa P Williams to get help from a legal professional who isn't part of the VA bureaucratic process for a fresh perspective and success.
