What Steps Can You Take to Request a VA Disability Rating Increase in Illinois?

If you’re realizing that your VA rating just doesn’t reflect what you’re really going through, a Chicago, IL lawyer with experience helping vets like you can assist you in getting the VA disability rating increase you need to truly reflect your situation.

What Steps Can You Take to Request a VA Disability Rating Increase in Illinois?

Talk to a Chicago, IL Lawyer

The first step is to talk with a lawyer who has experience in these matters. The claims process form alone is neither intuitive nor easy to fill out, and the regulations are difficult to get through. If you’re missing any documentation, you could end up with delays or even a denial.

Bringing an appeal is your right, but that’s not easy, either. An attorney will strengthen your case, fight for what you’re owed, manage your claim, and can even act as your power of attorney if your disability makes it especially difficult for you to handle things on your own. Your lawyer is going to push hard for the benefits you deserve, and together, you and your lawyer will do the following to get your rating increased:

Gather the Needed Evidence

The more medical documentation you have, the better. The VA is going to look for recent medical records showing the progress of your condition, detailed explanations from a doctor about exactly how your daily life is affected by your condition, and concrete proof that your symptoms have gotten worse, are appearing more often, or are lasting longer when they show up.

File a Claim

Once you have your evidence, you’ll need to file a claim to get a disability increase. This requires properly filling out VA Form 21-526EZ and attaching all your medical records and doctor statements. If you have evidence of how your disability is interfering with your ability to work, this will be especially helpful, and your lawyer can help you find the right evidence to show this.

File for Secondary Conditions

If you’re already suffering from a service-connected disability, it’s not uncommon for you to develop a secondary condition. Secondary conditions can be somewhat difficult to prove, since the VA often doesn’t want to work very hard to connect those dots, but if you are able to successfully claim for a secondary condition, it can increase your total monthly compensation for disability.

File an Appeal

If your first claim is denied, don’t give up. An experienced lawyer will be able to look over your claim and tell you whether it’s likely the denial is valid. And if it’s not, you can appeal for a higher-level review, where you don’t submit any new evidence but someone higher up takes a look at the case, or you can file a supplemental claim if you have new evidence that needs to be reviewed. You can also appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals to have a Veterans’ Law Judge consider your case.

There are other options, and we can help. Don’t be discouraged: call us at the Comerford Law Office in Chicago, IL for help. We also have offices in Jonesborough, TN and Highland, IN.

Tags: Rating Increase, VA Disability
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