Get Ahead in Your Personal Injury Case

Why Is This VA Claim So Slow?

16 September 2016 by Kenneth Pierce

Working with the Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA) for a disability claim is a true practice of patience. In addition to a claim system that requires specific forms of evidence meeting certain standards that you may not understand until a denial happens, the wait times can be long enough to change your life as you wait for compensation. If it's been months or even years without receiving a decision, or if you've been denied for reasons that don't make much sense, here's a few traits of the VA disability system to clear up misconceptions and make your appeal faster or to remind the VA that your claim is in dire need of servicing. 

Figuring Out The Delay

A delay in claim processing sometimes takes more than a few phone calls. Contacting the VA usually results in a status update and should include which office is currently handling your claim. That said, if you don't receive the office information, there's a few questions that need to be answered.

If you don't know which office is handling your claim, contact the VA via the main hotline at 1-800-827-1000 or contact your local VA administrative office. Ask if they know which office is handling your claim, and if not, which office was handling it before. The last person to touch your claim should be on record unless it simply never left your local VA office.

These pointed questions may seem simple, but veterans can easily be lost in the shuffle if the information is missing and no one asks the right question. Your claim may be sitting in someone's file cabinet and simply not forwarded, but if you're not asking about its location, you may become the victim of lost paperwork or other administrative error. The phone representative isn't handling the claim and has little reason to look deeper into your concern if you don't ask.

Handling Denials With A Professional's Help

If your claim or appeal has been denied, or if your paperwork was sent back with a request for more information, it's time to dig deeper into your condition. You can file as many appeals as you want, but it's best to get it right the first time. Think of the months or years wasted on every appeal, then think of your quality of life if you'd simply get the compensation as soon as possible. Throwing in basic claims with no new evidence won't get you anywhere.

You'll need to prove the severity of your condition, as well as how it's connected to the military. This means that you'll need some sort of military documentation, such as a medical record entry showing your injury or an official record showing that you were involved in a potentially damaging situation.

For severity, your compensation and pension (C&P) exam is the first stop. When you filed your first claim, you should have received a set of examinations for every complaint listed on your claim. If you didn't, demand an exam. If your exam didn't show any problems, take your business to a disability claims professional as soon as possible.

A disability claims professional can help you by looking through the VA's requirements and your evidence. If you need more evidence, they can direct you to the specialists necessary to get the right evidence and lay out clear goals for success. Contact a disability claims professional as soon as possible.

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