A nexus letter is a written statement by a medical professional detailing a connection between your military service and a medical condition. As proving that connection—or nexus—is required to qualify for VA disability benefits, submitting a strong nexus letter can be the difference between a successful claim and a denial.
If you need help obtaining a nexus letter, guidance on submitting a VA benefits claim, or advice on increasing your VA disability rating, the experienced veterans’ disability lawyers at Rob Levine Law are ready to assist you. Call us at (888) 791-9135 to learn more.
Why Do I Need a Nexus Letter for My VA Disability Claim?
To prove a service-connected disability, you’ll need to prove that three key elements are satisfied:
- You have received a formal diagnosis of a medical condition.
- The condition was caused or exacerbated by your military service.
- You have medical evidence connecting the two.
A nexus letter generally serves as the main piece of evidence linking your disability to your military service. It can be a critical foundation for a successful benefits claim, helping you push back against assessments by a VA Compensation & Pension examiner who believes your disability doesn’t qualify.
Your nexus letter can also serve as “new and relevant” evidence for a supplemental claim to appeal a denial or help you increase your disability rating by linking a secondary connection to a related primary service-connected disability. Raising your VA rating from 80% to 100%, for instance, can lead to a significant life-changing increase in your monthly income, so exploring the possibility can be well worth the time and effort.
How Do I Get a Nexus Letter for My VA Benefits Claim?
Rob Levine Law can help you through every step of obtaining a nexus letter, steering you to the right providers and ensuring your documents are all in order:
Step 1: Choose the Right Medical Professional
Your first task is to find a qualified health care provider with the relevant expertise to accurately diagnose your condition and understand how it connects to your service. The professional who will write your nexus letter may be:
- Your primary care physician
- A specialist in the field that deals with your disability
- An independent medical expert
The doctor’s qualifications can make a large difference in the impact of your nexus letter, as a specialist’s words will carry more weight than a generalist’s concerning your illness. Our experienced veterans disability team can point you in the right direction.
Step 2: Schedule an Examination
Once you’ve chosen a doctor, they’ll need to conduct a thorough medical evaluation of your condition and its severity. To prepare, collect your service records, previous medical documents, and a detailed history of your symptoms for your doctor to reference. The more information you’re able to provide during this step, the more conclusively your doctor can link your disability to your military service in their letter.
Step 3: Review Your Letter
Once you receive your nexus letter, read through it to ensure it meets the VA’s standards. Your nexus letter must describe an explicit link between your service history and your current disability, citing medical journals and clinical studies to explain in clear detail why they reached that conclusion.
Your doctor must state that they believe it’s “at least as likely as not” that your condition is linked to your service, meaning there is at least 50% or greater chance of a connection. The more confidence your doctor has, the more your letter will support your claim, with a determination of “more likely than not” or “highly likely” weighing heavily in your favor.
What Your Nexus Letter Should Look Like
While not every nexus letter will be identical, they all should contain certain necessary elements. An experienced VA attorney can help ensure your letter has everything you need to support your benefits claim, including:
- The doctor’s credentials, including their medical license, board certifications, and CV.
- A statement of record review, meaning a sentence explaining that they reviewed the veteran’s entire medical file.
- A “nexus statement” giving the doctor’s assessment of how likely it is that your condition is linked to your military service, using the VA’s language regarding probability.
- A detailed explanation of the doctor’s clinical reasoning behind their professional opinion.
How Rob Levine Law Can Help You Get Your Nexus Letter
With over 75 years of combined experience handling veterans’ disability claims, our team understands how to obtain a nexus letter and submit a strong VA benefits claim. We’ve helped more than 50,000 clients recover over $2 billion in compensation, and we’re ready to get to work for you.
We’re available 24/7 to answer any questions you have. If you need help getting a nexus letter or increasing your VA rating, contact us online or call (888) 791-9135 today for a free consultation with our trusted team.
