Rob Levine, Veterans Disability Lawyer
HIRING A LAWYER TO ESTABLISH VA SERVICE CONNECTION
As a veteran, you served your country faithfully and are entitled to VA disability compensation for the illnesses or injuries that are related to your military service. In all disability cases, the VA requires you to establish a connection between your current illness or injury and your military service. There are many ways to do this, but in almost all of them, it is wise to retain a lawyer to help you establish the connection to your service.
How an Experienced Veterans’ Disability Lawyer Can Help
I’m Rob Levine, the Heavy Hitter ®, and I served proudly in the National Guard. I’m a veterans’ disability lawyer who will fight for your rights.
Steps in Establishing Your Service Connection
Here’s a quick overview of the ways we work to prove a veterans current disability is related to his or her time in the military:
Direct Service Connection – This is the most common way to establish a nexus between the in-service injury, illness or event, and your current disability. For example, a service member who was hit by a truck during service and broke his leg and still suffers residuals of that leg injury demonstrates a direct connection between service, injury, and disability. Alternatively, a service member who develops diabetes while in service and did not have a pre-existing condition prior to service demonstrates direct service connection between the medical illness and service.
Pre-Existing Injury Aggravated by Military Service – This occurs when a service member already has a documented medical condition before entering the service, and the condition is permanently aggravated beyond its natural progression as a result of service. For example, a skin condition may be made worse through exposure to certain environments, chemicals, or irritants.
Service Connection by Legal Presumption – The VA maintains a list of diseases and conditions that are legally “presumed” to have occurred during duty when certain conditions are met. Generally, symptoms must become apparent to a degree of 10 percent or more within a year of separation from service. Agent Orange is a good example. Former service members who have been exposed and have developed Parkinson’s disease are presumed victims of that agent.
Secondary Service Connection – This occurs when one service-connected disability leads to a second, separate disability or illness. For example, a veteran with service-connected diabetes develops neuropathy in his arms or legs, or a veteran with service-connected tinnitus develops depression as a result of the tinnitus.
While there are several ways to establish service connection for a particular illness or injury, it is important to get the right legal advice before beginning the VA appeals process.
If you need to prove the relationship between your current disability and your military service, contact me, Rob Levine. I get results with VA benefits, and I can help you.
Call today for a free consultation.
