EDUCATED, EXPERIENCED OPINION ON CHOOSING REPRESENTATION FOR CLAIMS

[retiredat44]

EDUCATED, EXPERIENCED OPINION ON CHOOSING REPRESENTATION FOR  CLAIMS.

I have been through so much, for so many years on working through the claims process, approvals, denials, hospitalization, injuring, surgeries, VA hearings, appeals, and much more.

And have been through so many VSO's talked to lawyers, and much more. I suggest that those looking to file claims try to get the best representation possible. This is extremely hard to do for so many reasons. The Representatives at organizations  like American Legion, DVA, and others are overwhelmed with so many claims in my personal opinion, just don't have the resources and time to do the best job, some maybe good other not so much. And they can come and go, over the years while your claims sit in the files for ages, and then whatever they write gets written in stone, and if there is any thing wrong, wrong wording, wrong description of your Veteran claim issues, lacking in any way, it is close to impossible to fix with updates, statements, etc. The volume is more then they can handle. This presents a horrible dilemma for the sick and injured Veteran. Lawyers often will not help you unless you pay a lot of money, because contingency means they will only help you if they are 110% sure they will win. I am not sure if there is a central place or thread that talks about this  issue with problems of starting with the claims process and then as the time goes on, you find out you started out with a problem that is close to impossible to fix and rectify by the time it gets decision process in the VA claims system. I really do think that the process is so hard to navigate, and so overwhelmed by the huge number of claims, with not so many good representatives, and lawyers that are of no help unless you have the ability to pay big bucks. Then there are more issues like having to find doctors that write IMO's. If the beggining of the claims process had more focus on the begging part of the first parts of the process, many of the problems maybe alleviated in the begging of the process and avoid problems later that cannot be fixed when they get too far down the pipe. Any other Vets who look back and wish things had been done differently with your claims and how others can learn from what you learned in the process? I found even with recommendations on who is better at helping you may not help in your case, and the claims take so long that often the                 representative that starts your claim and represents you may not be the same later because years go by and people move around. And that is only one of the may big issues that can screw up a claim. IMHO

Edited May 19, 2016 by retiredat44

[broncovet]

If you have a BVA denial, you can usually get a lawyer, often for just EAJA fees.  (At no cost to the VEteran).