Veterans' Benefits

Veterans' Benefits Attorney in Memphis

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If you helped protect America, and you were injured while in service, you should receive compensation benefits. Unfortunately, obtaining veterans' benefits is often a very long and difficult road. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) often requires lengthy and detailed paperwork, medical proof, and doctors reports to establish benefits entitlement. We at Donati Law, PLLC can assist you with all your veterans' benefit needs.

Request an initial consultation over the phone: (901) 209-5500

Types of Benefits Available

The VA provides veterans and their families various types of benefits. Our firm is well-versed regarding how the VA operates and can apply this knowledge to your case.

The most common benefits provided by the VA:

Service-connected disability compensation
Non-service-connected pension benefits
Dependency and indemnity compensation
VA health care
Aid and attendance benefits
Dependent's educational assistance
Veteran's burial benefits

Donati Law, PLLC Can Help You with the Process

Our team of Memphis Veterans' benefit attorneys assists veterans in obtaining benefits they are entitled to receive from the Veterans Administration.

We help veterans who are victims of:

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Agent Orange exposure complications
Gulf War Syndrome
Complications from gunshot wounds
Complications from orthopedic injuries
Depression and other mental illness

It is our goal to help veterans and their families receive any and all benefits that they are entitled as a result of their service and dedication to our country. At Donati Law, PLLC, we assist the veteran in completing VA forms, obtain and submit evidence in the case, draft legal arguments, and provide legal representation at both Decision Review Office and the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

We represent veterans and their families at the:

Regional Office
Board of Veterans' Appeals
Court of Veterans' Appeals.

Frequently Asked Questions: Veterans' Disability

We at Donati Law, PLLC understand that navigating veterans' disability issues can be confusing and stressful. Our Memphis Veterans' disability lawyers have collected some of the most commonly asked questions and provided the answers below. We hope you find this information useful for your specific case.

What is required to qualify for service-connected compensation benefits?

We spend most of our time working on service-connected compensation benefits. In order to receive service-connected compensation benefits there must be proof of the following:

Proof that while in service the veteran suffered an injury or accident, or had a specific medical condition diagnosed for the first time, or that the veteran's pre-existing condition was aggravated beyond its natural course
Proof of a current diagnosed medical condition
A medical link (nexus) between the in-service disease, injury or accident and the current diagnosed medical condition.

What is the general claims process?

After a veteran has filed a claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office (VARO), the local Regional Office will gradually begin to work on the claim filed with the agency. At this juncture, it is possible the Regional Office will send the veteran out for a compensation and pension exam with a physician or mental health doctor. The Regional Office is supposed to obtain evidence in the case and make an informed decision about the claim. Once a decision has been made, the Regional Office will compile a ratings decision. If the claim is denied, the effective date is erroneously calculated, or the percentage assigned is not correct, the veteran must submit a notice of disagreement (NOD). The veteran only has one (1) year to file the NOD with the Regional Office.

Once the NOD has been received, the Regional Office should submit a statement of the case (SOC). The SOC should provide a detailed outline regarding the Agency's rationale for the ratings decision. The veteran only has sixty (60) days from the SOC to file a VA Form 9 to the Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA). When the veteran completes the Form 9, he or she can make the determination about whether or not to have a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge in Washington, D.C. If a veteran chooses to have a hearing, he or she will have an in-person hearing or a video hearing at their local Regional Office. The BVA can grant a claim, deny a claim, or send the claim back down to the Regional Office for further development and review.

If the BVA denies the claim, the Veteran only has one hundred and twenty (120) days from the date on the BVA decision to make an appeal to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC). Unlike at the BVA, the Court does not have the ability to review any new and material evidence. The Court is only permitted to review the record as it stood before the BVA. The CAVC will have attorneys advocating for them and you should too. The case becomes adversarial and even more difficult at this stage in the process.

Can I put in a claim for an increased rating?

If the veteran's symptoms or impairments have increased since the last rating from the VA, you can put in a claim for increased benefits. It is important to note a few things about putting in these types of claims. First, the VA will treat this like a brand new claim. Therefore, you will have to begin by filing a claim with the Regional Office. Second, a veteran should only put in this type of claim if there has been a worsening of their service-connected disability. If there is no medical evidence to support the worsening of the condition, the VA does have the authority to lower your rating. It is very important to talk to a lawyer before you try to obtain a higher disability rating. The veteran does not want to do anything that could cause their benefits to be decreased or ceased.

Do I qualify for Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability?

If the veteran's disability prevents him or her from working, the veteran can put in a claim for TDIU benefits. The veteran must be a recipient of service-connected compensation disability benefits. There must be proof from a medical expert or a vocational expert that the veteran's service-connected disability and only the service-connected disability is preventing the Veteran from maintaining gainful employment. This is a more complicated area of the law, and we would encourage you to speak with one of our attorneys about what it takes to establish benefits for TDIU.

Need legal assistance? Please contact us as soon as possible.

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Our firm accepts every case with the motivation to do all we can to help that client receive the compensation they deserve. With a drive to win, a passion for justice, and the tenacity to fight, we have successfully secured millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for our clients.

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“I was so stressed out with handling my appeal for my disability, but the Donati firm made things easier for me with their assistance. They have an entire team of people who work hard for their clients, and their support was exactly what I needed throughout this process. It was a long wait, but with their patience and their attention to detail, my case was approved. Thanks, Robert Donati and his associates at Donati Law Firm.”

- LaToya B.

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Our team of professionals seek justice one client at a time, because every client is a cause we believe in. We keep things simple, by consistently showing our dedication not only to the law, but to our clients. Passionate about honoring the law and respecting every client, our firm strives to make the legal changes that are needed to improve the lives of people throughout our community.