Never forget that Veterans Affairs is a federal government agency and it is fair to say that any involvement with the federal government is going to be complicated. Filing a claim for VA disability benefits is no different, it is quite complicated and confusing and every little mistake or omission only leads to unnecessary delays and appeals. To avoid having your application denied outright and having to hire a VA disability attorney to help you deal with the appeal, try to avoid making common little mistakes, such as:
Delaying your claim:
Why wait to file a claim? If you are of the opinion that you meet all the eligibility requirements, all you do when you wait to claim is to cost yourself money. If your claim is approved or approve upon appeal your benefits start on the date you made your claim.
Failing to list all of your symptoms:
Many applicants for VA disability benefits simply name their condition; they fail to list all the symptoms they have. The VA is obliged to follow-up on every condition that might cause your symptom. If you have a number of symptoms you will be given a rating for each of them, then and only then will all your ratings be assessed and an overall rating assigned.
You are never too young to apply for benefits:
Don’t think that just because you are young and the symptoms associated with your condition are not all that bad that you should not apply. If your knee was injured while you were serving and it becomes arthritic in the future you will be glad that you applied earlier rather than later. Even if your condition is such that you are rated 0% disabled, if the condition worsens in the future, then you will already have established the fact that you have a disability and you will begin receiving benefits.
These are but a few examples why you should not hesitate to file claim for VA disability, a VA disability attorney can provide you with guidance should your claim be denied.