Injured by a faulty floor jack

Dealing With Pain After Leaving The Military?

23 May 2016

Mia Little

Although Veterans Affairs (VA) clinics, hospitals and administrative offices exist to support veterans as they transition to a civilian life, the system isn't without its problems. From slow wait times to a somewhat difficult disability claim process, it's possible for a legitimately suffering veteran to be caught up in delays and denials that only exacerbate the stressful transition phase. Take a look at a few issues that you can neutralize or overcome and ways that a personal injury attorney can help.

Why Are VA Claims Difficult?

Ask a group about the VA disability claim system experience and you'll get a variety of answers. Veterans who were injured in the military and had great documentation from their medical command may have had no problem getting their disability--aside from waiting for payment--as soon as they left the military. Others have mixed results either because their military documentation wasn't thorough enough or they lack evidence altogether. 

The VA has to filter against fraud. Although the military has no shortage of hazards that could lead to disability, it's too easy for a veteran to trump up a claim for leg pain, back pain or anything else that their former colleagues suffered from before leaving. Unfortunately, it's not difficult for a fellow service-member in medical to write about a related complaint.

Veterans who were injured shortly after leaving the military are usually not qualified for disability under the VA, which can be a tempting path for veterans either looking for an easy paycheck or a desperate, low-cost recovery option. For these reasons, the VA also needs to confirm that your condition is current.

Not all conditions can be confirmed with medical examinations. Many forms of chronic pain can exist without visible evidence on Computerized Tomography (CT) scans, and mental conditions are still a challenge for modern medicine.

A Personal Injury Attorney Can Help

If you have evidence of past events, but lack compelling evidence for current suffering, you'll need a doctor who can find the answer and document the issue in a way that the VA can't easily overlook. If you have no evidence at all, you'll need someone who is experienced at looking through past records and related information to find some kind of connection. For both of these situations, a personal injury attorney is just what you need.

Attorneys skilled in personal injury, social security, veterans affairs and other injury compensation systems have deep knowledge of how the legal system examines evidence. Although each system is different, they all share similar needs when it comes to proof without a shadow of a doubt.

An attorney can help you by looking through your records, interviewing former colleagues during your military career, looking through events that may have included you and comparing your record against successful claims to find out what is necessary in your situation.

Injury attorneys also have better connections with doctors who know how to document information for claims systems. Although all certified doctors are skilled in their trade, that doesn't mean they have the skills from experience with claim systems and the ways that claims officials are likely to make a decision. Contact a personal injury attorney to begin working on a more comprehensive VA claim and to explore your options in personal injury claims and the social security disability program. 

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