Most Recent Blog Posts
5 steps to a great VA rating decision letter!
You will find that, with few exceptions, until you’ve received a VA rating decision letter on your claim, attorneys will not able to assist you in challenging the VA. That means it is up to you to make sure that your VA Claim is the best it can be. On one hand, it may...
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What does a Wooly Mammoth have in common with a VA Claim to Reopen?
They are both extinct. It used to be that Veterans had a choice. When they gathered new evidence that established an issue in a claim that the VA had previously denied, they had a choice to file a Claim to Reopen, or a Notice of Disagreement. This choice was largely...
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The new VA Duty to Assist law: a life preserver with no rope.
In the past, I have talked to you about the VA Duty to Assist law, and how I think it's largely, well, nothing to write home about. That was the Duty to Assist under the Legacy Appeals process. Now, under the "modernized" appeals process, we are getting a new version...
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Lest we forget….the Legacy VA Claims Process.
From the VA Regional Office to the Veterans Court – understanding the VA Claims Process is the first step in getting a quicker VA decision.
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Proving “Substantially Gainful Occupation” in a VA TDIU Claim.
This post is about proving you can't get or keep a substantially gainful occupation due to your service connected disabilities or, in other words, proving an element of a VA TDIU claim. Before we get to that though, VA TDIU claims (aka, claims by a veteran for...
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Meet a VA TDIU Expert – Pat Clifford (Clifford Vocational Services)
If you are a veteran filing a TDIU claim or appeal, you are going to want to know what a Vocational Expert is, and how an expert can help in your VA TDIU claim or appeal. In this video, I'll introduce you to Pat Clifford, and he will tell you what a Vocational Expert...
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The VA just closed your claim to reopen, without telling you.
In case you were thinking that "Appeals Modernization" was a good thing for veterans, this post might change your mind. Remember your claim to reopen service connection for a previously denied condition? It's been closed. I bet the VA never even told you. Here's how...
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Another Form Bites the Dust – RIP VA Form 21-526b
Learn how to hire the right attorney for you and your claim here.So you're getting ready to file a claim, and you go to look for a copy of VA Form 21-526. You click the link in google, and are taken to this message on the VA website: Did you do something wrong? Where...
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