A lot can go into a successful VA disability claim. At Elite Medical Review Associates, we can contribute to establishing service connection for your disability with the help of a strongly written nexus letter. We are a medical consultancy, and we do not provide assistance with filing claims or doing appeals. However, in many cases, these letters are enough, combined with any arguments done by your service officer, to show the decision-makers at the VA that your condition is directly linked to your service time. That said, there are other complications that can arise that may be best handled by legal counsel. If you encounter difficulties, we highly recommend you reach out to experienced and accredited VA benefits lawyers. Do not use these so-called “claims coaches,” other medical companies that charge you a percentage of your VA benefits, or so-called “veterans education companies.” All of these companies are unaccredited, non-attorneys that have no business charging huge fees for work that your local veterans service officer can do for free.
We have worked alongside countless VA disability lawyers over the years. We have seen firms that work tirelessly to get the best possible outcome for the veterans they represent. When you need legal representation for a complex appeal, we can provide you with recommendations for lawyers who will work with your doctors.
Recommending Lawyers For Your Claim
You have the right to hire an attorney to handle your VA case on appeal, but it is important to understand that we are not lawyers. Although our team has extensive experience providing nexus letters that are vital for winning disability cases, we cannot act as your lawyer or directly handle your case for you or otherwise assist you. We don’t engage in shady practices of doing claims for veterans under the phony guise of providing a medical opinion.
Many of the nation’s leading VA disability law firms have worked with us in the past to obtain nexus letters from our medical experts. Working close to so many of these firms has provided insight into which attorneys truly know how to maximize a veteran’s chances of success in this process. We have seen lawyers exhibit honesty and skill while putting the needs of their clients over all else. We are happy to refer you to lawyers who are able to handle your case with the care it deserves.
It is important to note that Elite Medical Review Associates is a national medical consulting company. We help veterans across the country connect with medical professionals who can draft letters on their behalf. Given our broad reach, there is no guarantee that we will be able to provide a referral in your area.
Our ability to connect you with adept attorneys remains consistent regardless of your physical whereabouts. Rest assured, we will do our best to help you find a lawyer capable of handling your claim, ensuring accessibility regardless of location.
It is also worth noting that the cost of your VA nexus letter may not be included in the fees quoted by a potential attorney. In fact, one of the first things your lawyer might do is contact our firm to secure a nexus letter on your behalf. If they do that, they would typically front the cost for that medical opinion, and you would pay them back at the end out of any past due benefits award you may receive.
How Can a Lawyer Help?
It is important to understand when and how a lawyer might be able to help your case. These lawyers are only able to assist with your case after you have already filed a claim and had it denied. Their work is primarily related to handling an appeal on your behalf. We maintain the belief that well-prepared, straightforward claims can be granted initially without paid assistance. In fact, lawyers are prohibited from charging fees for assistance with initial, new claims. Lawyers are there for assistance with appeals, which involve cases that cannot be granted right away with an initial claim.
Your attorney could help with a number of aspects of your appeal, starting with a thorough review of your application. When needed, they could schedule an independent medical examination and answer any questions you have about the process.
Even if you rely on a law firm to handle your appeal, a VA nexus letter could still be an important part of your case. Countless lawyers rely on our experts to secure a letter that will make a strong case for a favorable outcome during the appellate process. You could benefit from reaching out to our team today to learn how we can help. Obtaining a VA nexus letter early in the process could help you avoid a denial entirely.
What If I Can’t Afford a Lawyer?
It is understandable if you are worried about the cost of hiring legal counsel. While a VA disability attorney could handle your appeal directly, their effort comes at a price. However, most lawyers will charge a contingency fee, meaning they will not charge you for legal services unless they win, and then any fee would be a percentage of any back pay you receive. Again, lawyers should only be used for appeals, not initial claims. If you are not inclined to turn things over to experienced legal counsel, you do have some other options to consider.
You may be able to perform your own research, which involves identifying the medical treatises, legal precedent, and peer-reviewed journal articles that support your case. In addition to these documents, you could also provide so-called “buddy letters” from people you served with that can confirm the service-related event that is the cause of your disability.
Never forget that an attorney is not strictly required to obtain VA disability benefits. Their guidance can be crucial in complex cases, but in many instances, you may be able to obtain benefits without their help. A nexus letter from Elite Medical Review Associates could be the missing piece that helps you obtain the benefits you deserve. But whatever you do, stay clear of the so-called claims coaches or other companies that imply that they have inside information and that lawyers intentionally slow cases down. Such allegations are patently false and designed to steer unsuspecting veterans to use these companies that charge exorbitant fees for work that a VSO can do for free.
The purpose of the appeals process is about more than dealing with a denied claim. In some cases, you might receive an award that is well below what you expected. When you hire a lawyer to handle your appeal, you can entrust them to not only deal with a denial but also seek a larger award than what you were initially given.
Let Elite Medical Review Associates Help
We are not a law firm, but we are ready to assist you with some of the most challenging aspects of your VA disability claim, which is obtaining a medical report that links your condition to service. We have a database of seasoned legal counsel we can recommend to handle your case. We have seen these attorneys in action, and we know firsthand they will fiercely advocate on your behalf.
Finding an attorney is only one step in the process. With our helpful VA nexus letters, you might be able to get the favorable outcome you deserve without having your claim initially denied. If you are in need of a VA nexus letter, our medical experts can provide you with the documentation that will make the strongest possible case for a service connection to your condition. Contact us right away to learn more about how Elite Medical Review Associates can assist you throughout this process.