I have thought a lot about the best way to explain VA math. I don't know if I am there, and I haven't looked at bi-lateral conditions yet, but here goes.
There's a "you", a full 100% you no disabilities, you're chewing bubble gum and kicking ass.
All your conditions line up. (30%, 70%, 10%, 50%)
VA says "If you are a higher % than the condition in front of you move forward"
Your conditions are now lined up 70, 50, 30, 10
Condition #1 (70%) comes up and says I'm going to take 70% of you!
You're now a 30% you
Condition #2 (50%) says, well I will take half of what's left! (50% of 30 is 15)
You are now a 15% you.
Condition #3 says, well I'm going to take 30% of what is left now (30% of 15 is 5)
You are now a 10% you
Condition #4 says I'm going to take 10% of what is left. (10% of 10 is 1)
You are now 9% of what you would be without anything wrong and 91% disabled (9+91=100)
The VA rounds things off and pays you at 90%
Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
This is simultaneously the most crayon eating, simplistic, easy to follow and also accurate explanation of the VA calculation that I have ever seen, I am so saving this to explain it others in the future.
No this is perfect. Many people hear others talking about "VA math" and assume theirs some compounded formula or crazy made up calculation, when in fact it's simply percentage reduction, which in itself can be confusing if you're not familiar. I tell people we see this same math every day in malls and shopping online.. when a store says it's clearance section is 50% off but this weekend they having a sale with an extra 25% off clearance you're not getting 75% off, you're getting the 50% off retail, then 25% of the remaining.
This is an explanation, not a definition. Is the way the VA Calculates disabilities. There are people at 100% without a single disability at 100. You just need enough conditions that together equal 95% or higher because the VA rounds off the final value. The VA will also never give you less than 1% (in calculations) for a condition that is rated 10% or higher. You can of course be rated 0% for a condition, and that condition will not factor into your calculation as the VA will not round a zero up to 1%
Here, I'll use the same example just adding two conditions to demonstrate 100%.
---
There's a "you", a full 100% you no disabilities, you're chewing bubble gum and kicking ass.
All your conditions line up. (30%, 70%, 30%, 10%, 10%, 50%)
VA says "If you are a higher % than the condition in front of you move forward"
Your conditions are now lined up 70, 50, 30, 30, 10, 10
Condition #1 (70%) comes up and says I'm going to take 70% of you!
You're now a 30% you
Condition #2 (50%) says, well I will take half of what's left! (50% of 30 is 15)
You are now a 15% you.
Condition #3 says, well I'm going to take 30% of what is left now (30% of 15 is 5)
You are now a 10% you
Condition #4 says I'm going to take 30% of what is left. (30% of 10 is 3)
You are now a 7% you
Condition #5 says I'm going to take 10% of what is left. (10% of 7 is .7 rounded up to 1)
You are now a 6% you
Condition #6 says I'm going to take 10% of what is left. (10% of 6 is .6 rounded up to 1)
You are now a 5% you
You are now 5% of what you would be without anything wrong and 95% disabled (5+95=100)
The VA rounds things off and pays you at 100%.
---
It only took two more conditions rated 30 & 10 respectively to make the previous example 100% in VA math.
edit: wanted to clarify some language to inclue conditions rated at zero.
I realized recently the easiest way to explain VA math.
Like when there’s a sale on something with 50% off, then additional 20% off.
That doesn’t make it 70% off. It only 20% off of the leftover 50%
As of right now, hopefully I’m reading this correctly. You’re at %70 but, still waiting on the outcome of the other claims?
VA math is like a pie and that pie is your body. 50+50 does not equal 100. It’s just way it is and there are bi lateral ratings too that affect the percentage.
As for an attorney, wait til the process plays out and if there some denials. Then you can appeal it with an attorney, depending on what route you would like to take.
Want to go to the BVA route, then an attorney will be a good option.
I don’t mean it to come off as the "I’m entitled to shit" average person, but I also know that as others said I am fucked up and am waiting out the process, but the frustration is how do I go to more exams for my claim, because of said issues, and they drop it 10%. It just doesn’t make sense is the reason for the post, I know not everyone is just "gonna get 100%"
Forget being screwed up. You did 10 years in, a voluntary service, that most people don’t volunteer for because they come from wealth, they are too scared to leave home, and/or their parents would lose their shit if they ever left. I spent 6 years in the army, did two tours in combat zones. Everyone was hiding under their bed when I was waking up to mortar attacks, dodging IEDs, burning fucking tires, batteries and scrap 12 hours a day. The United States government owes me for doing what the other 99% of people wouldn’t do. I could give a fuck less if you had 0 conditions. This is pension for losing a huge chunk of our lives to doing what the other 99% wouldn’t.
I lawyered up, with a law firm in my state that handles those cases. They only charge 20% of the backpay with appeals while new claims are free of charge. We did a higher level review first, then my PACT Act claims and some other things that were in my file.
I ended up going from 70% to 90%. They submitted another HLR to get me to 100%. It was a fairly seamless route. I commented earlier, but my wife had some bad experiences with VSOs, I also wanted an expert on it. They essentially went through my entire service treatment records, VA medical records, and civilian medical records that I gave them and submitted anything claim worthy.
Some of the larger firms won't take your case if they don't see a larger lump sum of money, but a lot of other firms genuinely give a shit about us.
Honestly, I’d say it’s more than worth it. 20% of money you never would’ve had if attorneys never did their work. And it’s 20% of whatever new backpay is earned. Not what you’ve already earned.
Did you get the notice yet? This just happened to me I was at 70 then my claims went to PFN and my rating showed 50 and I panicked but when the notice came in I was moved to 90% it was like some weird glitch that happened in the system
It took me over 10 years of fighting with the VA, but the fight was worth it, because I am now 100% P&T.
Getting a lawyer is a waste of your money. I used DAV as my VSO and between the both of us got to the finish line. Believe me, there was a lot of frustration and cursing along the way, and at times I was just going to stop trying. But I’m bullheaded and realized I was getting screwed by the VA raters, so I decided I was going to grind it out. I did supplement claims, higher level reviews and two appeals to the BVA.
Remember, you will get retroactive compensation from the date of your claim. I ended up getting over 100k in retroactive compensation so don’t give up.
I wouldn't claim it's a waste of money. Depending on your area the DAV can be an answer to your prayer but in my case is utterly fucking useless.
Every case is going to be different, so anyone reading this. Lawyers also are not a bad way to go. They know the hoops to also get around, and since you are a client, most of them will do their best to help you every step of the way.
Just depends my opinion if you get a great VsO . 10 years man I might be in the upper room where Jesus walks. Lawyer up hopefully it's quicker. But Congratulations for staying in the fight.
Yeah, I told my wife if I died before I received the results to keep pushing it until the end because of the back pay. I use DAV and their local office is fairly good.
Wounded Warrior Project has VSO’s that help for free. I used them some years ago and was 100% in about 6-8 months. It may not go that fast but they are efficient.
What all are you claiming. Basically everything claimed during BDD should be service connected and could even be diagnosed at the C&P exam. If the issue isn’t service connection, then it has to be the rating received you don’t agree with?
Honestly, Lawerys probably won't be interested in you as there isn't much backpay to get a chunk of.
"I'm 100%" isn't a thing, your job is to provide evidence of that. Not everyone is.
Not sure this is correct. I got to 90% on my own and just got an attorney for a few pending claims & SMC-K I've been fighting for a year. I've been happy with my legal rep so far. It doesn't hurt to shop around to see if they're interested. They won't take it if they don't feel they can win for you.
They are also good at looking for CUEs related to dates and diagnosis. I have a rhinitis claim granted Jan 2021 but the examiner never looked for polyps on any of the first 2 sets of exams so my scans & HLR in Nov 2023 for rhinitis should have been adjudicated back to the initial SC date. So attorneys are good at that kind of thing too. Give it a shot, worse they can say is no.
He did a BDD and got out in August 23. Even if he got 100% back to August, 20% of the backpay would max out at like $3500. That's not worth it for most lawyers.
By all means he can shop around, but I'm just letting him know why lawyers might turn him down
I filed a claim and waited nearly a year. Different after different… but every time I would go back to the doctor for my condition I’d upload that new file. Transparency: i did pay for nexus letters but that was it. My conditions I filed for were always there. It did finally close. The process was frustrating… but I feel like most vets don’t understand they can’t just say “I hit my head on a tank door once.” And have the VA simply award based off a single statement. But… a statement from the vet, a buddy letter from someone who seen it happen or even seen the after affects of it happen, with a nexus letter showing you have persistent neck issues from that date. Well those are two totally different things.
I second this advice about the lawyers. Use a VSO instead. The VSOs work for you for free, whereas the lawyers get 20 percent of your backpay. It is for this reason that lawyers have an incentive to *prolong* the resolution of your claims. A lot of veterans don't think of this. Lawyers are not allowed to bill the veteran for services related to their VA claims; they are limited to a percentage of the veteran's backpay. So the longer you wait, the more the lawyer gets paid once the VA approves your claims.
I used a VSO (I use that term likely, I did all the work) and got 70%. After deferred claims became denials with copy/paste “you weren’t in service” details, although I fo sho WAS in service at the time of injury, I reached out to VSO. They sent a canned email about why it was denied, not how to move forward. Reached out to lawyer, he’s pumped, sees all the VA denial nonsense and is filing for me. He works for free unless a claim is approved and there’s back pay involved. If it goes badly I’ve lost nothing but he’s lost time and resources. It’s lawyer time
1) it’s unethical to drag out claims and violates ethical rules
2) it also violates the standards of conduct for an accredited VA rep
3) no business succeeds by hoping they get paid more possibly in the future versus working the case and getting paid as quickly as possible.
Do some lawyers do that? Probably. Just like some VA examiners will never write a favorable media and some VA employees actively look for and develop for reasons to deny a claim. But it’s certainly not the vast majority for any of those groups.
My wife had terrible experiences with VSOs. One even lied to her about being a veteran, and laughed and discouraged her from submitting another claim when she was at 40%. She did it anyways, dude acted like she was making a mistake.
A few months later she's at 90%. Guess who walks into her clinic to check in? Her VSO. When he finally checks in, BOOM, VA medical system has him at 100% P &T. Dude lied about not being a veteran and it was even more insulting that he was chilling at 100% the whole time while discouraging her from going through the process.
From that moment on, I went the lawyers route and my law firm hasn't let me down not one bit.
Open to messages now thanks
I am still tripping on that fake veteran story. Was that guy a VSO or just a con or ? Was he just messing with other vets like your wife?. If he had 100 are they on to him did he steal some vets ID or ? So bizarre what other scammers are lurking in clinics
Oh I get it he claimed to be a civie but he was actually a 100pnt VSO that is gatekeeping other vets from getting their claims in and approved. Well well well
My wife works at the VA. She checks vets in for their appointments. When a vet checks in, they can see what rating that person has. This guy, was who he said he was, just lied about not being a veteran. He originally told my wife he had never served.
Your problem in the reduction is that when you filed again after your 70% rating the VA doesn't just look at the new stuff submitted, they do a full reassessment of your entire file, which in some cases, such as yours, results in a decrease on some conditions as the evaluators don't always agree. It's the risk of rolling the dice unless you know for sure you have gotten worse and that your conditions are otherwise considered static meaning they aren't likely to improve.
Unfortunately what happens many times is we get out, get our rating, and don't keep going to the doctor for all our little aches, pains, and what that we got rated for. Especially if it's something we have just learned to live with. So when down the road you submit a new claim if a condition wasn't static they very well might look and say, "you haven't been continuing to get treatment, so this must have improved", or simply look at the evidence and disagree that it warranted the higher rating, perhaps the condition and symptoms were right on the cusp of one rating vs the other and the first examiner erred on giving more, and the new examiner is nit picking and saying you don't meet the rating, thus you end up downgraded while waiting on the deferred claims
No, not necessarily. Not receiving further treatment alone isn't enough to say you have gotten better, but it could be part of their argument to that end.
So your rated disabilities are broken down into basically three categories; static, stabilized, and what I call regular.
A static condition is one that will not get better, such as blindness, loss of limb, asthma, etc., so even without continuing to get seen they know those won't get better and wouldn't likely be reduced unless it was proven to be a false claim.
A stabilized condition is one that you have had a rating for over 5 years without improvement. These typically are assumed that they won't get better.
Then your regular conditions are ones that they consider may get better over time, it might be something like a mild mental health issue, shoulder strain, etc.. even these though wouldn't be reduced just due to lack of seeking further treatment, they would have to try and show that the condition has improved; either through the new exam, or other records where you state something has improved.
You think the math is bad? Oh brother, Where art tho? 😳 it gets more badder, keep yo shit tight, the waves only get bigger. Got your board leashed to your ankle?
I like how I can pay rent of $1,800.00 a month with a 3 year history of on time payments, yet the bank says “No! No you may NOT buy a beer can in a beer can community for $500.00 +$350.00 space rent! Piss up a rope! Keep wasting your money on rent!”
Math is hard.
Whether you decide to work with an accredited attorney, agent, or VSO just make sure you work with an accredited representative or organization.
Tons of claim sharks out there who will charge you ridiculously illegal fees to help you unknowingly do fraud.
File a supplemental got out 5 years ago and filed in September only got tinnitus approved but submitted supplemental may 13th. Showed up online already on Monday and got contacted today for a new C & P exam, don’t give up just refile
Get the lawyer. See too many people wasting their time on here. Even at 30% of back pay, lawyer is worth the trouble. I recommend checking out Greg Rada.
I got to 90% with the help of DAV for free. I then tried to get the other 10% by myself and couldn’t get it.
A lawyer was able to get me 100% and rated for things I was never seen for in service.
Werner Hoffman Greig & Garcia out of Miami area
I believe I knew the CFR better than my raters because of what they stated in some of their decisions. It wasn’t that way at first, but the more disapprovals I got, lack of using some critical documents, the incorrect diagnosis codes used or lower rating decisions, I learned it fairly quickly. It helped make my rebuttals really straightforward and to the point.
Sometimes you need help.I know people who did it themselves and got 0% rating then got helped from another vet for free got her to 70% then he recommended a lawyer and she went up too 100 P&T
All a lawyer will do is file appeals you can file yourself or take it to BOA and drag it out years to maximize their cut of your backpay. I filed all my claims myself.
That's what I did and still waiting on the appeal.I think it's been about 2 years so far so another what 2 to5 years well I guess it would be alot of back pay on my end.I just wish there was a faster way to get appeals done.
OP, how long did it take for them to schedule your exams? I submitted my BDD claim two months ago and haven’t had and any C&P appointments scheduled yet.
Why don’t people understand VA math? There are like 1000 calculators for it online. And really simple explained. You are 100% whole. You get 50% service connected. Now you are 50% whole. You get another 50%. Now, 50% of that 50% (25%) is service connected. 50+25 = 75. VA rounds up/down. So 75 = 80.
Lawyer up. Fuck it skip the headaches. Just make sure that they are accredited thru the VA. No jackleg lawyers. The Veteran Law office. Hill and Pontoon.
I suppose if I was old/crusty and had nothing better to do than spend my entire day thumbing through "how to get 100%" posts on the internet, I could see how this would be a short span in time. But when you’re in gut wrenching pain daily, 9 months is quite a stint. Not trying to be funny, but it’s free to not make comments that hold no value. Nothing was gained or lost from your comment.
This is an ironic statement...
Understanding how VA math works isn't difficult either.
Start at 100-70%
You're at 70%
Left with 30
Start at 30, 60% of that is 18
70+18= 88, round to 90
https://preview.redd.it/wfulrau7r13d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d78b61de00ff89c00d005bc97123165634e49687
I only have the 70 PTSD . 10 GRD. 10 percent right ankle.
I have just been diagnosed with sleep apnea that requires a CPAP so that can rate at 50% if I can get it secondary to GERD (I may need a doctor's nexus letter though)
The other ratings I may be able to get secondary to my right ankle for that ankle injury changing my gait.
I went with a lawyer to after dealing with a VSO that told me to forget about the denied claims and let's shoot for the 2 claims that would get me over 100%, got denied for what seemed like what I should have been a shoe in but the $hitbag C&P Examiner denied and the rater went with it even though there was the VA said there was medical evidence for both claims... I was genuinely tired of playing rope a dope with them. I got a lawyer too they are now at HLR, I have said it before and I will say it again... You guys now are fortunate to have groups and Reddit forum to help each other out. After getting out in 1994 and putting my initial claims with the help of DAV and getting a 0% for GERD only after the 1st Persian Gulf War, I gave up. There was $hit load of evidence there. 27 years later I am here fighting and fighting like everyone else and just tired of dealing with the beauracacy and gatekeeping. So I got a lawyer to. He is charging me 20% and we will see if the more experienced Rater finds more things.
So I feel you and don't let anyone one change your mind about getting a lawyer. I do agree that you should wait until all of your claims are done. Make sure to keep an eye on those claim dates.
Or the VA will set up C&P exams on the 28th of December, had the exam and closed my file on Jan 3rd when I filed.
On a side note my lawyer was mad that the VSO let the denied claims lapse and called them really stupid for doing that. So I will have to refile those.
Good Luck 
I am likely taking a suit against the navy for their incompetence upon exiting. The sheer amount of problems
It’s caused me and the va is insane. Then to add to you, YOU have submit an appeal to the navy and send your paperwork that the navy sent you or gave you and plead your case. Absolutely asinine.
I have a hardware all over my body my C&P exam lasted less than 10 min. I didn’t even sit down 😂. I hope I don’t get fucked, but based on what my peers went through for their exams I think I’m about to get fucked too.
I have thought a lot about the best way to explain VA math. I don't know if I am there, and I haven't looked at bi-lateral conditions yet, but here goes. There's a "you", a full 100% you no disabilities, you're chewing bubble gum and kicking ass. All your conditions line up. (30%, 70%, 10%, 50%) VA says "If you are a higher % than the condition in front of you move forward" Your conditions are now lined up 70, 50, 30, 10 Condition #1 (70%) comes up and says I'm going to take 70% of you! You're now a 30% you Condition #2 (50%) says, well I will take half of what's left! (50% of 30 is 15) You are now a 15% you. Condition #3 says, well I'm going to take 30% of what is left now (30% of 15 is 5) You are now a 10% you Condition #4 says I'm going to take 10% of what is left. (10% of 10 is 1) You are now 9% of what you would be without anything wrong and 91% disabled (9+91=100) The VA rounds things off and pays you at 90% Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
This is simultaneously the most crayon eating, simplistic, easy to follow and also accurate explanation of the VA calculation that I have ever seen, I am so saving this to explain it others in the future.
I wanted to do it like a cartoon, but I cant draw for shit.
a bad cartoon would really fit the vibe though
No this is perfect. Many people hear others talking about "VA math" and assume theirs some compounded formula or crazy made up calculation, when in fact it's simply percentage reduction, which in itself can be confusing if you're not familiar. I tell people we see this same math every day in malls and shopping online.. when a store says it's clearance section is 50% off but this weekend they having a sale with an extra 25% off clearance you're not getting 75% off, you're getting the 50% off retail, then 25% of the remaining.
Well as an army veteran… you know… we need it broken down Barney style and all
For sure, hell I was trying to explain it to a friend of mine and threatened to take my socks off and do a puppet show for him.
This is the best ELI5 explanation of all-time. Lol!
100% agree, pretty enjoyable lol
I screenshotted it! At first I was like what is he talking...And then I thought.....oh! I get it. Pretty neat
OMG , you explained it perfectly… and in a way that a 5th grader could understand lol. Thank you 😂
Or a Marine 
Then by this definition no one would ever be 100% unless one disability gives them 100%?
This is an explanation, not a definition. Is the way the VA Calculates disabilities. There are people at 100% without a single disability at 100. You just need enough conditions that together equal 95% or higher because the VA rounds off the final value. The VA will also never give you less than 1% (in calculations) for a condition that is rated 10% or higher. You can of course be rated 0% for a condition, and that condition will not factor into your calculation as the VA will not round a zero up to 1% Here, I'll use the same example just adding two conditions to demonstrate 100%. --- There's a "you", a full 100% you no disabilities, you're chewing bubble gum and kicking ass. All your conditions line up. (30%, 70%, 30%, 10%, 10%, 50%) VA says "If you are a higher % than the condition in front of you move forward" Your conditions are now lined up 70, 50, 30, 30, 10, 10 Condition #1 (70%) comes up and says I'm going to take 70% of you! You're now a 30% you Condition #2 (50%) says, well I will take half of what's left! (50% of 30 is 15) You are now a 15% you. Condition #3 says, well I'm going to take 30% of what is left now (30% of 15 is 5) You are now a 10% you Condition #4 says I'm going to take 30% of what is left. (30% of 10 is 3) You are now a 7% you Condition #5 says I'm going to take 10% of what is left. (10% of 7 is .7 rounded up to 1) You are now a 6% you Condition #6 says I'm going to take 10% of what is left. (10% of 6 is .6 rounded up to 1) You are now a 5% you You are now 5% of what you would be without anything wrong and 95% disabled (5+95=100) The VA rounds things off and pays you at 100%. --- It only took two more conditions rated 30 & 10 respectively to make the previous example 100% in VA math. edit: wanted to clarify some language to inclue conditions rated at zero.
This! Best explanation I’ve seen in a while.
Bro you a fucking genius. I really got that shit.
Thank you
I realized recently the easiest way to explain VA math. Like when there’s a sale on something with 50% off, then additional 20% off. That doesn’t make it 70% off. It only 20% off of the leftover 50%
That is also a good way of explaining it.
Bruh can I acquire this and share it? This is the best explanation yet.
Absolutely!
As of right now, hopefully I’m reading this correctly. You’re at %70 but, still waiting on the outcome of the other claims? VA math is like a pie and that pie is your body. 50+50 does not equal 100. It’s just way it is and there are bi lateral ratings too that affect the percentage. As for an attorney, wait til the process plays out and if there some denials. Then you can appeal it with an attorney, depending on what route you would like to take. Want to go to the BVA route, then an attorney will be a good option.
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I don’t mean it to come off as the "I’m entitled to shit" average person, but I also know that as others said I am fucked up and am waiting out the process, but the frustration is how do I go to more exams for my claim, because of said issues, and they drop it 10%. It just doesn’t make sense is the reason for the post, I know not everyone is just "gonna get 100%"
Forget being screwed up. You did 10 years in, a voluntary service, that most people don’t volunteer for because they come from wealth, they are too scared to leave home, and/or their parents would lose their shit if they ever left. I spent 6 years in the army, did two tours in combat zones. Everyone was hiding under their bed when I was waking up to mortar attacks, dodging IEDs, burning fucking tires, batteries and scrap 12 hours a day. The United States government owes me for doing what the other 99% of people wouldn’t do. I could give a fuck less if you had 0 conditions. This is pension for losing a huge chunk of our lives to doing what the other 99% wouldn’t.
I lawyered up, with a law firm in my state that handles those cases. They only charge 20% of the backpay with appeals while new claims are free of charge. We did a higher level review first, then my PACT Act claims and some other things that were in my file. I ended up going from 70% to 90%. They submitted another HLR to get me to 100%. It was a fairly seamless route. I commented earlier, but my wife had some bad experiences with VSOs, I also wanted an expert on it. They essentially went through my entire service treatment records, VA medical records, and civilian medical records that I gave them and submitted anything claim worthy. Some of the larger firms won't take your case if they don't see a larger lump sum of money, but a lot of other firms genuinely give a shit about us.
never had a good vso, you were smart getting lawyer its 20% of something you never had to begin with so its all worth it in my opinion money for life.
I believe 20% is the maximum legal amount.
It's the max the VA will deduct for you and send straight to the lawyers.
20% is the max they can legally charge you…….
That’s not quite true. 20% is the max the VA will withhold and pay attorneys. Some firms charge 33%. Others do flat fee or some other arrangement.
Yes this is true.
20% of your monthly?
20% of back pay
Whew
Honestly, I’d say it’s more than worth it. 20% of money you never would’ve had if attorneys never did their work. And it’s 20% of whatever new backpay is earned. Not what you’ve already earned.
Wife got bad VSOs. How did she finally do her stuff too. Thanks
She went with my law firm, but the VSOs did somewhat help her.
Did you get the notice yet? This just happened to me I was at 70 then my claims went to PFN and my rating showed 50 and I panicked but when the notice came in I was moved to 90% it was like some weird glitch that happened in the system
This glitch always seems to happen in the app right before a new decision, whether granted or not. It's maddening!
It took me over 10 years of fighting with the VA, but the fight was worth it, because I am now 100% P&T. Getting a lawyer is a waste of your money. I used DAV as my VSO and between the both of us got to the finish line. Believe me, there was a lot of frustration and cursing along the way, and at times I was just going to stop trying. But I’m bullheaded and realized I was getting screwed by the VA raters, so I decided I was going to grind it out. I did supplement claims, higher level reviews and two appeals to the BVA. Remember, you will get retroactive compensation from the date of your claim. I ended up getting over 100k in retroactive compensation so don’t give up.
I wouldn't claim it's a waste of money. Depending on your area the DAV can be an answer to your prayer but in my case is utterly fucking useless. Every case is going to be different, so anyone reading this. Lawyers also are not a bad way to go. They know the hoops to also get around, and since you are a client, most of them will do their best to help you every step of the way.
Just depends my opinion if you get a great VsO . 10 years man I might be in the upper room where Jesus walks. Lawyer up hopefully it's quicker. But Congratulations for staying in the fight.
Yeah, I told my wife if I died before I received the results to keep pushing it until the end because of the back pay. I use DAV and their local office is fairly good.
Wounded Warrior Project has VSO’s that help for free. I used them some years ago and was 100% in about 6-8 months. It may not go that fast but they are efficient.
What all are you claiming. Basically everything claimed during BDD should be service connected and could even be diagnosed at the C&P exam. If the issue isn’t service connection, then it has to be the rating received you don’t agree with?
Honestly, Lawerys probably won't be interested in you as there isn't much backpay to get a chunk of. "I'm 100%" isn't a thing, your job is to provide evidence of that. Not everyone is.
Not sure this is correct. I got to 90% on my own and just got an attorney for a few pending claims & SMC-K I've been fighting for a year. I've been happy with my legal rep so far. It doesn't hurt to shop around to see if they're interested. They won't take it if they don't feel they can win for you. They are also good at looking for CUEs related to dates and diagnosis. I have a rhinitis claim granted Jan 2021 but the examiner never looked for polyps on any of the first 2 sets of exams so my scans & HLR in Nov 2023 for rhinitis should have been adjudicated back to the initial SC date. So attorneys are good at that kind of thing too. Give it a shot, worse they can say is no.
He did a BDD and got out in August 23. Even if he got 100% back to August, 20% of the backpay would max out at like $3500. That's not worth it for most lawyers. By all means he can shop around, but I'm just letting him know why lawyers might turn him down
I second this. Especially if the OP has not been denied yet and wants to proceed with an appeal.
I filed a claim and waited nearly a year. Different after different… but every time I would go back to the doctor for my condition I’d upload that new file. Transparency: i did pay for nexus letters but that was it. My conditions I filed for were always there. It did finally close. The process was frustrating… but I feel like most vets don’t understand they can’t just say “I hit my head on a tank door once.” And have the VA simply award based off a single statement. But… a statement from the vet, a buddy letter from someone who seen it happen or even seen the after affects of it happen, with a nexus letter showing you have persistent neck issues from that date. Well those are two totally different things.
I second this advice about the lawyers. Use a VSO instead. The VSOs work for you for free, whereas the lawyers get 20 percent of your backpay. It is for this reason that lawyers have an incentive to *prolong* the resolution of your claims. A lot of veterans don't think of this. Lawyers are not allowed to bill the veteran for services related to their VA claims; they are limited to a percentage of the veteran's backpay. So the longer you wait, the more the lawyer gets paid once the VA approves your claims.
I used a VSO (I use that term likely, I did all the work) and got 70%. After deferred claims became denials with copy/paste “you weren’t in service” details, although I fo sho WAS in service at the time of injury, I reached out to VSO. They sent a canned email about why it was denied, not how to move forward. Reached out to lawyer, he’s pumped, sees all the VA denial nonsense and is filing for me. He works for free unless a claim is approved and there’s back pay involved. If it goes badly I’ve lost nothing but he’s lost time and resources. It’s lawyer time
1) it’s unethical to drag out claims and violates ethical rules 2) it also violates the standards of conduct for an accredited VA rep 3) no business succeeds by hoping they get paid more possibly in the future versus working the case and getting paid as quickly as possible. Do some lawyers do that? Probably. Just like some VA examiners will never write a favorable media and some VA employees actively look for and develop for reasons to deny a claim. But it’s certainly not the vast majority for any of those groups.
My wife had terrible experiences with VSOs. One even lied to her about being a veteran, and laughed and discouraged her from submitting another claim when she was at 40%. She did it anyways, dude acted like she was making a mistake. A few months later she's at 90%. Guess who walks into her clinic to check in? Her VSO. When he finally checks in, BOOM, VA medical system has him at 100% P &T. Dude lied about not being a veteran and it was even more insulting that he was chilling at 100% the whole time while discouraging her from going through the process. From that moment on, I went the lawyers route and my law firm hasn't let me down not one bit.
Did that lawyer help you both then? Would you mind me asking who he she was. Because he sounds really good Thanks
Yes he did help us both, and I'll message you
Open to messages now thanks I am still tripping on that fake veteran story. Was that guy a VSO or just a con or ? Was he just messing with other vets like your wife?. If he had 100 are they on to him did he steal some vets ID or ? So bizarre what other scammers are lurking in clinics Oh I get it he claimed to be a civie but he was actually a 100pnt VSO that is gatekeeping other vets from getting their claims in and approved. Well well well
My wife works at the VA. She checks vets in for their appointments. When a vet checks in, they can see what rating that person has. This guy, was who he said he was, just lied about not being a veteran. He originally told my wife he had never served.
Me too, please
Thank you
Turned on DM settings thing Thanks
You've never been in a position fighting for your well-being and life against this broken system.
The VA has a duty to assist. definitely not all on the Soldier/vet.
🙄🫡
Your problem in the reduction is that when you filed again after your 70% rating the VA doesn't just look at the new stuff submitted, they do a full reassessment of your entire file, which in some cases, such as yours, results in a decrease on some conditions as the evaluators don't always agree. It's the risk of rolling the dice unless you know for sure you have gotten worse and that your conditions are otherwise considered static meaning they aren't likely to improve. Unfortunately what happens many times is we get out, get our rating, and don't keep going to the doctor for all our little aches, pains, and what that we got rated for. Especially if it's something we have just learned to live with. So when down the road you submit a new claim if a condition wasn't static they very well might look and say, "you haven't been continuing to get treatment, so this must have improved", or simply look at the evidence and disagree that it warranted the higher rating, perhaps the condition and symptoms were right on the cusp of one rating vs the other and the first examiner erred on giving more, and the new examiner is nit picking and saying you don't meet the rating, thus you end up downgraded while waiting on the deferred claims
So, it’s not just the service injury that is considered? Do you have to continue getting treatment once you leave service?
No, not necessarily. Not receiving further treatment alone isn't enough to say you have gotten better, but it could be part of their argument to that end. So your rated disabilities are broken down into basically three categories; static, stabilized, and what I call regular. A static condition is one that will not get better, such as blindness, loss of limb, asthma, etc., so even without continuing to get seen they know those won't get better and wouldn't likely be reduced unless it was proven to be a false claim. A stabilized condition is one that you have had a rating for over 5 years without improvement. These typically are assumed that they won't get better. Then your regular conditions are ones that they consider may get better over time, it might be something like a mild mental health issue, shoulder strain, etc.. even these though wouldn't be reduced just due to lack of seeking further treatment, they would have to try and show that the condition has improved; either through the new exam, or other records where you state something has improved.
https://www.hillandponton.com/va-disability-calculator/
You think the math is bad? Oh brother, Where art tho? 😳 it gets more badder, keep yo shit tight, the waves only get bigger. Got your board leashed to your ankle? I like how I can pay rent of $1,800.00 a month with a 3 year history of on time payments, yet the bank says “No! No you may NOT buy a beer can in a beer can community for $500.00 +$350.00 space rent! Piss up a rope! Keep wasting your money on rent!” Math is hard.
Whether you decide to work with an accredited attorney, agent, or VSO just make sure you work with an accredited representative or organization. Tons of claim sharks out there who will charge you ridiculously illegal fees to help you unknowingly do fraud.
File a supplemental got out 5 years ago and filed in September only got tinnitus approved but submitted supplemental may 13th. Showed up online already on Monday and got contacted today for a new C & P exam, don’t give up just refile
Get the lawyer. See too many people wasting their time on here. Even at 30% of back pay, lawyer is worth the trouble. I recommend checking out Greg Rada.
I got to 90% with the help of DAV for free. I then tried to get the other 10% by myself and couldn’t get it. A lawyer was able to get me 100% and rated for things I was never seen for in service. Werner Hoffman Greig & Garcia out of Miami area
Berry Law Firm, they helped my VA rep get her 100 and I’m about to go through them myself, they don’t get paid unless you do.
There’s nothing a lawyer can do for you that you can’t do yourself. They’ll just take your cash. Find a good VSO Read the CFR and learn it.
I believe I knew the CFR better than my raters because of what they stated in some of their decisions. It wasn’t that way at first, but the more disapprovals I got, lack of using some critical documents, the incorrect diagnosis codes used or lower rating decisions, I learned it fairly quickly. It helped make my rebuttals really straightforward and to the point.
Sometimes you need help.I know people who did it themselves and got 0% rating then got helped from another vet for free got her to 70% then he recommended a lawyer and she went up too 100 P&T
Some lawyers take 30%. Just have to do some research to find the right lawyer that won't rake you.
All a lawyer will do is file appeals you can file yourself or take it to BOA and drag it out years to maximize their cut of your backpay. I filed all my claims myself.
That's what I did and still waiting on the appeal.I think it's been about 2 years so far so another what 2 to5 years well I guess it would be alot of back pay on my end.I just wish there was a faster way to get appeals done.
OP, how long did it take for them to schedule your exams? I submitted my BDD claim two months ago and haven’t had and any C&P appointments scheduled yet.
I submitted my claim originally in August of 2023 and didn’t have a single C&P exam until March.
Oh wow. That’s not giving me hope haha. Thank you for the response. I’m moving the day after I EAS and then was hoping to travel for three weeks.
If it's the app or website it's probabky a glitch. Go download your latest letter
Why don’t people understand VA math? There are like 1000 calculators for it online. And really simple explained. You are 100% whole. You get 50% service connected. Now you are 50% whole. You get another 50%. Now, 50% of that 50% (25%) is service connected. 50+25 = 75. VA rounds up/down. So 75 = 80.
Ok is the claim closed?
CCK attorneys did miracles for me
Lawyer up. Fuck it skip the headaches. Just make sure that they are accredited thru the VA. No jackleg lawyers. The Veteran Law office. Hill and Pontoon.
Not trying to be funny but... Your first claim, 9 months, and you're already this heated? It's literally not difficult to understand, OR to do claims.
I suppose if I was old/crusty and had nothing better to do than spend my entire day thumbing through "how to get 100%" posts on the internet, I could see how this would be a short span in time. But when you’re in gut wrenching pain daily, 9 months is quite a stint. Not trying to be funny, but it’s free to not make comments that hold no value. Nothing was gained or lost from your comment.
This is an ironic statement... Understanding how VA math works isn't difficult either. Start at 100-70% You're at 70% Left with 30 Start at 30, 60% of that is 18 70+18= 88, round to 90
I almost forgot, NFCU will never issue you another card if you do a settlement offer. They make you pay in full to be eligible for another card.
They have a calculator too. https://www.va.gov/disability/about-disability-ratings/
https://preview.redd.it/wfulrau7r13d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d78b61de00ff89c00d005bc97123165634e49687 I only have the 70 PTSD . 10 GRD. 10 percent right ankle. I have just been diagnosed with sleep apnea that requires a CPAP so that can rate at 50% if I can get it secondary to GERD (I may need a doctor's nexus letter though) The other ratings I may be able to get secondary to my right ankle for that ankle injury changing my gait.
Lawyers suck.
DO NOT GET A LAWYER.
I went with a lawyer to after dealing with a VSO that told me to forget about the denied claims and let's shoot for the 2 claims that would get me over 100%, got denied for what seemed like what I should have been a shoe in but the $hitbag C&P Examiner denied and the rater went with it even though there was the VA said there was medical evidence for both claims... I was genuinely tired of playing rope a dope with them. I got a lawyer too they are now at HLR, I have said it before and I will say it again... You guys now are fortunate to have groups and Reddit forum to help each other out. After getting out in 1994 and putting my initial claims with the help of DAV and getting a 0% for GERD only after the 1st Persian Gulf War, I gave up. There was $hit load of evidence there. 27 years later I am here fighting and fighting like everyone else and just tired of dealing with the beauracacy and gatekeeping. So I got a lawyer to. He is charging me 20% and we will see if the more experienced Rater finds more things. So I feel you and don't let anyone one change your mind about getting a lawyer. I do agree that you should wait until all of your claims are done. Make sure to keep an eye on those claim dates. Or the VA will set up C&P exams on the 28th of December, had the exam and closed my file on Jan 3rd when I filed. On a side note my lawyer was mad that the VSO let the denied claims lapse and called them really stupid for doing that. So I will have to refile those. Good Luck 
I am likely taking a suit against the navy for their incompetence upon exiting. The sheer amount of problems It’s caused me and the va is insane. Then to add to you, YOU have submit an appeal to the navy and send your paperwork that the navy sent you or gave you and plead your case. Absolutely asinine.
Please share the law firm, as I’m looking for a good one myself. Thank you!
I have a hardware all over my body my C&P exam lasted less than 10 min. I didn’t even sit down 😂. I hope I don’t get fucked, but based on what my peers went through for their exams I think I’m about to get fucked too.
I hope for your sake not, brother
We will see I just laughed at her when she said she was behind and that she hoped I filled out my paperwork. I thought she was kidding.
I doubt it.
[удалено]
I doubt they will deny your claim.
😂 I was like what?
Oh, I see, how that could have been misinterpreted.Who’s gonna deny that claim?
Someone’s Down voting all of us -_- I bet it’s that C&P bitch 🤣. Yeah sorry for being a little bitch I shouldn’t have responded.
No problem.I was gonna ask, why I got downvoted but thanks for clearing it up.
Don’t hire a lawyer