New Jersey Veterans disability compensation.

The VA compensation and pension disability attorneys of Bross & Frankel have obtained significant results for veterans throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.  Rather than providing generic advice on every possible issue affecting veterans, Bross & Frankel is focused on securing benefits for veterans with service-connected injuries, non-service connected disabilities, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), or survivors’ claims.

By focusing on veterans disability benefits, we can put our knowledge as disability advocates to work in securing the highest possible compensation ratings and best possible outcomes for our veteran clients seeking benefits.

By law, we cannot charge a fee for representing veterans filing for benefits for the first time.  However, unlike some of our competitors, who will turn away veterans seeking to file new claims,  we are happy to offer a free consultation to any veteran who would like to find out what benefits for which he or she may be eligible.

Denied VA benefits.

While the VA system is supposed to be “non-adversarial,” any veteran who has received a Rating Decision that either denied service connection or awarded an inadequate rating percentage, can tell you that’s not always the case.  If you receive a decision that is unfavorable in any way, the first appeal step is filing a “Notice of Disagreement.”  It is important that you specify your disagreement, the benefit you are seeking, and whether you would like a personal hearing.  Oftentimes, veterans call us after trying to appeal on their own, and after the one-year appeal period has passed.  In these cases, it can be easy to miss an important issue, and miss the opportunity to appeal in time.  The VA disability lawyers at Bross & Frankel have the experience to help you craft an appeal with the best chance of getting the compensation you’ve earned.

Once you have filed a Notice of Disagreement, the VA will prepare a “Statement of the Case,” which is the VA’s official response to your appeal.  Assuming the VA did not grant your appeal, the Statement of the Case will set forth the regulations upon which the VA relied and the reasoning for the decision.  Once you receive the Statement of the Case, you must take further action to continue your appeal.  You must file your formal appeal, usually using a specific form, within 60 days to continue your appeal to the Board of Veterans Appeals.  As with the Notice of Disagreement, if you do not include the right language, or fail to include every issue you wish to appeal, you may erroneously waive an important claim and lose out on substantial past benefits.

Types of claims.

The Veterans disability attorneys of Bross & Frankel have successfully helped veterans obtain their highest possible ratings on a number of different claims, including Agent Orange exposure claims (even for vets who were exposed on “blue water” vessels, or outside of Vietnam); post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for combat and non-combat veterans; traumatic brain injuries; anxiety disorders and depression; musculoskeletal low back, neck, and shoulder injuries; and total disability claims for veterans who are unable to maintain employment as a result of their service-connected injuries.

It is important to remember that typically, the injury does not have to have occurred during the line of duty.  Instead, as long as the injury or health problem began or was aggravated during service, service-connection can be established.  Even if the record is thin, or important records were lost, there is room for advocacy, and an experienced attorney can help you develop the record to prove your claim.

BVA Hearings.

The veterans disability lawyers at Bross & Frankel have successfully represented scores of veterans in hearings before the veterans law judges at the BVA.  Veterans Law Judge or “VLJ” hearings vary in terms of formality, but whether they are held at your local regional office, via video conference, or by traveling to Washington DC, they tend to be very informal.  Even so, testimony is taken under oath, and the evidence you present at this hearing can result in the judge sending the case back to the regional office to correct the errors that resulted in an unfavorable decision or even awarding your claim outright.  Because these hearings can be so critical, and oftentimes your last chance to perfect your claim before filing an appeal with the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (which usually does not accept any new evidence), it is important to discuss your claim with an experienced New Jersey and Pennsylvania VA benefits lawyer before your hearing.

We see that that more and more law firms are starting to offer representation to veterans seeking compensation and pension benefits.  Some of these firms are large companies with offices throughout the country.  However, hiring a local attorney with extensive experience in handling claims for disability benefits can help you, not only argue your case, but also develop the evidence you need to perfect your claim.  Hiring a dedicated, local law firm, which specializes in VA disability claims gives you your best chance at the va disability benefits you deserve.

You fought for us, now let us fight for you!

The veterans disability attorneys at Bross & Frankel have put their knowledge as disability benefits advocates to use in representing veterans in the unique area of disability compensation benefits.  Mr. Frankel has taught other lawyers the VA claims process, and contributed a chapter to a book dedicated to educating attorneys on the pitfalls of representing veterans in VA claims.  The book, “Navigating Legal Issues for Military Veterans: Leading Lawyers on Arguing Disability, Pension, and other Claims Before the VA” published by Aspatore, which is part of Thompson Reuters, is available at Amazon and other retailers.  An excerpt of his chapter is reprinted with permission.  Inside the Minds Excerpt.  Bross & Frankel are proud of our record and reputation, with most of our VA clients being referred by other veterans we have helped over the years.  A few of their notes of thanks can be seen on our testimonials page here.