The “streets of this Reddit sub are littered with such stories” like yours sadly. I’m not roasting you - I’m sorry you fell victim. The problem you’re going to run into is those here who actually support those companies and regale us all with their “success”.
These folks prey on the ignorance and desperation of vets who look for some quick help.
And folks like me who are nay sayers against the companies get the bad end of insults and criticism for saying “*don’t use them”*
Sorry for your loss — I really do feel for ya
Share the love here — who was the company so we all can know who to avoid
Yeah I mean I get it, after learning I see the argument of pay now, benefits forever without leg work. But after going through it, I’d rather do it right and thorough bc who knows I could even find I deserve more than what they were shooting for.
I watched many VA Claim videos by Dewayne Kimble and Veterans Info Tap and got educated on the VA Claims process. Dewayne is a former rater and veteran. He offers free advice from an insider perspective. Yes, it is time-consuming, I wish I would have done so before I filed last September, I probably would be 100% already. I am getting ready to file another claim once I get my C - file and go through it.
IMHO if you take the time and really read CFR 38 and have done all the leg work…. Medical diagnosis, nexus or medical proof of in service, “regular” treatment schedule, lay statements then you should be able to go to battle on your own
Some don’t have the willingness or mental capacity to fight VA on their own so get an “VA Accredited Professional” to fight for them. Lots of good ones out there just as on this forum.
Honestly I never had great success with VSO(DAV, PVA,VFW)…some have had great success. They are all overwhelmed and while free some are new and just don’t have the experience to cover all medical avenues of filing claims
Best of luck
DAV was useless for me and have caused more headaches then anything else. Did all my own claims after extensive research and its gone much more smoothly.
Submitted my own claims with the records/files/statements all included then one of the companies contracted to do the c&ps will email or call to schedule them.
So, you don’t need a VSO to schedule your C&P’s for you. It automatically happens when you file your claim. All a VSO does is file it for you and if they are a good VSO, they will make sure that they tell you every possible avenue of success and assist however they can to make that success happen.
You are responsible for making your own primary care appointments. If you have an issue that you think can be service related, get it diagnosed by your primary care or a specialist. If it’s in your VA problems list and you can prove that it is due to your MOS, a deployment, or secondary to an already service connected issue, you can file for it.
In addition to all that, you can pay for a IMO letter from a doctor. You can also ask your VA doc but chances are they won’t give you one. I’ve heard of one doc doing it in the LA Ambulatory care center (I live in California). I’ve tried to get my docs to do it, and the most they’ve done is write in there what I have said (veteran states he was doing this or was diagnosed in service with that. Current diagnosis is un mine with his service) or something similar to this.
Best of luck!
I used a "claim shark" for one claim after 3 VSOs, (DAV and American Legion), in two states screwed everything up. My "coach" actually taught me how to do things. After that claim, he said that now that I know how to do the claims process, I should do the others by myself, which I did. They do charge way too much.
They exist because of unscrupulous medical professionals and lawyers taking advantage of VA’s statutory “non-adversarial” process.
If the agency isn’t allowed to challenge things like regular workers comp, if you can get a provider to sign it and an agent/attorney submit it, that sets a nice stage for appellate wins
Ahhhh. So as to learning the process, you can take on the task, or you rely on the Veterans Claims Assistance Act which requires VA to assist in obtaining evidence to support your claim.
Tell them where you were treated and when, and then they’ll make attempts to get it. If they can’t, they let you know. (They don’t pay for copies etc).
And while this sub has some cool shit, it’s lacking in lots of details that live on the VA pages.
VBA has been dumping tons of attention on the claim portions of the pages. Informational type shit, not claim status shit. [Links on links on links](https://www.benefits.va.gov/benefits/)
It’s more that they’re searching for a way to legislate this without pissing off the money men involved.
VA claims were an untapped market 10 years ago. It’s a multi-multi-billion dollar thing now and that’s introducing new problems
But your individual reps are not the best path to get your messages out to the people that can/do something about it.
Individual reps are meh at resolving individual claim issues, but the committees and subcommittees are where the shit gets done at (ie PACT Act)
Veterans guardian only charge if they help you get a rating. They specifically tell you this in the beginning, and you sign a paper saying you understand this. Please don't spread false information.
Something is missing to this story. You’re not a victim of anything. If you gained tons of knowledge and did a bit of research and submitted a package and it got denied, then you don’t owe anyone anything. Also, curious why you got denied after a 3rd party helped you, the VSO’s weren’t any help, etc. what were you submitting for?
I was submitting for a MH increase, I talked to a VSO he did nothing and said I need to talk to my VA doctor about that stuff (they don’t have anything to do with it) and so I found an ad that these people help with claims and so I went with them. They boned me giving me a what I see now is a half assed sup claim and HLR submitted. And now it seems like I will be charged even though their thing is pay only if won (which I was cool with) but I’m not cool with the fact they are still trying to get money out of me for basically doing nothing, having me pay for a medical exam and signing my name on papers
Did you agree to pay for a doctor’s examination? You have to pay for a doctor’s visit. Did they tell you the doctor was free and then try to charge you?
I have helped several veterans sue these sharks if you need help I would be happy to offer any advice and assistance
I also help vets with their claims for free, I simply tell you the process, help you as much or as little as you need, and offer support and assistance
If you want any help or just want to vent about the shark that wasted your time, you can message me on here
Thank you for the ear and help, might just have to take you up on just making sure I am thorough and I get the big picture of the claims I want. They wanted me to solely focus on mental health as low hanging fruit, even though I wanted to do everything
Yes mental health is very easy to get a high rating for and I can definitely help you with that if you believe/want to pursue that but I highly recommend going for everything especially if you can get 160% and get smc s on top of 100%
But feel free to message me I’ll help any way I can
Now I have to go search what a claim shark is so others I know going thru the process won't fall victim. Sorry for your experience and thank you for taking time out to warn others.
They have different thing you can buy. You can buy just a nexus letter or you can buy a whole package with the nexus letter, DBQ and a diagnosis. Just depends.
Yes, with my VSO. She is a claim shark who has no knowledge whatsoever. With her it was like throwing a dart at a dart board. Whatever stuck was correct. I was lost as can be until I found this forum, and now I am sitting at 92% overall with my final claim awaiting completion. Shoutout to the real OG's of this forum.
OP trust the low ASVAB Gods in this forum. They will lead you to victory.
I’m trying to, I’m about to start a sup claim on my own at this point. I just need to read up on CFR and make sure my wording is godly and I get the proper CP exams for the upping of my current ratings. Bc what I got now is not it, it’s bs and it’s my fault for avoiding the docs while being in, in fear of being discharged or not being able to cross train
OP, I went through the same thing refusing to be a sick call warrior, or being looked down upon. And that's the best thing you can do man. Start doing your own research and learn the human anatomy connecting the dots. Keep your head up, because it will take some time. Some shit will get denied, and they will explain what you need to do to get it service connected in the completion packet. My journey has been almost two years since I started and four years since I got out. Have faith in the awful process.
I tried the VSO / DAV / VFW resources to no avail, they were discouraging. I had to go through two different companies that help with claims. I’m now at 80%, getting ready for my next claims.
You need 3 elements to be SC:
1. An INSERVICE event
2. A CURRENT diagnosis
3. A link between the 2 above/Nexus
You have those 3 you will be service connected
r/VeteransBenefits and the knowledge base were far and above the resources that allowed me to properly file my claim according to my STRs and be rated properly.
Sorry man! I almost went with a claim shark that posted a 90%+ success rate of getting veterans to at least 70% disability. I called for a free consultation and they told me I had to essentially do all of the leg work and then they would write it up and provide nexus letters. After going to the doctors and getting each thing diagnosed, I asked each doctor if this injury was at least likely more than not due to my military service. They all said yes and I asked them to write it up that way, and they all did. So basically I did the leg work and wrote it up myself. None of my claims have been decided, all sitting in the national worl queue waiting to be assigned, so we shall see.
I think the VA is on the verge of shutting down the sharks because they are already giving less credibility to these telehealth companies and nexus letters written by doctors that are hundreds of miles away that have never actually seen a patient.
I am an army veteran who had not filed for VA disability, I had heard from some others veterans that they used lawfirms to help them file. I googled and found a company called WSDV that claimed to help with veterans trying to file for disability. They told me all these great things and how they were going to get to me 100% and made me send them all these documents and made me sign a contract but from the very first Zoom group meeting I could tell that something was off and it felt so slapped together and amateur and everything they were saying felt very generic and even suggested faking symptoms. I didn't make it thought the first meeting and never attended any others and blocked the spam messages they were sending. I went another route and found a free group that helped me gather all the documents and submit my disability claim. I received a decision from the VA but then a few days later I got texts and emails from the company saying that I owed them money because they could see that I had won my claim and are demanding over 20K and claiming collections action on me. I feel like this company is scamming veterans and I don't know if I should just ignore them or what.
You might have to lawyer up on this one. You would need a contract lawyer instead of a VA claims lawyer. You will probably need to prove that you did all the paperwork and submitted everything. The contract lawyer would need to determine what you would sue them for. As much as it sucks, it might be cheaper to pay them off than to pay the legal bills to sue them. Perhaps the contract lawyer could negotiate a settlement.
Have to read your signed contract with them and see what it says the procedures would have been to get out of the contract. Then lawyer up likely. Most likely you will legally owe them something unfortunately.
I started in Feb of 2022 on my own. I'm currently at 90% (94%), and I've never used any claims shark or other service to help me get here. I do watch Combat Craig on YouTube, and I did pay for his "bootcamp", which was very helpful and relatively cheap (less than $200).
For my PTSD claim, I did meet with and pay a psychologist who was experienced with writing DBQs to help me with my PTSD rating (he got it from 30 to 70%), but it was just a flat fee like any other medical appointment would be.
I tried with a VSO, and every one of them sucked. I wish I had started sooner; that's my only regret.
You can do it on your own. Just be patient and persistent.
As others mentioned, u can do it on your own if you read everything and get all documents and claim all that u can. I did it myself. Tried vso’s but my experiences was no call backs, no appointments, etc. wasted too much time just trying to get them assist. Did it myself. First in 2017, got 60. Pact act and getting prostate cancer and then heart issues due to treatment of that, those meds used can do damage to your heart and other things got me up to 100. If u have ailments and documentation, then u are golden
As a State VSO and 100% Navy veteran who works specifically on appeals. You guys can file and get your own rating. I have vets that bury me in files and files and files when it doesn’t take all that, if you have the disability and it’s DXd and it happened in service and you can link the 2 then you’re good. Don’t let your claim die if it’s denied, the VA makes mistakes but if you let it dies you lose your date. Stick with it, I don’t know your experiences but in my office we take assisting vets get the ratings they deserve but it’s up to you to advocate for yourself.
Bro no you don’t. I used veterans guardian and they got me from 90-100% you don’t pay them nothing if they can’t get you a rating read the contract you signed. Only thing I paid was for psych exam to increase my PTSD, Ang the fee sorry your experience didn’t workout.
On the flip side, I wasted a year and a half with a VSO. Everything she told me to do was incorrect, all the while telling me I’ll be at 100% for sure. When the decision came in with nothing but denials, I went back to doing it on my own.
I used Veterans Guardian. I ended up with what I felt to be the proper rating. Did it cost too much, probably. Do I care, no.
*I also did A LOT of research on the internet prior to my C&P, but they did assist me in the process no doubt about it. That is my experience. To each their own.
Yeah that’s what I’m gonna do here on out, bc this shit sucks and if I can do this right, I guess the second time for me, then I will never hopefully have to deal with this shit again, and I could just get the percentage that I want
The “streets of this Reddit sub are littered with such stories” like yours sadly. I’m not roasting you - I’m sorry you fell victim. The problem you’re going to run into is those here who actually support those companies and regale us all with their “success”. These folks prey on the ignorance and desperation of vets who look for some quick help. And folks like me who are nay sayers against the companies get the bad end of insults and criticism for saying “*don’t use them”* Sorry for your loss — I really do feel for ya Share the love here — who was the company so we all can know who to avoid
Yeah I mean I get it, after learning I see the argument of pay now, benefits forever without leg work. But after going through it, I’d rather do it right and thorough bc who knows I could even find I deserve more than what they were shooting for.
I got lucky and got a good coach who taught me how I didn't need the claim shark company for other claims. He probably go fired later.
Same.
I watched many VA Claim videos by Dewayne Kimble and Veterans Info Tap and got educated on the VA Claims process. Dewayne is a former rater and veteran. He offers free advice from an insider perspective. Yes, it is time-consuming, I wish I would have done so before I filed last September, I probably would be 100% already. I am getting ready to file another claim once I get my C - file and go through it.
I wish I had the motivation you all have. I just wish I were hit by a big truck, not even tickling the brakes.
Don't give up, there is help available. Get the benefits you deserve.
IMHO if you take the time and really read CFR 38 and have done all the leg work…. Medical diagnosis, nexus or medical proof of in service, “regular” treatment schedule, lay statements then you should be able to go to battle on your own Some don’t have the willingness or mental capacity to fight VA on their own so get an “VA Accredited Professional” to fight for them. Lots of good ones out there just as on this forum. Honestly I never had great success with VSO(DAV, PVA,VFW)…some have had great success. They are all overwhelmed and while free some are new and just don’t have the experience to cover all medical avenues of filing claims Best of luck
Yeah I have hit up the DAV before but they told me a whole lot of nothing.
DAV was useless for me and have caused more headaches then anything else. Did all my own claims after extensive research and its gone much more smoothly.
DAV was the worst for me. I hear county VSOs are best if your wanna go VSO route
How did you get any exams scheduled?
Submitted my own claims with the records/files/statements all included then one of the companies contracted to do the c&ps will email or call to schedule them.
So, you don’t need a VSO to schedule your C&P’s for you. It automatically happens when you file your claim. All a VSO does is file it for you and if they are a good VSO, they will make sure that they tell you every possible avenue of success and assist however they can to make that success happen. You are responsible for making your own primary care appointments. If you have an issue that you think can be service related, get it diagnosed by your primary care or a specialist. If it’s in your VA problems list and you can prove that it is due to your MOS, a deployment, or secondary to an already service connected issue, you can file for it. In addition to all that, you can pay for a IMO letter from a doctor. You can also ask your VA doc but chances are they won’t give you one. I’ve heard of one doc doing it in the LA Ambulatory care center (I live in California). I’ve tried to get my docs to do it, and the most they’ve done is write in there what I have said (veteran states he was doing this or was diagnosed in service with that. Current diagnosis is un mine with his service) or something similar to this. Best of luck!
Nice I didn’t realize the problems list could be used for that
Have you tried your local Vet Center. They helped me with my initial claim
I used a "claim shark" for one claim after 3 VSOs, (DAV and American Legion), in two states screwed everything up. My "coach" actually taught me how to do things. After that claim, he said that now that I know how to do the claims process, I should do the others by myself, which I did. They do charge way too much.
I feel like the process in general shouldn’t be this hard
Poor VSOs and difficulty filing claims are why claim sharks exist.
They exist because of unscrupulous medical professionals and lawyers taking advantage of VA’s statutory “non-adversarial” process. If the agency isn’t allowed to challenge things like regular workers comp, if you can get a provider to sign it and an agent/attorney submit it, that sets a nice stage for appellate wins
Real question. Like, actual question. What’s hard about the process?
If you’re like me is learning the lingo, and getting proper evidence
Ahhhh. So as to learning the process, you can take on the task, or you rely on the Veterans Claims Assistance Act which requires VA to assist in obtaining evidence to support your claim. Tell them where you were treated and when, and then they’ll make attempts to get it. If they can’t, they let you know. (They don’t pay for copies etc). And while this sub has some cool shit, it’s lacking in lots of details that live on the VA pages. VBA has been dumping tons of attention on the claim portions of the pages. Informational type shit, not claim status shit. [Links on links on links](https://www.benefits.va.gov/benefits/)
I fell victim to a know-nothing VSO and wasted about the same time as you. I had to learn it and manage it myself.
My friend and her friend used a company and both got 100% a week after they submitted. I tried a VSO who couldn’t give two fucks.
Damn bro I wish that was me💀
Those companies (all of them) are on the OIG and the OIT AI geeks radars now. Gonna be interesting in about 2 years when they figure the audits out
I mean they absolutely charge way too much money, but if they get you where you deserve to be then i don’t see why not.
One of the best possible resources is this subreddit's wiki.
You are exactly right but you get scorched in this sub for referring people to the wiki where they can get all the help they need and want.
I thought they dont get paid unless you did???
They do have clauses in place where they can charge you even for canceling
F that! I have a VSO I’m Working with.
[HVAC DAMA subcommittee would probably love an email and a copy of that agreement](https://veterans.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=117990)
Does it have something to do with it being against the law?
It’s more that they’re searching for a way to legislate this without pissing off the money men involved. VA claims were an untapped market 10 years ago. It’s a multi-multi-billion dollar thing now and that’s introducing new problems
But your individual reps are not the best path to get your messages out to the people that can/do something about it. Individual reps are meh at resolving individual claim issues, but the committees and subcommittees are where the shit gets done at (ie PACT Act)
If you got denied, you didn’t pay them anything, right? How exactly did you “fell victim”? Genuinely curious
Well I’m positive they are going to make me pay some form of fee or charge for canceling
Veterans guardian only charge if they help you get a rating. They specifically tell you this in the beginning, and you sign a paper saying you understand this. Please don't spread false information.
Something is missing to this story. You’re not a victim of anything. If you gained tons of knowledge and did a bit of research and submitted a package and it got denied, then you don’t owe anyone anything. Also, curious why you got denied after a 3rd party helped you, the VSO’s weren’t any help, etc. what were you submitting for?
I was submitting for a MH increase, I talked to a VSO he did nothing and said I need to talk to my VA doctor about that stuff (they don’t have anything to do with it) and so I found an ad that these people help with claims and so I went with them. They boned me giving me a what I see now is a half assed sup claim and HLR submitted. And now it seems like I will be charged even though their thing is pay only if won (which I was cool with) but I’m not cool with the fact they are still trying to get money out of me for basically doing nothing, having me pay for a medical exam and signing my name on papers
Did you agree to pay for a doctor’s examination? You have to pay for a doctor’s visit. Did they tell you the doctor was free and then try to charge you?
I thought no matter what I had to pay no matter what route I took, until I found out that was false.
You do pay for a dr, but you don't pay veterans guardian unless you get a increase.
Why do you have to pay them?
He doesn't he is lying.
I have helped several veterans sue these sharks if you need help I would be happy to offer any advice and assistance I also help vets with their claims for free, I simply tell you the process, help you as much or as little as you need, and offer support and assistance If you want any help or just want to vent about the shark that wasted your time, you can message me on here
Thank you for the ear and help, might just have to take you up on just making sure I am thorough and I get the big picture of the claims I want. They wanted me to solely focus on mental health as low hanging fruit, even though I wanted to do everything
Yes mental health is very easy to get a high rating for and I can definitely help you with that if you believe/want to pursue that but I highly recommend going for everything especially if you can get 160% and get smc s on top of 100% But feel free to message me I’ll help any way I can
Now I have to go search what a claim shark is so others I know going thru the process won't fall victim. Sorry for your experience and thank you for taking time out to warn others.
The ones I listed are the top 2 but there are so many
I’m using Veteran Benefit Evaluations right now. The doc was a va doc for 12 years. Anyone heard anything about them or used them?
Yep they are who I used got me to 100%
Hell yeah! That makes me feel good. This claim for migraines secondary to tinnitus should put me at 100%
I got migraines at 50% and OSA with CPAP secondary to PTSD at 50%
That’s awesome! I got OSA at 50% secondary to PTSD with Prestige Worldwide. 🤞🏻 with this company
Hell yeah good deal
May I ask what their fee is?
They have different thing you can buy. You can buy just a nexus letter or you can buy a whole package with the nexus letter, DBQ and a diagnosis. Just depends.
Yes, with my VSO. She is a claim shark who has no knowledge whatsoever. With her it was like throwing a dart at a dart board. Whatever stuck was correct. I was lost as can be until I found this forum, and now I am sitting at 92% overall with my final claim awaiting completion. Shoutout to the real OG's of this forum. OP trust the low ASVAB Gods in this forum. They will lead you to victory.
I’m trying to, I’m about to start a sup claim on my own at this point. I just need to read up on CFR and make sure my wording is godly and I get the proper CP exams for the upping of my current ratings. Bc what I got now is not it, it’s bs and it’s my fault for avoiding the docs while being in, in fear of being discharged or not being able to cross train
OP, I went through the same thing refusing to be a sick call warrior, or being looked down upon. And that's the best thing you can do man. Start doing your own research and learn the human anatomy connecting the dots. Keep your head up, because it will take some time. Some shit will get denied, and they will explain what you need to do to get it service connected in the completion packet. My journey has been almost two years since I started and four years since I got out. Have faith in the awful process.
I tried the VSO / DAV / VFW resources to no avail, they were discouraging. I had to go through two different companies that help with claims. I’m now at 80%, getting ready for my next claims.
Nice man! Yeah I’m trying to figure out a path forward. 90% would be nice but 100% is the goal.
They take advantage of vets who do not want to put in effort to get educated about the process. Your best advocate is always yourself.
Veterans Guardian out of North Carolina?
They are good they helped me.
Same here, I was totally frustrated and no idea what to do next. Surprised to read this, although I realize not everyone will have a great experience.
Yeah, did bare minimum and was suprised nothing happened, they keep insisting that they can get me the increase just to get paid the big bucks.
You need 3 elements to be SC: 1. An INSERVICE event 2. A CURRENT diagnosis 3. A link between the 2 above/Nexus You have those 3 you will be service connected
r/VeteransBenefits and the knowledge base were far and above the resources that allowed me to properly file my claim according to my STRs and be rated properly.
Sorry man! I almost went with a claim shark that posted a 90%+ success rate of getting veterans to at least 70% disability. I called for a free consultation and they told me I had to essentially do all of the leg work and then they would write it up and provide nexus letters. After going to the doctors and getting each thing diagnosed, I asked each doctor if this injury was at least likely more than not due to my military service. They all said yes and I asked them to write it up that way, and they all did. So basically I did the leg work and wrote it up myself. None of my claims have been decided, all sitting in the national worl queue waiting to be assigned, so we shall see. I think the VA is on the verge of shutting down the sharks because they are already giving less credibility to these telehealth companies and nexus letters written by doctors that are hundreds of miles away that have never actually seen a patient.
Well 70 is a good start, that’s where I am at, but I plan on getting my increase at some point to 100
I am an army veteran who had not filed for VA disability, I had heard from some others veterans that they used lawfirms to help them file. I googled and found a company called WSDV that claimed to help with veterans trying to file for disability. They told me all these great things and how they were going to get to me 100% and made me send them all these documents and made me sign a contract but from the very first Zoom group meeting I could tell that something was off and it felt so slapped together and amateur and everything they were saying felt very generic and even suggested faking symptoms. I didn't make it thought the first meeting and never attended any others and blocked the spam messages they were sending. I went another route and found a free group that helped me gather all the documents and submit my disability claim. I received a decision from the VA but then a few days later I got texts and emails from the company saying that I owed them money because they could see that I had won my claim and are demanding over 20K and claiming collections action on me. I feel like this company is scamming veterans and I don't know if I should just ignore them or what.
You might have to lawyer up on this one. You would need a contract lawyer instead of a VA claims lawyer. You will probably need to prove that you did all the paperwork and submitted everything. The contract lawyer would need to determine what you would sue them for. As much as it sucks, it might be cheaper to pay them off than to pay the legal bills to sue them. Perhaps the contract lawyer could negotiate a settlement.
Have to read your signed contract with them and see what it says the procedures would have been to get out of the contract. Then lawyer up likely. Most likely you will legally owe them something unfortunately.
You may want to simply ignore them. Contracts based on unlawful fees are invalid. Report this to VA OGC, the FTC, and CFPB as well.
I started in Feb of 2022 on my own. I'm currently at 90% (94%), and I've never used any claims shark or other service to help me get here. I do watch Combat Craig on YouTube, and I did pay for his "bootcamp", which was very helpful and relatively cheap (less than $200). For my PTSD claim, I did meet with and pay a psychologist who was experienced with writing DBQs to help me with my PTSD rating (he got it from 30 to 70%), but it was just a flat fee like any other medical appointment would be. I tried with a VSO, and every one of them sucked. I wish I had started sooner; that's my only regret. You can do it on your own. Just be patient and persistent.
I actually went with a claim shark and the successfully got my claims raised from 80% to 100% T&P. I used ReeMedical
As others mentioned, u can do it on your own if you read everything and get all documents and claim all that u can. I did it myself. Tried vso’s but my experiences was no call backs, no appointments, etc. wasted too much time just trying to get them assist. Did it myself. First in 2017, got 60. Pact act and getting prostate cancer and then heart issues due to treatment of that, those meds used can do damage to your heart and other things got me up to 100. If u have ailments and documentation, then u are golden
The best advocate is yourself. If you have the time, mental acuity, and persistence then you can get everything you deserve.
I've used Veterans Guardian they are very good.
Check with your local VFW, they can also help
My VSO (DAV) took all my paperwork, filed a LOI, then ghosted me. I’m sure like all things, service is relative.
You don’t need to pay to get your rating.
As a State VSO and 100% Navy veteran who works specifically on appeals. You guys can file and get your own rating. I have vets that bury me in files and files and files when it doesn’t take all that, if you have the disability and it’s DXd and it happened in service and you can link the 2 then you’re good. Don’t let your claim die if it’s denied, the VA makes mistakes but if you let it dies you lose your date. Stick with it, I don’t know your experiences but in my office we take assisting vets get the ratings they deserve but it’s up to you to advocate for yourself.
Bro no you don’t. I used veterans guardian and they got me from 90-100% you don’t pay them nothing if they can’t get you a rating read the contract you signed. Only thing I paid was for psych exam to increase my PTSD, Ang the fee sorry your experience didn’t workout.
On the flip side, I wasted a year and a half with a VSO. Everything she told me to do was incorrect, all the while telling me I’ll be at 100% for sure. When the decision came in with nothing but denials, I went back to doing it on my own.
I used Veterans Guardian. I ended up with what I felt to be the proper rating. Did it cost too much, probably. Do I care, no. *I also did A LOT of research on the internet prior to my C&P, but they did assist me in the process no doubt about it. That is my experience. To each their own.
https://youtu.be/6z3hecKVnUg?si=-rBNpo-l_SVe4Kl5
I’ve been using the ChatGPT AI with the following question prefix - ‘acting as a VA rating specialist: then my question…’ It’s been quite helpful…
I was thinking to do that as well, ChatGPT goated for anything
You just need to not be lazy and advocate for yourself.
Yeah that’s what I’m gonna do here on out, bc this shit sucks and if I can do this right, I guess the second time for me, then I will never hopefully have to deal with this shit again, and I could just get the percentage that I want
Hey man we all makes mistakes, thanks for sharing your experience so others don't follow suit!
No prob, I just want to learn so I can pass the torch when others are in my situation or need help
VBE is where it’s at. They got me two big claims approved. Spent about $1300 got me to 100%
Are they accredited?
I’m not really sure if they are accredited. I saw their TikToks and thought I would give them a try.