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If you have been wrongfully denied VA disability benefits as a veteran in Florida, or if you want professional assistance when filing your initial claim, a Jacksonville veterans benefits attorney at Stone Rose Law can help you.
Unfortunately, many veterans proudly serving their countries are denied disability benefits by the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This happens in Jacksonville, Florida as well as the rest of the state and country.
If this is you, our Florida VA disability attorneys have years of experience helping veterans qualify for all the financial benefits that they deserve from the Federal government.
Call (480) 498-8998 today to receive a free consultation with an experienced Florida VA disability lawyer.
With the third-largest veteran population in the country, behind California and Texas, Florida is home to more than 1.5 million armed forces veterans.
Thousands of Florida veterans receive monthly payments from the VA for long-term injuries and disabilities, including:
All of these conditions, and many others, can qualify you as a former service member for VA disability benefits in Florida.
VA disability benefits provide financial compensation if you have suffered an injury or disabling medical condition while serving in the military, or if your military service exacerbated an existing injury or condition.
The VA calculates the amounts of these benefits using a special equation that determines your percentage of disability, from 0 percent (non-compensable) to total disability at 100 percent.
This is your VA disability rating.
Then, your disability rating is matched to a benefit amount based on the rates for the current year.
As of 2024, the pay rates for VA disability benefits are:
You may qualify for more monthly compensation if you live with dependents, including children, your spouse or one or both parents.
If you have an existing disability rating and can provide further evidence that the condition has worsened, you may also be able to file a claim to increase your disability rating and monthly payment.
Our Florida veterans lawyers can help you navigate the process of securing veterans benefits.
The VA offers multiple ways for disabled veterans in Florida to file for VA disability claims benefits.
The easiest is to file online, but you can also submit an application to your local VA Regional Benefit Office by mail, fax, or in person.
No matter which method you use to submit your benefits claim to the VA, to receive disability compensation you must prove three things: that you qualify as a veteran, that you have a current disability, and that this disability has a connection to your military service.
The VA determines your veteran status by considering multiple factors.
There are a few automatic disqualifiers: for example, if you received a dishonorable discharge, or in some cases an other-than-honorable discharge, these can preclude you from receiving disability benefits.
Otherwise, the main thing the VA will look at is your dates of active duty service to make sure they fall within a recognized time period, along with your military records like your DD-214.
VA benefits are meant to compensate you to the extent that your service-connected disability renders you less than 100 percent able-bodied today.
Usually, the best way to show a disability is to provide medical records showing your ongoing treatment for it.
Proving a service connection is one of the basic requirements to qualify for disability compensation. Your current disability symptoms must relate to one or more disabling events that happened to you while you were a military service member.
Although some medical conditions do not require you to prove a connection to military service—these are known as presumed disabilities—most require you to prove a service connection.
One of the most common reasons the VA gives for claim rejections is lack of a service connection.
One of our VA lawyers can help you prove a service connection to your disability.
We help you present your strongest case by making sure to give the VA every relevant bit of information available.
We make use of your military service records, medical records, testimony from experts and witnesses, letters from your doctor, and more.
The VA can find many reasons to reject your disability claim.
Sometimes, these can be because of an error in the claim application, or the need for more information from you.
The VA can make mistakes, too, when it comes to properly considering your application.
If you receive a letter from the VA stating that your application for disability benefits has been rejected, you can appeal the decision.
Depending on the facts of your case, you can appeal by filing a Notice of Disagreement, a Higher Level Review, a Supplemental Claim, or a Direct Appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
The VA appeals process requires submitting forms clearly stating that you do not agree with why the VA denied your claim and that you wish to appeal it.
During the appeals process, you will have the opportunity to provide evidence to support your benefits claim, including additional evidence from medical experts, and can request a formal hearing before a judge in a United States court.
Appealing a claim denial is something that we strongly recommend you do with the extensive experience of a Stone Rose Florida VA claims appeal attorney on your side.
One of our veterans disability lawyers at Stone Rose Law can guide you through the Florida veterans disability appeal process until the matter is finally resolved.
Going up against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is not easy.
You can improve your chances of winning a VA disability benefits appeal with legal help from an VA disability advocate.
At Stone Rose Law, our legal team of Florida veterans benefits lawyers are dedicated to representing veteran service members with disability claims like you so you can receive the compensation you need for your service-connected disabilities. We have successfully represented many veterans claims in the Jacksonville area with service related federal benefits claims.
We can help you prove that your injury or medical condition is connected to your time in service, or that your disability has worsened since the time you first started receiving veterans disability benefits.
We know how to collect and present compelling medical evidence needed to make the most persuasive case in support of your VA claim.
Discuss how our law firm and our veterans lawyers in Florida can help you with your veterans claim or appeal today.
Schedule a free case consultation with a Jacksonville veterans benefits lawyer at (480) 498-8998, or contact us online and we will get back to you as soon as possible.