The VA also provides monthly payments to surviving spouses, dependent children, and dependent parents of veterans who died from service-connected disabilities.

The VA’s mission is to care for veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors.

Did you catch that? Their MISSION is to care for veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. In other words, that is why they exist. At the core, they WANT to give you each and every benefit that you deserve. If you keep that in mind, you’ll understand that you can prepare and submit your VA claim yourself, and save yourself thousands of dollars!

The VA Claims Industry

The VA claims industry is built on a highly viable business model because it addresses a real market need. In 2023, there were 15.8 million veterans in the United States, which is 6.1% of the civilian population age 18 and over. In August 2023, at least 30% of veterans had a service-connected disability. The market is huge!

There is also a unique value proposition. The VA initially denies 60–70% of disability claims, and veterans often need to appeal. Incomplete claims are a common reason for denial, so proper documentation, such as medical records and buddy statements, is important.

Also, there is a vast potential for profitability and scalability. The actual amount of time spent with the veteran is minimal and there is no need to meet with the veteran in person. There is little need to adapt to market changes (steady flow of veterans) and the business goals can be practically achieved with available resources.

In short, these businesses are money printing machines that can generate a substantial revenue with relatively little competition within the market. On average, they can make thousands of dollars servicing a single client!

A number of companies exist to assist the veteran in filing a disability compensation claim with the Veterans Administration. If you don’t believe that you can handle filing your own claim yourself or feel intimidated, you might want to consider using one. In the end, a claim not filed is a claim not won!

The Truth About Filing Your VA Claim

As mentioned above, the VA initially denies 60–70% of disability claims making it necessary for veterans to appeal. The most important thing to understand is WHY. Again, incomplete claims are a common reason for denial, so it imperative to have your claim documents in order through preparation, filing, and everything else. The good news is that its not as hard to do as it seems… VA Claim Mastery will make it a breeze.

And, here’s a truth that few will tell you. In 99% of situations, the only person who can file your claim is YOU! Yep, you read that right. You are ultimately responsible for the preparation of your claim. You are ultimately responsible for the filing of your claim. Others can help, but you will find out that you’ll be the one actually submitting your claim and doing the real work. You might ask, why? Because you are the veteran and it’s your claim!

Preparation

The first step in obtaining the benefits you deserve is proper preparation. Good preparation is more than just reading the up or completing the steps defined by by the VA. Good preparation is also about taking ownership of your own claim, working consciously on the documents you are putting together, and reflecting on what these documents REALLY mean. VA Claim Mastery will help with that!

Filing

The act of filing a claim is one thing. Knowing what claim to file is something entirely different. If your claim is not filed properly, it can lead to delays in processing, increased chances of denial, and potentially missing out on deserved benefits due to incomplete or inaccurate information provided to the Veterans Affairs (VA) regarding your service-related disability. VA Claim Mastery will help with that!

Everything Else

There’s an old saying, “The devil is in the details.” What that means is that the most important or problematic aspects of a situation are often hidden in the small details. It’s implying that one should pay close attention to seemingly insignificant specifics to avoid potential issues or ensure success. Sometimes, something that should be easy ends up getting real hard real fast because of something that could have been easily avoided. Part of the human condition is that we don’t know what we don’t know. VA Claim Mastery will help with that!

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is this, you should get the benefits that you deserve… you’ve earned them. The question becomes how you go about getting them. You could do it yourself, use a VSO, hire an attorney, or maybe use a non-accredited agent…

Use a Veteran Service Officer (VSO)

Some veterans choose to go through a VSO (Veteran Service Officer). A primary problem veterans can face when using a Veteran Service Organization (VSO) is incompetent or inadequate representation, which can lead to delays in processing their claims, denied benefits, or missed opportunities to maximize their compensation due to errors in paperwork or missing evidence. In reality, the VSO might not fully understand the complexities of the veteran’s case or fail to properly advocate for their needs, potentially harming their chances of a successful claim.

Hire a VA Disability Attorney

While there are no mandatory certifications or credentials for VSOs, Veterans disability attorneys must undergo years of education and training before they are permitted to represent Veterans. Hiring an attorney can (but won’t necessarily) increase your likelihood of collecting benefits.

Like any other attorney, VA Disability Attorneys have to get paid. They work on contingency which means you will pay the lawyer a certain percentage of the money you receive if you win the claim. The contingency fee is usually about 20% to 33% of the sum of the back pay benefits the VA grants and are typically paid directly out of a Veteran’s lump sum payment from the VA. In most cases, they amount to thousands of dollars.

For instance, if the veteran had been awarded a $1,000 monthly compensation payment, was owed 6 months of back pay, and the attorney was charging a 30% contingency fee, the amount owed for their services would be $1,800 (1000 x 6 x.30). At $2,000 a month, it would be $3,600 owed. If there was a year of back pay owed, that last example would cost the veteran $7,200. A 100% rating at around $4,000 per month in compensation and one year of back pay would earn the attorney (and cost the veteran) almost $15,000.

Hire a Non-Accredited Agent or Agency

Non-accredited agents and agencies work a lot like a VSO with some key differences. Like the VSO, they assist the veteran with gathering the documents needed to file their claim and provide tips and information on filing as well. An advantage here is that the veteran is usually working with a team rather than an individual and the attention they receive will usually reflect that. In the best cases, it’s like bringing more firepower to the fight. However, that extra firepower comes at a cost.

Like an attorney, non-accredited agents are paid for their services. And, like the attorney, they take payment on a contingency basis. Usually, payment is in the form of multiples of the veterans awarded monthly compensation. For instance, if the veteran had been awarded a $1,000 monthly compensation payment and the agent/agency was charging a 4X or 6X multiple, the amount owed for their services would be either $4,000 or $6,000 respectively.

Or, do it yourself

The VA has taken steps to ensure that the veteran can file their claim all on their own. In fact, the modern system allows you to handle most, if not all, of the tasks on line. Aside from any examination requirements, you might not have to leave your chair. Now, whether ot not you win that claim is a totally different conversation. There is a ton of extremely useful information and insight available to help you win that claim and we provide that to you in VA Claim Mastery.

“To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge” ~ Nicolaus Copernicus

Use VA Claim Mastery and find out what you don’t know!

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