Drummond Law L.L.C. has been doing Veteran's Claims since the 1990's.

1. Type of Claim. There are generally two types of Veteran ’s Claims, service connected and non-service connected.   This loosely means you were either hurt while in the service or not. It will also make a difference whether or not you were injured in a combat area or during war-time.   The major difference between service connected and non-service connected VA benefits are that service connected benefits usually pay a lot more and are not income independent.   That means you can draw them even if you have other assets.   Non-service connected VA benefits usually pay you a whole lot less and will be reduced if further assets are available to you.
   
   
2. Documentation. One of the major problems in most VA claims is the documentation from VA hospitals is often less than what one would normally get from a private hospital.   Additionally, there seem to be large gaps of lost records with the Army.   Ever since the Army Records Depot in Naperville burned down, it seems like records come up missing.   The most challenging aspect of a VA claim is often finding the records that document the claim, particularly with service connected injuries that may have occurred a long time ago, such as the Vietnam era.   Getting your records and keeping your records is a vital element of pursuing your claim.
   
   
3. Time. Unfortunately, the VA claims often move at a snail’s pace.   We try to assist our clients in getting the proper documentation to the proper people so that we can get the best results in the least amount of time.
   
   
4. Type of VA Claims. The veteran’s administration has a variety of statutes where they attempt to rate certain types of injuries, disabilities or body parts.  Often these are not the best way to evaluate disability since it may be possible to combine various service-connected or non-service connected ailments to show that the claimant would be incapable of any substantial gainful activity.  This usually results in an increased award and it is something we always investigate when representing our veterans.