The Army Times reported today that six in ten VA disability claims are denied in error. A terrible statistic for the VA. One of the reasons to hire an attorney in a VA appeal is that I can increase the odds that your claim will not continue to be denied. The way I do this is to ensure that your claim is properly developed. Claims are denied for many invalid reasons by the VA, including a lack of an understanding by VA officials, improperly discrediting credible lay testimony of veterans, and reliance on biased medical reports. However, the single biggest reason that VA improperly denies veterans' claims is that claims are improperly developed. VA fails to obtain relevant medical records, fails to obtain adequate medical examinations or fails to ask relevant questions of veterans. With a lawyer helping, a claim should not be denied because a claim is not properly developed.
