If the VA denied your disability application, you could be facing months and even years of delays after you make an appeal. The legislative reforms passed in August 2017 tasked the VA with speeding up the appeals process and clearing its backlog. As a result, the agency announced that it would hire more claims processors and make decisions on appeals within four months. The law directed the agency to triage appeals into three categories.
1. Simple Errors – Typos or mixed up dates could cause the VA to reject an application. The VA should now route these appeals to processors capable of correcting the situation.
2. Specialist Review Necessary – Cases in this category had substantial errors to fix or needed additional paperwork. These problems are more complex than typos, but the attention of an experienced department specialist could resolve the case.
3. Complex Cases – These claims for benefits had multiple issues contributing to their denials. They need to be routed to an independent board of appeals so that veterans can get conclusive decisions instead of waiting in limbo.
A veterans benefits lawyer in North Carolina could review your case to determine the source of a denial. After helping you address the issue, a lawyer could prepare the appeal and navigate the VA bureaucracy when submitting the paperwork. This effort might direct the appeal into the proper category so that it receives attention from people prepared to make a timely decision.
If you have yet to approach the VA, a North Carolina veterans benefits lawyer could prepare your initial application. Legal support and attention to detail might reduce the chance of the VA making an internal mistake when reviewing your claim and delaying it. The team at Jackson & MacNichol Law Offices is prepared to evaluate your disability case. Learn more at https://www.veteransbenefits.com/
