Why does LegalASAP say your veterans claim isn’t eligible for compensation or legal assistance? In most cases, one or more answers you gave during your initial evaluation screening is the culprit. Learn some common reasons why a veterans claim may not qualify for a free consultation with our attorneys below.
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#1: Your Disability Has No Connection to Your Time on Active Military Duty
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs lists certain requirements for vets to qualify for VA disability benefits. Only “service-connected” disabilities are eligible for these monthly payments, according to the VA. In other words, you cannot submit a veterans claim for disabling condition(s) not directly connected to your military service. While the VA automatically assumes many health issues meet this requirement (for example: tinnitus), not all do. LegalASAP’s network of attorneys only provide free veterans claim evaluations for vets seeking benefits for service-connected conditions. The VA won’t approve a disability claim for health issues that don’t directly stem from your time on active duty.
#2: You Already Get VA Retirement Benefits
Once you retire and apply for your military pension, your disability no longer prevents you from working. While the VA makes it clear you can receive both disability compensation and pension payments, one always offsets the other. If you already receive monthly retirement benefits, then you made that decision sometime in the past. So, requesting additional VA disability compensation now really doesn’t make a lot of sense. As a result, attorneys in the LegalASAP network have no good reason to evaluate your veterans claim free of charge. Instead, their focus is on helping veterans who receive little or no VA compensation and desperately need that monthly income.
#3: The VA Approved Another Veterans Claim From You Within the Past Year
If the VA approved a prior veterans claim for disability compensation within the 12 months, you currently receive some benefits. While you may want legal help filing a supplemental veterans claim, it’s unlikely the VA would reject your second application. Our LegalASAP evaluation form asks this question so we can prioritize helping eligible vets mistakenly denied VA benefits.
#5: LegalASAP Has No Lawyers Nearby Who Can Help You With Your Veterans Claim At This Time
Unfortunately, the LegalASAP network doesn’t include every location, law office, and VA-accredited attorney in the U.S. As a result, we cannot always match you with a nearby lawyer for a free veterans claim evaluation. Maybe it’s because there are no nearby VA-accredited attorneys where you live. Or perhaps no lawyers in your area are currently available to evaluate your veterans claim. Regardless, we still want to give you some resources that may help you:
- Call 1-800-827-1000 to contact the VA directly about your veterans claim.
- Use the VA’s interactive map to find a regional office in your state that may accept in-person appointments. Since the pandemic began, the VA closed most regional offices and some healthcare facilities. However, certain locations reopened starting in late May 2021.
Ready to see if you may qualify? Complete your free online veterans benefits evaluation now!
Lori Polemenakos is Director of Consumer Content and SEO strategist for LeadingResponse, a legal marketing company. An award-winning journalist, writer and editor based in Dallas, Texas, she's produced articles for major brands such as Match.com, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, Xfinity, Mail.com, and edited several published books. Since 2016, she's published hundreds of articles about Social Security disability, workers' compensation, veterans' benefits, personal injury, mass tort, auto accident claims, bankruptcy, employment law and other related legal issues.
