New York offers veterans a range of benefits, including aid and attendance pensions, property tax exemptions, tuition programs, compensation for active duty, employment benefits, among other things. As a veteran, it is not always straightforward ensuring you receive the benefits that you qualify for. If your application is denied, that does not necessarily mean that you are not entitled to those benefits. There are steps that can be taken to ensure you do receive what you are entitled to.
Veterans Benefits
The benefits available to veterans are often not well understood, and as a result, many are underutilized. As a veteran, the benefits you are entitled to may include:
- Aid and Attendance Pension: Available to veterans that require assistance with the activities associated with daily living due to a physical or mental disability.
- Dependency and Indemnity Compensation: Monthly benefit paid to a deceased veteran’s survivors.
- Disability Compensation: Monthly payment to compensate for disabilities that occurred as a result of active duty.
- Special Monthly Compensation: Payment to veterans who suffered the loss of use of organ or extremity due to active service.
- Survivor Benefits: Available to survivors when service members are killed in service.
- Veterans Healthcare: Medical package available to veterans.
Eligibility
Generally, veterans’ disability benefits are available to members of the military who are injured, become sick, or have a preexisting condition worsen while on duty. The veteran also needs to have been honorably discharged or discharged under honorable conditions. The final prerequisite is that the veteran can show a causative link between their service and the disability or illness.
Denial of Veterans Benefits
Unfortunately, a number of veterans are denied benefits they are, in fact, eligible for when they first apply. However, this does not mean they should give up. These decisions can be appealed by the veteran or their eligible family members.
Appealing a decision to deny benefits can be a complicated process. Therefore, it is recommended that if you are a veteran who has been denied a benefit that you believe you are entitled to, you should contact a lawyer who specializes in this area so that they can assist you with the appeals process.
There are rules relating to the time frame for filing appeals, so it is important that you speak to a lawyer as soon as possible to ensure the correct documentation is filed in the appropriate time frame.
We Handle Denied VA Claim in New York and New Jersey
As experienced disability lawyers in New York, the Herman Law Group has attorneys to assist veterans through the benefits process. Often when a benefit is denied, it is the paperwork that is lacking. Our experience means ensuring you have the correct paperwork to prove your eligibility and the medical documentation to support your claim.
If you have been denied veterans benefits, call our offices and arrange to meet with one of our veterans’ disability attorneys, who will be able to provide you with competent and clear advice as to your next steps.
