There it is.
That dreaded VA claims denial.
All that effort and what do you get?
Denied!
You had the medical history and the justification.
You were sure the VA would see all the details.
You were confident the bureaucracy would smoothly process your documentation.
Only now, you are reading about your options for appeal.
But, the real question you are asking if you file an appeal is, “are there benefits?”
After all, filing an appeal takes a lot more groundwork than the initial claim. 
Just getting appeal approval is subject to the bureaucratic algorithms of the VA.
And, if the appeal gets approved the percentage of disability will most likely not resemble anything like what you expect.
The analogy of processing an appeal is like handing your luggage to the airlines at the beginning of a flight.
It may look pretty when you packed it.
After the baggage handler gorillas get your luggage, it often looks much different at baggage claim!
Still, you can only get success if you appeal.
And, with success there are benefits.
First, the VA disability benefit is yours for life!
Second, it is tax-free income, since it is considered a claim against the government.
Third, since it is tax-free, it is also unattachable income, which means it’s free from judgments like divorce and lawsuits.
Fourth, it is subject to cost-of-living percentage increases.
Fifth, you can deduct Veterans Group Life Insurance (VGLI) directly from the disability benefit without paying Prudential online (VGLI Auto Pay, n.d.).
Sixth, it can be deposited into your international retirement-home bank if it accepts direct deposit.
If not, it can be mailed by U.S. treasury check using international, ground mail (assuming you trust that sort of thing and you can find a bank that will cash it)!
For more financial benefits details from realizing success after appealing your VA disability denial contact Lowery’s Accounting Service.
Regulations abound governing the process of filing a claim.
You should have either an accredited attorney or have on file with the VA a U.S.-based, Veterans Service Officer (VSO) or claims agent who formally processes and files your original or appeal claim (Prohibition against acting as claims agent or attorney, 1996). Anyone overseas who claims to show an “international VSO” certificate is blatantly fraudulent and will result in YOU and them receiving one or more federal felonies.
You, the veteran, have the individual responsibility of sorting through your materials, sifting through your medical records, and associating medical literature with your complaint so you can then begin to outline an appeal…on your own.
Where are you going to get someone to help with that overwhelming step of associating medical literature to your active duty documented diagnosis or diagnoses?
Until recently, that was left to you to piece together.
Forget the complicated medical materials and jargon that VA nurses and physicians are quick to find fault!
You also needed to put the jigsaw pieces, the medical concepts together, and link them so they logically and logistically connect to your active duty service…
Only then could you alone outline what you collected for your accredited attorney, U.S. based-Veterans Service Officer (VSO), or claims agent to prepare and then present to the VA. (Request a representative for VA claims, n.d.).
Why?
The facts originate from you.
Now Ivy League Writing™, a division of Ivy League Works™, offers the veteran to serve in that one, unique gap; and reduce YOUR overwhelming “lit search” (medical literature associating) groundwork as YOU prepare the actual appeal.
Your attorney, U.S.-based VSO, or claims agent will appreciate it, too!
So, are there benefits if you appeal and have a successful outcome?
Schedule an appointment with Lowery’s Accounting Service to review more of your financial benefits so you can answer that question for yourself!
Then, unless you, the veteran, resides internationally where VSO registration is legally unavailable (think FMP), make every effort to register with a U.S.-based VSO or claims agent with the VA, if you don’t already have an accredited attorney.
Then, start to put the jigsaw pieces together with Ivy League Writing™.
References:
Prohibition against acting as claims agent or attorney. (1996). Code of Federal Regulations Part 4, Chapter 59, section 5901.
Request a representative for VA claims. (n.d.). eBenefits. Veterans Administration. Retrieved from eBenefits
VA Appeals Modernization. (2019, February 26). Retrieved from Veterans Benefits Administration
VGLI Auto Pay. (n.d.). Veterans Group Life Insurance. Retrieved from eBenefits
I remember when Ivy League Works™ was just getting started. It was fun, exciting, and team-spirited. Guess what? It still is!
