How do I obtain a VA nexus letter from your firm?

How to Get a Nexus Letter for VA Claim Success From Our Firm

To collect disability benefits from the VA, you must file a claim that proves the following:

• You have a current diagnosis for a medical condition that is recognized by the VA as a disability
• Your current diagnosis was caused by an event, injury, or illness connected to your qualifying service, proven with evidence in the form of a “nexus letter”, or something that functions like one such as Compensation and Pension Exam (C&P Exam).

Qualifying military service means that you served in the U.S. Armed Forces or other organization that falls under the VA, and that your discharge status was other than dishonorable. An event, injury, or illness must be the actual cause of your current condition, or the proximate or secondary cause. For example, if a veteran is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and as a result of that condition depression also develops, both the PTSD and depression would be covered by VA disability benefits given their connection to active service.

In the following FAQ, we will help explain how to obtain a VA nexus letter from our company. To summarize for you here just in case you’re short on time, our veterans’ medical consulting firm can help you get a top-notch nexus letter in the following situations:

• You have filed your initial VA application, been denied, and need help with your appeal
• You already have a VA disability rating, and either that condition has worsened and needs to be upgraded, or you have developed an additional service-connected disability that you need to add to your current VA disability rating
• You are filing a new claim and want to submit a nexus letter with the claim to ensure a favorable outcome

With that in mind, the following FAQs will be especially helpful to review before you take the time to reach out to a veterans’ disability lawyer for assistance, as it will help inform you on what questions to ask and factors to consider.

Nexus Letter for VA Claims FAQs

The following questions are often asked by veterans seeking VA disability compensation, and they can help you understand how the process works, and what kind of nexus letter you may need, and when a lawyer will be most helpful in your case.

What is a nexus letter for VA claims?

A nexus letter can demand a considerable amount of effort on behalf of a veteran to acquire, but the return is indispensable, and can lead to a substantial increase in your eligibility for benefits.

To obtain a favorable decision in terms of your application for VA disability benefits for your service-connected condition, the following must be true:

1. An event, injury, illness, or other circumstance during your qualifying active service caused, or aggravated or worsened, a condition or disease
2. You have a current or present-day diagnosis for that condition
3. Third and most importantly, you have a medical opinion that clearly links the points above, which is generally referred to as your nexus letter

For a nexus letter for VA claims to be effective, the medical expert conducting it must carefully review your military history, and the event, injury, or illness that led to your current diagnosis. Additionally, they must first establish that you presently suffer from a service-connected injury or illness, then establish a clear link between these two factors. This link must be adequately comprehensive or more so that the VA and its claim analysts will recognize it as sufficient for your claim to be approved.

Can all doctors draft effective nexus letters for veterans?

A nexus letter is a specific kind of document that requires an understanding of what the VA is looking for, and of the kind of information that must be reviewed to ensure that the event, injury, or illness during your active service is in fact connected to your present condition or diagnosis.

Can I get a free nexus letter from the VA?

While the VA does not provide “nexus letters”, you do have a right to receive a medical assessment from the VA. These medical assessments are referred to as Compensation and Pension Exams (C&P Exams). They are generally conducted by doctors or nurse practitioners, both of whom are employed by the VA or a VA contractor. VA employees are not always the best source of an objective assessment of your condition, and they may be overloaded with cases.

The VA has been known to conduct relatively non-thorough assessments, and to even simply ask questions and enter information into a computer instead of conducting thorough exams. To guarantee that your VA disability benefits application receives the most accurate VA disability rating possible, it is helpful to provide your own thorough and comprehensive nexus letter.

How does a nexus letter help me ensure that I receive an accurate VA disability rating?

Your nexus letter serves the dual purpose of linking your current diagnosis to your active duty so that you are covered by the VA, and also accurately and completely assessing its current impact on your day-to-day life, particularly its impact on your ability to participate in your regular daily personal and professional life. When your diagnosis accurately measures the impact of your current disability on your life, the VA is able to assign you an accurate rating.

Your VA disability rating is based on a percentage scale ranging from 0% to 100%. At 0% percent, the VA recognizes that your current diagnosis is linked to your service, but has no practical impact on your ability to work. That results in you being able to receive VA-covered healthcare benefits, however you would not be eligible to receive tax-free monthly VA disability benefits. The purpose of those benefits is to replace any lost earnings capacity that your service-connected disabilities resulted in.

Can a VA disability benefits attorney help with my initial VA disability application and nexus letter?

No, a VA-accredited attorney is not allowed to accept fees for assisting veterans with preparing their initial VA disability application. You are able to receive free assistance from the VA, in addition to organizations that the VA may recommend to you.  However, on an appeal, an attorney can front the cost of a nexus letter for you if you retain the lawyer to represent you.  This is often the best option for people with no money because it gives veterans access to the law firm’s financial resources.

If I work with a veterans’ disability lawyer, will they know how to get a nexus letter for VA claim?

Absolutely, any experienced veterans’ disability attorney will have a network of medical professionals who are not only capable of drafting a nexus letter for you, but are familiar with the process and can draft the best possible one for your case. Making sure that you work with a VA disability lawyer with a winning record and the knowledge and experience to make the most of your appeal or supplemental claim will support the best possible outcome in your claim.

When can a veterans’ disability attorney help with my nexus letter and VA disability claim?

The time to connect with a veterans’ disability attorney is if you have filed your initial VA disability claim and it has been denied and you need to appeal.

When you were previously denied for the same or similar condition more than a year ago, you’ll need to file a supplemental claim that includes a nexus letter to link your condition to your service or service-connected condition.

Should I start my supplemental claim or appeal on my own first?

You should always start your claim on your own.  If you submit the claim with a nexus letter, you may get it granted right away, never needing to file an appeal.  For appeals, some people often try to obtain their own nexus letter and handle the appeal on their own.  However, in cases where the stakes are high, and VA is particularly invested in denying the claim, it is not advised that you begin a supplemental claim or appeal on your own when it would qualify for the assistance of a veterans’ disability lawyer. We work with veterans who are handling their cases on their own, and we work with veterans who have lawyers.

Generally your VA disability lawyer will work on a contingency basis if they take your case, which means that they are only paid if they win, out of a portion of the back-payments that they earn on your behalf. Then from that point forward you and your family are the sole beneficiaries of your successfully appealed or upgraded VA disability benefits.

Never work with a “claims consultant” who charges you contingency fees for merely providing access to documents and forms, and never hire a medical consulting firm who charges contingency fees, or anyone who charges you fees on future monthly VA compensation checks.