Choose Your Path

In filing for VA claims there are various ways you can go about it. You can connect with a VSO to help you, maybe a lawyer. Some immerse themselves in forums online to get information. Some get connected with an education-based coaching and consulting company like VA Claims Insider.

There are different ways and they produce different outcomes as well, so be intelligent in deciding what path you're gonna take in pursuing your VA claims.

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Transcript

[00:00:00] VACI: If you are a veteran and have filed a VA disability claim, have been denied, have received a low rating, or you're unsure of how to get started, reach out to us. Go to docontheroad.com linked in our show notes and take advantage of a free VA claims discovery call. Learn what you've been missing so you can finally get the disability rating and compensation you deserve.

[00:00:31] Dr. John: Hello my brothers and sisters of the uniform. Yes, it's time again for Doc on the Road. Hey I've been getting a lot of questions on a lot of different things throughout most of the different seasons that we've had with Doc on the Road. And something I would really like to address is situations that people ask about how can I go about the process of doing my claims for the VA.

Now there's a couple of different things that you need to find out information on as you're doing this. There's a couple of different situations to [00:01:00] where you have different organizations that do things maybe slightly different, but some of them are basically the same. You also have just in case you want to find out there's free resources say a VSO or going to a number of organizations that are connected with the VA.

Now I'll talk a little bit about VSOs and stuff like that. Mostly VSOs are in my opinion, are overworked. Not very up to date on new trends or anything like that, that have anything to do with doing claims or the VA in itself.

I think they're great at filling out paperwork. They do a lot more for you in that sense and can actually do claims for you by you telling them, Hey, I'd like to go for this. I'd like to go for that. They can actually do the forms and all that kind of stuff for you and push it off to the VA that way.

The only problem is, when you do that you're not meeting all the criteria that you're going to need to get [00:02:00] a claim approved. It's just simple fact. You can put in all the claims you want and you can put all the paperwork you want in like that, but it's not gonna do anything if you don't have medical evidence.

If you don't have recent medical evidence, if you don't have that nexus to tie everything together. If you don't have those things it's not gonna work that way. And then you have organizations I'm just gonna talk about VA Claims Insider right now that actually do help you get all this information because you're taught and educated in a way to where it's a little bit different.

Now yes, sometimes as you're going for this and you're getting with doctors and you're getting those nexus letters and you're getting different things like say maybe a DBQ or something like that, doctors that are helping you out with this, yes, you're gonna have to pay them. That's just the way it goes.

Now with VSOs, you don't have to pay them. They just put in the paperwork for you and you just go about it that way. [00:03:00] Sometimes it works. Most of the time it doesn't. It's what I always said, you get what you pay for. And when you're going for your VA claims, this is another thing to be messing around with.

You wanna have somebody that's helping you, that's an expert in the field. You want to have somebody that knows how the process works. But yet has a vested interest with you. Because if you go about this, it is just like anything else. If you wanna learn about how to fly airplanes, you can go to your uncle's best friend that knows how to fly airplanes and give you a little bit of information. But sooner or later you gotta get with somebody that really knows how to teach. Really knows how to get you to where you want to be at the end of it. And I always get caught with this where some people say those services are free. I'd rather use the free services. Great. That's awesome. That's why they're there. Go ahead and use the free services if that's the way you want to go about it.

But now if you want to go about it in a way to where you are doing a [00:04:00] little bit more and providing more of an image for your whole claim, you wanna make sure that you've got all these aspects that you really, truly need. Medical evidence, current diagnosis making sure that you have a nexus tying everything back to service.

You wanna make sure you get all that. And usually through free services, you can't do that. It doesn't work like that. That's not how they're built. And they really don't know how that works. And when you come to an organization like VA Claims Insider, we do the background stuff to where we find out trends.

We we're constantly looking at what the VA is saying about a certain condition, or, hey, these conditions are coming back up to where they're trending a little bit better and helping veterans make the connection because they get all that stuff that they need to make the connection. 

So I do hear about different things about these guys that say, yeah, we do this for free. Yes, we could do this. But yet I think you have to look at [00:05:00] success stories. I think you have to look at a number of different things, and I'm sure that there's people out there that have done this for free and have had success stories now. So I can only talk about how I went through the process. I used a VSO at one time.

When I first started, didn't know a thing about anything. And what the VSO did was ask me series of questions of what do you think should be service connected? What are you having problems with? And they took that whole list and threw it at the VA. Now, they never told me anything about, you need to have medical evidence, you need to have this, you need to have that, you need to be able to tell your story on how to tie it back to the military.

None of that was done. So when that wasn't done, of course those claims got denied. And there was a multitude of them. And as I learned more about the process and got away from the VSO. Got away from those situations and got with an organization, VA [00:06:00] Claims Insider, I started being educated in a manner where I started learning about this stuff.

I started learning about what the law is. Started learning about how C&P practitioners are supposed to respond in this. It's not supposed to be in a situation where it's argumentative or anything like that. They're supposed to give you the benefit of the doubt as you go and you talk to them. So when I learned this I started getting a little bit better at this and I started noticing that my claim started coming back positive.

I started learning that I'm getting on a winning streak here. So there's a couple of different ways to do this. Yes. And I wanna make sure that everybody understands that as a veteran, as a brother and sister of the uniform, there are different things out there. You have to find out which one works for you.

We have a number of veterans that have come to us and said, Hey, I working with the VSO, didn't work. Doing this didn't work. Me just putting claims [00:07:00] in myself didn't work and they needed a little bit of guidance. And then once they got the guidance, all of a sudden they started noticing that they're becoming a lot more successful.

So different situations for different people is no different than I drink Mountain Dew, like it's going outta style. Some people drink Dr. Pepper. There's different taste for different situations, but this is definitely something that you don't wanna play with. You wanna make sure that you're getting all the information that you possibly can to make sure that you're gonna be successful at the end of the day.

So that's why I'm always an advocate for getting with organizations like VA Claims Insider, getting into that situation where you're talking to somebody that has been through it with a number of different vets before and has been successful. Now, again I've said this before you'll see a lot of stuff online.

 You'll see a lot of different people see a lot of wild, crazy stuff and [00:08:00] show a negative side to this. And that's a shame because it should all be positive. If you are wanting to deal with and work with the VSO, it should be, yeah, go for it, man. Hopefully it works out for you. And make sure that you're doing what you can and listen to the VSO.

It should be a positive situation. There should be no negative here because soon as there's a negative here, the way I look at it is, you are hurting veterans. You are hurting veterans because you're tearing down situations that might benefit them, be it come to VA Claims Insider, be it getting a lawyer, getting a VSO.

All these situations can work. Sometimes we have to find out what works for us. And what works for us is, feeling a little bit better about the situation, feeling like you're a little bit more confident. Be it taught and educated and stuff like that, plays a heavy part in this. I always get really upset when [00:09:00] I'm going across to say the internet and I'm seeing guys go, don't go to this organization, don't do this, don't do that.

This should all be done in a certain way. It's sort of like, if you're being negative and you're hurting a veteran that might need that extra little coaching, might need that extra little situation where there's another set of eyes on there. Do not hurt them. This situation is tough enough without us having negativity thrown at us by people that say they're trying to help us and they're not.

There's a number of issues that I have with a lot of different organizations that do this, but I also have issues with the VA not recognizing a veteran and what they're going through and how that claim should be easily looked at and said yes too. Of course I'm just like everybody else.

I have my own thoughts about this and I have my own thing, but I'm always trying to stay positive. I'm trying to say, Hey, if that's the way you wanna go, just know that [00:10:00] there's always these situations such as VA Claims Insider, it'll be here if it doesn't work out, or if you want to go a different route or if you want a little bit more information.

again those guys that are out there that are saying all kinds of wild stuff and just not making a whole lot of sense. Such as making everything negative for the veteran. And because all that's gonna do sooner or later is push the veteran out and the veterans are gonna say, Hey look, this is too hard.

I don't want to do this. That's not helping anybody. And I wish that they would stop, but again, they have their own opinions and their own situations. But when I look at it, I think the main thing that you wanna look at as a veteran is you wanna look at what's your success rate. What's your success rate on dealing with these type of conditions?

What's your success rate overall? Now, here at VA Claims Insider, we have a ton of success with the way we do this cuz it's [00:11:00] all mapped out. It's all done in a way to where it helps the client and the coach. Put things together there's key things that need to happen. Like I said, it's like putting a puzzle together.

You need all these pieces to fit in the right manner. If they don't fit, then you're gonna end up with an issue. And all along with that is also making sure that your C&Ps, go the way they should. There's a lot of C&P practitioners out there that aren't exactly at the top of their game.

And that needs to be recognized. And also, if you're dealing with that kind of situation, needs to be reported back to the VA. Hey, look this particular practitioner did not do this, didn't ask me about this, didn't do this, didn't do that. All that stuff needs to be done also with your claim. So that's what, it does get confusing and it is very strenuous on a veteran to go through this. That's why you gotta keep that positive mentality through it. You gotta keep that [00:12:00] positive outlook and keep moving in the right direction. When a veteran comes to me and says, Hey, look, I need to find out the best ways for me.

There's a couple of simple different things that you can ask. This is something you don't want to play with. This is something you wanna make sure that when you go to the VA , you have all your ducks in a row. You have everything that you're going to need to tell your story. That includes you telling your story.

What I always say, with knee situation is you wanna talk about flareups. You wanna talk about, Hey, what did you have to give up because your knees have been hurt like this. Was there incidences in the service where you got hurt and you had to see a doctor? How long has this been going on?

And a brand new diagnosis from a doctor that actually says, yes, you suffer from this. Have x-rays, have all kinds of MRIs, all kinds of different things to tie into it to actually prove that you're going through this situation, and [00:13:00] that is more likely than not that it happened during service. That's basically what you have to approve and what you have to get across to these practitioners.

The best thing to do with this in my opinion, is to make sure you're educated. Make sure that you know exactly what the CFRs says for a particular condition. Make sure that you know exactly what you have talked to about doctors and also incidences in the military to where you can have that nexus, close that gap, and actually bring it all together.

You wanna make sure all that stuff is there. You don't wanna mess around with this. This is too important. And the reason it's too important because veterans that go through this and are successful, the biggest thing that I hear from veterans is, The relief that they feel because now it's being recognized.

Yes, we understand that you, this has happened. And we see it. Let's go ahead and get you the [00:14:00] treatment that you need, that you have deserved to get plays into that. And you wanna make sure all that is happening also. But the thing is like I'm always saying that you wanna be positive about this.

You wanna make sure that you're doing what's right for you and what's right for your claims, because this could mean a lifestyle change for you and your family. This could mean a lot of different benefits that come at certain levels. That could create a number of positive things, not only in your life, but things that you might be worried about.

You might be worried about healthcare. At certain levels you won't have to worry about that. You might be worried about prescriptions. Certain levels, you don't have to worry about that. There's no copays after a while. And certain things that you might need that actually give you compensation or give you other benefits that you might need for you and your family as you go forward.

For example, I am a hundred percent P&T, so I have [00:15:00] been getting compensated for a hundred percent P&T. That's an extra amount of money that is coming into my bucket or whatever you wanna call it, each and every month. And I'm getting the treatments for different things and I'm also trying to find out more about how do I make it easier for me throughout life with these conditions.

So there's a number of things that play into that, but the cool part is at a 100% P&T you need to think about this and take it serious and make sure you're doing what's right for you to get through this because that can mean so much for you and your family. 

I actually live in the state of Virginia, I don't pay personal property tax on a vehicle. I don't pay personal property tax on my house. Because I went and got a card on base, I can go to the commissary on base, I can go to number of different things on base. Because I had this pass because of the a hundred percent.

And there's a number of things too where with [00:16:00] camping, with Doc on the Road, we go to different places. And with my camper, I can actually go to some of these places for free. I can go to national parks for discounted rate. I can do all kinds of different things, but that's because I took it serious.

I went and found where I needed to be and got the education that I needed to get through this process and actually had others help me do this. I didn't try to take it off all on my own or just throw paperwork, at somebody and let them go ahead and do it for me. I took on the idea that I needed to do more, I needed to make sure that I was putting teeth to this claim so it really sunk in. 

So when you're going through this I want you to think about that kind of stuff. Do I want to go ahead and get with an organization that said everything's free, start making guarantees and then when it doesn't work out, where are you left? Okay. That's another thing too is some of these [00:17:00] organizations that I've seen make guarantees you can't make guarantees with the VA cuz the VA could have.

Everything possible and they make a mistake. But the cool part is if they make a mistake and you're working with a coach or you're working with an organization, they're gonna go right back at 'em and go ahead and tell you, Hey, look, let's go this route. So you don't have to just give up. Usually that's one way to make sure that you never win is to give up.

So you wanna make sure that you stay positive. You wanna make sure that you got a plan a strategy and , if you want work with somebody that knows how this works, so when things don't go the right way, they'll know where to go next and you can actually just get the information and the education that way so you'll know where to go.

Bring myself back into it. I was sitting at I think it was 93% overall. And I had two claims out both of [00:18:00] 'em rated at 50%. So what I did by doing that is know that, hey all I have to do is sit back and see which one it is that's gonna take me over. It wasn't quite that easy because they got denied.

So I had to do a higher level review. Now, more than likely, if I didn't know this or if I didn't have a coach that was teaching me in the right manner, I probably would've never known that or seen that myself to get me to the next level. So when I did the higher level review, it went nice and quick, fast, easy matter of fact, the higher level review on one of the conditions only went for a couple weeks.

They approved it. I went over at that point. The one thing that I've learned there is you never give up. You stay positive and you gotta stay positive also for all those other veterans that are watching you. All those other veterans that need to have help with this, all those other veterans just [00:19:00] simply cuz they're your brother and sister, we should be doing everything possible.

Make sure that this is a positive situation and we're getting through it with them. And that's why those those podcasts or guys that are on the internet that say all the wild things about VA claims, that's why they upset me so much is because I'm like going, yeah, you guys are being negative.

You're telling everybody, don't do this. Don't do that. When that might be the path that they need. So also when you're checking out and you're trying to get with that, make sure you check that out. Make sure you're asking questions. Is this the right way for me to go?

Like I said, it's too important. There's too many benefits that go along with this, and there's too many situations that's gonna change your life by doing this in the right manner or the right manner for you. So keep your heads up, keeps swinging away and get with the situation that you think is gonna work best for you.

And also know that's not the only situation. If it doesn't work out, you can go a different [00:20:00] way. Like I said, I tried VSOs at the beginning, didn't like it. I wasn't really taught anything. I was going into C&P exams blind, didn't know what they were gonna be doing, and if I would've known a lot of that stuff, a lot of that stuff would've been approved if I knew what they were actually looking for or what, how the law read.

And if you decide to come to VA Claims Insider, make sure you get with a coach and make sure you tell them that you need this type of help. You need to learn what these conditions are and how do I talk about these conditions and how does this work for you? Like I said, stay positive, stay up.

Make sure that you're helping your other brothers and sisters of the uniform and get through this. We love you guys. You guys keep it easy we'll be coming to you real soon again while I'm on the road. So looking forward to it. Talk to you later. This is doc out.

[00:20:53] VACI: [00:21:00] The VA claims process is a pain. Many veterans struggle for years trying to increase their ratings or even getting rated at all. Most are not getting the compensation. They deserve. Here at VA Claims Insider, we've supported and educated more than 25,000 veterans to win their claims and increase their rating.

Now it's your turn. Schedule your free VA claim discovery call today by going to docontheroad.com linked in our show notes. You'll learn what gaps you need to fill in, how to increase your rating.