When someone files a VA claim or a request for disability compensation, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reviews evidence to support one’s claim. According to medical evidence experts at Trajector Medical, the VA uses this supporting documentation to determine if an individual is eligible for benefits.
Chief among supporting documents, alongside the also-necessary separation paperwork and medical records of treatment while in the service (STRs), are all-important medical evidence files. These files typically comprise a medical diagnosis of a veteran’s condition. It may include doctors’ reports, medical imaging, related test results and opinions from medical professionals.
Trajector Medical helps veterans by gathering medical evidence for the disabilities they medically, legally, and ethically qualify for. Its team of medical professionals helps veterans and others, including the underserved and at-risk disabled population, in their quest to receive all the disability benefits that both government and private entities owe them.
The following is a closer look at what evidence is acceptable in VA disability claims, courtesy of Trajector Medical’s experts.
Medical Records
Medical records, the cornerstone of all VA disability claims, provide a comprehensive overview of a veteran’s medical history, including diagnoses and treatments surrounding service-related conditions or injuries. These records, which can include private medical records, in-service medical records, and VA medical records, form a robust foundation for your claim. You may also include other medical opinions when submitting your claim, further strengthening your case.
These records should provide a comprehensive overview of a veteran’s medical history, including diagnoses and treatments surrounding service-related conditions or injuries.
Nexus Letters
Just like medical records, Nexus letters play a crucial role in successful VA disability claims. These letters represent medical opinions that link a veteran’s disability to their military service. They are written by independent physicians who explain the connections between a given condition and a veteran’s service, providing important evidence for the claim. Nexus letters are often pieces of evidence fundamental to successful VA disability claims.
Independent Medical Examinations
Independent Medical Examinations (IMEs) play a significant role in the VA claims process. These examinations, conducted by specialized physicians, usually third-party doctors, provide unbiased written opinions on a veteran’s condition. The VA routinely requests these examinations for further clarification about veterans’ disabilities, making them a valuable part of the claims process.
Claim Exam Results
VA claim exams (also referred to as a compensation and pension, or C&P exam) help the VA determine the severity of a veteran’s disability and whether it is service connected. The results of the exam allow the VA to rate a specific disability.
Service-connected disabilities, proven through a VA claim exam, receive ratings from 0% to 100% in 10% increments. A service-connected disability is a condition caused or aggravated by an injury or disease during active military service. Veterans with higher ratings receive more significant compensation and may gain access to other benefits, such as additional VA health care program enrollment.
However, unlike the need for private medical records and other medical evidence to accompany a VA claim, VA claim exam results are only required when the VA has expressly requested such an exam.
Additional Imaging, Test Results, and Lay Evidence
It’s crucial to be meticulous when compiling evidence beyond including private medical records, in-service medical records, VA medical records, VA claim exams, Nexus letters and IMEs. This ensures a comprehensive and compelling case for a person’s disability claim.
Other acceptable evidence may include anything related to a service-connected illness or injury, such as X-rays and other medical test results, including those from the past.
Veterans’ families and friends can also provide personal accounts, known as lay evidence, of how a particular disability affects that veteran’s daily life. These personal statements, especially those from service buddies in the form of sworn statements, are invaluable. They provide a human perspective to the medical evidence.
Condition-Specific Evidence
The VA requests other types of medical evidence in specific cases. These cases include, but are not limited to, post-traumatic stress disorder and military sexual trauma claims. In cases of service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder, claimants must provide a specific type of evidence known as a stressor.
A stressor links specific service events to a veteran’s post-traumatic stress disorder. Conversely, while military sexual trauma has close links to post-traumatic stress disorder, the same evidence is not required for these claims.
That’s because not all instances of military sexual trauma—where a veteran has experienced a physical assault, battery, or harassment of a sexual nature in service—are reported while serving.
Instead, evidence in this instance may include requests to transfer and performance evaluations demonstrating behavioral changes resulting from military sexual trauma.
Bridging the Barriers
Millions of military veterans struggle to secure their rightful disability benefits. Often, that’s due to a lack of awareness, confusing eligibility standards, and burdensome procedures. Trajector Medical provides a valuable service for its clients, delivering clarity and confidence to an otherwise frustrating and emotional process.
Its medical evidence experts seek out the personal side of every client, seeing each face and listening to every story to help level the playing field for veterans and other disabled clients. The carefully and expertly gathered medical evidence helps many veterans and others navigate an often-complex disability benefits journey and improves life trajectories.
Discover more at TrajectorMedical.com, where you’ll learn why thousands of clients have trusted the company and relied on its medical evidence services and how that has impacted their futures for the better.