Our office deals with many different types of disability cases involving Veterans who have lasting mental and physical disabilities resulting from injuries that occurred during their service to our country. Often, the Veterans Administration (VA) fails to properly address the multitude of issues that a Veteran is experiencing. The oversight can be as obvious as not giving credit to a treating physician who has a long history with the Veteran. It can also be not following a clearly written law or regulation. Too often when the VA makes an award, however, they assign an incorrect effective date. The fight for benefits can be a long, exhausting procedure. The process itself and the delays in handling the claim can causes stress, anxiety, anger, and disappointment. Many of our Veterans feel the VA is letting them down. Our job is to help make the process a little easier. We love what we do.
When we are preparing our clients for hearings in front of a Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA) Judge, we often remind Veterans: “This is YOUR story. You know this story better than anyone else because you live it every day. One of my roles is to make sure YOUR STORY is heard, so that the Judge has all of the information they need to grant your claim.”
We recently received a favorable grant on a Vietnam Veteran. This Veteran served in Vietnam and was awarded a Combat Infantryman Badge, a Silver Star Metal, and a Purple Heart Medal. He has severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). His PTSD is caused by his service to our country and yet, he has still had to fight for many years for the VA to acknowledge that he even had PTSD, much less the severity of his PTSD. We had a hearing on this issue in late 2020. The favorable grant resulted in a total rating, going back many years, for this deserving Veteran.
This Veteran’s story, and so many other stories, are why we do what we do. Our office believes that every Veteran deserves representation that will fight for them and battle for the maximum disability they are due. VA gets it wrong, but do not be discouraged. Gardberg and Kemmerly is open for calls and online assistance and will continue to help our Veterans in any way possible. If you have a claim for disability and need assistance, please call our office, and speak with one of our qualified Veterans’ Disability attorneys. Gardberg and Kemmerly is committed to helping injured and disabled Veterans obtain the benefits they deserve. If you need help with a disability claim, call the office at 251-343-1111 or 800-332-1529 for a free consultation. Gardberg and Kemmerly is proud to serve Veterans across the country from our home office in Mobile, Alabama. We represent Veterans throughout the country and would love an opportunity to discuss your claim.