By: One World Publishing
Texas has one of the largest veteran populations in the country. Unfortunately, many of these veterans are struggling with service-related health conditions without receiving the compensation they were promised.
It’s not that they haven’t tried. Many Texas vets have submitted appeals to the VA to get the proper disability rating, only to be denied. According to Texas-based VA Claims Academy, denials and low ratings like these are a pattern the company sees regularly among the veterans who come to it for help.
VA Claims Academy was founded in 2022 by U.S. Air Force veteran Jordan Anderson to help fix this rating gap. The online educational platform coaches veterans through the VA disability claims process, helping them build a thoroughly documented claim.
A Wall of Bureaucracy
Anderson’s story is one that most underrated veterans will recognize. After leaving the Air Force, he was left with disabling health problems and a VA rating that didn’t match the severity of his condition. He sought professional help, paying $15,000 to a VA claims assistance service that failed to improve his rating by a single percentage point.
Anderson could have walked away. Instead, he went to work. He spent hundreds of hours studying the VA system, interviewing veterans who had gotten results, and learning what separates an approved claim from a denied one.
“There’s nothing as demoralizing as fighting for your country only to realize you also have to fight for the benefits you were promised,” Anderson said. “I was determined to help crack the code on VA claims, not just for myself but for my fellow vets.”
Anderson eventually earned a 100% Permanent and Total disability rating. Two years later, he launched VA Claims Academy. Since then, he has worked with thousands of veterans on their disability claims, including many who left the military decades ago.
Learning to “Speak VA”
VA Claims Academy helps veterans learn to speak VA. That means presenting the evidence the VA needs to see, matching symptoms with the VA rating criteria, and showing a clear connection between a veteran’s disability and their time in service.
“VA reviewers are dealing with massive caseloads,” said Anderson. “They’re not out to get you, but they are looking for obvious reasons to deny a claim and move on to the next one. The trick is to make it extremely hard for the reviewer to deny or delay your claim.”
Veterans seeking VA disability claim assistance start with a personalized coaching call, then work through a customized strategy to fill in gaps that exist in their disability claim. They get access to educational modules, templates for personal statements and nexus letters, and resources for preparing for a compensation and pension (C&P) exam.
The model is done-with-you, not done-for-you. That way, veterans are not dependent on someone else for future VA benefits.
“Many veterans end up applying for additional rating increases as their health changes,” said Anderson. “Their current condition may get worse, or it may cause an additional health problem. With our program, veterans don’t have to spend more money to get more help. They have the tools they need to be the master of their own VA benefits lifelong.”
Opening New Avenues to Compensation
There’s more than one way to appeal a VA disability rating, but many Texas veterans opt for the one they’ve heard the most about: a formal appeal. The problem is, this type of appeal can take years. But there are other ways to go about it that are often more efficient.
For example, say a veteran is suffering from tinnitus due to years working on the flight line, but they can’t get a tinnitus VA disability rating because their symptoms are not documented in their military record. The tinnitus didn’t start until years after they were out of the service.
VA Claims Academy could help this veteran file a supplemental claim with a critical piece of new evidence, a nexus letter from a physician showing that it is “at least as likely as not” that the veteran’s tinnitus was triggered or worsened by their time on the flight line. Supplemental claims also move through the VA system considerably faster than a formal appeal.
Or maybe a veteran is rated for PTSD after getting shelled in Iraq, but now they have developed sleep apnea. VA Claims Academy can give the veteran access to published research linking PTSD to sleep apnea and help the veteran file a secondary claim. (Secondary claims are for additional medical problems that develop as a result of a primary service-connected disability.)
With a well-written nexus letter, a current diagnosis, and medical notes showing the extent of a veteran’s nighttime breathing problems, the veteran would have the kind of documentation the VA looks for when it evaluates a sleep apnea VA rating. And like the supplemental claims mentioned above, a secondary claim can move far faster than a formal appeal.
These are just a couple of the direct paths to a higher rating that VA Claims Academy can open up for Texas veterans.
Built for Veterans, Not Law Firms
When veterans’ disability claims get denied, they often turn to an attorney to file their appeal. But with every passing month of what is often a years-long process, their attorney is set up to collect more back pay, since the fee is typically a percentage of that award. VA Claims Academy keeps its hands off of veterans’ back pay, charging a flat fee instead.
The Academy has worked with hundreds of Texas veterans pursuing a VA disability rating increase. Veterans who have been through the program rate it highly.
The VA’s reviewers aren’t the enemy, but they are often overworked. The more complete and gap-free a claim is, the easier it is for a reviewer to evaluate it accurately. It’s not guesswork. It’s strategy, and VA Claims Academy provides Texas veterans with that strategy.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, medical, or individualized VA claims advice. VA Claims Academy is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Claim outcomes, ratings, and processing times vary, and no results are guaranteed.
