Our A&A Process

VA Legal Team utilizes a tested system to successfully overturn VA denials and partial award letters.

Our systematic approach is responsive to the needs of our clients and the realities of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Our system includes four stages: 1) the Q & A stage; 2) the Letter stage; 3) the Prep stage, and 4) the Response stage

The Q and A Stage:

Our first conversation, be it over the phone or through email, is always a fact-finding mission.

The intake stage is crucial and its importance cannot be underestimated.  No fact is too small and what may seem insignificant can make the difference between an award letter and a second denial letter.  You shouldn’t hesitate to divulge any fact or, alternatively, ask any question.

VA Legal Team considers health and level of care the crucial factors in most appeals, so you can expect those issues to come up during the conversation.

The Letter Stage:

After the Q and A stage, VA Legal Team will request a copy of the denial letter.  We also want to review the original application that was submitted, and any other correspondence between the applicant and the Department of Veterans Affairs.  We can accept the various letters and submissions through email or fax.

The more information at our disposal the more likely a solution will present itself.  While the denial letter is necessary, it doesn’t always tell the whole story.  Families should try to locate any other VA correspondence.

With the denial letter in hand, VA Legal Team will start to develop a strategy to successfully appeal the VA’s decision.

The Prep Stage:

Once we develop a strategy to attack the VA’s denial, partial award, or over-payment, VA Legal Team starts to complete the forms necessary to overturn the Department of Veterans Affairs decision.

The more information we have at the outset, the faster this stage can be executed.  You can expect to receive multiple emails from VA Legal Team during this stage.  These emails will contain a list of questions whose answers are needed to ensure a successful appeal.

If, for whatever reason, email is insufficient to communicate the necessary facts or a change in circumstances, VA Legal Team will set up a time to speak over the phone.

The Response Stage:

The Response Stage is the culmination of the first three stages of VA Legal Team’s system.  During the Response Stage the Notice Of Disagreement is prepared and perfected.

A properly crafted Notice of Disagreement serves a number of functions.  First, and most importantly, the Notice of Disagreement states the reason or reasons the applicant disagrees with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Response Stage builds on the first three stages.  Our successful appeal to the Department of Veterans Affairs depends on the facts gathered during the Q and A and Prep Stages.  Our integrated system is designed to ensure a positive result by marshaling the gathered evidence into a comprehensive appeal that focuses on relevant facts and persuasive legal argumentation.

A Notice of Disagreement should present the client’s case in a straight-forward and easily accessible fashion.  VA Legal Team knows exactly what the VA needs to see to award benefits.  This knowledge affords us the luxury of crafting our appeals in the most effective style.

Conclusion:

We depend on our clients to achieve favorable results.  Your cooperation in gathering relevant information is crucial to the successful appeal of an adverse Department of Veterans Affairs decision.

VA Legal Team has designed and tested a system that works.  Working together to appeal a denial or partial award letter means open communication between attorney and client.  Once all the facts are gathered, VA Legal Team prepares the strategy and crafts the appeal.

We are confident in our system because it’s effective.  When you trust VA Legal Team to handle your loved one’s appeal you should be confident that we have a plan in place to overturn the denial and recover benefits.