Blog
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What is A Claim & Pension Exam?
A Claim and Pension exam, or “C&P” exam for short, serves two main purposes: Make determinations as to how severe the disability is. Determine if the disability is related to an in-service event, injury, exposure, or condition. The exams is performed by a VA healthcare provider, or more commonly as of late, a healthcare professional…
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How do I apply for VA Benefits?
Often, Veterans will call the Law Office of Andrew P. Gross, LLC looking for advice on filing for VA Disability Benefits. Applying is actually fairly easy, and you do not even need an attorney for that step of the process! Before you apply, there are several things you are going to need available to you…
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Can The VA Take Your Disability Rating Away?
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has the authority to take away your disability rating if it determines that you fraudulently received the rating, or if a mistake has been made when issuing the rating. For example, if someone steals your identity to get disability benefits, the VA will stop those benefits as soon…
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What is TDIU?
The Basics TDIU stands for Total Disability Individual Unemployability. Basically, the VA will award TDIU if your service-connected disability renders a veteran unable to work, but their total rating does not equal 100%. When a vet is awarded TDIU, they are paid at 100%, even though they aren’t technically 100% disabled according to their combined…
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Can I Appeal My VA Benefits Decision?
The process of appealing a VA benefits claims can be frustrating for veterans. They may feel that the rating they have been given does not reflect the severity of their injury or illness, or that they have been improperly denied service connection. However, it is important to note that appeals are filed every day, and…
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Rare Cancers to be Added to Presumed Service-Connected List
Updates to Presumed Service-Connected List On March 1st, The VA made an announcement of its intentions to add nine rare respiratory cancers to the list of presumed service-connected disabilities, which are conditions presumably caused by military service that occurred under unique circumstances. These are in relation to exposure from toxic chemicals in the air, soil…
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Case Law Update: Court Invalidates VA’s Regulations Implementing the Veterans Appeals Improvement Modernization Act of 2017
On July 30, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Court) issued a 63-page decision invalidating three important regulations issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs. In Military-Veterans Advocacy v. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, et al., (MVA) the Court struck down: 38 C.F.R. § 3.155, which excludes supplemental claims from the intent-to-file…
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What is a Nexus Letter?
In short, a Nexus letter is a letter from a qualified medical professional that connects a veteran’s in-service condition, injury, or exposure to their current disability. Frustrated veterans will often think that they need to run out and spend thousands of dollars on a Nexus letter before applying for VA Disability Benefits, but this is…
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What are the Different VA Forms I Might Encounter?
When applying for disability compensation and benefits, there are multiple forms a veteran may encounter along the process. The VA website offers helpful information about the process for filing each of the forms listed below. For additional support in filing with the VA, contact Andrew Gross, Esquire, to see how a seasoned Veterans Advocacy lawyer…
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What is Developing to Deny?
Veterans will often call the Law Office of Andrew P. Gross and ask “why is the VA sending me to another Claim and Pension Exam? They already have my Nexus Letter!” Sometimes, it occurs because the Veteran Service Office at the VA has reviewed the claim and thinks that, for some reason, all cases…