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The Department of Veteran Affairs disability system is designed to compensate veterans for their physical and mental hardships caused by military service. All veterans are entitled to some form of care--including an across-the-board clinic and hospital access signed by the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act in 2014. Unfortunately, veterans who need disability for the financial compensation to stay viable in the economy may face some strict guidelines that can be difficult to pass if an expert isn't on your side. Here are a few traits of the Veterans Affairs (VA) system to help you know what could have gone wrong and how a legal professional could help.

Why Would A Legitimate Claim Be Turned Down?

To prevent fraud and ensure that veterans are getting the care that they need, VA disability claims need to prove severity and service connection. Even if your problem is legitimate and you know it was caused by military service, you need the paperwork organization to prove it, and those two terms are the vital proof points.

Severity determines the extent of your disability and is related to the amount of monetary compensation you would receive upon claim approval. It's possible to be approved for disability at a 0% rating, which means you'd receive medical care and referrals at no cost to you as long as it's related to your approved condition. You can be approved for multiple conditions, each with their own individual rates.

Service connection means pointing out how the condition is related to military service. Conditions that happen after the military do not count unless you're able to make a connection, and conditions prior to military service must have been made significantly worse by military service--again, with proof showing that the military was the cause.

Getting The Right Amount Of Proof

Your military medical record is key here. For the best success, you'll need to have medical record entries showing that you suffered from a problem and hopefully a statement from a medical professional that the issue is a disability. This would combine severity and service connection with one document.

Even if your documentation isn't perfect, it's better than nothing. If you were treated for a condition, you have a service connection statement and need to get medical statements to show how severe the problem is for you now.

If you simply went to the medic with a complaint about a situation but did not get a statement agreeing that you have a problem, it's still a decent chance. A veteran pulling fraud could simply visit the medic with complaints to cover their bases when they get out for a good disability check, but as long as you can get proof of the current condition's severity, you still have a chance.

Dealing with chance can cause significant delays, as VA claims offices argue higher levels of disagreement than the average military veteran can discuss without medical or legal training. If you didn't go to medical school or law school, a law firm needs to be on your side.

A lawyer can research your claim and similar, successful claims and appeals to begin working on an appeal that draws the connections for your claim. If you have no medical evidence from the military to speak of, the need for a lawyer to dig up difficult, sometimes circumstantial evidence is more dire.

Contact a law firm and discuss your situation to get the help you need.