New York Veteran Service Group Lawyers

Our Veterans Services Group (VSG) is a Finkelstein & Partners LLP outreach program serving veterans in our community and cities across the country. Our group of personal injury VSG lawyers specializes in helping the men and women who spent time defending our freedom deal with the complex process of securing fair and just disability compensation.

Dealing With the Department Of Veteran Affairs

Many veterans find dealing with the Department of Veteran Affairs complex and frustrating. Denials are frequently commonplace. We are here for those applicants who have been denied benefits, those whose “deadline” is fast-approaching, and those who are considering filing for V.A. benefits for the first time. Our VSG lawyers maintain close ties to our clients—we are with you and your family every step to guide you through this difficult time. When you hire our V.A. benefits appeals lawyers, you get the help you need to pursue your V.A. Benefits.

“I live in South Carolina and hired the Finkelstein & Partners Veterans Services Group to handle my Veterans’ disability benefits appeal after learning about the great work they do for veterans. They understand how difficult it can be to obtain disability benefits, but they really are dedicated to helping veterans and their families through the process. I have been fighting for my benefits for quite some time without success. My Finkelstein & Partners Veterans Services Group attorney, Christine Clemens, presented my case at the BVA hearing and I finally received my disability benefits, I even received back dated benefits. I would 100 percent recommend the Finkelstein & Partners Veterans Services group to anyone struggling to collect disability benefits.” (Kryste S.- former VSG client.)

Many different benefits are available to Veterans and their family members. Disability benefits are the most well-known.

Disability Compensation

According to a recent press release from the House Committee on Appropriations, 7.3 million patients expect V.A. treatment next year. About 5.5 million veterans and 500,000 survivors and dependents will receive disability compensation payments. The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims had a caseload of over 8,000 appeals in 2021. There is currently a substantial backlog in V.A. disability claims processing

All veterans, no matter when or where they served, may be eligible for monthly disability compensation if injured in the line of duty or if their time of service exacerbated a previous condition. These former servicemembers (and their families) sacrificed so much to protect and serve our nation.

Our attorneys and administrative staff at the VSG are provide the support they deserve in their time of need. We are a team of experienced and compassionate Veterans’ advocates and VA-accredited attorneys who specialize in handling disability compensation claims for veterans and their families.

Disability compensation pays a monthly, tax-free allotment to eligible Veterans with service-connected disabilities. For a Veteran to receive Disability Compensation Benefits, they must have an injury or medical condition caused or aggravated by active duty service.

How Long Does It Take?

We wish we could say something definitive, but due to the significant backlog of cases the V.A. deals with, the answer is possibly a year or two. It is a process hinging on the number of disabilities in question and how complicated it is to gather supporting documentation.

It May be Possible To Expedite A Claim

There are no guarantees, but, on a case-by-case basis, if any of these situations pertain to a particular claim, things may move quicker:

1. Extreme financial hardship – If you can document home foreclosure, past due rent, past-due mortgage payments, bankruptcy, impending utility cut-offs, or an inability to keep up.
2. Homelessness – The V.A. may expedite a claim if it considers the veteran homeless. This may include veterans living outdoors, in a shelter, or in transitional housing.
3. Advanced age
4. Terminal illness or under hospice care

Examples Of Some Of The Claims We Handle

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Though the number of Veterans with PTSD varies by service era, the statistics are staggering:

• About 11 to 20 out of every 100 veterans who served in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom have PTSD in a given year
• About 12 percent of all Desert Storm veterans have PTSD
• An estimated 30 percent of Vietnam veterans had PTSD in their lifetime

The last several years have seen a dramatic increase in the number of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans seeking help for PTSD.

Traumatic brain injury

Veterans risk traumatic brain injuries from explosions in combat or training sessions. Between 2000 and late 2019, The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) reported nearly 414,000 TBIs among U.S. service members worldwide.

TBI symptoms include:

• Changes in memory
• Difficulty concentrating
• Poor impulse control
• Irritability and anger
• Depression
• Insomnia
• Anxiety
• Headaches
• Vomiting or nausea
• Seizures
• Lack of coordination or balance

Agent Orange exposure

The following diseases are associated with Agent Orange exposure:

• A.L. amyloidosis
• Chronic B-cell leukemias
• Chloracne
• Diabetes type 2
• Hodgkin’s disease
• Ischemic heart disease
• Multiple myelomas
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Parkinson’s disease
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Porphyria
• Prostate cancer
• Respiratory cancers
• Soft tissue sarcomas

Who may seek Agent Orange disability benefits

Those who qualify include:

• Veterans who served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975
• Veterans who served near the Korean demilitarized zone between September 1, 1967, to August 31, 1971
• Veterans who served in Thailand during the Vietnam and Korean War efforts (on or near military bases) between Feb. 28, 1961, and May 7, 1975

Veterans Services Group obtained a combined retroactive award of $326,485 for a Gulf War veteran.

What Is a Presumptive Condition?

Because of the unique circumstances of a particular service man or woman’s military deployment, the V.A. sometimes assumes certain medical conditions may be service related. This condition need not necessarily be a part of the veteran’s military medical treatment record.

A presumed condition can qualify a veteran for disability compensation.

One example of a presumptive service connection is for veterans, reservists, and National Guard members exposed to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune from August 1, 1953, through December 31, 1987, who later developed one of these eight diseases:

1. Adult leukemia
2. Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
3. Bladder cancer
4. Kidney cancer
5. Liver cancer
6. Multiple myeloma
7. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
8. Parkinson’s disease

For a comprehensive explanation of presumptive conditions and the specifics of eligibility, click here.

These are the words of a satisfied client:

“I served in the Army and saw combat in Vietnam. I developed a service related disability years after my in service toxic exposure to herbicides, including Agent Orange. With my honorable discharge, I applied for Veterans’ Compensation Benefits. The VA denied me service connection for my disability, so I had to hire a lawyer. I live in Missouri and I called a local lawyer. They told me that Finkelstein & Partners is the best in the USA because they have a dedicated Veterans’ Services Group to help vets get the benefits they deserve. Well, they were right and the best thing I did was to call Finkelstein & Partners. Even though they are in New York, they told me they handle cases Nationwide, so I hired them. It was such a pleasure working with them. They did everything they promised and got me the results I wanted. If you have a service-related disability from being in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, or Coast Guard—and whether it is for diabetes with neuropathy or PTSD—I highly recommend Finkelstein & Partners to help with your appeal.”

Disability Pension Benefits

Disability pension benefits also require that a Veteran be disabled or injured by a medical condition to receive the benefits. However, unlike disability compensation benefits, the V.A. does not predicate disability pension benefits on the veteran’s service.

Benefits for Family Members

VA benefits are available to qualifying family members (spouses, dependent children, and parents) of both living and deceased Veterans.

These include:

Accrued benefits

If a veteran has a V.A. disability compensation claim pending at the time of their death, a spouse or children may receive accrued benefits from it. Some dependents may claim past V.A. benefits on behalf of deceased veterans.

To establish a claim for accrued benefits:

1. The family must file the claim for accrued benefits within one year of the veteran’s death.
2. The veteran must have a pending disability claim.
3. The official V.A. record at the time of death establishes the veteran was entitled to monthly V.A. disability compensation for a service-connected illness, condition, or disease.

Dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC—formerly death compensation)

V.A. death benefits are called Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). Unfortunately, the V.A. sometimes denies DIC benefit claims.

To obtain V.A. death benefits:

• The veteran died while on active duty, active duty training, or inactive duty training, OR
• The death resulted from a service-related injury or disease, OR
• A veteran whose death resulted from a non-service-related injury or disease and who was receiving, or was entitled to receive, V.A. benefits for a totally disabling service-connected disability 
• for at least ten years immediately before death, OR
• since the veteran’s release from active duty and for at least five years immediately preceding death, OR
• for at least one year before death if the veteran was a former prisoner of war who died after September 30, 1999.

Death pension

A veteran’s V.A. disability compensation does not automatically transfer upon their death to their surviving spouse and children. However, the V.A. may convert it to a death pension.

Some Helpful Links

The Veterans’ Services Group wants to provide you with resources that may prove helpful in addressing your needs.

The information listed is for your information and does not constitute an endorsement by the Veterans’ Services Group.

• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs search for forms
• Find a V.A. facility or provider
• V.A. homeless programs
• Beacon House information

Who We Are

We are a team, and we are here for you.

The Veterans Services Group at Finkelstein & Partners consists of seasoned and caring advocates and V.A.-accredited personal injury attorneys who work to secure disability compensation benefits for Veterans and their families. We assist with appealing those decisions by the V.A. that negatively, and sometimes unfairly, impact the scope of a Veteran’s benefits.

A few examples of the types of cases we deal with are: combat-related wounds, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), military sexual trauma (MST), and toxin/dioxin exposure.

We represent Veterans in their disability compensation cases and eligible surviving spouses in their appeals for accrued and dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) benefits in all 50 states. In addition to disability-related benefits, we assist veterans and eligible family members in applying for healthcare, memorial, educational, and specific insurance benefits.

Our Veterans Service Group founder made the New Jersey Law Journal.

Meet one of our Veterans Disability Attorneys.

Beginning the process can be as simple as making a phone call.

Although we do our best to help our clients, we cannot always directly assist with a particular claim or concern. This website provides some valuable information to make things easier for veterans and their families. We are proud to help those who served. Contact us for more information today.