As time goes by, unfortunately, the condition of veterans that suffer from disabilities may grow worse. When that happens, they deserve higher compensation. Sadly, slow government bureaucracy can quite often overlook a disabled veteran if he decides to pursue an appeal with the AV. Even though it is a simple process, sometimes it can take some time. Here is some advice on how to get an increase in veterans’ disability compensation the easiest way possible.

What Are Available Options?

There are some circumstances where the VA may increase your disability rating. That would be in the case they are provided with new evidence of your condition, to be precise, if it is deteriorating. Another situation would be if you consider that your condition has worsened and that your initial disability rating is not sufficient anymore. In any case, you would need to do something on the matter. As the professionals at PTSDLawyers.com would state, that it is often a lengthy, confusing, and complex process. Thankfully, not Impossible. In case that you believe that your condition has been induced during your service, there are some things you can do. To be precise, there are two routes that you can choose from. They would depend on which would be the best for your situation. You could:

• File an appeal
• File a claim for an increased rating

Filing Appeal

When the initial claim for service-connected compensation with the VA is claimed, they will publish a rating decision that can either grant or deny it. In case that it is approved, it will include an effective date and what the rating would be. In case you think that VA has assigned too low, or that the effective date is incorrect, you can appeal. There is a period of one year from receiving the notification letter that you have the right to file a notice of disagreement for an increase.

Notice Of Disagreement

When veterans file the notice of disagreement appeal, the case goes directly to the board. There, you will be able to skip the second-level review of the regional office. There are three paths to choose from in case you decide to file a notice:

• Appeal to the hearing docket-this would be the best option for veterans who want to have a hearing before a veterans law judge
• Appeal to evidence docket-this would be the best option for veterans who want to provide additional evidence but do not want a hearing before a veterans law judge
• Appeal to the direct docket-this would be the best option for veterans that do not want to provide additional evidence to the board and do not want a hearing before a veterans law judge

Filing A Claim For An Increased Rating

In case you believe that your initial rating that VA assigned is no longer sufficient and you are outside of the one year appeal to file a notice of disagreement, you could consider filing a new claim in order to try and increase your rating. In case that your disability has worsened, you can submit any new evidence and documentation that you have.

The VA will as a response treat this as any other claim and will issue its rating decision. Have in mind that the evidence must be new and relevant. A medical opinion that explains your condition and how it got worse is considered to be under this category.

Alternative Solution

There is also an option to file the next claim for a secondary service-connected disability. For instance, in case that the injury caused by your service is connected with a back injury that as a result has affected your gait which causes problems with a knee, there is a possibility that you are entitled to additional compensation for this secondary disability.

True that technically, it is not considered an increased rating for your initial disability, however, it can still result in increased compensation. In case that your disability or disabilities have worsened, you may be also eligible for total disability based on individual unemployability. That would be in a case that those conditions are preventing you from performing any physical or mental tasks that are needed in order to keep you employed.

By following any of these methods, there is a chance that your VA disability compensation will be increased, and that would especially be the case if you deserve a higher rating. Even though it can be quite frustrating sometimes and it can be tough to navigate through the VA system, it is still manageable. All one needs to do is to educate themselves on the matter and seek help, to make sure that they receive what they deserve.