Veterans Disabilities

Ronkonkoma Veterans Disability Lawyer

An experienced Ronkonkoma veterans disability lawyer at Turley Redmond & Rosasco will proudly assist you with your veteran benefits claims. When you work with our legal team, we will review your case and help you determine the full breadth of benefits for which you qualify, including veterans benefits, Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits and benefits from other government programs. We provide representation to both veterans and their families in pursuing all appropriate claims in order to maximize available benefits.

You served our country and, after putting yourself in harm’s way, you are entitled to compensation for your service-related disabilities. We want to ensure you obtain the money that you and your family deserve and we will be there for you every step of the way from the time that you develop a disability until you the time that you have received the money you deserve.

Veterans Disability Claims

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pays tax-free benefits for disabilities that are caused by injury or a disease related to military service. The amount of disability benefits that you can qualify for depends on your percentage of disability, which is rated from 10 percent to 100 percent. This means that you can qualify for benefits whether you are totally or partially disabled.

You may file your claim for a disability that:

• Arose while you were in active duty military service
• Arose after you retired from military service and that was connected to your service
• You had before entering the military that grew worse
• Involves a special circumstance

Veterans may be eligible for benefits not only for medical issues caused by an injury, but also for any illnesses that developed as a result of military service. This can include various types of cancers and other radiogenic diseases that resulted from exposure to toxins while you were performing military service.

It is also possible that you can qualify for benefits not only for injuries obtained while serving overseas or in combat, but for any service-connected injuries or illnesses. Injuries sustained during training exercises or while you were on a military base, including repetitive stress injuries, could potentially make you eligible to make a disability benefits claim.

Claims Process

The VA is a large government bureaucracy. Therefore, the claims process can be very cumbersome, with multiple requests for information. It can be difficult to understand the steps you are required to take to ensure that the VA has the necessary information and to respond to forms and documents by the required deadlines. This is why it is so important to get help from a skilled Ronkonkoma veterans disability lawyer with navigating the claims process.

The actual time between the submission of your claim to the VA and the approval of your claim depends on the complexity of your injuries and access to the evidence the VA needs to make a decision. Our veterans disability attorneys in Ronkonkoma help you expedite the process by meticulously preparing a thorough application and tracking its progress through the VA system.

In general, the claims process involves:

• Assessment of your claim by our lawyers, during which we gather supportive evidence and prepare a thorough application
• Obtaining a completed Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs) from medical providers to prove your medical condition, which we can handle for you
• Submitting your application to the Veterans Affairs (another task we handle)
• Review of your claim by a Veterans Service representative
• Request of additional information or evidence from you, doctors or another government department, if applicable, by the Veterans Service representative handling your claim
• Claim decision, and notification of whether your claim was approved or denied

The stronger your claim for benefits, and the more documented medical evidence that you provide, the more likely it is that your application will be approved the first time. Turley Redmond & Rosasco provides you with advice on how to ensure that you are able to prove your disability is connected to your service and severe enough to entitle you to receive benefits.

Injuries and Illnesses Covered by Veterans Benefits

You are entitled to compensation for injuries that are related to your service in the Air Force, the Army, the Coast Guard, the Marine Corps or the Navy. VA benefits cover injuries and illnesses that were incurred or exacerbated during training or combat, including:

• Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC)
• Chronic medical conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, arthritis and Lou Gehrig’s Disease
• Undiagnosed illness associated with service in the Gulf War
• Tropical diseases and rare infectious diseases
• Frostbite, heat stroke and other exposure-related conditions
• Prisoners of war (POWs) physical and psychological conditions
• Anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides

The severity of many of these conditions, and the associated symptoms, can vary in substantial ways from person to person. In some cases, service-connected conditions result in fatalities and surviving family members may be entitled to receive benefits. In many circumstances, symptoms can severely impact one’s quality of life and make working impossible. The more severe your disabling condition, the higher your disability rating will be and the more benefits you will receive.

You are also entitled to receive disability benefits if an illness or an injury that you had prior to serving in the military is exacerbated by an incident that occurred while you were on active duty.  You will need to provide medical documentation showing a link between the worsening of your symptoms or between medical issues and your service within any branch of the military.

A Ronkonkoma Veterans Disability Lawyer Can Help You Prove Your Service-Connected Disability 

If you have any impairments due to illnesses or injuries, you should be entitled to receive at least some disability benefits from the VA. The disability rating that you are assigned will determine the amount of compensation that is available to you; so, it is essential that you are able to show how severely your service-connected disability impacts your health and your quality of life.

In certain situations, it will be necessary to specifically demonstrate that your illness or your injury is connected to an incident that occurred while you were serving in a branch of the military on active duty. However, there are situations where there is a presumption that specific illnesses or injuries are service-connected. For example, if you were a prisoner of war for any length of time and you suffer from osteoporosis, various neuro-psychiatric conditions such as PTSD or anxiety, cold-related injuries, traumatic arthritis, stroke or heart disease, it is presumed that these specific impairing conditions were triggered as a result of your imprisonment.

Likewise, if you were exposed to Agent Orange and you develop conditions including AL Amyloidosis, multiple myeloma, Chronic B cell leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or certain other conditions, these are also classified as presumptive diseases. Additionally, those veterans who were exposed to radiation are also presumed to have a service-connected illness if they subsequently develop any radiogenic diseases, including many different types of cancer.

When you have a presumptive condition, the VA can provide proof that another cause of your illness or injury existed in order to try to avoid approving your disability claim. In most cases, however, if your illness or injury is one that has been found to routinely occur as a result of military service or as a result of exposure to chemicals while you were serving, your claim for benefits should be simple and straightforward.

A Ronkonkoma veterans disability lawyer at our firm can provide you with insight into whether your condition is a presumptive condition or whether you may need to provide additional documentation to demonstrate that your medical issues were actually caused by your time in the service.

Disability Benefits for Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

One of the most common reasons that veterans apply for disability benefits is because they are suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTSD) caused by their time serving their country. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a serious condition that can impact every aspect of your life. If you experience PTSD, you may have a wide range of symptoms, including irritability, hostility, isolation, depression, anxiety, insomnia, nightmares, self-destructive behavior, personality changes, unwanted thoughts and emotional detachment. Flashbacks are also a common problem that many veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder experience.

Because PTSD affects so many veterans, the Veterans Administration has simplified the process of qualifying for disability coverage when you suffer from this condition.  You do not need to provide evidence that any specific incident that occurred while you were serving in the military caused the development of your post-traumatic stress disorder. Instead, you should be able to qualify for benefits, provided that you have been diagnosed by a physician or a psychologist with having PTSD related to a traumatic event that was likely to have happened while you were serving and that causes fear of hostile military or terrorist activity.

How Much Will You Receive in Disability Benefits? 

The amount of money you receive for disability benefits will vary depending on your disability rating. Ratings range from 10 percent disabled to 100 percent disabled and they go up in 10 percent increments. A higher disability rating means that you will receive a more substantial amount of benefits. A skilled veterans disability lawyer will work with you to ensure you obtain the maximum amount possible for your disability.

Veterans who are found to be at least 30 percent disabled will also receive a larger monthly payment amount if they have a spouse or dependent children. When veterans have experienced specific types of service-connected disabilities that are permanently impairing, benefits may also be higher as well. For example, there are circumstances where veterans may lose a limb or lose their eyesight. These types of permanent impairments can result in a higher monthly benefit amount.

What If Your Claim for Benefits Is Denied? 

Although disability benefits should be available to veterans in a wide variety of different circumstances, there are situations where a claim for benefits is denied. This could occur as a result of inconclusive proof that a disability is actually connected to a veteran’s military service. It could also occur if the veteran who is applying for benefits is not able to conclusively prove that he or she is sufficiently disabled to be entitled to monthly income.

Many denials can be successfully appealed and you can correct the problems in your application that resulted in a refusal to provide you with disability income. It is important that you work with a Ronkonkoma veterans disability lawyer if your claim is denied. Your attorney can assist you in understanding what went wrong and can guide you through the process of appealing to fight for the benefits you deserve.

There are also some circumstances where you might be ineligible to receive disability benefits. This can include circumstances where you were dishonorably discharged from the military; where your condition occurred as a result of misconduct; where you were injured while you were AWOL; or where you were injured while you were in prison, detailed due to a civil court felony, or detailed due to court martial.

In most situations, if you were hurt while you were serving or made sick by your service, you should be able to obtain benefits. The New York-area veterans disability attorneys at Turley Redmond & Rosasco will help you fight to get the money that you deserve when your health was affected as a result of serving your country.

Applying for Veterans Benefits

Veterans’ disability benefits are tax-free compensation paid to veterans who have a service-connected disability. Anyone who was hurt or made sick while on active-duty military service should be able to obtain benefits, as can veterans who had pre-existing conditions that were made worse by their service. While VA disability benefits are supposed to ensure that those who served in the military are appropriately provided for if their service harmed their health, it can sometimes be complicated to apply for benefits. Ronkonkoma veterans’ disability lawyers can provide you with comprehensive assistance navigating the bureaucracy in order to get the benefits that you deserve.

What Documents Do You Need in Order to Apply for VA Benefits?

The Veterans Administration has indicated that the best and easiest way to apply for disability benefits is to apply online. You can visit the eBenefits website to submit an application for your benefits.  You can also complete form 21-526EZ, Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits, which can be mailed in.  If you are not able to print the form, you can call 1-800-827-1000 to request a copy be mailed to you so you can fill it out.

You will need to be able to provide certain documentation when you complete and submit your application. This includes:

• Discharge or separation papers. You are required to have been honorably discharged or separated from service in order to be eligible to receive disability benefits.
• Records of who your dependents are. This can include a marriage certificate as well as birth certificates for any children that you have. If you have dependents, you may be entitled to receive a larger amount of monthly compensation for your disabilities.
• Medical evidence of your disabling condition. You will need to provide hospital reports and records from your doctor. This medical evidence should demonstrate that your illness or injury is connected to your military service. The medical records you submit should also demonstrate how severe your disabling condition is, as the information from these records will be used to assign your disability rating – which is in turn used to determine your benefits amount.

In some cases, veterans may also obtain disability benefits more quickly if you apply before you are discharged from service. You can utilize pre-discharge programs to get benefits in a timely manner or apply through the Benefits Delivery at Discharge Program.

For many veterans, the most difficult part of getting benefits approved is showing you were harmed while on active duty. However, there are some presumptive conditions assumed to have been caused by military service, and you can document the link between many other medical problems and the selfless service you performed while in the military.

Eligibility Requirements for Disability Benefits 

Veterans disability benefits are available in most situations when you have a service-connected ailment. However, there are certain eligibility requirements that must be met. For example:

• You must have been an active duty member of any branch of the United States military, such as the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps or the Navy.
• You must have been honorably discharged from the military, if you are no longer serving.
• Your injury must have occurred or must have been aggravated while you were performing service for the military. It does not need to have occurred while you were in combat, so injuries sustained on military bases or while performing training exercises can result in an entitlement to benefits.

Veterans may obtain benefits by proving a direct connection to service. For example, if you sustained a physical or mental injury while you were in combat or performing any of your essential duties in the military, this physical or mental injury should entitle you to receive benefits. If you had a condition prior to military service that was exacerbated while you were performing duties while actively serving in the military, you should also be able to receive benefits for the increased severity of your pre-existing condition.

In some cases, you will need to specifically prove that your disability is connected to your service by providing evidence that a particular incident that occurred while you were serving was the cause of your harm.

However, there are also circumstances in which the military presumes a service connection. This can occur if you develop illnesses related to exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides, develop an illness related to exposure to radiation while serving, or if you develop certain conditions related to being a prisoner of war.

An attorney can help you to determine what you must do to demonstrate eligibility. You can receive benefits for total or partial disability, and your disability rating – which specifies the percentage of disability – dictates the amount of benefits you receive.

Common Veterans Disability Conditions

Serving your country is a noble calling, but unfortunately there are significant risks associated with military service. In fact, many military members develop various service-connected disabilities. These members of the military who become sick or hurt as a result of any service-connected incident should be entitled to veterans disability benefits when they leave the service, provided they meet basic requirements to qualify.  The amount of benefits available can vary depending on the nature of the disability and the VA will assign a disability rating that determines how much compensation veterans are able to receive.

A Ronkonkoma veterans disability claims attorney at Turley Redmond & Rosasco can help veterans and their families understand their entitlement to disability benefits and get them the help and support they need to cope with serious conditions. A wide array of medical problems could result in veterans receiving disability benefits, but some of the more common medical conditions that former military members experience typically include:

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Radiation Poisoning
• Cognitive Disabilities
• Physical Disabilities
• Exposure to Agent Orange (Vietnam Veterans)
• Former Prisoner of War
• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)

If you suffer from any of these conditions or if you develop any other ailments that are directly related to your time serving in any branch of the United States military, you should reach out to a veterans disability claims attorney to find out about your options for obtaining the help you need to cover care costs, support yourself and your family and achieve the best quality of life possible.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder results from experiencing traumatic events, which can be defined broadly to include events that cause shock or disturbance. That said, veterans may develop PTSD as a result of witnessing or experiencing traumatic events. PTSD can also result from being threatened or victimized by abuse, as well as from suffering a physical injury or being in any situation that causes extreme fear.

PTSD symptoms can range from mild to severe, with severe symptoms often impacting your quality of life in extreme ways. Often, symptoms change over time or come and go when triggering events occur. It may be difficult to hold a job if you have PTSD. You may also suffer from violent outbursts or mood swings, or you may experience depression, anxiety or an inability to concentrate. Nightmares are also common among vets suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Treatments for PTSD can include therapy and medications, among others. Often, there is no cure, but PTSD can be managed and symptoms can improve over time.

Radiation Poisoning

Exposure to ionizing radiation can cause serious illnesses to develop. Radiogenic diseases that can result from radiation exposure include various types of cancer, posterior subcapsular cataracts, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-malignant thyroid nodular disease, among other serious and potentially fatal conditions.

It can sometimes be difficult to prove that cancer or another radiogenic disease was actually caused by exposure to radiation that occurred while serving in the military – especially as many medical conditions such as cancer can have multiple causes (or no known cause) and these conditions also afflict many people who have not been exposed to radiation.

Still, certain servicemembers can become eligible for benefits for radiation poisoning if they can demonstrate exposure to radiation during their military service. This could include servicemembers who participated in the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons, the occupation of Hiroshima or Nagasaki after the war, were prisoners of war in Japan or were exposed to radiation by working in a reactor plant or working as an X-ray technician while on active duty.

Cognitive Disabilities

The Veterans Administration treats all cognitive impairments, except for traumatic brain injury, as a form of mental disorder when determining your disability rating and the amount of benefits available. A wide variety of cognitive impairments can classify a veteran for benefits for cognitive disabilities, including:

• Dementia
• Delirium
• Organic mental disorders
• Amnesia
• Mood disorders
• Somatoform disorders
• Chronic adjustment disorder
• Eating disorders

In order to receive veterans disability benefits for a cognitive disability, you will need to demonstrate that you were diagnosed with a qualifying condition and that a specific event, illness, injury or activity during active duty was the direct cause of the development of that disorder. You will need medical evidence to demonstrate the link between your activities while in-service and the medical problems that you are experiencing. 

Cognitive disabilities can range from mild to severe, so it will also be important to carefully document symptoms in order to demonstrate the extent of the disabling mental condition on your health and your ability to work. 

Physical Disabilities

If you suffered a physical injury while you were on active duty, whether in combat, on a military base, or while otherwise performing your required obligations as part of your service, you should be entitled to receive disability benefits for your physical impairments.

Many different kinds of physical injuries can affect veterans, including:

• Acid reflux
• Back pain
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Dental problems
• Fibromyalgia
• Hearing problems
• Heart disease
• Hypertension
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Joint disorders
• Loss of limbs
• Neck pain
• Neuropathy
• Phantom limb pain
• Spine disorders
• Tinnitus
• Varicose veins
• Vision problems

Your physical injuries could have occurred due to any service-related causes while you were on active duty. This includes not only injuries sustained in combat, but also injuries that occurred due to carrying heavy objects or participating in military training exercises.

Veterans may be eligible not just to receive benefits for a physical injury they developed for the first time while in combat, but also for the exacerbation of any pre-existing conditions they may have already had when they entered the military but that were made worse as a result of a service-connected incident. 

Exposure to Agent Orange

Many Vietnam veterans were exposed to Agent Orange while they were serving in the military. Agent orange was an herbicide and a defoliant chemical that was widely used as part of the military’s tactical strategy. Unfortunately, Agent Orange has been linked to the development of very serious health conditions. If Vietnam veterans develop any of these conditions, they should be entitled to receive disability benefits as a result of their illness.

The Veterans Administration considers certain diseases to be “presumptive diseases” because if they are developed by a veteran that was exposed to Agent Orange while serving in the military, it is presumed that the development of the medical condition occurred because of that exposure. Some of the presumptive diseases that are associated with exposure to Agent Orange include:

• AL Amyloidosis
• Chronic B cell leukemia
• Acneiform diseases, including chloracne
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Hodgkin’s disease
• Ischemic heart disease
• Multiple myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Parkinson’s disease
• Peripheral neuropathy (early onset)
• Porphyria cutanea tarda
• Prostate cancer
• Respiratory cancers, including lung cancer
• Soft tissue sarcomas

If you develop any of these conditions, you should work with a Ronkonkoma veterans disability claims attorney to pursue a claim to recover disability benefits. Both veterans and their survivors could potentially be eligible to receive benefits if these illnesses develop after being exposed to Agent Orange while serving in the military during the Vietnam War. 

Former Prisoners of War

Those who were held as prisoners of war are eligible to receive disability benefits if they develop conditions that are connected to their captivity. There are certain conditions that have been proven to be connected to being held prisoner, and veterans who develop any one of these medical ailments are presumed to have a service-connected disability that entitles them to benefits.

Some of the conditions that can create the presumption that a veteran is entitled to disability benefits after being held as a prisoner of war include:

• Osteoporosis
• Neuro-Psychiatric conditions including depressive neurosis, dysthymic disorder, psychosis, PTSD or other anxiety-related conditions
• Cold injury
• Traumatic arthritis
• Heart Disease
• Stroke

Each of these conditions can create the presumption of a service-connected disability, regardless of how long the military member was actually held captive. For those who were imprisoned for a lengthy period of time, there are additional presumptive conditions that can entitle a veteran to receive benefits.

For those who were held prisoner for at least 30 days, other conditions that can result in access to disability benefits include nutritional deficiencies, such as malnutrition, beriberi, avitaminosis and pellagra, as well as helminthiasis, peripheral neuropathy and digestive disorders including chronic dysentery, irritable bowel syndrome, cirrhosis of the liver and peptic ulcer disease.

When former prisoners of war have any of these conditions that are found to be at least 10 percent disabling, they are presumed to be entitled to benefits because their condition is seen as a consequence of their imprisonment connected with their military service. 

Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury is one of the most common service-connected disabilities, especially for veterans of the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, can occur as a result of any type of trauma to the head. This can include being struck by explosive devices, motor vehicle accidents and falls. Additionally, because Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were an especially common weapon used extensively against U.S. forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan, a substantial number of veterans suffered traumatic injuries to the brain.

TBIs can occur not only if someone’s head strikes an object or if someone is struck in the head by an object, but also in circumstances where a nearby blast or explosion occurs and affects the head. The brain hitting the skull can cause a TBI to develop, even if no outside object ever actually hit the military member.

Symptoms of traumatic brain injury can vary from person-to-person and can develop or change over time. Often, symptoms become more apparent in the weeks and months following the incident that resulted in the traumatic brain injury.  Some of the symptoms include:

Loss of consciousness

• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Difficulty concentrating
• Mood changes
• Irritability
• Memory problems
• Cognitive defects
• Speech impairment
• Loss of senses, including hearing, vision, or taste
• Difficulty concentrating

Those who suffer injury to the brain are also facing greater risks of developing dementia and serious cognitive conditions later in life. Even a mild traumatic brain injury could result in an increased risk of mental and cognitive health issues as you get older.

Treatments for TBI can be helpful to assist in managing symptoms, but there is often no cure available once the brain has suffered a traumatic injury.  Veterans can manage their condition with medication, therapy, rehabilitation and assistive devices or technology.  Accordingly, veterans should be sure to talk to a Ronkonkoma veterans disability attorney about the possibility of obtaining benefits for this service-connected disability. TBIs can often make it difficult to continue working to earn money to support yourself or a family. 

Discuss Your Options for Compensation with a Ronkonkoma Veterans Disability Lawyer

Do you have an injury or illness related to your active-duty service? You have the right to important veterans’ disability benefits for medical treatment, wages, and living expenses. A Ronkonkoma veterans disability lawyer at Turley Redmond & Rosasco will help you file a successful application. Your case evaluation is free, so contact us for a consultation today. Call 877-693-2529.

3075 Veterans Memorial Highway,
Suite 200
Ronkonkoma, NY, 11779 
Phone: 631-582-3700
Map and Directions Map and Directions