Independent Medical Examinations

If you are claiming a service-related disability or challenging a disability rating, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will steer you towards its own doctors. But these physicians may not be best qualified to diagnose or treat your specific injuries.

If you do not feel as if you’re getting adequate care or fair treatment from VA medical examiners, you are entitled to seek out your own doctors. The VA must consider any second opinion or outside medical evidence in addressing appeals of your veterans disability claims. Supplemental medical information may be crucial to countering the VA’s findings and getting the full benefits you are entitled to receive.

Challenging Disability Ratings and VA Claim Denials

Certain types of claims must be diagnosed or reviewed by a VA staff physician or a doctor contracted by the VA. These physicians and psychiatrists tend to side with the VA in assessing disability.

Many veterans feel that they are mistreated during the claims process, particularly in medical examinations. A common theme is that the VA’s doctor didn’t listen or had already made up his or her mind (e.g. “He talked to me for two minutes and said I was fine“).

You are not limited to the opinions of the VA’s doctors or the evidence contained in the VA’s file. You have the right to obtain your own second exam or opinion if you believe your claim was denied unfairly or your disability rating is inaccurate.

We Can Help

Our attorneys can help you arrange an independent medical exam or a second opinion by an independent medical specialist. We are skilled at incorporating any new evidence into your appeal, as well as any relevant documentation from physicians who treated your condition at any point. We focus on evidence that confirms the service connection and elaborates on the symptoms, diagnosis and disabling effects of your condition.

Our proactive and thorough approach to the medical evidence has paid off for clients in all types of VA claims, including claims for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Please call (888) 883-2483 or contact us online to speak with a member of our team. This is a free consultation. Our lawyers handle VA disability cases on a contingency fee basis. We assist veterans throughout the United States in their VA claims and appeals. There are no attorney fees unless we succeed in securing VA benefits or a higher disability rating for you.