All of our Veterans should receive disability compensation for injuries that were a result of their time in service, including Veterans living in Nevada, home to approximately 226,555 Veterans. The Census Bureau calculates that roughly 17% of these Veterans have at least one service-connected disability (the national average is 17%). Although this is the same as the national average, there are others who may have incurred disabling injuries yet do not have a VA disability rating. If you need assistance appealing an unfavorable VA decision, contact a Nevada VA disability lawyer on our team to see if we can help.
At Berry Law we represent Veterans in all 50 states. We fight for Veterans’ disability appeals at every VA Regional Office in America and take significant pride in defending Veterans’ rights. If you have been denied VA benefits, or received an inadequate rating or effective date, you could benefit from the help of a Nevada Veterans disability appeals attorney. Please read on to learn more about how we can help Veterans in Nevada.
Getting started with a VA disability claim in Nevada is identical to the process from anywhere in the country. In fact, you can begin you VA claim from any location in the world, regardless of where you currently live or where you served. You can use the VA’s website to apply or utilize the services of a local VSO (Veterans Service Organization) if you live in the United States.
To get started, you need to complete VA Form 21-526EZ or apply online through the VA eBenefits portal. You may need to submit additional forms based on your individual circumstances. Additional forms that you may need to submit include forms for PTSD (0781 or 0781a) and TDIU (21-8940 and 21-4192). The forms must be signed and dated, packaged with any evidence you wish for the VA to consider, and either mailed to the VA Evidence Intake Center in Janesville, Wisconsin, or faxed to the VA at the number listed on the form.
It may take the VA a long time to process your initial claim, so patience may be required. It is important to start your claim early to establish an early effective date. Once set, the effective date will not change regardless of how long it takes to fully adjudicate a claim, which may last several years depending on the individual claims you filed. The importance of the effective date is that the Veteran is entitled to back pay at the monthly rate from the final decision date all the way back to the effective date. It is important to keep in mind that the effective date can be lost if you don’t maintain appeals for your claims. For instance, if you have 90 days to file a VAF-9 but wait too long to do so, you may have to reopen your claim leading to a new effective date. This is one reason that Veterans fight so hard to appeal VA decisions, to keep the effective date in place and get all the compensation they are entitled to. Each individual disability claim has its own effective date based on when it was first claimed, so an earlier effective date for a shoulder claim will usually not apply to an initial claim for PTSD submitted years later. See below for additional information about appealing VA decisions in Nevada.
Even the most thoroughly prepared claim for benefits may not be granted by the VA. If an initial claim is denied, rated too low, or given an improper effective date, you can appeal the decision. This is the first step in the claims process that an attorney on our team can assist you. You can appeal in a number of different ways depending on how the decision was reached. A Nevada VA disability lawyer could advise you on the appeal options and the pros and cons of each lane.
Berry Law can help you present the most compelling appeal for your case, and has helped Veterans recover over $100 Million in backpay owed to them by the government. We have attorneys and advocates in various locations throughout the US, but the location of your attorney does not actually impact the process because all claims are Federally adjudicated. Therefore, you do not need a VA disability lawyer in Nevada. Our team at Berry Law has helped Veterans in Nevada and every other state in America, along with Veterans in US territories and foreign countries. If you need assistance with your claim, contact a Nevada VA disability lawyer on our team.
Some appeals processes can last years, but as long as you have preserved your effective date by keeping appeals open, you are entitled to back pay for the whole process. The first type of appeal is usually a Notice of Disagreement (NOD). This form notifies the VA that you disagree with the decision that has been made. NODs can be as simple as filling out the form and commenting “I disagree”, or can include dozens of pages of supporting material. The Regional Office in Nevada is located at:
VA Reno Regional Office
5460 Reno Corporate Dr.
Reno, NV 89511
The Regional Office will reply with a Statement of Case (SOC), which presents the state of the case and is sent to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA). The BVA will issue a decision that may or may not satisfy the Veteran. If you are unsatisfied with the BVA decision, you can then appeal to the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) for further adjudication. If you would like help appealing a VA decision in Nevada please contact the team of attorneys at Berry Law for more information and a free consultation.
Don’t assume that every Nevada VA disability attorney is equally equipped to help you bring firepower to your appeal. If you decide to hire an attorney to help with your claim, you should pick one that will stick with you for the duration of your case and who has represented Veterans with every type of appeal. You may want to use a Firm with a long history of representing Veterans to make sure they will still be representing you if your case lasts several years. Some firms only recently added Veterans Appeals to their Social Security practice and are not invested in actually helping Veterans.
Sometimes the hardest aspect to judge is how well your lawyer will perform when it comes to extensive research, well-structured arguments, and compelling evidence. While number of years of practice can serve as a proxy, it’s hard to gauge work product until it’s done. Testimonials and reviews can provide additional insight that may help you determine how well the firm has done for other Veterans. It’s also important to many Veterans to have lawyers who are themselves Veterans. Choosing to work with a Nevada VA appeals lawyer who has deployed or mobilized can make communicating about difficult issues easier and eliminate the need to explain your military experiences. Fellow Veterans often make great wingmen when it comes to helping you work through difficult situations. Will your law firm understand the intense stress of combat? Selecting the right Veterans law firm can make a big difference in reaching the outcome you desire.
Berry Law was established by Vietnam Veteran John Stevens Berry, Sr. During a JAG tour in Vietnam, he successfully defended Green Berets against murder charges among other courtroom victories for his fellow servicemembers, resulting in major news coverage and an elite reputation. After leaving the service, he opened his own firm focused on criminal defense, but where he also represented many fellow Veterans on a pro bono basis against the VA.
The firm is now run by John S. Berry, , who retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the National Guard after earlier Active Duty tours in both Bosnia and Iraq. John has helped grow the firm while keeping its roots in military work ethic and values.
In our ranks are Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force Veterans. We have attorneys hailing from each branch, and feature both Officers and Enlisted, with service ranks ranging from E2 – O6 (including an E9). Our Veterans have served in Vietnam, Bosnia, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, at sea, and elsewhere around the world, and have the accompanying ribbon racks of sustained superior service to the country. Also on staff are Reservists and National Guardsmen still serving.
Our commitment to Veterans goes beyond our Veterans disability practice. In fact, Berry Law received the Patriot Award from the ESGR and a platinum medallion from the United States Department of Labor for our commitment to employing service members. The firm has also been named as “Military and Veterans Law Firm of the Year” by multiple agencies. We bring both our passion for the military and our passion for the law to help Nevada Veterans in their fight for disability benefits. If you need help fighting the VA for the disability benefits you earned, contact a Nevada VA disability lawyer on our team.
Berry Law represents Veterans throughout Nevada, including Veterans living in:
We often recommend Veterans first seek the assistance of a VSO when filing an initial claim. The VA recognizes some VSOs to help prepare and present claims to the VA. Examples of VSOs include AMVETS, The American Legion, and VFW Posts.
A few of the VA facilities in Nevada are:
Veterans Benefits Administration
VA Medical Center
Outpatient Clinic
Community Based Outpatient Clinic
Vet Center
Our monthly newsletter features about important and up-to-date veterans' law news, keeping you informed about the changes that matter.
