ABOUT VA BENEFITS CONSULTANTS
“He’d closed out over 2500 cases.”
This is about the owner. Yeah, he’s an attorney from Florida who must remain nameless, but keep reading. I was his secretary for over 13 years, and spent literally thousands of hours with the man. He wouldn’t write this himself because he still has an active law practice, and wants his involvement to remain “out of conflict” with his practice of law, something like that. Technical stuff involving liability insurance – boring. He started VA Benefits Consultants, this non-law firm business, not because he needed to, but because he saw a need. Does that sound like a cliché? I made it up myself. But I was there when it happened, and saw the whole thing.
He was a trial attorney for 25 years, I was answering his phone for 13 of them. His kids were grown, and he’d closed out over 2500 cases when I stopped working for him. Who knows what it is now. He didn’t need to make-more-money, blah blah blah (as he would say).He was 50 years old, having become an attorney by the age of 25.I remember how he wanted a change of pace, but couldn’t just “retire.” The man wasn’t capable of being on vacation for 5 or 6 days in a row, and then he just started wanting to… work. On something. What I think he needed was to find a need, an injustice, a calling. And then? This happened:
“I can’t trust myself to visit my son.”
PLEASE TAKE 5 MINUTES TO READ VINCE’S STORY:
One of our former clients returned from the wars after a number of tours. Italian guy, New Jersey, complete with the accent. Good looking, built. I’ll call him “Vince,” not his real name. Vince was a Marine, a Gunny Sergeant on a “helo” (helicopter, for my non-veteran readers) with multiple tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I came into the office one Monday morning, and the attorney was standing in his office, looking out his window, lost in his thoughts. I asked if he’d had his coffee yet, and he said, “Sit down, Kelly, I’ve got something huge on my mind that I need to bounce off you. I need a fresh set of ears to hear this.” He sounded so serious. I was kind of concerned, to be honest. The story he told – complete with the parts where his voice broke with emotion, is one I’ll never forget. It changed him forever. And it created VA Benefits Consultants.
It involved Vince. And I’ll tell it to you in his voice, the way he told it to me:
“Now that Vince was back, Vince phoned me and said he wanted to touch base with me ‘just for the hell of it.’ We met, we had a few beers at BJ’s, and he wasn’t himself. At all. You know Vince… he’s sharp, funny, tough, nasty but big-hearted guy, but now… he had no confidence. He wasn’t really “there,” he couldn’t seem to stay on any topic. He went from not paying attention to what I was saying at all – to suddenly talking about something unrelated. Little eye contact, halting speech, and he seemed to be aware of the fact that he wasn’t right, you know? That he was messing up. His smile looked fake, his eyes didn’t smile with his mouth. And then? It started. Vince started choking back tears, and told me what he’d brought me there to hear, ‘I can’t trust myself to visit my son.’ And his tears flowed. He’d really wanted to be able to say it without breaking down, but that wasn’t gonna happen. Now I knew why he wanted to talk, and I knew why he wanted to talk specifically to me.”
Vince had used our office to fight for custody of his young son, before he’d been deployed. We both knew how much he loved his son.
“I knew something was very wrong with him right away. As he choked out the rest of his story, about how he’d not seen his 11 year-old son, or even told his son he’d returned from deployment, in the 5 months he’d been back. This unbelievably tough dude’s heart was broken. And I’ll be honest. It got me too. My eyes were welling up too. “And you know me – I don’t cry”.
That’s where his voice broke just trying to re-tell the story. This tough, old, hard-hearted trial lawyer who’d seen every form of injustice, betrayal, lie, and rip-off ever imagined lost his composure for a moment. His mask slipped off, and he was very human. He really, really cared.
As anyone with a heart (or a brain) can tell, Vince had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Bad. And that’s when our next “legal” adventure with Vince began. We looked into his military status, and he was being let go with a 30% disability, PTSD, Anxiety. That sounded “friggin’ nuts” to the attorney. This man was completely disabled. 100%. What had this man been through – running live ammo through a M-134 minigun at real enemies off the deck of a helo? What had he seen? For us, for me. So I could live as I do. Don’t we all owe him a debt of gratitude?
“I was, apparently, a joke to the VA Benefits”
I’ll not go into the long story of the frustration, the waste of time, the angering dishonesty, the inexplicable incompetence, and bureaucratic foolishness we encountered in our so-called “expert” effort to help. Vince couldn’t afford any fee, he’d alienated his former fiancé, and I didn’t know if any of his friends still wanted to be with him, so our office was probably it. We knew nothing of the whole VA Disability evaluation process. I was no veteran, neither was the attorney. We had no disabilities, and we had no expertise in the area at all. But this story has as happy an ending as it can really have, so I’ll throw out some direct quotes from the attorney himself, as I’d heard in the months of our efforts to help Vince.
“I am, apparently, a joke to the VA – to be vigorously ignored.”
When he learned that, despite his best efforts, Vince’s application to increase his disability rating had been rejected yet again – for lack of evidence-
“It’s [The VA’s] like a court without reason, without logic! We’re invited to present our case, but nobody’s listening!”
“I’m, like, telling-jokes-to-the-deaf, doing-card-tricks-for-the-blind… I am… useless!”
That was him, sometimes pacing back and forth in his office. And he was a trained professional when it came to assembling and presenting evidence.
“This would not stand.”
“Well… they’ve messed with the wrong man. Me. I know people. Hell, haven’t I donated to some campaigns at some point?!”
“You know, come to think of it, I know some federal judges! And I’ve never asked anybody for a favor in my life!”
He was pissed. This would not stand. He started gathering up whatever influence he could muster, calling in some help. I placed some of the calls myself. We got some information about the personnel involved in the decision. We were ultimately able to name a few names to some senior workers in the VA benefits consultant department and was able to ice that cake with a letter from a congressman wanting to apply pressure to the VA benefits consultant department. Surprise, surprise, suddenly Vince was 100% disabled, bringing in FAR more retirement and disability income(VA Benefits) every month. For the rest of his life. Huge life impact change. He’d be able to buy a house. Own a car. “Boom. Done.” as the attorney said.
But it wasn’t done. Not by a long shot. The attorney couldn’t let go of this whole “VA Benefits” issue like I saw him do with all his other cases. Oh, at first, he did the usual post-win self-congratulations. He raised a glass of bourbon in his office when we got the news, and pronounced loudly, “Who the f#@k did they think they were messin’ with!!” You know how guys are when their masculinity is challenged. I know through other sources that he’d managed to work his harrowing experience into a few dinner party conversations – basically making it sound like he single-handedly conquered the entire Federal Government. Yeah, he can be an ass. Especially when he drinks.
But in his defense, he couldn’t let it go. He ended up focusing on the VA disability process like a laser, pulling up code sections, reading through parts of the government website I don’t think any human being has ever actually read. And when he gets like that? Big things tended to follow.
He did an all-nighter at the office. Definitely not his style. I asked if I needed to be concerned. He looked up and said,
“You know, Kelly, it’s just dawned on me, that the way they treated Vince is happening all the time…it never stops. And mentally disabled veterans are the easiest target imaginable, they’re completely helpless…”
What I think happened is that this became a “calling” for him. And for me.
“Their rules aren’t so bad if you can get them to follow them for VA Benefits.”
SO… it began… We already knew a few things about creating legal business entities. And I knew a few things about (telling other people to design) websites. And we’ve learned A LOT about all the methods the VA benefits has to keep from giving VA Benefits to veterans. In so doing, I’ve also learned what the actual rules are governing the VA Benefits. And we’ve learned how to hold their feet to the fire and get them to “yes.” As it turns out, their rules aren’t so bad if you can get them to actually follow them.
VA Benefits Consultants can now say to any disabled veteran: “Send in your list of disabilities, tell us how you’re doing, and let us see what we can do!” We’ll be honest with you. If you’ve got no shot, we won’t waste each other’s time. If you’ve got a good chance, we’ll present your case in a manner most persuasive to the life-long bureaucrat. If you’re an easy case, we’ll kick that disability rating up just as high as we can kick ‘er. If you completely strike out, then the time, the work, the fees, the cost of the doctors, etc… that’s on me. There are those who might throw this into the no-brainer category and say that you have, literally, nothing to lose. That’s why this stuff just sells itself.
“This ain’t the VA benefits Consultant department”
Once you get increased your VA benefits, spread the word, pay the agreed fee to keep the lights on around here, and we’ll be here for the next disabled veteran. In my considered opinion, this is one of the best ways you veterans can help each other most. This is what “Veterans helping Veterans” is all about. We can all give a nod to Vince, whose terrible experience started this wonderful, huge rolling rock.
If we’re slow, or anyone here’s ever rude, you let us know, because that’s never going to happen. This ain’t the VA benefits department.
Kelly Molina
Kelly Molina,
Former Paralegal. Benefits-booster. Friend.
FAQS
How to increase my VA Benefits?
The main thing you have to know is that the individuals who have served in the military experience a ton of foot issues, including plantar fasciitis. The VA is extremely mindful of this, and they’ve made their own framework for evaluating what indications and what seriousness of those side effects will trigger the following degree of the disability rating. Here you can learn how to increase my VA benefits through our VA benefits consultant. This will also help you to easily apply for VA benefits.
ANSWER: Of course we have! Check this out:
The “Do’s” and “Don’ts” for filing a claim with VA Benefits Consultants
As is true with everything else in the world, there are right ways and wrong ways to use this service. If you do the “Do’s,” and don’t do the “Don’ts,’ it’s only going to help one person: you. So, here goes: The “Do’s:”
1) SHOOT STRAIGHT WITH US FROM THE GIT GO….
Provide all collateral information about your situation with VA benefits to your caseworker – mainly having to do with compensation and symptoms. Any pending claims, appeals, or unique factors about your VA benefits pay and service-connected disabilities are important for us to predict how your claim might go and what type of fee you should pay. If you are paying back a severance or are in the reserves, this affects your compensation – which is exactly what we need to know everything about. This ensures fairness and transparency for clients and consultants. We cannot proceed if you have pending claims. We charge fees based on how much your compensation changes at the time of that decision, so if you are approved for an increase after signing our contract based on something we are not helping you increase, it throws off our billing process and could result in over-billing, unnecessary confusion, extra work, and that makes it more difficult to calculate a fair fee based on the contract. Provide us with all the information about Compensation and Pension exams, Routine Future Exams, and all VA appointments which could affect your ratings. To explain why, I need to stray into a “Don’t” here: With our highly favorable increase claim process, we rely on private doctor’s medical evidence which we help you generate. The VA will throw out our paperwork if you attend a C&P exam while our claim is pending. This is essentially the worst thing you could do – risking our medical evidence and the success of your claim. If you attend a C&P exam against this advice, causing our medical evidence to be thrown out, you will be charged the $250 we fronted for any exams you had with our doctors. You essentially flushed our money down the toilet: $250 we handed to a doctor that doesn’t need the money – and we’re going to recoup it from the person at fault. You. If you’re intent upon attending a C&P Exam when we say “no?” Don’t hire us. You are free to lose your claim without our help. 😉
2) CAREFUL WHERE YOU AIM THAT THING…
Our “Case Specific Questionnaires” are works of art, giving away many secrets of our craft, and helping you articulate your disability more precisely. They’ve evolved over the years to transform your words into a scientifically precise DBQ that our professionals can stand behind to the VA beneffits. Be as specific as possible about your symptoms and give examples of the boxes you check on our questionnaires, pertaining to the types of symptoms you experience, and the severity thereof. This is particularly important for mental disabilities, as they are rated based on the number of symptoms you experience.
3) HEAD ‘EM UP AND MOVE ‘EM OUT…
Submit your Intent to File as soon as you decide to move forward with our services. This opens the door for potential back-pay, which could help you cover the fee once the claim is approved. To be clear, we do not guarantee any back-pay and our fees are not contingent upon you receiving back-pay. But we want to help you in any way possible, and this one of the many ways we can use our knowledge to get you more money faster. But see below…
4) USE THE FORCE, LUKE…
We make guides available to everyone that signs on with us, that walk you through exactly how to handle the VA benefits website. Read them. USE them. Some really smart people – serious nerds – went through this stuff for you ahead of time, and that’s why disabled vets come to us. While your Intent to File is the first step in submitting your increase claim, DO NOT specify what you want to increase at this time. Follow our guide very specifically, and please stop on benefits where the guide tells you to do so.
5) DIG UP THE DIRT…
Obtain the most recent treatment records you have for your service-connected disabilities and provide this to your VA Benefits Consultant. Do not be discouraged if you do not have extensive records. We help you generate medical evidence, but anything you have to support our doctors’ recommendations and provide further detail is helpful. If you do not have medical records, you can always go to your doctor to get the most recent accurate snapshot of the symptoms you experience. Some VA disabilities require medical evidence. Such disabilities include heart conditions, kidney conditions, respiratory conditions such as asthma, as well as the Gulf War presumptive disabilities (IBS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Fibromyalgia) The “Don’ts:”
1) LET ME DO MY JOB…
After we get your money, we’re going to charge you for this. Let us earn our keep. Do not file any claims while we are gathering our medical evidence, before or after we submit your claim for increase. This could adversely affect the result of your claim, i.e., completely wreck it. Submitting an additional claim (especially if it is for something we did not have our doctors write paperwork for!) would result in the VA benefits requesting C&P exams for whatever you claimed, as well as for what we are requesting to increase. We don’t want that. We like to win. We use our doctors, not theirs. Did you read how snippy and snotty we got up there in the “Do’s” paragraph 1 when we were talking about C&P Exams and charging you $250? This is the same stuff. Our team will inform you when we are ready to submit your claim.
2) PIGS GET FAT AND HOGS GET SLAUGHTERED…
Do not lie about your conditions. While there is a lot of subjective criteria we can use to get you the highest possible ratings, and while it is in all of our best interests to get you as highly rated as possible, remember that our doctors put their jobs on the line to sign off on your paperwork. We cannot get you rated for a condition you do not have.
3) ….BUT ON THE OTHER HAND…
Do not sell yourself short. Having submitted hundreds of VA benefits claims, I understand that warrior mentality that wants to “throw some dirt on it” or “walk it off.” This often prevents a veteran from fully expressing the severity of their conditions. Something we’ll tell you, and something they won’t: the VA is supposed to rate your conditions based on the worst flare-up out of the whole year.
4) DON’T BE SHY…
Like everyone else on the planet, you probably have good days and bad days. But you are supposed to be compensated based on the most extreme flare-ups you experience. This might sound different than how the VA makes it seem when you attend C&P exams. Don’t be shy to say that your range of motion is completely restricted at some point in the year, or that you experience pain as soon as you move a joint. “Persistent” symptoms do not necessarily mean every single symptom every single day. It just means you have some or any of the symptoms you described at least once a day.
ANSWER: No, we’re not a law firm, and no attorney will be representing you. We created our system using the advice of attorneys, and those policies involve negotiating through a network of various laws, but our employees give out no legal advice. They follow a pre-written book of policies and guidelines designed to max out your individual results. If you want legal advice, we fully recommend that you contact an attorney of your choice.
ANSWER: While it depends in a large degree upon how diligently you follow our instructions, it’s also going to depend on how quickly the VA makes a decision about your claim. The VA benefits claims that the average wait time on a decision relative to an application to increase benefits is 107 days. Our average is less since we’re getting the forms right the first time. Our average would be MUCH less, but we’re accepting more complicated than average cases, that require multiple DBQ’s in many cases… and those difficult cases simply take longer.
ANSWER: Yes. Just like building a computer, doing calculus, or performing a kidney transplant. All the information we’ve accumulated in crafting our approach is available, one place or another, on the internet. In this field of inquiry, some governmental websites have the laws relative to medical thresholds, others tell you matching code appendices, most private help sites just automate you through the same duplicated forms you can already get on the VA’s benefits website and try and charge you for them. The VA’s website won’t tell you the real rules they have to live by internally, and only lead you down the path and to the doctors that they want. Beware, as all their policies are designed to accomplish is “delay and deny.” We have a better way.
You can, because we take all the risk of failure. The only effect you’ll experience through our assistance is an increase in your income. Our fee will come entirely from that increase in income that we achieve on your behalf, or there won’t be any fee at all. If you win big, and your fee is relatively high, all you have to do is select the “12 month payback” program, and our fee will come out of your increased income so that you never go a single cent out of pocket. Then, 12 months later, enjoy the higher income for the rest of your life. Some of our clients decrease their fee from “12 months increase” to 11 – merely by automating the payments. Their monthly actual income remains the same even while paying off our fee. Other’s decrease our fee to “10 months of the increased income” by paying it off with credit cards that they now qualify for with their increased income!
ANSWER: Experience, and Trust. A short discussion with one of our Case Managers will make you know you’re in good hands. Our company makes no money at all unless we help you, so all our people are motivated to get you results. And you’ll speak with real people, not automated systems. Yes, we’ve had to master a lot of high technology to operate nationwide out of our physical location, but you’ll find yourself dealing with actual folks here in the USA, and on a first name basis.
ANSWER: Theoretically, yes! We’ve had clients who both a) never really suffered from the disabilities that they originally claimed, and then b) disobeyed our instructions in a manner that exposed that truth to the VA! Rendering yourself even worse off requires a combination of dishonesty and stupidity that we make every effort to prevent. Where a client exposes their dishonest situation to our people only? That information is absolutely confidential, and goes no further, or that employee will be immediately terminated. The VA learns nothing of it. If you’re like 99.9% of our clients that simply want to be compensated for the true nature of their disability, you’ll have no chance of getting worse off, and every chance of success.
ANSWER: The fee is the catch. It isn’t free. Yes, you benefit greatly, but only after paying for our services. Our organization pays its overhead, its employees, and donates a portion of every fee to The Wounded Warrior Project and Tunnels to Towers. Word of mouth to your fellow disabled veteran is the best favor you can do for that individual, making sure you spell out the website accurately!
