Veteran Appeal | Using Buddy Statements | Cameron Firm PC

Call for a FREE Consultation. Serving Veterans Nationwide. No Fee Until You Win. Attorney Is A Veteran.
www.veteranappeal.com/ [phone] Cameron Firm PC | Veteran Appeal veteranappeal.com/va-accessib...
Using Buddy Statements Along with Service Records
A veteran's service record, which often establishes a service-related connection for VA disability status, may be inadequate by itself.
Older service records may get lost or destroyed, leading to problems in disability claims later on. In the case of the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center, without records establishing the onset of a condition in service, many veterans had their claims denied due to circumstances outside their control.
Frequently, service records are little more than deployment records. They show where a veteran was stationed and may indicate something about the veteran's daily duties, mainly through the veteran's service rank. This basic information may be enough to establish a service-related connection in an Agent Orange or other presumptive illness case, for example. However, it might not be enough to make a connection in trauma injury or other illness cases, like asbestos exposure.
To fill in the gap, a VA disability attorney must look beyond the service records, usually to buddy statements, which are written statements from other service members with whom the veteran served. These statements clarify the veteran's daily duties and also specify what dangerous conditions, like toxins or asbestos, they may have been exposed to.
VA PTSD Ratings
VA PTSD ratings are one example in which a service record alone may not be enough to make a connection.
In PTSD ratings for the VA, evidence of the impact PTSD has on a veteran's daily life is needed. Often it is difficult for the veteran to testify to this, so family members and friends can submit statements of what they observe. Buddy statements from family and friends often more accurately describe a veteran's symptoms, especially in PTSD ratings.
These individuals cannot testify about the legal aspects of the claim. But they can testify about how a condition affects a veteran's everyday life.
Buddy statements can also provide support for what the veteran has already stated to the VA. In a VA rating for migraines, for example, the veteran can state they are incapacitated for a day. Then a co-worker can testify that the veteran misses work regularly due to migraines.
When a veteran's claim is denied, they can file a notice of disagreement with the decision using VA Form 10182, followed by submission of new evidence using VA Form 20-0995.
An attorney is a valuable partner in all phases of a disability claim. For a free consultation with an experienced veterans disability lawyer, contact, Cameron Firm, PC at [phone] or visit www.veteranappeal.com. We are here to represent veterans nationwide.
US COURT OF APPEALS FOR VETERANS CLAIMS
TOTAL DISABILITY INDIVIDUAL UNEMPLOYABILITY
DISABILITIES DUE TO AGENT ORANGE EXPOSURE
DEPENDENCY INDEMNITY COMPENSATION
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)
There is no fee until we win.
Call 24/7 for a free consultation (800).861-7262
A Veteran Owned Business
Cameron Firm, PC.
veteranappeal.com
Link to the contact form veteranappeal.com/contact/