usually it is a good idea to shop around but wanted to ask if it is a good idea to submit a VA claims denial to a few of the legal groups who represent vets.

such as these two:

www.legalhelpforveterans.com http://www.veteranslaw.com

from Internet research they both appear highly recommended. i was thinking of sending both my claims denial and compare notes as to fees, and responses, etc.

or should i toss a coin and just go with one?

Contact both and ask for a copy of their contract and look them over. You can make up your mind. They are not going to tell you much until you sign a contract and they get your records to review. They want to make sure you have a winning claim and that they can make some money. See who wants you claim the worst, and see who is willing to get on an airplance to come to your DRO Hearing on their dime.

thanks john, good advice i will heed. i will request a contract from both and feel them out.

my humbleness with the VA hasn't served me well with the VA over the years so have to get a good lawyer.

thanks again for the help...i'll be asking more as time goes on

You know it is an adversarial relationship with the VA when you ask for compensation. We all should have had access to lawyers decades ago. I would have gotten 100% forty years ago.

John-I am sure that is the case for thousands of veterans.

I griped abput the lawyer regs when they were first published in the Federal Register for comments.

Those of us who had filed NODs prior to June 20 2007 still had no access to lawyers through this new law.

I think the VA itself should hire lawyers to replace the adjudicators at the VAROs.

One good lawyer could do the work of a dozen poorly trained RO raters and prepare proper decisions right from the git go.

Lawyers love evidence and would be by far better at reading our evidence and weighing it properly than what we get now from ROs.They also have ethical obligations and hopefully would not be persuaded to deny rather then work the claim .

I am still ticked that it took over 6 years for the VA to read my evidence-and only when a BVA lawyer had read the whole claim,referring to evidence I sent them 6 years ago.

Berta- My God, six years just to read the evidence!!! i really have no comprehension of the "why's" of such nonsense. does not that border on criminal? certainly an ethical issue at the least.

no wonder veterans & AD have to get legal representation. the last claim i sent in, the RO didn't take into account any new med evidence that was already in my med file. they used 23 yo med docs to state their deny.

i guess i am not surprized they took six years on your new evidence. no one in the USA or Washington is even listening are they?