VA Benefits - 3 Simple Tips

The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) operates about as well as a soup sandwich. Absurd and contradictory regulations piled on top of one another. Internal guidance to VA employees improperly advising them to do the opposite of such regulations. Sets of rules that apply at one level but mean nothing at certain other levels of appeal.

Years of inconsistencies within the VA benefits system have made it much more complicated than necessary. However, as unfairly as veterans and their families are treated as a result, the system will always be the system. Unfortunately, change has yet to appear on the horizon.

So, what’s the solution for someone who may be eligible for VA Pension benefits? Here are a few tips:

(1) Do not seek information or assistance with an application from the VA itself. As contrary to logic as that may sound, it is the absolute truth. Our experience confirms the folklore of how difficult it is for our veterans to obtain their well-deserved benefits. VA employees are not necessarily to blame; their superiors and administrators at the VBA are at fault. The information the VA might attempt to provide might well do far more harm than good. That’s the ultimate travesty.

(2) Do not attempt to apply for VA benefits on your own. Depending on your situation and needs, quality advocates do exist to help you avoid the pitfalls built into the VA system.

(3) If you look into VA Pension benefits, choosing an advocate who is not a swindler and who is competent and experienced enough to know about successfully applying is crucial. VA benefits claims get tied up in the VA labyrinth indefinitely when uninformed applicants choose the DIY route or advocates fail to do their job. That’s when people who are in fact eligible give up. It’s all about doing it right. Find someone with a proven track record. Talk to as many potential advocates as you need until it feels right. Then ask about their reputation. Much can be said of what others have to say about you.

We are simply disgusted by this situation and tired of seeing the incompetence of many who claim to help veterans. Too often, the ultimate result is either depriving them of thousands of benefit dollars or destroying their chances of proving entitlement at all.

Accurate information holds the key to the VA benefits fortress. Inaccurate information (and deception) creates a moat that guards the truth. Our hope is that you’ll grasp that key, stay out of the moat, and allow someone to fight on your behalf.

To learn more about entitlement to VA benefits, give us a call at 706.850.6910. If we can’t help, we can certainly point you in the right direction. Your well-being matters the most to us.