This is a very good question. After all, experienced VA disability
attorneys usually charge a 20% contingent fee, whereas Veterans Service Officers
(VSOs) provide representation for free.
There is no doubt that the vast majority of VSOs try their level best to
help disabled veterans. And many do a very fine job at it. However, in recent
years, the VA disability system has become more complex and adversarial. Due to
incompetency, needless formality, and basic insensitivity, many VA regional
offices have become bureaucratic nightmares. Disabled veterans are asked to
submit more and more favorable evidence just to obtain their entitled benefits.
And, VA offices require an ever greater understanding of the complexity of VA
statutes, regulations, and court cases.
In general, attorneys have more legal sophistication than VSOs, as
attorneys, by definition, have a legal education. Beyond this, attorneys who
practice exclusively Veterans Disability law (like the attorneys of the Veterans
Law Group {VLG}) have a greater understanding of the workings of the VA
system. Moreover, attorneys are generally selective in the type of cases they take.
VSOs, on the other hand, must accept any and all cases which come their way.
This means that an attorney will give more time and attention to each individual
case.
And finally — and this is very important – law firms have more
resources than VSOs in terms of staff support and funds to prosecute VA claims.
In most cases, medical evidence will decide the fate of claims. Typically, the VA
obtains its own medical examinations, which are generally unfavorable to
disabled veterans. Law firms, such as the VLG, have the budget to pay for their
own private examinations (ranging from $800-$1,500) to rebut adverse VA
examinations.
