Our experience in representing several veterans in their Social Security claims gives us a unique understanding of many issues affecting today's veterans. We have represented individuals suffering from PTSD and the effects of Agent Orange, among many other service-connected conditions. In certain cases, a veteran seeking VA compensation based on unemployability may find that simultaneous Social Security applications may help to establish additional evidence of an inability to work. 

We assist Veterans throughout Michigan and in nearby states. 

If you have received a rating decision in your claim and would like to appeal that decision, please contact our office. Be advised that there is a time limit to appealing these decisions. 

Attorney Bethany G. Versical has been accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs to represent individuals in their claims before the VA. All consultations are free, and we only get paid if we win you benefits. 

For more information on Veterans Benefits, visit the VA's webpage for the Veterans Benefits Administration. 

Here are some quick facts about Veterans Benefits: 

• If you are the surviving spouse, child or parent of a Veteran who is deceased, you may be entitled to survivor's benefits from the VA. Please contact our office if you would like more information or a free consultation regarding entitlement to benefits for surviving family members. 
• A veteran can apply for both Social Security Disability benefits and Veterans Benefits. Receipt of benefits from the VA will not offset the receipt of Social Security Disability benefits (but may affect the receipt of Supplemental Security Income, which is need-based). 
• If you were denied VA benefits in the past, special rules allow for the reopening of a claim if there is "new and material evidence" available to support your claim. "New and material evidence" is defined as evidence that was not previously submitted to the VA and that relates to an unestablished fact necessary to prove the previous claim. If you believe that you now have new evidence that could help support a previously denied claim, you may wish to consult with an attorney about reopening a previous claim. 
• There are different types of VA claims to which veterans may be entitled. Compensation is for service-connected disabilities, while VA pension is need-based (similar to SSI). To be eligible for pension, the veteran needs to have served during wartime, meet low income requirements, and have a "total and permanent disability" that need not be service-connected. Compensation, on the other hand, is not need-based, but the disability must be connected to the time of service.