The Hardships Of Transitioning From Military Life With Pain

Veterans may find it hard to settle into a civilian life for various reasons. For many veterans, the military is the first major event of their adult life and may be the only way they know to live. For others, the culture is just so vastly different that shifting gears into another career is too challenging to do alone. If you're able to jump those hurdles, pain and mobility issues can still hold you back. If you're fresh to the veteran scene and not sure about pursuing compensation, take a short look into the life of pain adjustment and ways that an attorney could help.

It May Not Seem Like Much Now...

If you're under severe pain because of military-related problems, seek a lawyer as soon as possible. There's a lot of good advice that can help veterans who aren't sure of their condition, but if you're unable to function and constantly in dire pain, it's better to put your chances at compensation in the hands of a lawyer who can work with Veterans Affairs for disability compensation. Don't debate it, just do it.

The rest of this article is for veterans who aren't so sure about their conditions. Not all injuries are caused by combat situations, incidents in the workplace or severe car accidents. The simple act of being in the military with all its long shifts, awkward boots and rough conditions can put your body through strain that may have you aching and complaining decades sooner than the average civilian.

The boots are one point of contention. They're good for handling the terrain and protecting your feet from situations that aren't guaranteed to be safe, but they aren't designed for comfort or posture. Running in boots isn't always a good idea, since the extra weight can affect the way that your legs move and create problems for your back and spine on foot impact, but if something happens that requires you to run, you have to deal with it.

If time passes and you're still in pain, it may get worse. A slight neck discomfort may turn into a pulsing headache that takes you to your knees, and a little back pain or stiffness may turn into stabbing pain every time you walk. Err on the side of caution and put in a claim for disability to get a medical review by the VA, and get a lawyer if you think you deserve disability.

Why Is A Lawyer Necessary?

The VA only provides disability for conditions that are proven to be service-connected. This means that you need either documented proof of how the problem is related to the military or a good argument for why the information isn't documented.

Although it's anecdotal, many veterans believe that VA claims are denied on a regular basis for most veterans. It could be the VA claim system's backlog management, or it could be veterans with no experience in the claim system trying to fill out complex forms that they aren't used to. Either way, if you're denied, it may be best to get a lawyer on your side.

There's no cost to file a claim or even an appeal, but every time you wait on an often-slow response from the VA, there's time in your life that you could be pain free or compensated for your pain. A personal injury attorney has more experience in legal and administrative processes involving injuries and can craft an appeal that is more likely to succeed.

Shoot for success sooner rather than later and contact a personal injury law firm such as Gartner Law Firm.