Answered by Virginia Girard-Brady, Owner/Attorney of ABS Legal Advocates, P.A.

Why should I hire you to represent me?
How much will it cost to have you represent me?
What happens if the CAVC sends my case back to the BVA? Will you represent me?
How can I hire you to represent me?
Can you represent me on all of my VA claims?
What can you do for me?

Why should I hire you to represent me?
First, my veterans tell me I do a good job. My veterans live in every state of the Union, including Hawaii and Alaska, along with Puerto Rico. Secondly, as a veterans’ attorney, my record shows that I have successfully represented hundreds of veterans at the VA Regional Offices all over the country, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA) and Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC). I have also formed a team of professionals to work for veterans too.

It does not matter that my office is located in Lawrence, Kansas. My team and I do the job for our veterans from any state and territory which forms the United States. I know the law, the system, the VA and how to make it work for you. I have the experience and I am stubborn. I am dedicated to winning for my veterans. They will tell you that I am determined and that I do not give up. I am also straight forward and plain spoken. I will tell it like it is. There is nothing I like better than to win for my veterans and to defeat the Veterans Administration in the process. I have never worked for the VA and I never will. Veterans are my clients, first and last.

I do not get the easy cases. Normally, by the time a veteran locates me, the VA has been delaying and trying to defeat the veteran for a good long time. I know how hard it has been for the veteran to deal with the VA in the past and I am determined to turn things around, to make a difference. How do I do that? WORK, EXPERIENCE, AND DETERMINATION. My experienced team of professionals and I carefully evaluate your case. If I cannot help you, I will tell you. I will not make promises.

How much will it cost to have you represent me?
First of all, it is important for you to know that I do not get paid unless you get paid. At the VA Regional Office, if a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) has been filed after June 20, 2007, under VA law, you and I can now enter into a direct-fee contract. Under a direct-fee contract, if you are awarded benefits or increased benefits for any claims I have assisted you with, the VA will withhold attorney fees of up to 20% for any past-due benefits (back pay) you are awarded. I do not receive any portion of your monthly VA benefits at any time. My staff and I will work hard to get you the benefits you deserve by filing all appeals in a timely manner, submitting all evidence that can be obtained, presenting arguments in support of your claims and following up with the VA agencies to ensure that action is being taken on your claims.

My representation at the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) is free. It costs you nothing to have me represent you at the CAVC. Why? Because you are no longer in the VA system itself. You are at another level where you can have your attorney fees paid by the government if you prevail. If we show that the VA made an error in your case, then the CAVC will send your case back to the BVA. That is considered a “win” and means that you have prevailed. At that point, the government will pay your attorney fees so that you don’t have to. This means you do not pay me at the CAVC. The government will pay me if I can help you win at the CAVC.

What happens if the CAVC sends my case back to the BVA? Will you represent me?
Yes. If I believe, after a follow-up evaluation of your case, that you have a strong case at the BVA, and possibly at the VA Regional Office, and you would want me to represent you at the BVA, I would be glad to represent you. In that event, we would ask you to sign a new fee agreement. We would explain to you the type of fee agreement we have to use and what we will need to do. But if you don’t want me to represent you after the case is returned from the CAVC, you don’t have to engage me as your attorney at that point.

How can I hire you to represent me?
Call my toll-free office number (1-888-511-9675) during our office hours, which are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST). You can fax (Toll Free 1-877-698-4152) or mail any relevant documents, like rating decisions and BVA decisions, to me. It costs you nothing to call and talk to my two full-time legal assistants, Kelly Pettengill and Lee Ann Rake. You are not obligated.

Can you represent me on all of my VA claims?
Yes. I will evaluate all of your VA claims that I am made aware of. I will decide if I can help you with all of your claims for veterans’ disability benefits, even those which need to be reopened, or those which you have not considered reopening, or those we might discover as the result of reviewing your VA claims folder. ABS is a full service veterans’ benefits law firm. We represent veterans at all levels, not just the VA Regional Office. Our approach is always to look at your VA claims as a whole and to try to get you as close to a 100% permanent disabled rating as possible and as far back in time as possible.

What can you do for me?
Get you as close to a 100% permanent disabled rating as possible and as far back in time as your claims warrant. I will not promise absolute success, but I do promise hard work and a “never say die” approach from a team devoted to your interest. We have excellent track records for our veterans filled with a high level of success. Let us work for you. I CLOSELY REVIEW ALL OF YOUR VA CLAIMS, PAST, PRESENT AND PENDING TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOU SHOULD BE RECEIVING MORE BENEFITS. IF SO, WE CAN HELP YOU. There is always more to your case than meets the eye or than what appears at first glance. Give me the chance to see what we can do for you.

I have represented veterans for nine years at all levels of the VA process. My professional team and I have been very successful for veterans. We are a very competent, experienced and successful team who cares about each individual veteran and his or her claims.

My professional team and I look at the big picture in your case. We review and evaluate all of your entire VA case. We are a full service veteran’s disability benefits law firm.

My professional team and I work only on behalf of veterans. We have never worked for the VA and never will. We are proud of that fact. We have not worked both sides. We know where our hearts and minds are: with the veteran.

My professional team and I are familiar with the complicated VA system, from the VA Regional Office to the BVA to the CAVC and beyond. We know how to make it work for the veteran, because we have made it work for hundreds of our veterans. None of us have ever needed to work for the VA.

My professional team and I know the frustration, heartache and anger the VA process has caused you. We will work to minimize that for you and we will take that burden off your shoulders.

It costs you nothing to call us.

We work hard for you against the Goliath VA and even up the fight. The VA has a full staff of bureaucrats, attorneys and assistants working for it. You need our team working for you.

We are experts at putting the evidence together. We make all of the arguments for you.

Whether a veteran’s claim is at the VA Regional Office, at the BVA or at the CAVC, an attorney must be prepared to work with volumes of medical records and documents, along with a great deal of information. An attorney has to take all of that information and work it into the law and regulations so that it benefits the veteran. An attorney has to know all of the relevant case law. We do all of that. We are not a single attorney office. We are a team of experienced attorneys and legal assistants with access to medical expertise.

For example, we go through your complete VA claims folder thoroughly to assess all aspects of your VA claims, past, present and future. We conduct a thorough, page by page review and evaluation.

My professional team and I look for every way possible to win your case. We are stubborn and aggressive. We are dedicated to the veteran. If we cannot win one way, we look for another way. Finding a favorable outcome for the veteran is our mission.

We talk to you in plain English and we talk straight. We think it’s better to tell you the truth than to sugarcoat the facts and the law. We find that our veterans want to know the truth and our professional judgment.

At the CAVC, you do not need an attorney who practices law in Washington D.C. The CAVC is an administrative court and does not require your presence and only rarely requires your attorney’s presence. When it does, we answer the CAVC’s call, which is seldom. However, 99% of everything in your case will be done through phone, fax, e-mail and U.S. mail.

I know the VA very well and enjoy the respect of the personnel at various VA agencies. We work with them daily.

We have represented hundreds of veterans from all over the United States. VA and CAVC personnel are well aware of our clients. They know how hard we work for our veterans.

We have established contacts throughout Washington D.C., the VA, Regional Offices around the country, the BVA, and the CAVC.

Make our team your team!