Dear Veterans,

It has been said that a person who takes their own counsel has a fool for a client. That adage can be applied to veterans who are going into the fray to receive Veterans Administration compensation.

Putting together an application for VA disability can seem daunting. The amount of paperwork to justify the claim and the written description is enough to make many veterans say it is not worth the time and effort.

But it is! This department estimates that 8,000 to 12,000 of the more than half-million Garden State vets, who deserve compensation have never filed a VA claim. There are thousands more veterans that have never had their VA claims reevaluated.

This equals millions of dollars that veterans of New Jersey are not going after. It is your money and you are entitled to it.

We can help you or a veteran you know to start receiving a monthly check, as well as a possible lump sum payment for prior months dating back to when the condition was determined to be service related.

Recently one of our Veterans Service Officers (VSO) assisted on a claim that was worth $151,000 in back payments to a Desert Storm veteran. In this issue we have a story of a World War II widow who received compensation for her husband’s service in the Pacific Theater, a claim for a service-connected medical problem from more than six decades ago.

Actually, the most impressive back compensation claim recently awarded through the efforts of one of our VSOs was a dollar amount in excess of $500,000.

Take a look at the listing of our VSOs and make a call for an appointment, whether it’s for a first-time claim or to have your current VA disability reevaluated. Remember as you age, and your health deteriorates, you might be entitled to increased disability payments.

I am not saying you won’t have to lift a finger to get through the VA maze, but you will have an experienced professional walking you through the process of getting all the paperwork together. These VSOs have a wealth of knowledge that will guide you in writing up your claim and the experience to assist with the appeal process.

You have a potential for gain with nothing to lose, so please let us help you today. This department stands ready to serve you, just as you have served this nation.