Question:
I'm going to go before a traveling BVA judge in the upcoming future on my appeal for TDIU. Should I hire an attorney at this stage to help with my appeal? I'm also getting an IMO report as evidence to help my case. Bottom line, should I hire an attorney? THANKS Don K
Jim's Reply:
Attorneys who are accredited by the VA to represent veterans are available to manage appeals of denied claims on a contingency fee basis...if you don't prevail, you owe no money.
Many attorneys don't accept cases that are already developed and scheduled for a hearing. By the time you or someone else has developed the case and it's scheduled, there isn't much else to be done. Then, if you haven't done your appeal development the right way and you lose, the attorney who dives in mid-stream will get the blame. Yes, I believe that almost every claim and appeal deserves an IMO. But we usually submit the IMO before we're scheduled to get in front of an ALJ so you're a bit behind the way I'd have done it. Getting a great IMO done may take some time...months...and by then if your appeal has been heard, well, it's too late.
You should talk with a lawyer or two and see what happens. For more info click here and here.