What You Need To Know About the VA Claims Process

January 7, 2021

Once you file a disability claim, the process may take some time, depending on various factors. According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, it took an average of 131.5 days to finish reviewing disability cases in 2020. Time taken depends on the claim type, complexity of the injuries, and how fast VA review’s your evidence. Read on to learn more about the VA claims process.

Filling the Claim

First, a veteran must file a claim detailing why they deserve VA benefits based on their disability. You can submit an application through the following ways:

Online through the VA’s eBenefits account
Sending an email to the veteran affairs department
Taking a VA form to a VA regional office
Completing the form with an accredited agent or representative

Once you complete the filling process, the VA sends an acknowledgment that they received your claim, depending on the procedure used. In case there was missing information or you used the wrong form, the VA will indicate the required changes before processing the claim.

Initial Disability Review Claim

In this step, the VA develops a claim by getting your veteran medical records to make a follow-up. They can also use other medical records that you had included in your details. In case you have a current medical condition, the VA conducts a physical exam or gives a VAE so that they provide a medical findings report.

You will then receive a letter from VA explaining the claims process. It will explain what the VA will do, what the veteran needs to do, and substantiate your claim.

Evidence Gathering and Review

At this stage, VA indulges in the evidence-gathering process since they need to help the veteran obtain all the crucial evidence supporting their claim. Therefore, there is a lot of back and forth with the veteran making this step the longest part of the entire procedure.

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VA will also send the veteran a letter confirming that the claim process is still ongoing. It includes a list of documents that the VA wants to gather, such as employment history. If you have access to any detailed information, you can send it to VA to hasten the process.

The Veteran Service Representative (VSR) will complete some of the following actions:

Review of the evidence that you and other parties availed
Ask for the veteran’s medical evidence, or use other medical providers’ information who have treated the condition that led to your disability
Pass your claim application for decision making

Veterans can also submit a fully developed claim (FDC) if they believe they have all the information needed to make a final decision.

If the VSR determines that your claim needs more evidence, they can return it to the evidence-gathering stage. It happens when the VA needs a review of more healthcare records and other vital information.

Preparation for Decision Approval

After gathering all the required evidence, a Rating Veteran Service Representative (RVSR) makes a review of all documents. They will make a decision and prepare documentation that shows their recommendation. The claim then proceeds to the approval stage, where a VA adjudicator reviews the proposals for a final decision.

The RSVR does a second VA disability review and passes it to another superior for another evaluation. The Department of Veterans Affairs prepares a decision packet and sends it to your home address. It includes details of your reward amount and the formula used to get it.

The above procedures give essential information on a veteran’s claim process. Still, if you disagree with the VA’s decision, you can appeal the process within a year. You can use this VA claims and appeals process interactive tool to keep track of your benefits claim’s progress.

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The History of Smoothies

A smoothie is a thick drink made in a blender. Smoothies usually contain fruit of some kind, and may also contain other ingredients such as milk, soy milk, yogurt, ice cream and nutritional supplements. Smoothies are indeed healthy, thanks to their healthy ingredients such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Recently, smoothies have enjoyed a boost in popularity due to their reputation for being healthy, but this drink has actually been around since the mid-20th century. Older Fruit Drinks Blending fruit with ice has long been a practice in many cultures. Latin Americans, whose region of the world is famous for its bounty of tropical fruits, drink many different fruit juice concoctions. These were the inspiration for some of the first smoothies made in the United States. In India, fruits such as mangoes and strawberries are blended with yogurt and ice to make a drink called a lassi. History The term “smoothie” has been around since the early 20th century, but it wasn’t until 1930 that it was used to describe a drink. Early smoothies were simply fruit, fruit juice, and ice, and they were an obscure concept in the United States until the natural food craze of the ’60s and ’70s. During these decades, health food stores popped up around the country, and these stores often made and sold blended fruit drinks. Blenders The history of the smoothie is closely tied to the history of the blender because without this appliance, smoothie making would be almost impossible. The Waring Blender, which was invented in the late ’30s, was the first blender to be used in smoothie making. More recently, the appearance of the Vita-Mix has revolutionized the world of smoothies. This blender is powerful enough to grind ingredients like raw vegetables and nuts into a smooth paste, which makes it perfect for making smoothies. Evolution In 1973, Steve Kuhnau founded the first Smoothie King in Louisiana. Kuhnau, who had been experimenting with smoothie recipes for years, added ingredients such as yogurt, protein powder, and vitamins to his smoothies. Over the next three decades, Smoothie King smoothie bars spread across the country and made the term “smoothie” a household word. At the same time, smoothies were becoming available in more restaurants, juice bars, and health food stores. Soon, pre-bottled smoothies, made by companies like Naked Juice and Odwalla, appeared in grocery stores. Today, smoothies of every flavor and variety are easy to find, no matter where you live. In addition, many websites and books offer recipes for homemade smoothies. Varieties Just about anything can be made into a smoothie. Some smoothie makers add vegetables such as spinach, carrots, seaweed, and even hot peppers to make their smoothies extra healthy. You can also find chocolate, vanilla, and coffee smoothies in many places. Some of these smoothies may seem more like milkshakes, but for the most part, smoothies contain healthy ingredients, such as vitamins and protein powder, and are often lower in fat than other creamy drinks.
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How can online chats help us to meet new people?

Since the magic of the Internet took off, the possibilities when it comes to flirting or making friends have become endless; And this is precisely one of the advantages of online chats, which allow you, among other things, to meet great people from all over the world if you want to. Beyond allowing a conversation type communication, it is also possible to share multimedia files in many cases; such as: images, videos, music, web links and even documents. For reasons like these, chats have been so successful, and continue to be. Today there are a large number of platforms that offer the possibility of “chatting”. Consequently, a romantic, friendship, age, international, LGBT chat and even thematic chats are derived; with a view to users choosing the option that suits them best. Great advantages of online chats It is a connection that is made instantly, without delay when sending messages. In a single chat, 2 or more people can connect or communicate simultaneously. In a simple and practical way you can be in contact with the people you love the most. You have the possibility of being in contact with someone from another place, that you have ever met, in order to maintain the relationship at a distance. While for some it is very easy to meet new people and make friends in a very short time, for others it is an extremely complicated task that on many occasions seems almost impossible. The good thing is that there are different ways to meet new people, not only do we have to go to a bar or meet people in social gatherings, we can also chat in Spain and meet new people who in the same way cannot or do not have the time to go out and meet people the “traditional” way. What is an online chat? Despite the fact that online chats are quite famous, it is possible that some of us do not know this way of talking with people from all over the world in a very simple and direct way. An online chat is simply a messaging website that allows us to communicate with different people at the same time and, if any of those people understand better with us, we can proceed to open a private chat and talk about more personal things and get to know each other better (There are also some online chats in which we go directly to private conversations without going through previous group conversations). Advantages of online chats One of the great advantages that these types of online platforms have is that nobody knows us, nobody sees our physique and, therefore, we can be who we want to be, we can talk about the things we like the most and we assure you that you will always find to a friend who shares your interests. Another very important advantage is that the best platforms for online chat offer different chat groups, for example, we can find a group to chat with people who are only in our country: Also a chat for people abroad, chats of different topics selected by us and we can’t even miss the chats to flirt (in this case, platforms like meetskip.com offer the possibility of chats for romance and for all tastes). Some of the platforms offer the possibility of chatting from mobile devices, making video chat or even (something totally revolutionary that Hispanic chat offers) being able to relate only to people who are close to us, that is, in our own city (a great advantage if we are chatting to flirt or to find love). To obtain all the advantages mentioned above, we must carefully select the online chat that we are going to use, otherwise, we will not meet our expectations of meeting new people with a platform whose main objective is the satisfaction of its users. That is why we want to recommend that you use the platforms that have offered the highest results to people around the world and in our country, for example, Hispanic chat. Another recommendation that we want to give you is to be yourself, take advantage of the fact that you are talking with people you do not know to show who you really are. If you get along, you know that you can find a friend or a partner with whom you can show yourself without having to hide some aspects of their life, only then can they be happy and find true love or true friendship.
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Auto insurance basics—understanding your coverage

The basic personal auto insurance mandated by most U.S. states provides some financial protection if you or another driver using your car causes an accident that damages someone else’s car or property, injures someone or both. But to make the best decisions about purchasing other types of auto insurance coverage you might need, you’ll want to understand what’s covered, what’s not covered and what’s optional. In addition to understanding types of coverage, you’ll also want to consider coverage amounts. Why? Because state-required minimums may not cover the costs of a serious accident, so it’s worth considering purchasing higher levels of coverage. Here’s a rundown of the types of coverage available—some are required; others are optional; all are priced individually (a la carte) to let you customize coverage amounts to suit your exact needs and budget. Mandatory coverage Nearly every state requires car owners to carry the following auto liability coverage: Bodily Injury Liability — This covers costs associated with injuries and death that you or another driver causes while driving your car. Property Damage Liability — This coverage will reimburse others for damage that you or another driver operating your car causes to another vehicle or other property, such as a fence, building or utility pole. Frequently required coverage Many states require that you carry the following coverage: Medical Payments or Personal Injury Protection (PIP) — Provides reimbursement for medical expenses for injuries to you or your passengers. It will also cover lost wages and other related expenses. Uninsured Motorist Coverage — Reimburses you when an accident is caused by an uninsured motorist—or in the case of a hit-and-run. You can also purchase under insured motorist coverage, which will cover costs when another driver lacks adequate coverage to pay the costs of a serious accident. Even if these types of coverage are optional in your state, consider adding them to your policy for greater financial protection. Optional coverage While basic, legally mandated auto insurance covers the cost of damages to other vehicles that you cause while driving, it does not cover damage to your own car. To cover this, you need to purchase the following optional auto insurance coverages: Collision — This optional coverage reimburses you for damage to your car that occurs as a result of a collision with another vehicle or other object—e.g., a tree or guardrail—when you’re at fault. While collision coverage will not reimburse you for mechanical failure or normal wear-and-tear on your car, it will cover damage from potholes or from rolling your car. Comprehensive — This provides coverage against theft and damage caused by an incident other than a collision, such as fire, flood, vandalism, hail, falling rocks or trees and other hazards—even getting hit by an asteroid! Glass Coverage — Windshield damage is common, and some auto policies include no-deductible glass coverage, which also includes side windows, rear windows and glass sunroofs. Or you can buy supplemental glass coverage. Mind the gap… insurance If you lease or finance your vehicle, auto dealers or lenders will likely require you to purchase collision and comprehensive. But keep in mind that collision and comprehensive only cover the market value of your car, not what you paid for it—and new cars depreciate quickly. If your car is totaled or stolen, there may be a “gap” between what you owe on the vehicle and your insurance coverage. To cover this, you may want to look into purchasing gap insurance to pay the difference. (Note: For leased vehicles, gap coverage is usually rolled into your lease payments.) Who is covered—and when? Your auto policy will cover you and other family members on your policy, whether driving your insured car or someone else’s car with permission. Your policy also provides coverage if someone not on your policy is driving your car with your consent. Your personal auto policy only covers personal driving, whether you’re commuting to work, running errands or taking a trip. Your personal auto policy, however, will not provide coverage if you use your car for commercial purposes—for instance, if you deliver pizzas or operate a delivery service. Note, too, that personal auto insurance will generally not provide coverage if you use your car to provide transportation to others through a ride-sharing service such as Uber or Lyft. Some auto insurers, however, are now offering supplemental insurance products (at additional cost) that extend coverage for vehicle owners providing ride-sharing services.
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The Importance of Business Registration and Incorporation

It is a wise choice to register a business, especially if you choose to incorporate it. Although it may require some tedious paperwork and fees, it is beneficial for your operations to get accreditation from the government. If you are seriously considering expanding your business operations, the only way you can get this done is to register a business. Read on to see the importance of this process, along with its perks and benefits: Avoid Personal Risks and Liabilities When you opt to incorporate your business, you eliminate the risk of personal liabilities. The extent of how much you are liable for depends on the number of shares you own in the corporation. Simply put, should something negative befall your business, your personal properties are safe. They cannot be forcefully seized by the government and be used to repay your business debts. Take Calculated Risks Your registered and incorporated business is considered a separate legal entity in the eyes of the law. The registration affords you protection so that no one will steal your name and your concept. With this in place, your business is considered a separate human that incurs liabilities under its own name. As such, you can take calculated risks without worrying about your personal assets. Avail of Equity Financing If you are a registered business, your ability to raise funds for expansion will be a lot easier. Investors, lenders, and financial institutions prefer to do business with a registered company because there is a formal structure in place. When you register a business, this means you can raise money through equity financing, which entails selling some shares to prospective investors or venture capitalists. This is beneficial because the money you raise incurs no interest. You just need to pay out dividends to your shareholders. This move is crucial for expanding your business. Boost Company Prestige In business, reputation is the name of the game. Clients, suppliers, and financial institutions prefer companies that have a good brand image. When you register your business, it means you are a legitimate entity that is sanctioned by the law. You are not a fly-by-night company but a permanent one, so you inspire confidence in the people you deal with. When you register your business, you are considered more reputable and stable. In fact, the government will only do business with registered companies. Assured Perpetual Succession When a business is considered a separate legal entity, there is assured perpetual succession. Because third parties establish the company, this means it has an unlimited lifespan. Even if you pass away, the business will remain viable. Even if some owners or directors die, or if the business changes ownership, the company will still exist. Only business registration affords you this kind of legacy, so the hard work you put in your company can outlive you and last for generations. Establish Business Bank Accounts It would be advisable to open a business bank account so that you can separate your personal and business transactions. This setup paves the way for easier monitoring and tracking. This will come in handy when it is time to pay your taxes. When you open this kind of account, you will be required to show your proof of business registration. Additionally, this kind of account helps you project a more professional vibe because it is so much better for clients to write checks issued to your business instead of your name. Final Word If you are ready to take your business to greater heights, then register your business. Registering your company will help you amplify your brand’s credibility. With this, you can improve your perception regarding your company. You can also expect better future dealings with other parties because others prefer to engage with registered companies. When you opt for business registration, you open new opportunities for your company that would otherwise have been unavailable. Author Bio: Julian Carter is a farmer of words in the field of creativity. She is an experienced independent content writer with a demonstrated history of working in the writing and editing industry. She is a multi-niche content chef who loves cooking new things.
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Planning a Wedding Should Not Be That Hard

A wedding is not just about getting married. It’s even more than you can anticipate. Starting from engagement ceremony, finalizing vendors, making checklists, and choosing your wedding destination, planning a wedding has a lot more to accomplish. To make it a smooth ride, it is essential to organize your wedding just like professional wedding planners. It can be more enjoyable if everything is kept on track right from the beginning. Let’s take a look at these stress-free tips to make your event worth remembering: Determine Your Budget and Stick to It There isn’t any definite budget when it comes to weddings. You may wish to add more items to your master list just a few days before the event date. Make sure to keep all the things in mind right from the very beginning. Concentrate on not to exceed the set amount. If you wish to spend more on flowers, you must reduce your expenses from some other item on your list. Prioritize the must-have items to make the big event a huge success. Create a Timeline Admit it or not, the timeline is one of the most important factors of planning a wedding. Go for a reasonable agenda, stick to your schedule, and mark due dates on your calendar. You can get ideas from available wedding planning websites to plan out your outline. You should keep those chores on top that require ample time to execute. Make the Best Use of Event Tools Tools are meant to make the planning job easy. In the same way, event planners can trust event tools the most. Such tools include event apps with budgets, reminders, and checklists that can be used for weddings. Each wedding planner has his own approach. Some prefer to work on Microsoft Excel while some prefer to keep a manual record of all payments being made. Figure Out the Important Details It’s time to choose the most important task of preparing a guest list. The wedding Budget and the number of guests go parallel. Move ahead with choosing a venue, wedding date, and theme. Have an appointment with the venue owners, get a list of do’s and don’ts, and request them for a formal quote to get a brief idea of their services. Make sure to go through the contract before signing for the venue. You can take a look in advance at how your venue will look like decorated and brimmed with guests. Design with Quality There is nothing wrong with reaching out and asking others for help to design signs, programs, invitations, and save the important dates. At a wedding, the entire focus is on the bride and groom’s wedding dress. One wishes to set a new trend with the kind of clothes and theme. Make sure to have regular meetings with all vendors, keep follow-ups, and make sure your contacts know everything in the process to get an idea of the on-going stuff. Altogether, you are moving towards a master’s experience for the bride, groom, and guests. Pick your vendors diligently You should be proactive while looking for the vendors. Find the references, form an excel sheet with their contact info, and don’t forget to have a back-up. A wedding also holds the same vendor list as the other events. But there are always some exceptions. You must hold a reference for a DJ, food and beverage caterer, décor, lighting and photo booth company, flower shop, and wedding dress designer. It’s all about Customer Service You should always go one extra mile to make the event worth memorable. You can plan personalized gifts for the wedding family so that they can cherish them forever. Moreover, you can leave some welcome bags for wedding guests in their hotel rooms. Always keep a Plan B Sometimes, things can happen that one cannot even imagine. As a wedding planner, make sure to cross-check your list no matter what. There is no need to panic if things don’t work out. Roll your sleeves and stay prepared with an alternative plan to make the event go smooth and overwhelming for the welcomed guests. Hopefully, the above shared tips will help you make the event worth recalling.
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What You Need To Know About the VA Claims Process

Filling the Claim

Initial Disability Review Claim

Evidence Gathering and Review

Preparation for Decision Approval

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