VA disability claims · How we work · Rating increases · SMC

How Veterans Promise Works (Complimentary Consult, No 5× Fee)

Veterans Promise is a veteran-led team based in Nashville. We work with veterans nationwide on rating increases and Special Monthly Compensation, including Aid & Attendance when daily help is already part of the household. The first conversation is complimentary. After that, we explain options clearly. We do not bill five times a VA rating increase, and we do not use that 5× contingency.

This page is general information about how we work. It is not legal or medical advice. We are not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA decides every claim. No one can honestly promise a result. See About and Resources.

Request a complimentary consult or call (877) 778-0385. Email support@veteranspromise.com.

What the complimentary consult is

The consult is a first conversation, not a contract and not a claim. You are not hiring us by picking up the phone. You are giving us enough of the file and a typical week so we can say what we see.

Bring the latest rating decision if you have it. A medication list and an honest description of a good day and a bad day help. If you have none of that yet, still call.

We sort five things:

• What VA has granted, denied, or never been asked.
• What has changed in function, work, treatment, or the need for help from another person.
• Whether the next filing looks like an increase, a new or secondary claim, a supplemental, a higher-level review, TDIU, or SMC.
• What evidence you already have and what is still missing.
• Whether we are a fit — including the answer that we are not, or that the file should be left alone.

Complimentary means there is no charge for that first conversation. You can hang up with a clearer picture and never work with us. It does not mean the entire claim is free if you later ask us to take the work. After the consult, we explain options in plain language before you decide. We do not publish a dollar schedule, invent a competing multiplier, or bill five times your monthly VA rating increase.

Consults are by phone. You do not have to come to Nashville. If VA later schedules an exam, it is scheduled near you. See VA disability help in Nashville.

Start with the complimentary consult. Call (877) 778-0385.

What we help with (increases and SMC, including 100%)

We are not an Aid & Attendance-only shop, and we are not an increase-only shop. The file decides the tool.

If a condition VA already service-connected has gotten worse, the usual filing is a claim for increase: current severity, not a new service-connection fight. A never-claimed condition is a new claim. A problem caused or aggravated by a rated disability is a secondary. A recent decision you disagree with is usually a supplemental or a higher-level review. TDIU may fit if you cannot hold substantially gainful work because of service-connected disability; it is not automatic at 70% or 90%. Details are on the increase page.

SMC is extra or higher tax-free compensation for facts the regular 10–100% table never priced: loss or loss of use, a regular need for personal help, housebound limitation, and higher statutory letters. A combined 100% is the top of VA’s regular table, not the end of the statute. Another 10% on an old code often will not change the 100% row. We look at both tools. See SMC, Aid & Attendance, and 100% is not the ceiling.

What we do not do

We do not bill five times a VA rating increase. Some companies price the work as a multiple of the monthly increase VA later grants. Five times that increase is the number veterans hear most often. We do not use that model, substitute a different multiplier, or publish a fake competing price so this page can look like a rate sheet. The first conversation is complimentary. If we take a case after that, the arrangement is explained before you agree to it.

We do not guarantee a rating, an SMC letter, an effective date, or a dollar amount. VA decides. We will tell you whether we see a theory worth filing. We will not tell you it will win. We do not practice medicine or coach exaggeration.

We are not a VSO replacement if you already have one you like. Veterans Service Organizations do important work, often at no charge. If you already have a representative you trust, keep them. The representative who signs onto a Veterans Promise application is VA accredited. That is the person VA sees on the claim. It does not mean every person at the company is accredited, and it does not mean we are VA or a VSO. We are a private company — not VA, and not a VSO. If you do not have representation, or you want a second look at increases and SMC including at 90% or 100%, the consult is a way to see whether we add anything.

We do not file everything at once to look busy. An increase on a condition that has not changed, stacked with an SMC theory the records do not support, gives VA a lot of work and you a slow no.

How a file review actually goes

The file travels. You do not have to. A useful review starts with the last rating decision: codes, percentages, dates, denied issues, and the criteria the rater cited. A typical week tells us whether those criteria still fit. The gap between the letter and the week is where an increase, a secondary, or SMC either lives or does not.

We separate four questions that get mashed together:

1. Is a rated condition worse than the last decision describes? Increase territory.
2. Was a problem never claimed, or a secondary never developed? Different filing.
3. Do you disagree with a decision VA already made? Decision review, not a fresh “I need an increase.”
4. Do the facts point to loss of use, a regular need for personal help, or housebound limitation? SMC, which may run alongside an increase.

Then we look for evidence that is actually missing: current treatment notes, function in specifics, and — when Aid & Attendance is the question — who helps with bathing, dressing, meals, medication, or getting around. If the file supports a filing, we say so. If it does not, we say what a clinician would still need to address. We do not invent the missing piece.

When we take a case after the consult, we review the record, help develop the evidence the chosen filing needs, and help prepare and submit it. We stay through VA requests and the decision. If we do not take the case, you still leave with a clearer picture of the filing.

Bring the last decision letter. Call (877) 778-0385.

Who this is for

This is for veterans who want a file-first conversation about rating increases and SMC, and who are tired of being sorted by a fee model instead of by the record.

It is for veterans whose rated conditions have changed — flare-ups, a new device, sleep or work or self-care that no longer matches the letter. You do not need to be in crisis. You do need current facts.

It is for veterans at 90% or 100% who were told there is nothing left. Some shops whose revenue depends on a multiple of a monthly rating increase have little reason to spend time with a veteran already at 100% — the regular table has no 110% row. That is a business choice, not a rule of law. SMC still exists. An individual condition can still be underrated. Aid & Attendance is a function test, not a prize for being close to 100%. If another company turned you away at 100%, that is often a pricing conclusion, not a medical one.

It is for veterans who are not in Nashville and veterans who are. We sit in Middle Tennessee. We take files nationwide. Living in Tennessee is not a requirement. Neither is driving here. See the Nashville page.

It is not for someone who wants a promised percentage, who wants us to replace a VSO they already like, or whose only goal is to file every possible claim at once. If there is no supported next filing, we will say so.

FAQ

Is the first conversation really complimentary?

Yes. There is no charge for the consult. You can stop there. Complimentary does not mean the entire claim is free if you later ask us to take the work. After the consult we explain options clearly. We do not bill five times a VA rating increase.

Do you only help with Aid & Attendance?

No. Aid & Attendance is one part of SMC, and SMC is one part of the work. Rating increases are core work. So are new claims, secondaries, supplementals, and appeals. If your issue is a rated condition that has changed, say so.

I am already at 100%. Will you still talk to me?

Yes. Some companies whose fee is tied to a monthly rating increase have little reason to. We still look, because 100% is the top of the regular table, not the end of the statute. Next questions are usually SMC, an underrated individual condition, or leaving the file alone. We will not promise a letter or a higher check.

Do I have to live in Nashville or fire my VSO?

No and no. We are based in Nashville and we take files nationwide. Consults are by phone. If you already have a VSO or other representative you like, keep them. The representative who signs onto a Veterans Promise application is VA accredited. A second look, or no current representation, is a normal reason to call.

Can you guarantee VA will raise my rating?

No. Nobody can. Veterans Promise is not affiliated with VA. Only VA decides claims, ratings, effective dates, and payment. Individual results vary. We will tell you if we do not see a path worth filing.