Many Kentucky veterans begin their VA claims with confidence, only to run into missing evidence, confusing requests or rating decisions that don’t reflect the reality of their disability. The VA system is complicated and, at times, unforgiving. A single missing document or an incomplete medical explanation can prevent a veteran from receiving the benefits they earned through years of service.
That’s where we come in. At Hill & Ponton, our VA-accredited attorneys focus exclusively on veterans’ disability law. We understand the VA’s rules, we know how to challenge unfair decisions, and we know how to build strong, evidence-driven appeals that the VA cannot ignore. Whether your claim has been denied, underrated, or mishandled, we will help you fight back with a clear legal strategy and the documentation necessary to support your case.
At Hill & Ponton, we believe no Kentucky veteran should have to keep fighting the VA by themselves. If you’ve served this nation and now find yourself battling a system that won’t listen, we are ready to stand with you. Contact us for a free evaluation – we never charge upfront fees and, even if we don’t take your case, we’ll make sure you know the best path forward.
Our Legal Services for Kentucky Veterans
- Disability Compensation: Our lawyers can secure the monthly benefits disabled veterans earned through their service. By meticulously compiling medical records and expert testimony, we build a compelling, evidence-based case for your physical or mental health claims.
- Appeals: If the VA rejected your claim or assigned an insufficient rating, we handle the entire appeals process, challenging unfair decisions with thorough legal strategy.
- Rating Increases: As conditions evolve, so should your benefits. We help veterans prove the worsening of service-connected injuries and win the higher disability ratings they now deserve.
- Survivor Benefits: We provide compassionate legal support for the families of Kentucky veterans who dies of service-connected conditions, navigating the complexities of the VA system to ensure financial stability for loved ones.
- Special Monthly Compensation: For veterans with profound disabilities or those requiring daily assistance, we pursue additional financial support that goes above and beyond standard disability rates.
- Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability: If your service-connected conditions make regular employment impossible, we help you qualify for the 100% pay rate through TDIU, using vocational and medical evidence to prove your case.
What Compensation and Benefits Are Available to You?
Your VA disability rating is the cornerstone of the financial, medical, and long-term support you are entitled to as a Kentucky veteran. This rating, assigned by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, reflects how much your service-connected condition limits your daily functioning, ability to maintain employment, and overall quality of life. The more severe the impact, the higher the rating, and the greater the monthly compensation you receive.
VA ratings are issued in 10% increments, ranging from 10% to 100%. When a veteran has multiple service-connected conditions, the VA uses a combined ratings formula that often results in a total rating that is lower than what simple addition would suggest. Because even a small increase in your rating can substantially raise your monthly payment, accuracy is essential, especially for veterans managing chronic or worsening conditions.
Below are the current VA monthly payments for single Kentucky veterans with no dependents (veterans with spouses, children or dependent parents receive higher disability rates).
- 10%: $180.42
- 20%: $356.66
- 30%: $552.47
- 40%: $795.84
- 50%: $1,132.90
- 60%: $1,435.02
- 70%: $1,808.45
- 80%: $2,102.15
- 90%: $2,362.30
- 100%: $3,938.58
The Commonwealth of Kentucky also provides its own veterans benefits such as property tax exemptions and other discounts. These can significantly improve financial stability, especially for veterans whose disabilities limit their ability to work.
Work with us to get your benefits
When Should You Hire a VA Disability Lawyer?
Many veterans successfully file their initial claims by themselves. However, the VA system is notorious for its rigid deadlines and complex, shifting regulations. If the VA returns a denial or a rating that fails to account for your actual level of impairment, professional counsel from an experienced VA lawyer becomes a great advantage.
By choosing a VA-accredited disability lawyer, you gain a dedicated advocate who knows the system’s intricacies. At Hill & Ponton, our practice is built entirely around VA disability law. We specialize in turning denied or underrated claims around by handling the heavy lifting: pinpointing missing service records, coordinating expert medical nexus letters, and creating a persuasive appeal.
Your VA Appeal Options
- Supplemental Claim: Ideal if you have uncovered fresh evidence (like a new medical opinion or recently found service records) that could change the outcome of your case.
- Higher-Level Review: If you believe the evidence already on file was misinterpreted, an HLR allows a senior-level adjudicator to take a second look at your original file for errors.
- Board of Veterans’ Appeals Review: For a comprehensive review, you can take your case to a Veterans Law Judge. This path offers a thorough examination of your claim, although it also takes the longest time.
If the VA isn’t recognizing the full impact of your service-connected condition, we’re ready to step in. We offer free consultations and only collect a fee if we successfully secure your back pay. Contact us today to share your story.
Winning Your VA Appeal
When veterans are denied, the problem is usually that the VA didn’t receive the right evidence or failed to properly connect the veteran’s health problem to their military service. To approve any VA disability claim, the VA must see three critical elements:
- A Current Diagnosis: You must have a documented medical condition diagnosed by a licensed healthcare professional. Without a current diagnosis, the VA will reject the claim immediately.
- An In-Service Event: There must be evidence (records, statements, or documented incidents) of something happening during your active-duty service that caused or contributed to your condition. This could be an accident, illness, toxic exposure, combat stressor, or the first appearance of symptoms.
- The Nexus: The link between the diagnosis and the in-service event is often the most difficult requirement. A medical expert must explain that your condition is “at least as likely as not” linked to your service.
Even when veterans have valid claims, they are frequently denied or underrated because one piece of evidence is missing or not strong enough. Common reasons Kentucky veterans lose VA claims include:
- No medical explanation showing how the condition relates to service
- Medical records that are incomplete, outdated, or inconsistent
- Missing deadlines for appeals
- Errors made by the VA in interpreting service records or evaluating medical opinions
Hill & Ponton lawyers understand what the VA is looking for and how to overcome weak or missing evidence. Every appeal we file is timely, thorough, and designed to clearly demonstrate why you qualify for the benefits the VA has denied.
Get a free case evaluation
VA Disability for Toxic Exposure
Kentucky is home to several military installations where environmental contamination has been documented or suspected by the Department of Defense or the EPA. They include:
- Fort Knox: This base has undergone environmental assessments revealing PFAS contamination linked to historical use of AFFF (firefighting foam), along with other contaminants such as petroleum spills, solvents used in maintenance operations, and pesticide residues. Veterans involved in training, fuel handling, fire response, or industrial support roles may have been exposed through groundwater, soil, or direct contact.
- Blue Grass Army Depot (Richmond, KY): As a chemical weapons storage and disposal installation, it has documented environmental hazards including chemical warfare residues, heavy metals, PFAS, solvents (TCE, PCE), and other pollutants.
- Fort Campbell: Located on the border with Tennessee and known for PFAS contamination, as well as pollution from petroleum leaks, chlorinated solvents, and munitions-related waste. Areas used for aircraft firefighting training have tested positive for PFOS and PFOA above recommended thresholds. Veterans in aviation, infantry, maintenance, or emergency response roles could have been affected.
Hill & Ponton’s interactive toxic base map helps veterans identify which conditions are linked to specific contaminants. If the VA has denied your claim in the past, our attorneys can reevaluate your eligibility and fight to secure the benefits you are owed. Contact us to discuss your case and potential appeal options.
Legal Resources and Lawyers Near You
Louisville
Louisville VA Regional Benefit Office: 321 W Main St, Suite 390, Louisville, KY 40202. Phone: 800-827-1000
Lexington
Lexington Commission on Veterans’ Affairs: 200 E. Main St. Lexington, KY 40507. Phone: 859-258-3117
VA Facilities Providing Assistance to Kentucky Veterans
Veterans Service Offices
- Ashland Veterans Service Office – 1115 Greenup Ave, Suite 1, Ashland, KY 41101 | 606-920-2031
- Bardstown Veterans Service Office – 317 S 3rd St, Bardstown, KY 40004 | 502-348-5904
- Bowling Green Veterans Service Office – 177 Graham Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101 | 270-746-7501
- Campbellsville Veterans Service Office – 1311 E Broadway, Campbellsville, KY 42718 | 270-465-9676
- Covington Veterans Service Office – 3050 Harris Pike, Independence, KY 41051 | 859-292-6660
- Elizabethtown Veterans Service Office – 916 N Mulberry St, Elizabethtown, KY 42701 | 270-766-5117
- Fort Campbell Veterans Service Office – 165 Duncan Ave, Fort Campbell, KY 42223 | 270-798-2962
- Frankfort Veterans Service Office – 321 W Main St, Frankfort, KY 40601 | 502-564-9281
- Glasgow Veterans Service Office – 411 Samson St, Glasgow, KY 42141 | 270-651-6889
- Harlan Veterans Service Office – 313 Central St, Harlan, KY 40831 | 606-589-6061
- Hazard Veterans Service Office – 42 Village Ln, Hazard, KY 41701 | 606-435-6196
- Hopkinsville Veterans Service Office – 710 W 15th St, Hopkinsville, KY 42240 | 270-889-6100
- Lexington Veterans Service Office – 1500 Leestown Rd, Lexington, KY 40511 | 859-257-0485
- London Veterans Service Office – 1500 W 5th St, London, KY 40741 | 606-864-0931
- Louisville Veterans Service Office – 321 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202 | 502-595-4447
- Madisonville Veterans Service Office – 180 Hammond Ave, Madisonville, KY 42431 | 270-824-7030
- Mayfield Veterans Service Office – 424 S 6th St, Mayfield, KY 42066 | 270-247-4730
- Morehead Veterans Service Office – 333 W Cherry St, Morehead, KY 40351 | 606-784-3004
- Murray Veterans Service Office – 1005 Waldrop Dr, Murray, KY 42071 | 270-753-5446
- Owensboro Veterans Service Office – 3205 W 2nd St, Owensboro, KY 42301 | 270-685-4555
- Paducah Veterans Service Office – 2620 Perkins Creek Dr, Paducah, KY 42001 | 270-443-0801
- Pikeville Veterans Service Office – 478 Town Mountain Rd, Pikeville, KY 41501 | 606-433-7690
- Prestonsburg Veterans Service Office – 5230 KY 321, Prestonsburg, KY 41653 | 606-886-1362
- Radcliff Veterans Service Office – 100 Veterans Dr, Radcliff, KY 40160 | 270-352-6700
- Somerset Veterans Service Office – 650 N Main St, Somerset, KY 42501 | 606-677-4017
- West Liberty Veterans Service Office – 420 Prestonsburg St, West Liberty, KY 41472 | 606-743-7357
Vet centers
- Louisville Vet Center – 1347 S 3rd St, Louisville, KY 40208 | 502-287-6710
- Lexington Vet Center – 1500 Leestown Rd, Suite 345, Lexington, KY 40511 | 859-253-0717
- Berea Vet Center Outstation – 209 Pauline Dr, Berea, KY 40403 | 859-986-1259
- Prestonsburg Vet Center – 35 South Front Ave, Prestonsburg, KY 41653 | 606-886-6712
VA Medical centers
- Lexington VA Medical Center – Franklin R. Sousley Campus – 2250 Leestown Rd, Lexington, KY 40511 | 859-233-4511
- Lexington VA Medical Center – Troy Bowling Campus – 1101 Veterans Dr, Lexington, KY 40502 | 859-233-4511
- Robley Rex VA Medical Center (Louisville) – 800 Zorn Ave, Louisville, KY 40206 | 502-287-4000
- Huntington VA Medical Center (serves eastern Kentucky counties) – 1540 Spring Valley Dr, Huntington, WV 25704 | 304-429-6741
- Cincinnati VA Medical Center (serves northern Kentucky counties) – 3200 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45220 | 513-861-3100
VA Clinics / CBOC
- Berea VA Clinic – 209 Pauline Dr, Berea, KY 40403 | 859-986-1259
- Bowling Green VA Clinic – 600 US 31W Bypass, Suite 14C, Bowling Green, KY 42101 | 270-782-0120
- Carrollton VA Clinic – 1912 Hwy 227, Carrollton, KY 41008 | 502-732-6603
- Florence VA Clinic – 7711 Ewing Blvd, Florence, KY 41042 | 859-282-4480
- Fort Knox VA Clinic – 3930 West DePuy Blvd, Fort Knox, KY 40121 | 502-943-6191
- Hazard VA Clinic – 210 Black Gold Blvd, Hazard, KY 41701 | 606-436-8854
- Hopkinsville VA Clinic – 1820 E 9th St, Hopkinsville, KY 42240 | 270-887-6100
- Lexington VA Clinic (outpatient) – 2250 Leestown Rd, Lexington, KY 40511 | 859-233-4511
- Maysville VA Clinic – 710 U.S. 68, Maysville, KY 41056 | 606-759-7200
- Morehead VA Clinic – 333 W Cherry St, Morehead, KY 40351 | 606-784-3004
- Paducah VA Clinic – 2620 Perkins Creek Dr, Paducah, KY 42001 | 270-444-8462
- Prestonsburg VA Clinic – 5230 KY Route 321, Prestonsburg, KY 41653 | 606-886-1349
- Somerset VA Clinic – 349 Bogle St, Somerset, KY 42503 | 606-676-0786
Housing Assistance and Support for Veterans
The 2025 K-count (the state’s point-in-time count of homeless persons) recorded 386 veterans experiencing homelessness on a single night in Kentucky. But many more veterans are at risk due to rising rents and economic pressures.
The Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs (KDVA) operates the statewide Homeless Veterans Program, which assists veterans at every stage of housing instability, from those who are already homeless to those at imminent risk of losing their homes. KDVA’s Homeless Program provides outreach, emergency assistance, benefit coordination, referrals for transitional housing, and support in accessing federal resources such as HUD-VASH and Supportive Services for Veteran Families. KDVA also partners with local shelters, veteran service organizations, and community agencies across the state to ensure that vulnerable veterans receive coordinated care.
In addition to KDVA services, the Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) supports several housing initiatives targeting homeless and at-risk veterans. KHC works with HUD-VASH programs administered through VA medical centers, coordinates state-level housing programs, and supports landlords and agencies participating in homeless veteran housing solutions.
When housing instability is connected to denied or incorrect VA disability benefits, a higher rating can make all the difference. Many Kentucky veterans struggling with homelessness or near-homelessness are simply not receiving the level of VA compensation they are entitled to.
At Hill & Ponton, we prioritize representing veterans who face unemployment, housing insecurity, or financial hardship. We charge no upfront fees, and we are only paid if we win your case. Contact us for a free case evaluation. We’ll fight to ensure you receive the full support and benefits you deserve.