My father served as an Army Medic and a member of the 82nd Airborne during World War II. Like many of his fellow brothers who served, he carried the memories, scars, and shadows of his war experiences in silence. Up until two years ago, he had never reached out to the Veterans Administration for assistance, not medical, not financial. Following a health crisis in 2016, my mother encouraged him to file a claim with the VA. A few months later he received a rating of 50% for service-connected PTSD.
Some might say that a 50% rating was good enough. However, given my father’s condition and the bloody war experiences he encountered on the frontlines of battle, we felt this rating wasn’t good enough, we felt he was 100%. Good enough was not/is not good enough!
We were in dispute with this VA finding, yet we were at a loss as to what to do. We received conflicting advice on how to proceed, the most troubling was the advice to do nothing at all given that during a dispute and a review of dad’s condition that the VA might actually decrease his ratings. The threat was enough to immobilize my parents into doing nothing based on fear. For weeks we fought this fear and uncertainty while at the same time we attempted to weave our way through the forms and red tape to have my father’s rating increased. During this time, my father struggled in a lopsided battle with his mental and physical health. As my father’s condition deteriorated, his need for assistance from the VA intensified. We were without any avenues or resources for relief until a family member told us to contact Matt Hill with Hill and Ponton. He was insistent that we call explaining, “This is what they do, they help veterans get the benefits they deserve”.
Matt spoke to my parents and assured them that his entire team was on board with getting my father everything he deserved – Not just a 100% rating but also Aid and Attendance. He also felt confident that given my father’s age and health that he would be able to have his claim expedited. Matt and his firm took charge of my father’s claim the very next day. Throughout the process, we received regular updates and phone calls. Every legal document filed, we received a copy. Every phone call we made was answered. Every anxious question we asked was answered with calm and knowledgeable assurance.
The end result is that in the matter of four (4) months we have gone from hopeless desperation to grateful relief: dad is now classified at a 100% rating!
Matt, Marissa and his legal team stepped into our lives to lift our burden during one of the most trying and troubling stages of life. They didn’t just make promises, they liberated us from hopelessness by delivering results.
My advice to everyone is to never accept good as good enough. Go for great and go with the greatest, Hill and Ponton.
