Accredited VA claims agent helping veterans appeal denied and under-rated disability claims — Higher-Level Review, Supplemental Claims, Board appeals, CUE, TDIU and secondary service connection. No fee before VA issues a decision.
We fix VA decisions that went wrong — denials, under-ratings, bad examinations and effective dates that start too late. Appeals are the whole of what we do.
Every claim this practice represents is handled by , an accredited VA claims agent (accreditation , POA code KWU) accredited under 38 CFR §14.629 . Blake served with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment , and has since worked on every side of the VA claims process — as a Veterans Service Officer with the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, inside the Veterans Benefits Administration , and at a VA disability law firm.
That matters for one reason. Having worked on the adjudication side, he has seen how these decisions actually get made — what a rater reads first, what an examiner's wording does to a rating, and where claims quietly fall apart. Most of the denials we overturn were not close calls. They were errors that are obvious once you know where to look.
We work almost entirely after a decision has been issued — which is also the only point at which an accredited agent may lawfully charge a fee.
The average veteran entering compensation carries several service-connected conditions at once. Most of what goes unpaid is not a denied claim — it is a benefit nobody thought to ask for.
If you are filing for the first time, filing an intent to file, or claiming a presumptive condition, go to a free Veterans Service Officer — DAV, the VFW, the American Legion, or your county veterans service office. It costs nothing, and under 38 CFR §14.636 no accredited agent could charge you for that work anyway.
We are worth paying when a decision has already gone wrong and the outcome genuinely turns on the argument — a denial that doesn't add up, a rating that doesn't match your symptoms, an examination that skipped the criteria, an effective date that starts too late, or a proposed reduction with a 60-day clock running.
VA combines ratings rather than adding them, which is why 50% and 50% is not 100%. Our calculator handles 0% ratings, the left/right bilateral factor and your dependants, then estimates your monthly compensation.
— Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address, 1865
Our name comes from Lincoln's promise to those who have borne the battle. We carry it forward in every claim we represent — and we never charge a fee to a surviving spouse or child.
Last updated . Borne Accredited Claims is an accredited VA claims agent under 38 CFR §14.629 and is not part of, or endorsed by, the Department of Veterans Affairs. We do not guarantee any specific outcome on any claim. The information on this site is educational and is not legal advice.
Higher-Level Review, Supplemental Claims and Board appeals — choosing the lane that fits the error VA actually made.
Undebatable errors in decisions more than a year old. There is no time limit on CUE, and it can reach back years of retroactive pay.
Conditions caused or aggravated by something already service-connected under §3.310. This is where most unclaimed compensation sits.
Paid at the 100% rate when service-connected conditions prevent substantially gainful work — even with a combined rating well below 100%.
A proposed reduction starts a 60-day clock. Most reductions are won on procedure, not medicine.
An inadequate examination is a duty-to-assist error — and it is correctable, if you can show what the examiner failed to do.
Radiculopathy alongside a back condition
Rated separately for each affected limb under the nerve codes, with the bilateral factor where both legs are involved. Routinely unclaimed.
Payable even where ED itself is rated 0%. The two are separate questions, and the second one often never gets asked.
A single disability at 100% plus 60% more, combined, can mean SMC-S. Veterans at 100% often assume nothing sits above it.
Effective dates decide back pay and are argued far less often than percentages. They are frequently wrong.
Under 38 CFR §14.636, no accredited representative may charge a fee for preparing or filing an initial claim. A fee only becomes chargeable after VA issues an initial decision. A fee of 20% or less of past-due benefits is presumed reasonable; more than 33⅓% is presumed unreasonable. Ongoing monthly compensation is never touched — a contingency fee applies only to the retroactive lump sum.
Often, yes. For a first-time claim, an intent to file, or a clear presumptive condition, a Veterans Service Officer at DAV, the VFW, the American Legion or your county office will do the job at no cost — and no accredited agent could charge you for that work anyway. Paid representation earns its fee after a decision has gone wrong.
How do I check that someone is really VA-accredited?
Search VA's public accreditation database at va.gov/ogc/apps/accreditation. Choose the representative type, enter a last name and state, and search. If no record comes back, that person is not currently accredited. The database refreshes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings.
My claim was denied. What should I do first?
Read the decision letter to find the specific reason for the denial, then request your claims file so you can see the examination report the decision was based on. The reason for denial determines which review lane fits: a Higher-Level Review where VA erred on evidence already in the file, a Supplemental Claim where you need to add new evidence such as a nexus opinion. You generally have one year from the decision date to preserve your effective date.
No. Nobody can, and any representative who promises a specific rating or an average increase is telling you something they cannot know. We will tell you honestly whether we think there is an argument — including when there isn't.
Accredited VA Claims Agent — Borne Accredited Claims, VA-accredited claims agent #60720 under 38 CFR §14.629. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.