Nexus Letters: Essential Support for VA Disability Claims

If you’ve tried to navigate the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability claims process, you know just how complicated it can be. Fortunately, there are a few things that make it easier to get the rating you’re entitled to, and one of those things is a nexus letter.

In order to approve your claim, the VA must see evidence of a link or “nexus” between your medical condition and your military service. If you were diagnosed while in service (and have the documentation to prove this), you already have this link.

But what if you weren’t diagnosed while in the service? Or maybe you were diagnosed, but the VA doesn’t have the records to prove it. Or maybe you are already rated for a condition that started in the service, but now that condition is causing another condition (known as a “secondary condition”). How will you show this connection?

When you’re looking to prove a service connection, one of the best tools is a nexus letter. A nexus letter can provide that critical bridge between your condition and your service.

What Exactly Is a Nexus Letter?

A nexus letter is a statement that is authored by a qualified medical professional and provides an expert opinion on the relationship between your service and medical condition. If your service or medical record lacks the evidence to show that your condition is linked to your military service, the nexus letter bridges the gap. It speaks to the crucial connection that the VA needs to see in order to approve your disability claim.

The nexus letter usually includes a clear assessment of your current medical condition and evidence linking your condition to a specific event, illness, or injury related to your military service. It also includes the physician’s professional opinion about the likelihood of your military service and your health condition being related.

How Do I Get a Doctor to Write My Nexus Letter?

Your best bet is to work through your own private doctor. They are familiar with your case and have your best interest in mind.

But even still, a doctor may be hesitant to write this letter for a couple of reasons:

You can also present them with templates mirroring what thousands of doctors have written to help veterans get their VA disability benefits. You can show them that this is a tried-and-true process that is done every day and is well within their purview as a practicing physician.

VA Claims Academy can give you the resources to reassure and empower your doctor.

Can I Pay a Nexus Letter Doctors Service to Write My Letter?

Yes, but be careful. The VA has been known to discredit input from nexus letter doctor services. Even if the letter is signed by a bona fide doctor, if that doctor is not located in your state, the VA may have its doubts that the doctor is truly familiar with your case.

Your best bet is to go with your own doctor. But if you can’t get a letter from your doctor and decide to go with a nexus letter doctors service, make sure the doctor who signs the letter is located within your state.

What Should a Nexus Letter Say?

The most important verbiage in a nexus letter shows that it is at least 50% likely that your current medical condition is connected to your military service.

The letter may say:

• “It is at least as likely as not that [patient’s] medical condition is service-connected.”
• (OR) “It is more likely than not that [patient’s] medical condition is service-connected.”

That’s the golden verbiage, and it’s important to stick to it. We’ve seen claims that deviated from this wording, claiming that the connection is “most likely service-connected.” But even that wording missed the mark, and the claims were rejected.

How We Help You Get a Winning Nexus Letter

At VA Claims Academy, we specialize in guiding veterans through the process of getting comprehensive and persuasive VA nexus letters from doctors.

To get your claim started, we offer one-on-one discovery calls. During these calls, we take a deep dive into your case to make sure you are getting the appropriate level of VA benefits. If a VA disability increase is warranted, we provide you with a robust education and a wealth of tools to help you secure the appropriate increase.

These tools include personalized nexus letter templates that you can simply present to your doctor. Your doctor can fill in the blanks and sign off. We make it easy.

If you are claiming a condition that needs medical evidence, we can even cite peer-reviewed studies in the nexus letter template. These studies provide added credence to your letter and make it very hard for the VA to deny your claim.

For example, let’s say you’re currently rated for tinnitus, and you’ve recently developed sleep apnea as a secondary condition. You want a nexus letter for sleep apnea secondary to tinnitus. We can provide you with a template for this letter with links to peer-reviewed studies verifying a strong medical connection between tinnitus and sleep apnea.