If you pick up the phone and call ten law firms after a VA denial. A handful will tell you they handle veteran cases. Some of those will mention that their attorneys are “VA accredited,” as if that settles the question of who to trust. It does not. Not because accreditation is meaningless, but because most veterans have no idea what it actually requires, what it does not guarantee, and what questions they should still be asking after an attorney confirms they have it.
VA accreditation is a real legal requirement, and understanding it is worth your time before you sign anything. Under federal law, no attorney can charge a fee to represent a veteran before the Department of Veterans Affairs without going through the VA’s own vetting process. Gaining actual VA accreditation requires being in good standing with a state bar, and after initial accreditation, attorneys must complete qualifying CLE in veterans benefits law and procedure during the first 12 months. They then need additional qualifying CLE no later than 3 years after accreditation and every 2 years after that. An attorney who handles car accidents and real estate closings and happens to be VA accredited is not the same as one who has spent decades working exclusively inside this system. A VA accredited attorney, properly understood, is a baseline.
What this article explains is what the baseline actually covers, where it stops, and what else a veteran should be evaluating before deciding on representation.
What VA Accreditation Actually Requires
VA accreditation is not automatic for every licensed attorney. An attorney must apply through VA’s Office of General Counsel and be in good standing with a state bar. After accreditation, attorneys must complete qualifying continuing legal education in veterans benefits law and procedure, then continue that education at required intervals. VA also maintains disciplinary authority over accredited representatives seeking to represent clients in the realm of veteran benefits.
Why Accreditation Alone Is Not Enough
VA accreditation sets a floor, not a ceiling. It tells you that an attorney met the minimum legal requirements to represent veterans before the VA. It does not tell you how many cases they have handled, how deeply they understand the regulations, or whether they have ever seen a situation like yours before.
This distinction matters more than it might seem at first. Veterans law is narrow and specific in ways that general legal experience does not prepare someone for. An attorney who handles personal injury cases on Monday and VA appeals on Friday is technically permitted to do both if they hold accreditation. But the practical depth of knowledge between that attorney and one who has spent years working exclusively in veterans law is significant. That gap tends to show up not in the paperwork but in the strategy: which appeal lane to choose, how to read a denial for what it is actually telling you, what evidence the VA needs in a form it will treat as legally sufficient.
For most veterans, the first appeal they pursue after a denial is also the most consequential in terms of preserving their original effective date and building the evidentiary record that carries forward through subsequent levels of review if needed. Getting the strategy right requires more than a basic familiarity with the process.
What VA Disability Lawyers at Goodman Allen Donnelly’s attorneys consistently find when reviewing files from veterans who had prior representation is that accreditation-level knowledge and years of dedicated veterans law experience produce meaningfully different approaches to how a case is built. An attorney who has reviewed thousands of files knows what a flawed Compensation and Pension exam looks like. An attorney who has argued before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims understands how those bodies reason through evidence in ways that shape how arguments should be framed at every level below them.
Accreditation is the credential. Experience is what makes it matter in practice.
What VA Disability Lawyers at Goodman Allen Donnelly’s Accreditation Background Actually Looks Like
Most law firms that hold VA accreditation obtained it because a client asked them to look into a VA case. The attorneys at Goodman Allen Donnelly have been doing this work since 1998. There is no general litigation practice here, no personal injury cases, no family law. The firm has represented veterans and their dependents before the VA exclusively for approximately 27 years. Every attorney on staff is VA accredited, and the firm’s experience extends well beyond the Regional Office level.
“What accreditation really signals to a veteran is that this attorney has committed to understanding your specific legal system, not just the general rules of law. The VA operates under its own framework, its own regulations, its own appeals structure. An attorney who has genuinely invested in that system is going to approach your case very differently from one who is learning it alongside you.” – Nancy L. Foti, Managing Partner at VA Disability Lawyers at Goodman Allen Donnelly.
The firm’s five attorneys meet often. Veterans law is not static. Decisions from the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and the Federal Circuit regularly affect how the VA interprets its own regulations, and new arguments that work in one case can apply across others. A team reviewing cases together every day catches those developments in a way that a solo practitioner or generalist firm is less likely to. In the attorney’s own words: “We go over what someone at the VA has told us in one case that no one has ever seen before, and we come up with ways together on how we can best respond to that when it comes out the next time.”
How to Choose a Veterans Disability Attorney
Choosing legal representation after a VA denial carries real consequences. The appeal you file, the evidence you develop, and the lane you choose can affect not just whether you win but how far back your benefits go if you do. Veterans deserve a straightforward framework for evaluating their options.
Confirm accreditation first
The VA maintains a public database of accredited attorneys through its Office of General Counsel. You can verify any attorney’s accreditation status directly before you speak with anyone. If an attorney cannot confirm their accreditation or it does not appear in that database, do not proceed.
Ask how long they have focused on veterans law, not just how long they have practiced law
An attorney with 25 years of general practice and two years in veterans law is not the same as one who has spent those 25 years exclusively in this field. The question is worth asking directly. The answer tells you whether veterans law is a specialty or a side practice.
Ask whether the attorney handles anything other than veterans’ law
This is not automatically disqualifying, but it tells you how central this work is to their operation. A firm that handles divorce cases, business disputes, and criminal defense alongside VA appeals is building veterans law expertise in parallel with everything else. A firm that does only veterans law has had no choice but to develop that knowledge deeply.
Ask what levels of the VA system they have handled cases at
Regional Office appeals, Board of Veterans’ Appeals, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Federal Circuit — not every firm has experience at all of these levels. If your case may eventually need to go beyond the Board, it matters whether the attorney has been there before.
Understand the fee structure completely before signing anything
VA rules limit what accredited attorneys can charge and when. In general, representation is contingency-based: the attorney’s fee comes from retroactive benefits recovered if the case succeeds, not from your pocket upfront. If there are out-of-pocket costs, such as fees for an independent medical opinion or obtaining records, those should be disclosed clearly and in advance. As the firm’s attorneys explain it: “There are no surprises with what we do. There’s no money that you didn’t expect to pay coming up, and bills that you didn’t expect.” Ask specifically what expenses you would be responsible for, whether you win or lose.
For most veterans, that last question reveals more about a firm’s transparency than almost anything else in the conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a VA accredited attorney and why does accreditation matter?
A VA accredited attorney has been vetted by the VA’s Office of General Counsel, confirmed to be in good standing with their state bar, and trained in veterans law. Federal regulations prohibit any attorney from charging a fee to represent a veteran before the VA without this credential. Accreditation also requires ongoing continuing education in veterans law, and accredited attorneys are subject to VA discipline if problems arise during representation.
Can a regular attorney handle my VA disability appeal without VA accreditation?
No. An attorney who is not VA accredited cannot legally charge you a fee for representing you before the VA, regardless of their general legal experience. Representation by a non-accredited attorney in a VA proceeding violates federal regulations. Always confirm accreditation status through the VA’s Office of General Counsel database before engaging any attorney for VA-related work.
How do I verify that an attorney is actually VA accredited?
The VA’s Office of General Counsel maintains a publicly searchable database of all accredited attorneys and claims agents. You can search by name at no cost before your first conversation with any firm. Any legitimate VA accredited attorney should be able to confirm their status directly and without hesitation.
How does a VA accredited attorney get paid for representing a veteran?
In most cases, representation is contingency-based. There are no upfront attorney fees. If the appeal succeeds, the attorney’s fee is paid from the retroactive benefits the VA releases, not from the veteran’s pocket directly. There may be separate out-of-pocket costs, such as for an independent medical opinion, which should always be disclosed and agreed to before they are incurred. If the appeal does not succeed, no attorney’s fee is owed.
What Accreditation Tells You and What You Still Need to Ask
VA accreditation confirms that an attorney cleared a legal threshold. It does not tell you whether they have spent years inside this system or weeks. A veteran choosing representation after a denial deserves both: the credential that confirms legal authority to represent, and the experience that makes that representation substantive.
VA Disability Lawyers at Goodman Allen Donnelly has been representing veterans before the VA since 1998, across every level of the system, with a team that works exclusively in veterans law. Our attorneys are VA accredited, and the firm has worked with approximately 4,000 clients over that time. Consultations are free, and representation is contingency-based, meaning no attorney fees unless the case succeeds.
If you have received a denial or a rating decision you believe is inaccurate, contact us to review your case and explain what your options are.
About The Author
This article was contributed by Nancy Foti, Managing Partner of Goodman Allen Donnelly. With over 20 years of experience, Nancy has represented disabled veterans and their families before the Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She clerked for the Honorable Ronald Holdaway of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and previously served as a staff attorney with the National Veterans Legal Services Program.