Case Consulting for Attorneys and VA-Accredited Representatives
Professional-to-professional case consulting
Case strategy from thousands of VA claims and appeals.
CAV consults for attorneys, law firms, claims agents, and other VA Accredited Representatives. Dr. Rudy S. Melson has worked on thousands of VA disability claims and appeals, and he works directly with your firm on a specific case. He will tell you what the decision turned on, which review lane fits, and what the file still needs. Your firm keeps the case and the client.
CAV agrees the scope, the timing, and the work product with you before substantive review begins.
Where CAV fits
How CAV supports your firm
Most VA disability work turns on strategy: how the claim is framed, which evidence matters, which review lane fits, and how the VA is likely to respond. CAV brings experience from thousands of claims and appeals to that decision. Your firm keeps the representation, the deadlines, and the final professional judgment.
Consulting services
Where CAV helps
Each of these may be a single 30-minute consultation or a broader engagement. CAV agrees the scope with you before substantive work begins.
Rating-decision and code-sheet analysis
CAV reads the decision and tells you what it actually turned on: the reasons and bases, the diagnostic codes, the effective dates, and the combined rating. We identify where it is weakest.
C&P examination and DBQ review
CAV tells you whether the examination or Disability Benefits Questionnaire supports the rating the claim needs, and what your options are if it does not.
Record review
CAV goes through the file and tells you what is there, what is missing, and what evidence the claim still needs.
Claim-development support
CAV identifies what to develop before the next submission, and in what order.
Decision-review and appeal planning
CAV helps you choose the review lane: supplemental claim, higher-level review, or Board appeal, and sets out what each one requires.
Complex-rating consultation
CAV works through overlapping symptoms, secondary conditions, aggravation, and pyramiding, and how the rating criteria apply to them.
Why professionals engage CAV
What CAV brings to your case
Thousands of claims and appeals
Dr. Melson has worked on thousands of VA disability claims and appeals. CAV has served over 4,500 veterans and reviewed more than 5,000 cases. That experience is what comes onto your file.
Case strategy
CAV helps you decide how to approach the claim: what the decision turns on, which review lane fits, what the file still needs, and what the VA is likely to do next.
Direct access to Dr. Melson
Your engagement is with Dr. Melson. He works the files himself.
Capacity without headcount
CAV takes a single question, a targeted review, or a full case assessment. Your firm adds experienced VA capability without adding it to the payroll.
A clear process
How an engagement works
Scope, timing, and the expected work product are agreed before substantive review begins.
- 1
Request a consultation
Use the form below to identify your professional role, the type of matter, and the assistance requested.
- 2
Define the scope
CAV will clarify the question, relevant materials, timing, and expected work product.
- 3
Work with Dr. Melson
The engagement may include a consultation, targeted record review, written observations, or another agreed deliverable.
- 4
Confirm next steps
CAV provides the agreed consultation or work product and defines any follow-up scope before additional work begins.
Frequently asked questions
Before you request a consultation
The questions attorneys and accredited representatives ask CAV most often.
Who is this consulting service for?
It is for attorneys, law firms, claims agents, and other VA-accredited representatives who need focused support on a veterans disability claim or appeal. It is not the intake path for an individual veteran seeking direct representation.
What types of matters can CAV review?
The scope may include rating decisions, code sheets, C&P examinations, DBQs, medical and service records, claim-development questions, complex ratings, and decision-review or appeal planning. The exact work is defined with the retaining professional before review begins.
Who will I be working with?
Dr. Rudy S. Melson. He works the files himself, and your engagement is with him directly.
Can I book a 30-minute consultation?
Yes. CAV offers focused 30-minute consultations. If the matter requires additional consulting time, it is available in 30-minute increments. CAV invoices the retaining firm, attorney, claims agent, or accredited representative directly; CAV does not bill the veteran.
Does CAV become the representative of record?
No. Your firm remains the representative of record. A different arrangement would need a separate agreement.
How do I request a consultation?
Use the form below to provide a high-level description of the matter and the assistance needed. Do not include unnecessary personal, medical, or other sensitive records in the initial message. CAV will follow up to clarify scope, timing, and the appropriate way to provide relevant material.
Request a 30-minute consultation
Use the form below to tell us whether you are an attorney, law firm, claims agent, or other VA-accredited representative; the type of matter involved; and the support you are seeking. CAV will follow up to discuss scope, timing, and next steps.