Claim Raven, Pathfinder, and Why I Believe Veterans Should Have More Options

One of the things I've learned from working with veterans is that not everyone needs an attorney to handle their entire VA disability claim.

Some veterans want full representation. Others want to prepare and file their own claims but could use help understanding a decision, reviewing evidence, or figuring out what to do next. I think both approaches are reasonable.

What matters is that veterans understand their options and can get the help they need without feeling pressured into something they don't want.

I'm an Air Force veteran, a VA-accredited attorney, and the founder of the Law Office of D.C. Burnette, PLLC. I've spent much of my career working in federal systems, including years in public service. I understand how complicated those systems can become, even for people who are comfortable with regulations, paperwork, and administrative processes.

VA disability claims are no exception.

That's one reason I've become interested in how technology, including artificial intelligence, can help veterans better understand and manage their own claims. It's also why I've started working with Claim Raven and Pathfinder.

Veterans Should Have More Than Two Choices

For many veterans, pursuing a VA disability claim can feel like a choice between doing everything themselves and turning the entire process over to someone else. But there's a lot of room between those two options.

Some veterans are perfectly capable of gathering their medical records, preparing personal statements, and submitting claims. They may understand their medical conditions and military experiences better than anyone.

What they don't always understand is how VA evaluates that information.

A veteran might have strong medical evidence but not understand why VA denied service connection. Another might have received a rating decision but be unsure whether the percentage or effective date is correct.

Sometimes the problem isn't a lack of evidence. It's understanding how the evidence fits into the legal requirements.

That doesn't always require an attorney to take over the entire claim. A veteran may only need an explanation, a second opinion, or help developing a plan. I believe those options should be available.

What Claim Raven and Pathfinder Can Do

Claim Raven uses artificial intelligence to help veterans work with information related to their VA disability claims.

Depending on the tools and services a veteran uses, that can include organizing records, reviewing information, identifying potential issues, and preparing materials for a claim or appeal. Pathfinder provides a more structured way to develop claim-related work and prepare information for further review.

These tools can be particularly useful because VA claims often involve a large amount of information. A veteran might have years of service treatment records, VA medical records, private medical reports, prior decisions, and personal statements. Finding the important information can be difficult.

Technology can help organize that material and make it easier to understand. But organizing information and making legal decisions are two different things.

An AI tool may identify something worth investigating, but that doesn't necessarily mean the evidence establishes service connection or supports a particular disability rating. It may also miss information, misunderstand a medical record, or reach a conclusion that doesn't fit the applicable law.

I believe these tools are most useful when veterans understand both their capabilities and their limitations. They can help veterans do more for themselves, but important information still needs to be checked.

Why I'm Working With Claim Raven and Pathfinder

I've spent a lot of time looking at how AI and other technology can help veterans with VA disability claims. Some tools are useful. Others leave me wondering whether they really understand what veterans need.

Claim Raven stood out to me.

Of the AI-based veterans' claims tools I've explored, I've been especially impressed by Claim Raven's organization, its focus on veterans, and the quality of the work it helps veterans prepare.

But what impressed me most wasn't just the technology. It was the person behind it.

Landon, Claim Raven's founder, is a veteran himself. He's a real person with a genuine interest in helping other veterans navigate a difficult system. I've had the opportunity to talk with him about what he's building and why he's building it.

That matters to me.

I've seen plenty of businesses advertise that they're veteran-owned or veteran-focused. Those words can mean something, but I want to know the people behind them and what they're actually trying to accomplish.

What I appreciate about Landon is that his mission aligns with mine. We both believe veterans deserve better access to information, useful tools, and meaningful help without being pressured into services they don't need.

I see an opportunity for our work to complement each other. Claim Raven and Pathfinder can help veterans organize their records, develop their claims, and prepare information for VA. My firm can provide independent legal guidance when they need an attorney's judgment about their evidence, their options, or the next step in an appeal.

We're approaching the problem from different directions, but we're working toward the same goal: helping veterans make informed decisions and get the benefits they've earned.

My firm remains independent of Claim Raven and Pathfinder. We have a pilot agreement to explore ways to help veterans, but neither business pays the other for referrals or legal services. Veterans don't have to hire me to use either tool. Using those tools does not, by itself, create an attorney-client relationship with my firm. Before I agree to provide legal services, my firm reviews the request, checks for conflicts, and confirms the terms of representation.

When a Little Legal Help May Be Enough

One of the reasons I'm interested in this approach is that legal representation doesn't have to be all or nothing.

A veteran may need an attorney to review a VA decision and explain what it means. Another may want someone to look at a Compensation and Pension (C&P) examination or Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) and identify potential problems. Others need a more comprehensive review of their evidence and a strategy for what to do next.

These are different levels of assistance, and they don't necessarily require the same kind of attorney-client relationship or fee arrangement.

Through my firm's Veterans Legal Assistance Program (VLAP), I offer limited-scope services that allow veterans to request help with a specific part of their claim or appeal.

For example, a veteran might want to understand why VA denied a claim before deciding whether to appeal. Another might want an attorney to review a prepared appeal package before filing it. Someone else might need a written assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of their evidence.

In an appropriate case, limited-scope representation can provide meaningful assistance while allowing the veteran to remain in control of the larger process.

Of course, limited-scope services aren't appropriate for every situation. Some claims involve complicated medical questions, multiple appeals, difficult effective-date issues, or other problems that require more extensive legal work. In those cases, continuing representation may make more sense.

The important thing is matching the legal assistance to the veteran's actual needs.

Understanding Your Options After a VA Decision

This becomes especially important when a veteran receives a VA decision they disagree with.

Under the modernized VA review system, veterans generally have three review options, although the available choices and applicable rules depend on the decision and circumstances.

A Supplemental Claim allows a veteran to submit or identify new and relevant evidence for VA to consider.

A Higher-Level Review asks a more senior VA reviewer to take another look at a decision, generally without considering new evidence.

A Board Appeal asks the Board of Veterans' Appeals to review the decision. Different Board review options have different rules about evidence and hearings.

These choices matter because the best review path often depends on what went wrong with the original decision.

If VA overlooked or misunderstood evidence already in the record, one approach may be appropriate. If important medical records, personal statements, or other evidence were missing, another approach may make more sense. Sometimes a case raises a legal or factual dispute that warrants review by the Board.

A veteran who understands these differences is in a better position to make an informed decision. Rather than immediately committing to full representation, a veteran may be able to obtain an independent review of the decision and the available options.

Veterans should also remember that review deadlines matter. For many decisions, requesting review within one year is important to preserving potential effective-date rights. Different rules may apply in particular circumstances, so a veteran should not assume that using an AI tool or requesting an attorney consultation extends a filing deadline.

Making Legal Assistance More Accessible

I don't believe access to useful legal assistance should depend entirely on a veteran's ability to pay.

My firm provides certain initial VA claim services on a pro bono basis when we accept the matter. That means eligible veterans may receive legal assistance with an initial claim without paying an attorney fee.

For appeals, I offer different forms of representation, including limited-scope services for an agreed flat fee and continuing representation under a contingency-fee agreement when appropriate.

Some veterans want to handle most of their own appeal and pay for a specific service. Others prefer an attorney to assume responsibility for the agreed appeal work, with attorney fees contingent on a successful recovery.

Neither approach is automatically better, and not every veteran who requests assistance will be accepted for representation. My firm must consider conflicts, capacity, the requested work, and the circumstances of the case.

I want veterans to know that asking about legal help doesn't mean they have to commit to a particular service.

Why I Also Offer Contingency-Fee Representation

Not everyone can afford to pay an attorney out of pocket, especially when they're already struggling with a disability, reduced income, or the financial consequences of waiting for VA to decide a claim.

That's one reason I offer contingency-fee representation for qualifying VA appeals.

Under my standard agreement, my attorney fee is 20% of the past-due benefits recovered through the representation. If there's no qualifying recovery, I don't earn a contingency attorney fee.

That means I take on the risk of doing substantial legal work without knowing whether I'll be paid.

Appeals can require a lot of work. It's not unusual for me to spend ten hours or more reviewing a veteran's records, examining the VA decision, researching the applicable law, identifying missing evidence, and developing the arguments needed for an appeal.

For perspective, at hourly rates of $250 to $500, ten hours of legal work would cost between $2,500 and $5,000. That's before considering any additional work the appeal might require.

Many veterans simply cannot afford that kind of upfront expense.

A contingency arrangement allows me to invest that time without requiring the veteran to pay my attorney fee before the work begins. If we obtain qualifying past-due benefits, my fee is paid from that recovery under our agreement. If we don't, I may have invested considerable time without earning an attorney fee.

That's a risk I'm willing to take because I believe veterans should have access to legal representation even when they cannot afford to pay thousands of dollars upfront.

At the same time, I don't want someone to give up part of their backpay for full representation when a smaller amount of assistance might meet their needs.

Offering both limited-scope and continuing representation gives veterans different ways to obtain help, depending on their circumstances.

Technology Should Help Veterans Make Decisions, Not Make Decisions for Them

I think we're going to see significant changes in how veterans prepare and manage VA disability claims over the next several years. AI will probably become a regular part of that process.

Veterans may be able to organize records more efficiently, understand complicated decisions, and prepare stronger submissions without having to depend entirely on someone else.

But I also think we need to be careful.

A system that produces a polished document can create the impression that the information in it must be correct. That's not always true.

A well-written argument can still rely on an incorrect interpretation of the evidence. A medical summary can overlook an important detail. A suggested appeal strategy can fail to account for a filing deadline or a legal requirement.

Veterans should be encouraged to question what these tools produce, check important information against original records, and seek qualified assistance when necessary.

I don't see technology and legal representation as competing approaches. Both can be useful, provided veterans understand what each can and cannot do.

My Goal Is to Help Veterans Understand Their Choices

I've always believed that veterans deserve to be treated as capable people who can make informed decisions about their own lives. That includes decisions about VA disability benefits.

Not every veteran wants an attorney to take over a claim. Not every veteran wants to spend months learning the details of VA regulations, either.

Most simply want to understand what happened, what their options are, and what they should consider doing next.

That's what interests me about the work Landon is doing with Claim Raven and Pathfinder.

The technology can help veterans organize information and prepare their own work. My firm can provide independent legal assistance when professional judgment is needed.

Sometimes that may mean a focused review or a conversation. Sometimes it may mean developing an appeal strategy. And sometimes it may mean taking on full representation.

The goal isn't to persuade every veteran to hire an attorney. It's to make sure veterans know they have choices.

I've spent much of my professional life working in and around federal systems. One thing that experience has taught me is that people are better able to navigate complicated processes when someone takes the time to explain how those processes actually work.

That's what I want this work to accomplish.

You served. You deserve to be heard.

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Disclaimer: This article provides general educational information, not legal advice for any particular claim. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with the Law Office of D.C. Burnette, PLLC. Claim Raven and Pathfinder are separate services from the firm's legal representation. Using those tools or submitting an inquiry does not guarantee that the firm will accept a matter or monitor any filing deadline. Veterans with specific legal questions should consult a VA-accredited representative or attorney.