About Us
A disabled veteran fighting for those who served. We are not a call center, not a coaching program, and not unaccredited consultants who hand you a checklist. We are federalized accredited agents who go directly into your VA claims file.
Albert Thombs
Founder & VA-Accredited Claims Agent #45147 • U.S. Army Veteran • 100% Service-Connected
Albert Thombs is a U.S. Army veteran and 100% service-connected disabled veteran who has spent over 20 years inside the VA disability claims system — first as a claimant fighting his own denials, then as a VA-accredited claims agent fighting everyone else's. He holds VA accreditation #45147, the federal credential that authorizes him to access veterans' claims files directly, file appeals, and represent veterans before the VA and the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
Before building The VA Disability Advocate, Albert worked as a web and graphic designer — a background that shaped his approach to claims work. He treats every VA file like a design problem: structure the evidence, expose the gaps, and build the argument so the rater has no room to deny. That forensic methodology became the foundation of the firm's Mission 5 Intelligence Brief and the operational doctrine the entire team follows.
Albert built this firm because he lived the same frustration every veteran in our intake queue has lived: filing a claim, waiting months, getting a C&P exam from someone who spent twelve minutes on a condition that took twelve years to develop, and then reading a denial letter full of legal language designed to make you give up. He did not give up. He decoded the system, and now his team does it for others.
Today, Albert leads a team of eight advocates and administrators who share one operating principle: no veteran should accept a denial they do not deserve. Every case that comes through this firm is treated as an adversarial engagement — because that is exactly what the VA claims process is, whether anyone at the VA admits it or not.
Our Team
We have walked the same claims, the same denials, the same frustration. We do this because we live it.
Albert L. Thombs Jr.
CEO / VA-Accredited Claims Agent #45147
Army veteran. 20+ years in the claims industry. Former web and graphic designer. 100% service-connected disabled veteran who built this firm because he lived every denial, every bad exam, every bureaucratic wall the VA puts up.
Rufus Pittman
Advocate
Army Retired. Rufus brings decades of military service and firsthand understanding of the conditions and exposures that lead to service-connected disabilities.
Alyssa Valkanas
Admin / New Client Coordinator
Army veteran. Alyssa is your first point of contact — she coordinates intake, secures your records, and ensures your file is ready before it reaches an advocate.
Toni Crawley
Advocate
Toni fights denied claims through supplemental claims, higher-level reviews, and Board appeals with a focus on building precision evidence packages.
Shawnda Fischer
Advocate
Shawnda specializes in identifying overlooked secondary conditions and building the nexus evidence the VA requires under 38 CFR §3.310.
Vangie Thombs
CFO / Administrator
Vangie manages the firm's operations and finances. Tagalog-speaking — veterans and families who prefer Tagalog can request to work with Vangie directly.
Vickie Mohn
Advocate
Vickie handles complex multi-condition cases including TDIU, CUE motions, and effective date disputes that require deep file archaeology.
Michael Watkins
Advocate
Michael focuses on toxic exposure claims under the PACT Act and TERA framework, building the deployment and exposure documentation the VA now requires.
The Mission 5 Intelligence Brief
The Intelligence Brief is a flat-fee standalone forensic file review — not a representation agreement. For $750, you receive a 7-section written report within 7 days plus a 45-minute strategy call with an accredited agent. It gives you a complete, honest picture of your claim's strengths, weaknesses, and next steps.
This is a separate product from our contingency representation. If you want accredited representation with zero upfront cost, start here instead.
File Audit
Complete inventory of every rating decision, C&P exam, and denial in your VA claims file.
Error Identification
Every legal, procedural, and factual error the VA made — cited to the specific regulation violated.
Condition Routing
Each condition mapped to its optimal appeal lane: Supplemental, HLR, Board, or CUE.
Evidence Gap Analysis
Exactly what evidence is missing and what form it needs to take (nexus opinion, DBQ, buddy statement, medical records).
Rating Projection
Where your combined rating should be based on the evidence, and what each increase is worth in monthly compensation.
Effective Date Audit
Whether you are owed an earlier effective date — and the back pay that comes with it under 38 CFR §3.400.
Strategic Recommendations
The precise filing sequence, timing, and evidence package for every actionable condition.
The Forensic Method We Use on Every Case
Service connection is what we prove for a living. Trace the three elements the VA requires — and where most denials fall apart.
The 3-Prong Service Connection Test
All three must be present. Miss one and the claim collapses — no matter how severe the condition.
Current Diagnosis
A present, medically documented condition. No diagnosis — no claim. The VA cannot rate a symptom it has not confirmed.
In-Service Event or Exposure
An injury, illness, event, or toxic exposure that occurred (or was aggravated) during active service — shown in records, or presumed under the PACT Act.
Medical Nexus
A medical link stating the current condition is “at least as likely as not” (50% or greater) caused by the in-service event. This is where most claims are won or lost.
Real Veterans. Real Claims. Real Outcomes.
Every case on this desk belongs to someone who served. These are the veterans this practice represents — across every era, branch, and condition.
Veteran Representation
Veteran Representation
Veteran RepresentationKnow the Exam We Prepare You For
The C&P exam is where cases are won or lost. These are the official VA overviews of what happens in that room — watch them, then compare them to what happened in yours.
Your VA Claim Exam: What to Expect
Tips to Prepare for Your VA Claim Exam
What We Are — and What We Are Not
What We Are
- Federalized accredited agents authorized by the VA to access your claims file directly
- A team of veterans and military family members who have lived this process
- Specialists in denied and under-rated claims — appeals, rating increases, CUE, effective dates
- A contingency firm: no win, no fee under 38 CFR §14.636
What We Are Not
- ✕ Not a call center that hands you off to a different person every time
- ✕ Not a “coaching program” that charges you to watch videos and fill out your own forms
- ✕ Not unaccredited consultants operating outside VA oversight
- ✕ Not a firm that files initial/first-time claims — we fight the denials that come after
Our Mission
Every veteran who served honorably deserves the benefits they earned. We exist to decode the VA's claims system and fight for those the VA has denied or under-rated.
If you have been denied, under-rated, or told there is nothing you can do — we want to see your file. We will tell you honestly whether we can help, and if we can, we do not get paid unless you do.