Joel L. Pettit

I hired Joel to help me with a Combat Related Special Compensation case that had gone awry since the filing. Our initial conversations were excellent, and I had very high hopes that he could get the job done. His subsequent performance exceeded my highest expectations. He thoroughly reviewed my case,... built his argument quickly and succinctly and submitted it, after my review. I got my results yesterday, and they were exactly what he had promised. He has my highest recommendations, and most sincere gratitude. Retain him with supreme confidence, Joel is your man.

I truly cannot say enough about the extraordinary legal representation I received from Joel Pettit. From the moment he took on my case, he proved to be a tireless advocate—driven by integrity, unmatched knowledge of military disability law, and an unwavering commitment to justice. Joel repres...ented me during my Formal Physical Evaluation Board (FPEB) hearing and fought zealously for what he knew was right, even when the odds felt insurmountable. When the FPEB disregarded key evidence and issued an unjust ruling, Joel swiftly drafted a compelling Petition for Relief (PFR). His attention to detail was unmatched—exposing the glaring errors and omissions in the FPEB's findings with clarity, precision, and legal authority. What truly sets Joel apart is not just his legal acumen, but his character. While the informal PEB, FPEB, and PFR adjudicators insisted I was wrong, Joel never wavered. He stood firm in the truth, encouraged me to persevere, and reminded me of the strength of my case when I was on the verge of giving up. His support carried me through a process that had nearly shattered my faith in the Navy— the very institution I had devoted over 16 years of my life to and believed in deeply. The legal brief he submitted to the Board for the Correction of Naval Records (BCNR) was a masterpiece—thoroughly researched and meticulously reasoned. Thanks to Joel’s skill and tenacity, the BCNR ruled in my favor, restoring my PEB rating from 30% back to 70% and placing me on the Permanent Disability Retired List (PDRL). This correction reinstated approximately $500 per month to my retirement pay—compensation I had been wrongly denied for five years. Joel is honest, transparent, and unrelenting. He works with intensity and heart, fighting each case as if it were his own. If not for him, I would have not only lost the hard-earned benefits of my military career service but be burdened by the weight of an unfair and demoralizing process. He didn’t just win my case—he restored my faith in justice. If you are facing the military disability system and need someone who will fight for you with everything he has, look no further than Joel Pettit. He is a rare and exceptional advocate. I am deeply and permanently grateful for his work on my behalf.

I was referred to Joel on a military medboard website and from the moment we got in contact, he walked me thru the entire process and answered all the questions I had. Mr. Pettit got my rank reinstated by the SECAF, 100% disability, and more importantly: He got the CRSC board to recognize my combat r...elated injuries. There are no words to describe how pleased I am with the outcome. He looked out for me and my 18 years of active duty service. The fee I paid up front for Joel's services was returned by 2 months of entitlements that I am now receiving for the rest of my life.

Joel is a MACHINE, and when I put $1 into this MACHINE, $250 came out. When I put $100 in, $25,000 came out. And when I’d put the rest of >$5,000 in, $1,250,000 came out. And then the MACHINE called to refund the remainder of his retainer. Long version: 5x months into IDES, the VA rated me 0% for... a referred condition that my medical documentation clearly supported at 30%. IDES gave me a week to write a VARR, and on the 4th day, and after ample pro bono advice in the preceding advice, I retained Joel. He worked through the entire weekend and late into Sunday night getting a 122x page VARR together - it was a masterwork of art and science. The VARR decision came back in _12x days. I’d been told to expect it in 6x weeks. It was so fast that it bypassed my PEBLO and MSC entirely – they found out days later. My PEBLO said "my eyes popped out of my head" when he saw the VARR decision. The VARR decision took me from 0% to _60%_, not the 30% we were aiming for. This took my overall DoD medical retirement rating from 50% to _75%_; a 25% increase in my monthly DoD retirement check, equaling $2,985/mo., COLA adjusted, for the rest of my life. Joel’s fee was >$5,000. An inflation-protected annuity paying $3,000/mo. would cost me $1.25M today. So my ROI on Joel’s >$5,000 fee was 24,900%. Joel is honest, intrepid, and supremely competent. He’d been very generous with his time earlier in the year developing a strategy for my medical retirement that integrated my own constraints/previous work, that did NOT involve my retaining him. When I finally retained him (at the 11th hour) to write my VARR, he worked through the weekend to get it done, and the results far exceeded anyone's expectations. Don’t be a clown and try to do this yourself. Hire THE MACHINE.