Pain and getting a fair claim

I've had two back surgeries that are service connected. Some minor paralysis in my legs. And I have a lot of pain. All documented.

I'm currently at 50% and I struggled for several years just to get that much. I was even denied temporary 100% rating when I had my second back surgery. (To correct the first one) I was at 0% rating at the time.

I did go through a vfo but I feel like they didn't represent me very well. They quit on me after I got 50% and basically said there was nothing more I could do.

My service was atypical and very short.

Despite the documentation I feel like my claim hasn't been given a fair review. My pain was basically ignored since day one. Despite it being a major part of my disability And documented. Every time I brought up my pain during the claims process it was ignored.

my question is is what steps should I take to get the VA to take another look at my claim and what steps can I take to ensure I'm represented fairly.

I've thought about a claims lawyer but my research has come up with mixed results on whether they are helpful or not.

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks in advance.🙂