VA Disability

***IN PROCESS***

One of the key benefits of military service is that your employer takes accountability for the damage it may have done to you. I am writing this page to speak a bit on the VA disability claim process and what benefits the VA provides. What this page is NOT:

• A social commentary on how well the US government takes care of its Veterans

• A guide on how to lie/scam your way into disability benefits you do not deserve

What is the VA/the VA System?

The Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA) is a government organization dedicated to managing benefits for those who have served in the US military. This predominantly focuses on financial and healthcare benefits.  You will qualify for a number of benefits as a Veteran, whether or not you received some sort of injury/illness from military service. 

What are VA Disability Benefits?

The system of VA disability provides financial and health benefits to compensate for medical conditions you now have as a result of military service, or for conditions that predate military service that were worsened by military service.

The exact benefit you receive depends on a number of factors. For this discussion, I am going to stick with the most common scenario of a servicemember with a non-combat-related injury separating from service at LESS than 20 years. I don't want to speak on things outside my realm of knowledge, so if you completed a full career, have a Purple Heart, or have some other less common circumstance, I apologize, but you may want to look elsewhere for more information. 

What Factors Determine the Benefits?

The main factor in your disability benefit comes from your VA rating. This rating is the calculated disability percentage based on your VA-rated conditions. Once you have your rating, factors such as your marital status, number of children (and their ages), and whether you have any dependent parents influence how much financial benefit you receive. Also, your disability percentage determines whether you will receive medical care for just your rated conditions or all of your medical conditions, and your place in line for things like waiting lists for pharmacy or appointments. 

Enough Yapping - What are the actual benefits?

Eh... That's cool and all, but I only have a little bit wrong with me that probably won't even get me 10%, so why should I bother?

Ah, here is one of the first major mistakes people make when it comes to VA disability. A service-connected condition (assuming it isn't something that can be cured 100%, like skin cancer) is always a service-connected condition. If you have chronic knee pain but there is no demonstrable deficit, and you get a 0% rating, you still get two major benefits: 

• 0% rating comes with a number of benefits - see above

• A 0%-rated condition may worsen over time and become a 10% - rated condition