Introduction to Veterans Disability Benefits

An introduction to veteran's disability benefits is provided here to give you a brief overview of the benefits available. The cornerstone of veteran's disability benefits is VA disability compensation. These tax free payments compensate a veteran for a disability that happened to them (or was made worse) while they were on active duty, active duty for training or inactive duty training. In certain cases, veterans who have become disabled as a result of VA health care they received also receive disability compensation.

In addition to disability compensation, there are other benefits a disabled veteran might be eligible for:

• vocational rehabilitation and employment
• grants for special adaptive housing and automobiles
• clothing allowance
• priority medical care

• employment preference for Federal job openings

Eligibility

A veteran can be eligible for disability compensation benefits if the disability was a direct result of their military duty.  To be eligible you cannot have been discharged from the military under dishonorable conditions. Your medical history and records will be an extremely important part of the disability determination process; keep accurate and organized records. You will need them as part of the application process.

How Much?

The amount of your monthly benefit will be a direct result of the type and severity of your disability as well as other factors, such as whether or not you have dependent children or coincidentally a disabled spouse.

The VA uses a comprehensive and complex "Rating Schedule" to define what type of disability you have and the severity of the disabilty. The severity level is translated to a percentage, expressed in multiples of 10, up to 100% disabled. The rating schedule has over 700 different diagnostic codes that are rated. This Rating Schedule is key to deciding how much benefit is paid for your particular disability.

Beyond Compensation

The Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment VetSuccess program is available to veterans for up to 12 years after their discharge (which also has to be other than dishonorable) or 12 years from the date you were notified that the VA considered you disabled, whichever is the later date. These services are available to help disabled veterans prepare for non-military employment, find a job and keep their new job. Even if you are so severely disabled that you cannot work, VetSuccess has special training to help you learn to live as independently as possible.

You are entitled to these services if the VA determines that you have an employment handicap as a direct result of your disability.

More Questions?

You can find additional information on the VA's website at www.vba.va.gov or you may wish to contact an attorney who has experience dealing successfully with other veterans and can help you receive all of the benefits that you and your family are eligible for.