
When and If VA Can Stop a Veteran’s Benefits
- Severance of Disability. If your disability is no longer considered a service-connected, the VA can sever your benefits.
- VA Overpayments. If, while giving out disability payments, the VA has overpaid you for your benefits, they may recoup it.
- Recouping Severance or Separation Pay. If you receive severance or separation pay...
How much can I earn before losing benefits?
This means you could both work and earn Social Security benefits for as long as four to five years before you reach the year you'll hit FRA. In any of these years, your benefits will be reduced by $1 for every $2 earned above a set income limit. The amount you can earn without affecting benefits changes each year. For 2019, the limit is $17,640.
Do you lose VA benefits with a general discharge?
Veterans with a general discharge, or general discharge under honorable conditions, are also entitled to all the benefits under the VA. This character means that a service member may not have met all of the standards of honorable discharge, yet their military service met standards of adequacy.
When can the VA terminate or lower my disability benefits?
When Can the VA Terminate My Disability Compensation? Benefits for disabilities with a service connection can be reduced (as described above), but rarely stopped altogether. If you have been receiving service-connected benefits for ten years or longer, your benefits receive special protection from termination. The VA cannot terminate these benefits unless you committed fraud or unless the VA made a "clear and unmistakable error" in granting you benefits (CUE).
How to find out if you are eligible for veterans benefits?
Determining Veteran Status – Eligibility Service Records: Proving Your Eligibility For a veteran to show they’re eligible for benefits, they must first present the VA office with an official copy of their DD Form 214/215, or NGB 22/22A, which are some of the most significant documents issued by the military.

What can cause a veteran to lose benefits?
We discuss a few common reasons why veterans may not be receiving all of their VA disability compensation, or why they are suddenly not receiving any.Severance of Disability. ... VA Overpayments. ... Recouping Severance or Separation Pay. ... Run-Ins with the Law.
How long do my VA benefits last?
If VA assigns you a 100% rating, it has the option of also designating you permanently and totally disabled. If you receive this designation, your benefits are safe for the rest of your life. The only exception is if VA later determines you obtained your benefits via fraud.
Do veterans get benefits for life?
Many veterans have trouble obtaining traditional life insurance, especially with a service-connected injury or disability. Through the Veterans' Group Life Insurance program, veterans may be eligible to receive up to $400,000 in life insurance at competitive premium rates.
What is the VA 5 year rule?
The VA disability rating 5-year rule states that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) cannot reduce a veteran's disability rating if it has been in place for five years or more unless the condition shows sustained improvement over time. In this situation, the veteran's rating is considered a stabilized rating.