Manage your Veterans disability benefits.
- Check your VA claim or appeal status. Track the status of your disability claim or appeal.
- View your disability rating.
- File for a VA disability increase.
- Request a decision review or manage a legacy appeal.
- Add or remove a dependent.
- Upload evidence to support your disability claim.
- File additional forms for your disability claim.
- Change your VA direct deposit information.
- Share your VA medical records.
- Download your VA benefit letters.
- Filing an appeal within VA's deadlines.
- Filing a new claim for an increased rating.
- Filing for TDIU, or total disability based on individual unemployability.
- Filing for secondary service connection.
How to maximize my VA disability?
Manage your Veterans disability benefits
- Check your VA claim or appeal status Track the status of your disability claim or appeal.
- View your disability rating View your VA disability ratings and which of your ratings are service-connected.
- File for a VA disability increase If your service-connected disability has gotten worse, find out how to file a claim to increase your disability rating.
How do you increase your VA disability rating?
- You have found new evidence that your a medical condition related to military service has deteriorated or worsened.
- You believe your condition has gotten worse since your last VA disability rating.
- You think the VA lowballed your initial rating
- Your medical condition has caused another medical condition
What disabilities qualify for VA disability?
Office of Personnel Management Guidelines
- Competitively Filled Positions. Jobs that are filled competitively are advertised through USAJOBS. ...
- Non-competitively Filled Positions. ...
- Required Disability Documentation. ...
How to get a 100% VA disability rating?
Tips to Obtain an 100 Percent VA Disability Rating
- Expect the unexpected. When you receive your VA Rating Decision letter, be prepared to find some incorrect items. ...
- Do legal research. There are literally thousands of federal regulations that could affect your VA disability claim for a 100% rating. ...
- Consider previous case law. One thing that assists our veterans disability benefits lawyers with winning claims is that we know VA case law. ...
- Don’t rely solely on free veterans legal services. You know what our thousands of clients all have in common? They were all denied the VA disability benefits ratings they deserved. ...
How do I get the most out of my VA disability?
To maximize your chances of getting your claims approved and earning increased compensation rates, documentation is critical. If you're still in the service, try to get your injuries or other disabling medical connections documented in your military medical records.
How can I increase my VA benefits?
You can file a claim for increased disability compensation if you have a rated service-connected disability that's gotten worse. You'll need to submit up-to-date medical evidence that shows your disability has gotten worse. You can file an increased claim to request: An increase in your disability rating.
What is the best way to get 100 VA disability?
If veterans are trying to get a 100 percent VA disability rating, and they do not have a 100 percent rating for any one service-connected condition, the only way to get there is to reach a combined disability rating of 95 percent or higher according to VA math.
Is it difficult to increase VA disability?
Ultimately, you may want to ask the VA for a rating increase. The process for making this request isn't difficult. However, the outcome of this request may not be exactly what you expect or intend. It's possible that making a request for this change can actually lower your disability rating.
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.
How often does VA re evaluate disability?
every 2 to 5 yearsBasically, the VA can reevaluate your disability rating every 2 to 5 years unless your rating is permanent or protected. Depending on the results of the reexamination and reevaluation, you may see a reduced rating. Some conditions are likely to fluctuate in severity over time.
How hard is it to get a 100 VA disability rating?
As you might expect, it is difficult to obtain a 100% VA disability rating with just one service-connected disability. Most veterans who receive a 100% rating have two or more disabling conditions. Often, these conditions have a secondary service connection.
Can I still work with 100 VA disability?
Veterans rated with a 100% Permanent and Total VA disability rating do not face any restrictions on work activity, unless the veteran was awarded this rating through Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU). 100% schedular permanent and total ratings are protected from being reduced.
Will I lose my VA disability if I get a job?
If you are working and receive service-connected compensation, you will not be penalized by the VA. Working veterans will only run into problems with the VA if they are receiving TDIU and their work is considered to be substantially gainful.
What should you not say at C&P exam?
C&P Exam “Don'ts”Don't miss a scheduled exam. This only hurts your claim by delaying a process that is already slow. ... Don't take C&P exams lightly. ... Don't exaggerate your condition. ... Don't understate your symptoms. ... Don't take “no” for an answer.
Is PTSD a permanent VA disability?
3. The veteran's total disability due to PTSD is permanent with no likelihood of improvement. The 100 percent rating for PTSD is total, permanent, and static in nature.
What is the best way to increase your VA disability rating?
Disability Benefit Questionnaire Reviews, also known as DBQ forms, are the #1 best way to increase your VA disability rating for conditions that are already service connected at 0 percent or higher.
How many steps are there in VA disability claims?
His frustration with the 8-step VA disability claims process led him to create “VA Claims Insider,” which provides U.S. military veterans with tips, strategies, and lessons learned for successfully submitting or re-submitting a winning VA disability compensation claim.
What is the benefit of using DBQ?
The major benefit of using DBQs is that many times the VA will grant a veteran a higher VA rating based upon the information in the DBQ ALONE!
What is a high value VA claim?
A High-Value VA Claim is a disability or condition with a “HIGH” likelihood of getting rated at 30% or higher on its own.
How many times has the VA Disability eBook been downloaded?
His eBook, the “9 Secrets Strategies for Winning Your VA Disability Claim” has been downloaded more than 300,000 times in the past three years and is the #1 rated free VA disability claims guide for veterans.
Who is Brian from Military Disability?
Brian is also the CEO of Military Disability Made Easy, which is the world’s largest free searchable database for all things related to DoD disability and VA disability claims and has served more than 4,600,000 military members and veterans since its founding in 2013.
Is VA disability cumulative?
VA disabilities are NOT cumulative —instead, they are factored into each other, in order, from highest VA rating down to lowest rating, and multiplied against one another to determine your overall combined VA disability rating.
How long can you be on disability with VA?
If you've had your VA disability for more than five years, the VA has to prove that your illness or disease has gotten better and will stay better before reducing or terminating your rating. If you've had your disability for 10 years or more, the VA can very rarely terminate your benefits unless it proves that you've been fraudulent in your claim.
How to file for VA increase?
To file for an increase, you normally go through the same procedure you went through when you initially filed for compensation. You will need medical proof that your condition has gotten worse. This can be from either the VA doctor or a private doctor. You can file your increase request using eBenefits or by filling out a VA Form 21-526b.
What Happens When You File for Increased Disability Compensation?
When you request an increase in your VA disability rating, you are in effect opening up your claim for re-evaluation. The VA can actually lower or terminate your existing rating, so you need to make sure you have all your ducks in a row before you file.
What to do if you disagree with the VA?
If you disagree with the VA's decision on your disability, you can file what is known as a "Notice of Disagreement" with the VA. This is also known as an appeal.
How long does it take for VA to make a decision?
Whatever the situation, be prepared to send in a ton of documents, fill out lots of forms (this may be easier to do using eBenefits instead of regular mail), and wait for several months before the VA makes a decision on your claim.
Can the VA reduce my disability?
It can, however, reduce your benefits. If you've had your disability for 20 years, the VA won't reduce your rating below the lowest one you've received in those 20 years. The VA can also reduce or terminate your compensation if you miss a scheduled disability rating medical exam.
Do you have to file a new disability claim with the VA?
In this case, you just have to file a new disability claim with the VA. Some disabilities may have time limits, and you do have to document everything just like any other application for VA disability.
File Your Claim Correctly
The average time to process your claim is 4 months. The average result for our clients is an additional $800 per month for life!
Proven Results
Our company has a 90% success rate guiding clients to receive a favorable decision thus increasing their monthly compensation.
What does increased disability mean?
Increased disability requires an upward adjustment to the vet’s disability rating, which can mean an increase to the amount of disability compensation provided. Unfortunately, disabled veterans face an overworked and slow government bureaucracy when pursuing appeals with the VA.
Does the VA have to follow the claims process?
The VA still must follow the claims process, but because service-connection has already been established, the VA focuses only on medical evidence and the potentially increased rating. The VA may also require the vet to undergo a medical exam by one of its appointed medical professionals.
Does the VA pay 100% disability?
However, the VA will pay certain veterans 100% disability compensation, even though VA has not rated their service-connected disabilities at the total level.
Can a veteran request a VA rating increase?
Once a claim for veterans’ disability benefits has been granted, a veteran can request that the VA rating of a service-connected disability be increased at any time. The VA knows that many conditions grow worse, and it knows that it has a large population of aging beneficiaries.
Can disabled veterans get TDIU?
It is meant for disabled veterans who are unable to get or keep substantially gainful employment because of their service connected disability. A disabled veteran whose disability rating is not as high as it should be may be able to obtain TDIU compensation at a 100% disability rate.
What is the VA duty to maximize?
The VA’s Duty to Maximize your benefits. The VA Duty to Maximize is just one of the many legal duties the VA owes to Veterans. Setting aside the fact that the VA’s legal duties are treated more like “if-you-cans” than legal obligations, the Duty to Maximize is often overlooked in the VA disability compensation claims and appeals process.
What is the first principle of VA disability?
So a First Principle – if not THE first principle underlying the VA disability system – is that benefits are meant to off-set the loss of earning capacity that results from injuries suffered or diseases incurred in military service. That comes straight from the mouth of Congress:
Why does the VA tell you about your legal duties?
Because it is hard to understand what exactly it means. Or so the VA will tell you. Honestly, the VA will tell you that about all their legal duties: whether it is the duty to assist, the duty to notify , the duty to apply the benefit of the doubt or the duty to expedite your VA disability compensation claims , they make them so complex ...
What does Veterans Law Blog teach you?
One of the video training modules teaches you “How to Prove Service Connection in a VA Claim.”
Does the VA pay veterans for disability?
Reduced to its essence, this is the VA disability compensation system: for current disabilities that are related to military service, the VA is supposed to pay the veteran for the average impairment of earning capacity in a civil occupation.
Can you claim VA benefits in writing?
If you ask a VA employee, they will often tell you that a claim includes only those benefits which you claimed in writing and for which you expressed an intent to claim benefits. In reality, though, those are the elements of an “ informal claim ” which has nothing at all to do with the scope of a formal claim for benefits.
Does Veterans Law Blog charge for subscription?
Now, the Veterans Law Blog® does charge a subscription to cover the cost of providing this knowledge, but that is it.
What is VA disability compensation?
VA disability compensation. VA disability compensation (pay) offers a monthly tax-free payment to Veterans who got sick or injured while serving in the military and to Veterans whose service made an existing condition worse. You may qualify for VA disability benefits for physical conditions ...
What to do if you disagree with a disability decision?
If you disagree with a decision on your disability claim, you can request a decision review. You can also manage any review requests or appeals you already filed.
What is VA DIC?
Compensation benefits for a surviving spouse and dependents (VA DIC) Learn about getting VA disability benefits as a surviving spouse, dependent child, or parent.
Can you get VA disability for mental health?
You may qualify for VA disability benefits for physical conditions (like a chronic illness or injury) and mental health conditions (like PTSD) that developed before, during, or after service. Find out how to apply for and manage the Veterans disability benefits you've earned.
How to increase VA disability rating?
There are four ways to increase your rating; (1) increase a current rating, (2) readdress a denied disability, (3) claim a new disability, and (4) claim a secondary disability. You can file claims for all four at once depending on your situation.
Can you reduce your C&P rating?
Ratings held for five years cannot be reduced per a single C&P exam . If you have a few years on your rating you should consider waiting to file the increase to avoid a possible decrease per a single C&P exam. Ratings held for 20 years cannot be decreased.
