When an active duty service member transitions out of the military and back into civilian life, there are several standard appointments to attend before the final out-processing date. Troops who file VA claims for disability benefits have previously been required to attend two claim examinations, one for the VA and one for the Department of… Read more »
There are various benefits for disabled veterans at the state and local levels. In addition to these benefits, there are federal protections for disabled veterans defined by two laws; the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, also known as USERRA.
As a veteran, you may qualify for hiring preference at the state and federal levels. If you are a VA-rated disabled veteran, you may qualify for additional preference, especially when it comes to competitive examinations for Civil Service jobs, state government employment, or municipal jobs. What do you need to know about hiring preferences for… Read more »
Various state-level veteran benefits are offered to disabled veterans; sometimes, the problem is knowing where to find these benefits. Unfortunately, there’s no one-answer solution to where to look for these options, as every state is different. And that’s true right up to the naming convention of the state-level department meant to help veterans. In some… Read more »
Who is Eligible for a Veterans Pension? The Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Pension program is a benefit that is unrelated to military retirement pay. The VA Veteran Pension program offers VA payments to “wartime Veterans who meet certain age or disability requirements, and who have income and net worth within certain limits,” according to… Read more »
If you are still serving and you are within 6 months to 90 days of your final out-processing date, you may qualify to apply for VA disability benefits and get them paid earlier using a VA program called Benefits Delivery at Discharge. Learn more.
To receive VA Disability Pay, you must file a claim for VA disability benefits. You must provide your military and civilian medical records, information about your conditions, and supporting documentation. You can file yourself, or with the assistance of a Veteran Service Organization. Read more: Do You Need Help Filing a VA Disability Claim? VA.gov… Read more »
If you are a disabled veteran, IRS.gov says you may qualify for federal tax breaks depending on circumstances. This may be possible when you are awarded an increased VA disability rating that may include back pay, or when a combat-disabled veteran is awarded “Combat-Related Special Compensation, after an award for Concurrent Retirement and Disability,” according… Read more »
Do you need help filling out a VA claim application form? If so, plenty of third-party agencies offer to help; everyone from the DAV to the VFW offers assistance. But those agencies aren’t the only ones; there are also third-party companies offering to help. Unfortunately, some of these companies don’t mind charging exorbitant fees to… Read more »
In late April 2023, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to learn more about Gulf War Illness which plagues roughly a third of those deployed in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The study is meant to learn more about how to diagnose and treat Gulf… Read more »