Service-Connected and Non-service-Connected Benefits for Veterans
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by: albert.tobega
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For those that serve their country, the Department of Veteran Affairs provides a wide range of disability benefits. But not all VA benefits are created equal-- the benefits you receive for your disability claim will vary from person to person. The VA uses eight "priority groups" to determine which benefits you will receive, with "1" being the highest priority and "8" the lowest (as of 2003, no new veterans are enrolled into group 8). Your priority group depends entirely on your disability and how it first occurred (service-connected or non-service-connected), your financial situation, and your current level of disability.
Since whether or not a disability is service-connected or non-service-connected can have a great effect on the benefits you will receive, its important to have a good understanding of the specific requirements for each of these two types of benefits.
The Requirements for Non-service-Connected Benefits
Veterans who suffer from complete and permanent disability are eligible for non-service-connected benefits. Qualifiying for non-service-connected benefits can also be dependant on a few other issues:
• Income- Being eligible for non-service-connected benefits is based on the recipient having limited earnings and a net worth too low to provide the veteran with adequate maintenance. For more information please see 38 U.S.C.S. §§1521-22.
• Service - To reach eligibility for a non-service-connected pension, a veteran must have one day or more of active duty in a "period of war", with at least 90 days total active duty. However, for a veteran who entered military service after 1980, the service requirement is simply to have completed a full period of active duty. Specifically, a veteran who was enrolled for the fist time after (or on) Sept. 8, 1980 will need to have completed a minimum service period, which should amount to either twenty-four continuous months of active duty or the entire period that individual was called for to active duty. In addition, the active service of the eligible veteran needs to include 90 total days during a period of war or one day of service during a period of war which ended in discharge due to a service-connected disability.
• Discharge- To qualify for VA benefits, you must have been discharged from military duty under non-dishonorable circumstances.
Service-Connected Benefits Requirements
Eligibility for service-connected benefits, differently from non-service-connected benefits, is not dependant on a veteran having done wartime service or meeting a net worth or income level. Instead, you need to be able to prove the source and current status of your disability with:
• Evidence of current disability- As service-connected disability benefits are only available to those with current disabilities, the first things applicants must do is provide a current diagnosis of their disability using up-to-date medical records.
• Evidence of the occurrence of disability or injury- Veterans applying for service-connected benefits must next provide evidence that their current disability was either incurred during or worsened by military service. Its important to know, however, that "in-service" is a broad term, and can include injury incurred even during leave.
• Support of the connection between the current disability and the service-connected injury- This requires that applicants give evidence of a connection between the injury incurred in service and the current disability. Sites Consulted Orlando social security attorney . Social security attorney florida . Social security help .
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