America’s veterans are owed a debt far greater than a thank you for your service at the supermarket. The VA exists for the sole purpose of providing care that veterans need for the decades beyond their service, especially when the wounds of war continue to negatively affect their lives. Lets examine 4 VA disability claim myths.
Unfortunately, far too many veterans are reluctant to seek the benefits for which they are entitled, particularly when they may have had bad experiences with the VA in the past. Here are four common disability claim myths that may be holding veterans back from getting the benefits they have earned in their service to the country.
Other vets need the benefits more than I do
The military teaches selfless sacrifice as an essential component of creating a strong and functioning fighting force. Soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines have given their lives time and time again to save a fellow brother or sister in arms, and this sense of duty to one another lasts a lifetime.
It’s not at all uncommon for the spouses, children, and friends of wounded veterans to hear from their loved one I don’t deserve these benefits because other guys have it worse. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth. Every wounded veteran is entitled to the maximum care. That is what the VA is there for, but getting the right benefits isn’t automatic. You do have to seek it out, and overcoming this selflessness and fighting for your rights is essential.
Friends and family of wounded veterans should do all they can to dispel the myth that a veteran seeking benefits is in any way taking away from a fellow veteran.
It’s been too long
Disability claims have no statute of limitations. There is no point at which lingering pain, mental anguish, or physical handicaps resulting from combat or other service-related injury stops being the responsibility of the VA.
In fact, when it comes to some injuries, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), it may be years, even decades, before a veteran fully realizes that the hardships they continue to endure are a result of their experience in war. It is not uncommon for veterans with a ten percent disability from a Purple Heart injury that only kept them in the field hospital for a couple of weeks in Vietnam to be upgraded to 100 percent when they see a VA psychiatrist and realize how deeply PTSD is holding them back.
This should drive home the notion that it is never too late to file a claim, and the sooner you do, the sooner can you start to receive the benefits that will help you and your family, even if it doesn’t seem like such a big deal from day to day.
VA benefits will cancel out my other benefits
VA disability pay does not contradict or cancel out existing retirement pay from the military or any other pension from a job that followed their service unless they are a retired military veteran with 40 percent or less disability.
For a disability of 50 percent or more, retired military veterans can receive Concurrent Disability and Retirement Pay (CDRP), which allows them to continue receiving their retirement pension plus the disability money. VA benefits have no impact on private pensions.
I was denied a claim once, so that’s the end of it
A lot of veterans of the Vietnam era are wary of the VA due to the bad experiences they had with VA care in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, maybe even beyond. This was largely due to a huge number of wounded troops returning from the war to a VA hospital system that was already overwhelmed with caring for World War One and World War Two veterans.
Many Vietnam veterans may have had difficulties in those early years getting the disability rating that they deserved. More still were impacted by the St. Louis fire in 1973 which destroyed many veterans’ service records.
But a rejection forty years ago will likely not matter now. It is always worth it to pursue a claim and reach out to the VA if your wartime injury continues to cause your difficulty.
If you have been denied disability benefits by the VA, don’t give up your fight for just compensation. Click here for a consultation.
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