Good Info on VA Benefits. Go to Medical and file for things while on AD!

[SamAca10]

Haven't posted here in ages. I did want to come back and stress the importance for all of you to go to medical and document any injuries or illnesses you incur on active duty (includes time at the Academy). There is no shame in filing for VA disability. This is a part of your veterans benefits package and entitlements. You volunteered and signed a blank check. If you are willing to use your VA home loan without shame, you should feel the same way about VA disability benefits. You've earned it! Keep in mind that Congress sets aside money through non-appropriated funds to ensure the federal government can pay everyone who's served at the 100% rate.

Earning your appropriate VA disability rating is beneficial in a multitude of ways. For instance - at 10% you will not pay the VA funding fee when utilizing your VA home loan. That saved me a good $12K when I purchased my home a few months ago.

Due to where my rating currently is, I no longer pay for health care, either. I can receive all of my medical treatment and prescriptions for free down at the VA. The VA was even better than my private primary care, and I am seen by specialists more quickly.

CHAMPVA Benefits Disabled Veterans with a 100% VA rating can obtain health insurance for their families through the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veteran Affairs (CHAMPVA). This means that your family will not worry about health insurance costs! This is community care, your family doesn't have to go down to the VA.

There are a variety of benefits, at different VA rating percentages, offered both federally and through each state. One of the biggest ones is obviously the tax-free compensation for incurring our service-connected disabilities. You can view those here: VA Disability Compensation Rates

Service members who are separating and plan to file for disability compensation can file their claim before separation through the Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) program: Benefits Delivery at Discharge

State benefits can be found here: Benefits by State

In certain states, veterans who reach a 100% P&T VA rating (this can happen through how the rating scheduler works with VA disability compensation) do not pay property tax. Additionally, at 100% P&T some states waive tuition for the children/dependents of veterans.

Education: Having a VA rating can entitle you to Ch31 Veteran Readiness and Employment educational/employment benefits. You can be paid at the Post 9/11 GI Bill pay rate without dwindling your Post 9/11 GI bill benefits. Ch 31 covers 48 months. VR&E

Ch 35 DEA Additionally, when rated P&T your spouse and dependents may be eligible for Ch 35 Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance:

Children of POW, MIA, Deceased/Disabled Vets SA nomination Children of 100% disabled veterans are eligible for Service Academy nominations as well. This is great if you have a child who is interested in attending a Service Academy that requires a nomination. This is a separate nomination category outside of the congressional ones.

100% P&T vs TDIU You can keep working even at 100% P&T. There is a separate category of this called TDIU - Totally Disabled Individually Unemployable. Those on TDIU cannot earn above the federal poverty wage. They are eligible to file for SSDI, however. 100% P&T and TDIU pay the same pay rates.

There are many other benefits I could mention as well, at different VA percentage levels, both federally and through each state. For instance, retirees with a VA 50% rating or above can receive both concurrent retiree pay and VA compensation.

Again, don't feel shame at all when filing for what YOU DESERVE. The military is going to ask a lot of you, and put you in situations that will affect physical and mental health. This isn't the civilian world where you can simply quit if you have a ****ty boss or stressful situation. You are signing a blank check to the Federal government when you raise your right hand. Their end of the deal is your VA benefits.

I had a string of ****ty supervisors throughout my time. In addition to the physical stuff I incurred, I still deal with a lot of depression and anxiety from those situations. I have to be careful in certain work environments, and won't go into certain fields because of the way I was treated on AD affecting me.

It took me a few years from leaving the Service to file, as I didn't feel I deserved/needed it. An enlisted Marine Corps buddy encouraged me to file and I am so glad I did. You all deserve the benefits you are entitled to.

 

[TBVADAD]

Haven't posted here in ages. I did want to come back and stress the importance for all of you to go to medical and document any injuries or illnesses you incur on active duty (includes time at the Academy). There is no shame in filing for VA disability. This is a part of your veterans benefits package and entitlements. You volunteered and signed a blank check. If you are willing to use your VA home loan without shame, you should feel the same way about VA disability benefits. You've earned it! Keep in mind that Congress sets aside money through non-appropriated funds to ensure the federal government can pay everyone who's served at the 100% rate.

+1 on this one.
Ensure it's in your medical file. Ensure the doctors and nurses go into great detail about it as well.

This will make the case that much stronger for you. I worked with DAV. There are others that will help you with processing the paperwork for free.

The DAV rep basically told me that "we" tend to minimize stuff. We are hurting and someone will say how are you? "Oh I am fine.", but really you might have a strain ankle and your head is killing you.

So, describe it on your worse day.

 

[unkown1961]

Along with this topic, is this interesting article on VA benefits and the FAA and how pilots aren't always claiming to the FAA what they're receiving from the VA: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/27/faa-pilots-health-conditions-va-benefits/

 

[AA787DRIVER]

I am avoiding a disability till I am done flying for a living. A few pilots got aggressive and got caught playing the game. The disability question was added to the FAA questionnaire about 10 years ago.

 

[Kierkegaard]

Along with this topic, is this interesting article on VA benefits and the FAA and how pilots aren't always claiming to the FAA what they're receiving from the VA: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/27/faa-pilots-health-conditions-va-benefits/

Of all the ways the government burns our tax dollars, disability pay for veterans strikes me as among the least wasteful. I’m glad they’re getting compensated for the toll they put their bodies through. And given what I’ve seen, I feel inclined to trust the proficiency and judgement of pilots with military flight experience regardless of this report.

 

[tkinion]

Just an FYI to clarify the OP statement of "Go to medical and file", the DoD has a Separation and Retirement Physical Exam (SHPE) exam prior to separation/retirement. Any and all issues can be disclosed at this exam for documentation/further workup. This exam is part of your official health record therefore you don't need to go book tons of appointments "for documentation purposes" prior to departure.