Monthly Va Dependent Benefits
While the disabled veteran is still living, the VA increases the compensation available to veterans with more than a disability rating of at least 30% if they have a spouse and/or dependents .
Upon the veterans death, the parents, spouse and children may become eligible in their own right for Dependency Indemnity Compensation. Detailed information for Spouse and Child Dependency Indemnity Compensation can be found here, and Parents Dependency Indemnity Compensation here.
When To Add A Dependent To Your Benefits
The VA allows you to add a dependent at logical points in the process. By way of example, if you are just now filing your initial claim for VA disability compensation, you can go ahead and include your dependent in the claim. If you did not claim the dependent in your original claim for benefits, but you now have a combined disability rating of at least 30 percent, you can apply to add the dependent to your existing claim.
Also, certain life events can make you eligible to apply for additional benefits, adding a dependent when you:
- Or your spouse gives birth to a child
What Is A Compensation And Pension Exam
A C& P exam is an examination ordered by the VA and conducted by a VA medical provider to document and determine the current severity of your condition. The results of a C& P examination are used to assign the rating for the disability. C& P exams are also used to request a medical opinion from the examiner as to whether a current condition is at least as likely as not related to service.
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Va Disability Back Pay: Retroactive Benefits & Va Back Pay Timeline
Veterans who are injured or disabled during military service are entitled to financial compensation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs . To earn these benefits, veterans must file a claim detailing the severity of their injury and the in-service event that caused it.
Although veterans can submit a claim soon after their service, they may not receive any benefits until VA finishes processing their decision. Veterans will receive VA disability back pay for the time between their initial claim and VAs first payout.
When Should A Veteran File A Dependent Claim
The earlier a veteran files a dependent claim, the better the outcome can be. If you file your dependent claim with your disability claim, the VA will be able to evaluate both your disability claim and your dependent claim together and your VA dependent pay should be included in your first VA disability check.
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When you file your dependent claim with the disability claim, the VA uses your original filing date to begin calculating benefits, and it sometimes takes years to evaluate claims after you file. As a result, this first check might include a substantial amount of VA disability back pay for dependents.
Filing a dependent claim with the disability claim is most feasible for married veterans with unmarried children who can be included in the original filing. As mentioned above, the window for claiming dependent children in a VA disability claim is quite wide since veterans can claim VA compensation for dependents in college until they turn 23 years old.
The effective date is one of the most important parts of your VA disability claim. This video explains the importance of your effective date from an experienced VA disability lawyer.
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Adding Dependents To Your Va Disability Benefits
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs allows military veterans to add dependents to their disability benefits under certain circumstances. The VA has strict eligibility criteria and procedures. A VA disability attorney can explain the rules and help you go after the compensation that you and your family deserve.
Who Is Eligible And Time Periods
Children and spouses of veterans who are totally and permanently disabled are eligible for Dependents’ Educational Assistance. Spouses can generally use these benefits for 10 years from the date the VA deems them eligible. In some cases, spouses can use the benefits for 20 years. This happens when the veteran was rated permanently and totally disabled within three years after discharge from the service, and the 20-year-period begins running on the date the veteran received the disability rating.
Children are eligible for the benefits from the Dependents’ Educational Assistance program between 18 and 26 years old. Sometimes eligibility can begin before age 18 and continue past age 26. Children remain eligible for Dependents’ Educational Assistance even after they marry.
Children who are active service members in the military are not eligible to receive this benefit while on active duty. Once discharged, benefits are available as long as the discharge is not under dishonorable conditions. The period of eligibility for Educational Assistance will be extended by the amount of time spent on active duty, but this extension will usually not go beyond a child’s 31st birthday.
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Can I Add Dependents To My Va Disability Award
Yes. You can add your spouse, dependent children, and/or dependent parents to your VA disability award, and the VA will increase your monthly compensation for each dependent.
Gregory Rada is an Air Force veteran that helps veterans nationwide receive the benefits to which they are entitled. He works with all his clients one-on-one from the start of their case to the end and never hands them off to case managers or paralegals. Learn more about his experience by clicking here.
How Do I Know Whether Im Already Receiving Dependent Benefits
You can easily check on the details of your VA disability benefits through the eBenefits system. Simply log into your eBenefits account and check Dependents under the My Profile section. If you see your dependents listed, that means you should already be receiving military dependent benefits on their behalf. If they are not listed, you can go ahead and file a claim to begin receiving VA benefits for them.
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What Monthly Benefits Are Available
Many monthly benefits are available for Veterans with a service connected disability rating of 30% or more.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs increases compensation available depending on disability rating
- At death, a surviving spouse and other dependents become eligible for Dependency Indemnity Compensation and is available to spouses, children, and parents
- Education provides up to 36 months of full-time or equivalent education benefits to spouses and children of most 100% service-connected disabled Veterans.
- College program
- Remedial/refresher training
- Costs for tests and licensure/certifications
Applying For Va Disability Benefits Years After Service: Basic Eligibility For Va Benefits
Posted by Gregory M. Rada | July 26, 2021 |Disability Compensation
A veteran can apply for VA disability compensation benefits any time after service. Put another way, there is no time limit on when you can apply for benefits.
Generally, you must satisfy three elements to service connect a disability:
Its also important to note that VA presumes that certain disabilities resulted from military service. Presumes mean you do not need a medical nexus/opinion that links the disability to an in-service event instead, VA automatically assumes that disability was caused by your service. Click the hyperlink in this sentence to see a full list of presumptive conditions, but common presumptive conditions include:
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How To Add Or Remove Dependents To Va Benefits: Va Form 21
Veterans with a combined disability rating of 30 percent or higher may be eligible to receive additional monthly compensation for qualifying dependents. For VA purposes, a dependent is a family member who relies on the veteran financially and meets qualifying criteria. Qualifying dependents include the following:
- Unmarried children who are under the age of 18 between the ages of 18 and 23 and attending school full-time or were seriously disabled prior to reaching age 18
- Parents in the veterans direct care whose net worth and income are below the federal poverty threshold
Importantly, eligible dependents will also have access to certain VA programs and benefits, such as employee services, VA health care, life insurance, education and training services, and VA memorial benefits.
What Is A Dependent
A dependent is defined as a family member who relies on an active duty service member or Veteran financially and meets certain criteria. Dependents can be a spouse, unmarried children , and parents in the Veterans direct care whose net worth and income are below the limit by law. This Veteran must have a service connected disability with a rating at or above 30 percent.
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How To Add Or Remove Dependents On Va Disability Benefits
VA compensation benefits are paid to veterans who have made health claims, have been evaluated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and are determined to have medical issues that require compensation.
Veterans who receive VA compensation payments for service-connected medical issues may be awarded a disability rating of 10%, 20%, 30%, or higher all the way to a rating of 100% service-connected disability.
Those awarded a disability percentage are paid monthly by the VA and receive a set amount each payment with yearly cost-of-living increases . The disability payment is made to the account of the veterans choice.
In some cases the veteran is authorized to add a dependent, which may make the veteran eligible for additional payments from the VA to help support that dependent. This benefit is not available to all, but it is a valuable one for those who qualify.
Who The VA Says Is Eligible to Add A Dependent
All who apply for VA compensation should add a dependent at the time of their initial claim to see if they qualify. Those who are VA-rated with a 30% disability rating would be eligible for consideration for extra funds from the VA. The determination would be made after the disability rating is set by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
What to Do If You Didnt Add a Dependent at The Time of Your Original VA Claim
Who The VA Considers to Be A Dependent for This Process
Dependent status for this application process is considered to be one of the following:
Adding Children Under The Age Of 18 To Your Va Benefits
Section I Veteran/Claimant Identification Information
Again, this section requires veterans to fill out basic identifying information. It will be completed in the same way as described above. Veterans must also attach supporting documentation when claiming a child under 18 as a dependent for VA benefits. Specifically, they must provide copies of the childs birth certificate and social security card.
Section III Information Needed to Add Children
This section provides space to add up to four dependent children under the age of 18 to your VA benefits. If claiming more than four children, veterans can fill out an addendum, found on the last page of VA Form 21-686c, and submit it along with the rest of the application. Here, veterans will provide the following information about the child being added as a dependent:
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My Va Claim Is Completewhen Do I Get Paid
The speed at which VA processes your claim depends on a variety of factors, including the nature of your disability, the amount of information you include in your claim, and the number of applications your VA regional office receives all contribute to processing times. Once your claim is fully processed, you should begin receiving monthly payments and be issued VA disability back pay.
What Is Va Disability Back Pay
VA disability back pay is the money owed to a veteran that the VA should have been paying them from the time they became entitled to compensation through the time the VA actually granted the veterans claim. The VA can often take months or years to grant benefits, depending on several factors. However, the longer you wait for a decision, the more back pay you will be owed.
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What Benefits Are Available For My Dependents
Dependents of disabled veterans may qualify for many VA programs. VA offers employment services, education and training such as The Dependents Educational Assistance Program, healthcare such as CHAMPVA and The Camp Lejeune Family Member Program, life insurance, and VA memorial benefits to eligible dependents of service-connected veterans.
What Happens If I Get Divorced Or Need To Remove A Dependent
The easiest way to remove a dependent is online, through your profile. The VA will take longer to remove a child than a spouse, but an online claim is always faster than a paper claim.
If the VA finds that you continue to receive compensation for a former spouse or dependent without notifying them, it could significantly impact your future benefits. The VA would attempt to collect the money back that was incorrectly dispersed, usually by withholding from your monthly checks until the full amount was paid.
You do not need to remove a child from your benefits once they reach an ineligible age. The VA will track their age based on their date of birth, and they will be removed when they reach 18 years of age unless they are attending college, which would increase the limit to a maximum age of 23.
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Assistance With Claims And Appeals
Veterans may work with an accredited attorney, claims agent, or Veterans Services Officer to file your claim or appeal. These professionals are trained and certified in the VAs claims and appeals processes, making them well-equipped to answer your questions, meet your needs, and get you the disability compensation you deserve.
VA Disability Group PLLC is ready to take on your claim to get you the compensation you qualify for. Contact us online or call us at 1-844-VET-LAWS to request a consultation now.
Benefits Of Adding Your Dependents Online
Whenyou have the proper documentation and use your eBenefits account to add yourdependents online, the VA usually makes its decision in as little as 48 hoursor less. They recommend you submit an online dependency application even if theVA is still processing your dependents using the paper system. Its faster.
Oncethe VA finishes processing your paper claim and matches it to your ebenefitsupdate, theyll adjust for retro pay if necessary. In the meantime, yourdependents can be part of your record, and you could be receiving VA disabilitypay for them.
Itswise to apply to add your dependents now if you have not already done so. TheVA wont pay you extra compensation for your dependents unless you have a 30%rating. But by adding dependents now, you wont experience any delays with yourVA payment later, if you win a rating increase. In some cases, they can onlypay you back benefits to the date of your new dependency claim.
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Will I Be Paid Back To The Date When My Spouse And I Married
Possibly that all depends on how quickly after your marriage that you file your claim. If, before your marriage, you were already rated at least 30% for your disability rating, and you file to add your spouse within one year of your marriage, your chances are good to be paid back to the date of your marriage. You must be available to respond to any questions the VA sends your way while your claim is being reviewed.
How Does Va Back Pay Work
VA benefits will begin paying out once your claim is fully processed. Disability benefits will begin being paid out in monthly payments. On top of that, VA will issue your back pay in a single lump sum. Most VA Regional Offices issue all retroactive benefits in a single payment, but some include it in the monthly payments or pay over multiple installments.
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How Do I Add Eligible Dependents To My Monthly Va Benefits
VA has a different form to add each type of dependent to your benefit rate. If the below dependent form are submitted within one year of your 30% disability grant, the effective date of your benefit increase will be that of your original grant of benefits. See forms below:
- To add a child under the age of 18 or a spouse to your benefit rate, VA Form 21-686c: Declaration of Status of Dependents must be completed and submitted to the VA.
- If you would like to add a child attending school full-time between the ages of 18 and 23, VA Form 21-674: Request for Approval of School Attendance must be filled out and submitted to VA when necessary.
- When adding eligible parents to your VA disability benefit rate, VA Form 21P-509: Statement of Dependency of Parent should be completed and turned into the VA.
Applying For The Va Disability Dependent Parent Program
When you want to add children or a spouse as a dependent for your VA disability benefits, you can apply electronically using the VAs eBenefits web portal. Here, you can submit forms and documentation of disability or school attendance.
However, if you want to add a parent as a dependent for your VA disability benefits, you can only apply by mail. The VA requires you to fill out VA form 21P-509, Statement of Dependency of Parents. This form requires full disclosure of your parents income and assets so the VA can determine if you are eligible to receive dependent pay. You and your parents will sign this form before submitting it by mail.
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