How Much Is 20 Va Disability

Common Causes Of Service

In order to qualify for VA disability for bronchitis, the illness must be related to your service. Bronchitis is a common illness after military service, and is most commonly caused when veterans breathe in airborne toxins, including:

• Smoke
• Sand
• Cigarette smoke

Your lawyer will work with you and your medical providers to establish the likely cause of your bronchitis.

Promptly Inform The Va Of Changes To Dependents Status

The VA will provide back pay from the time you file the paperwork to add a dependent to your claim. However, they may also claw back overpayments you received should you fail to inform the VA that your status has changed. This is important when there is an event that may decrease your compensation, such as a child no longer being eligible for benefits, a divorce, or a death.

You can find historical rates here.

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Va Disability Percentages For Conditions

VA disability compensation is a tax-free monetary benefit paid to disabled veterans with service-connected disabilities that are the result of a disease or injury incurred or aggravated during their active duty military service.

2022 VA disability pay rates;are determined by percentages for each service connected conditions according to a veterans combined VA disability rating, which is currently rated on a scale from 10% to 100%, with breaks in 10 percent increments at 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90%.

While a 0% VA disability rating is still considered service connected with some VA benefits, the 0 percent VA rating is not eligible for monthly tax-free compensation benefits .

Compensation may also be paid for VA disabilities that are secondary to disabilities occurring in service and for disabilities presumed to be related to circumstances of military service, even though they may arise after the veteran has left active duty military service.

Generally, the more severe a veterans disability symptoms in terms of Frequency, Severity, and Duration, the higher the VA disability rating assigned, which means a higher tax-free monetary benefit each month.

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What Is A Service Connected Disability

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Disability Compensation is:

a benefit paid to a veteran because of injuries or diseases that happened while on active duty, or were made worse by active military service. It is also paid to certain veterans disabled from VA health care. The benefits are tax-free. .

If you are considered to have a service-connected disability, then you may be eligible to receive a monthly compensation payment, and under certain circumstances, you may be eligible to receive additional compensation, usually if you have a service-connected rating of 30% or higher and have dependents , if you have missing limbs, or if you have a severely disabled spouse.

Is There Additional Compensation For Disabilities Involving Severe Impairment

Veterans who have service-connected conditions that result in severe impairment, including the loss of use of extremities, blindness, loss of organ function, or the regular need for aid and attendance, may be eligible for additional monthly compensation. This type of compensation is known as Special Monthly Compensation.;

VA special monthly compensation is a higher rate of compensation paid to veterans as well as their spouses, surviving spouses, and parents with certain needs or disabilities. Special monthly compensation is paid in addition to regular VA disability compensation. The rates for SMC in 2021 can be found at the VAs SMC page.;

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How Much Is Va Disability For You

It depends on your disability rating.

How much veterans receive in disability compensation depends on how the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs rates your service-connected disability or condition. If you have more than one service-connected condition, the amount of monthly compensation is based on your combined disability rating.

To be eligible for VA disability compensation, you must submit a claim, establish a service connection for at least one condition related to your military service , and have VA approve your claim and assign a disability rating for that condition.

VA assigns a disability rating based on the frequency, duration, and severity of symptoms. VA makes a determination about the severity of your disability based on the evidence you submit as part of your claim, and/or from military records. VA rates disability from 0% to 100%, in 10% increments.;

If you have multiple disability ratings, VA uses them to calculate your combined VA disability rating. This involves more than adding up your individual ratings, so your combined rating may be different from the sum of your individual ratings.

Calculating Multiple Va Disability Ratings

Multiple disability ratings are a little tricky to calculate and are beyond the scope of this article. But well give a brief overview. In short, the VA uses a special method for calculating multiple disabilities.

Here is a simplified example:

Example: If you have a 30% disability rating, the VA would multiply that against;100%, which is assumed to be good health. This gives you 30%. Subtract that from 100% which leaves you with 70% . Then;subtract 70%;from 100% and you are left with 30%. If that is your only disability, then your final VA Service-Connected Disability Rating is 30%.

If you have multiple ratings, you continue with the process, using your final number each time as your starting point. Continuing with our example, if your next rating is 10%, you would multiply 10% against 70%, which is 7%. You subtract that from 70%, which leaves you with 63%. Subtract 63% from 100% and you get 37%. Your disability rating is 37%, which rounds up to 40%.

It can get complicated quickly, so I have an in-depth article and podcast that explain how the VA calculates combined disability ratings. I highly recommend reading and/or listening to get a good idea of how the process works!

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What Other Factors Does The Va Take Into Account For Disability

There are other factors that make the ratings change too.; For example, if a veteran has a rating on each leg or each arm then those ratings are combined together and give the overall combined rating an extra boost.; Also, if a veteran has too many ratings on one arm or leg then VA stops counting those ratings.; Further, a veteran can step up to 100% through total disability due to individual unemployability.; That veteran must show that he cannot work and that he meets a certain rating.

The only help the VA offers veterans is to provide a chart and a couple dozen rules and exceptions.; Ironically, the VA does not even use this chart.; Instead the VA has its own combined rating calculator.; VA employees actually call it the Combinator.

How To Apply For Va Disability Compensation

First, obtain your DD 214. Then fill out VA Form 21-526, Veterans Application for Compensation and/or Pension. Once you have completed it, mail it to the following address:;

Department of Veterans Affairs

PO Box 4444

You can also apply online using VONAPP, or bring the form in-person to a Veterans Administration regional center near you.

If youre originating a new claim, be prepared to furnish your DD-214, and allow the Veterans Administration access to your medical records as well as your military records.;

You dont have to submit supporting evidence right away in order to apply, but you may have to submit to a medical exam. Once you start a VA disability compensation claim, you have up to one year to submit supporting evidence.;

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Other Benefits Related To Va Disability

For the sake of completeness, there are other types of monetary benefits that may come into play for the families of Veterans, especially those that died from a service-related injury or illness or a service member that died in the line of duty and left a surviving spouse, parents, or children. These benefits are known as VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation.

Qualifications and eligibility differ, as do compensation rates, in comparison to the way the VA determines whether a Veteran is qualified to receive disability compensation; including requirements for spouses to have been married to the Veteran for specific amounts of time, for the parents of the Veteran to have an income level below a specific amount, and for a child to be unmarried, under a certain age, and not included on a surviving spouses compensation.

Monthly compensation rates vary as well, with a single spouse receiving $1,340.14 a month or a single child with no surviving spouse receiving $565.84; surviving parent rates are much lower in comparison. Spouses with disabilities of their own, spouses who were married to their totally disabled Veterans partners at least 8 years prior to the Veterans death, or who have 1 or more children under the age of 18 qualify for additional funds.

How Can I Speed Up My Va Disability Claim

VA Disability claims can take several years to process and sometimes that creates serious financial challenges to the veteran and his/her family. There are a few ways, however, to accelerate the process of getting a claim determination. If you can document that you meet any of the following criteria, you may be able to speed up the processing of your claim: financial hardship, homelessness, certain illnesses, former POW or award recipients, and/or advanced age.;

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What You Need To Know About Va Combined Disability Ratings

In cases where the VA must rate a veteran for more than one medical issue, the VA uses a combined ratings table to determine the final percentage.

The VA points out that its disability system is not additive, which the VA official site explains means that if a Veteran has one disability rated 60% and a second disability 20%, the combined rating is not 80%. This is because subsequent disability ratings are applied to an already disabled Veteran, so the 20% disability is applied to a Veteran who is already 60% disabled.

The VA Combined Ratings Table is a tool used by the VA to make the combined rating determination. The table is lengthy and requires each disability to be listed in order of severity and the VA rater follows a procedure using the ratings matched with the table to arrive at the accurate combined disability percentage. The VA official site offers an example of how this calculation is made:

• A veteran is rated with a 50% disability and is also rated with a different medical condition at 30%
• According to VA calculations, the combined value will be found to be 65 percent, BUT
• The 65 percent must be converted to 70 percent to represent the final degree of disability
• In a different example on the VA official site, a veteran rated with two disabilities at 40% and 20% requires a calculation to arrive at the combined value of 52%
• The 52% must be converted to the nearest degree divisible by 10, which is 50%.

Finding Attorneys For Va Disability Claims:

As mentioned, attorneys who represent veterans during their appeal of a denial of benefits have to be accredited by the VA. The only time a non-accredited attorney can help is advising you on what benefits you may claim. Once you make your application and it is denied, then the attorney you engage must be accredited by the VA.

The attorneys at Jackson & MacNichol wont charge you legal fees unless you win your case. Contact us today for a free consultation! We will help you get the benefits you deserve.

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Eligibility For Va Disability Compensation

Veterans with a service-connected physical or mental disability that makes everyday tasks difficult or impossible may be eligible for VA disability benefits.

Eligibility to file a VA disability claim is dependent on meeting one of the following conditions as set by the VA:

• A Veteran who became sick or injured while serving in the military, or
• A Veteran with an illness or injury before enlisting that was worsened by service, or
• A Veteran with a service-connected disability that didn’t appear until after separating from the military

The VA will need evidence to support your disability claim when applying, which we discuss in the next section.

Who Is Entitled To Va Compensation For Medical Issues

Veterans who apply for VA disability compensation must have medical conditions that are the result of an injury or disease that was incurred or aggravated while on active duty or active duty for training; or from injury, heart attack, or stroke that occurred during inactive duty training.

VA guidelines state that such disabilities may apply to medical conditions such as Lou Gherigs Disease, mental health issues including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and more. All medical claims submitted to the VA will be reviewed for determining the nature and severity of the condition as well as whether the condition is deemed by the VA to be service connected.

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How To Use The Tables To Find Your Monthly Payment

Find your basic rate

Go to the compensation rates for your disability rating. On the;Basic rates;table, find the amount for your disability rating and dependent status. This is your monthly basic rate.

Example :If you’re a Veteran with a 30% disability rating, and you have a dependent spouse , your monthly basic rate would be $493.35;each month.

Find your added amounts, if any apply

If your spouse receives Aid and Attendance benefits or you have more than one child, you may qualify for additional monthly payment amounts as listed in the Added amounts table.

First, determine your basic rate.

Example :If youre a Veteran with a 70% disability rating, and you have a spouse, plus 3 dependent children under the age of 18, you would start with the basic rate of $1,656.71 .

Next, look at the Added amounts table. Find the amount for children under age 18 .

Since your basic rate already provides payment for 1 child, you would add the rate of $61.00 for each additional child . ;;

If your spouse receives Aid and Attendance, you would also add $113;.

In our example of a Veteran with 70% disability rating, your total monthly payment;amount would be:

$1,656.71;basic rate + $61;+$61;+$113;Total;$1,891.71;

With Dependents Including Children

Find the dependent status in the left column that best describes you. Then look for your disability rating in the top row. Your monthly basic rate is where your dependent status and disability rating meet.

If you have more than one child or your spouse receives Aid and Attendance benefits,;be sure to also look at the;Added amounts;table,;and add these to your amount from the Basic rates table.

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Need A Va Dbq And A Medical Nexus Letter To Help Increase Your Chances Of Getting A 100% Va Disability Rating

How would you like to learn;3 SECRETS to Getting a 100 Percent VA Disability Rating;that may help you get the VA benefits you deserve in less time?

In my brand-new FREE 45-minute video training youll learn 3 Secret VA Disability Claim Tips that could get you a higher VA disability rating, in less time, even if youve already been denied VA compensation benefits.

Heres what youll learn in todays VA Claim SECRETS video training:

VA Disability Rates for Conditions Tip #1: How to Get a VA Disability Increase, Take Control of YOUR claim, Get an Immediate VA Disability Rating Increase, and Have it Decided 6 Months FASTER.

VA Ratings for Conditions Tip #2: How to Legally, Morally, Ethically, and Medically Get a 100 Percent VA Disability Rating and Over $3,000/month, Tax-Free, for Life

VA Disability Rating Increase Tip #3: How to Write Your Statement in Support of a Claim and Obtain Buddy Letters, So YOU Can Get the VA Rating and Compensation You Deserve.

How To Receive A 100 Percent Disability Rating

To have the best chance of receiving a 100 percent disability rating, you must convince the VA of the severity of your condition.

The more persuasive evidence and supporting documentation you submit, the stronger you can make this case. The best types of evidence to include with your appeal are, among others, medical records, personal statements from your doctor, lab test results and statements from yourself, your family, friends, manager or co-workers.

Equally important is showing youre receiving regular medical care for your condition. If you have not been to the doctor in six months or a year, the VA may find it hard to believe your condition is severe enough to warrant a 100 percent rating.

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