What Does 20 Va Disability Get You

Top 20 Va Benefits For Veterans With 80 Va Disability

In this post, we will reveal and explain the Top 20 VA benefits for veterans with an 80 VA disability.

Weve also compiled a complete list of VA benefits availablefor disabled veterans with an 80 percent VA rating or higher.

In our experience at VA Claims Insider, many disabledveterans with 80 VA disability are stuck, frustrated, and underrated, meaningyou do NOT currently have the VA disability compensationbenefits you deserve by law.

This means you could be missing out on thousands of dollarsof VA disability benefits for you, your spouse, and your dependents.

The good news is you can potentially increase your VA rating from 90 to 100 in less time with the VA Claims Insider Elite, premier education-based membership program.

Okay, so lets jump right in and explore the 80% VA disabilitybenefits in detail!

Treatment For Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease

Specific treatment for lumbar disk disease will be determined by your health care provider based on:

• Your age, overall health, and medical history
• Extent of the condition
• Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
• Expectations for the course of the condition
• Your opinion or preference

Typically, conservative therapy is the first line of treatment to manage lumbar disk disease. This may include a combination of the following:

• Bed rest

• Bookmark

Back pain is an incredibly common condition, with as many as 80% of all people expected to experience back pain at some point in their lifetimes, according to the American Chiropractic Association . Additionally, the ACA notes that back pain accounts for over 265 million lost hours of work every year. It is one of the top reasons people miss work, and it is the single leading cause of disability. All this to say, if youre currently experiencing debilitating back pain or have been unable to work in the past due to back pain, youre not alone!

But, do you qualify for disability for your back pain? And, if you do, how do you actually get your Social Security disability benefits?

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Va Disability Counts As Income For Child Support & Alimony

VA disability payments count as income for purposes of calculating child support and maintenance – the fact that they are tax-free payments means they are invisible to the IRS, but not invisible to other agencies or for other purposes.

In Rose v. Rose, 481 U.S. 619 , the U.S. Supreme Court found that VA disability payments were intended not just for the veteran, but as the law stated, to provide reasonable and adequate compensation for disabled veterans and their families.

From this, the Court concluded: “Congress clearly intended veterans’ disability benefits to be used, in part, for the support of veterans’ dependents. Although Rose concerned garnishment of VA disability payments, in that case the disability benefits comprised most of the obligor’s income considered by the state court. While the decision did not explicitly address the fact that the state court counted the disability as income, had the Court taken issue with counting it, the justices certainly had the opportunity to correct the state court.

In a 1991 decision, the Colorado Court of Appeals rejected a husbands argument that counting VA disability payments as income was effectively a backdoor, improper division of the disability payments themselves. In re: Marriage of Nevil, 809 P.2d 1122, 1123 . The Courts reasoning was:

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What If The Va Never Issued A Decision On My Original Application

If the VA failed to issue a decision on your original application for benefits, and you later file a new application, the effective date may be the date of your original application. This will be true, however, only if the medical evidence shows that your disability had arisen by the date of the first application. Also, you must be able to prove you applied for benefits earlier and there must not have been any communication from the VA that could have been perceived as a denial letter. Other legal matters must also be considered that require consultation with a VA disability attorney.

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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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.

Calculating Va Back Pay Using The Va Disability Retro Calculator

Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTDs VA disability retro calculator is designed to help veterans estimate the amount of VA disability back pay they might be due based on the factors described above. The VA disability retro calculator calculates your back pay by asking several straightforward questions.

Veterans simply type in the answers to get an immediate estimate. If you recently received a grant resulting in VA disability back pay, you may want to use the calculator to get an idea of how much money you will receive.

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How Do You Increase Your Va Disability Rating

Once your claim for disability benefits has been approved, you can request an increase in your VA rating whenever you need one. The VA is well aware that a veterans condition can grow worse over time, and that as you age this is more likely to happen. All you need to do to seek an increase in your VA disability rating is to request the VA review your rating and provide evidence that your condition is worsening.

How Va Calculates Compensation Rates

When you apply for compensation, the VA has a review process to help determine the basic amount of disability pay you may be entitled to. The VA assigns a percentage rating in ten percent increments to each medical claim. For example, if you have a knee injury, the VA will determine the severity of that injury .

Your condition may render you 10% disabled all the way up to 100% disabled. The percentage of disability you are assigned corresponds to a payout amount based on the percentage.

Some veterans may be entitled to more disability pay if certain conditions apply:

• The veteran has severe disabilities
• The veteran has lost one or more limbs
• The veteran has a spouse, children, or dependent parents
• The veteran has a seriously disabled spouse

Many veterans have more than one medical issue, disability, or disease. Each issue is rated separately, and you may be awarded a combined VA disability rating taking into account each percentage for each disability.

If you have a 50% disability rating for one condition and a 60% rating for a different it condition does not mean you are entitled to a 110% VA disability combined rating. In fact, by law veterans cannot earn more than a 100% disability rating.

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Veterans Pension Versus Disability Compensation

In some cases, veterans can receive disability compensation. Its not the same as the VA pension. Heres a way to tell the difference:

• Disability compensation is for an illness or injury that happens because of or was made worse by your military service. Its not income-based and war service is not required.

• A VA pension is for war veterans with a low income and who may have a disability that is not service-related.

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Va Ratings For Cancer

If you are service-connected for an active cancer, VA should automatically assign a 100 percent disability rating. This rating continues for as long as your cancer is active, and then for another six months following the successful completion of a treatment program, such as chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. Six months after your cancer treatment ends, VA will schedule you for a Compensation & Pension examination to evaluate the current status of your condition.

If the examination shows that your cancer is no longer active and is in remission, VA will evaluate the cancer based on its residuals. For example, erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence are common residual symptoms of prostate cancer. If prostate cancer is no longer active, VA will likely reduce the disability rating for that condition and assign new ratings based on the severity of the veterans erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence if present.

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How The Combined Disabilities Rating Calculation Works

To determine a veterans qualification for benefits, the VA rates the extent of that veterans service-related disability in 10% increments, going from 0% to 100% . Many veterans, especially as they age, have multiple disabilities, which the VA rates as combined disabilities.

However, the combined disabilities rating calculation is not a straightforward system. For example, a disability rated at 20% and a second disability rated at 30% yield a combined rating of 44%, according to the VAs Combined Ratings Table not 50%, as you might expect. Further, once you reach a disability rating of 80%, each additional disability then increases the combined rating by only 2% for each additional 10% rating.

In other words, ratings of 80% and 10% combine to make 82%, ratings of 80% and 20% combine to make 84%, and so on.

Increasing The Rating For A Current Service

Because most injuries and illnesses change over time, the Veterans Administration allows Veterans to file for an increase in certain disability ratings. It is important to note that the VA will not automatically adjust a Veterans compensation if his or her condition worsens the Veteran has to actively file for an increase, even if it is clear to the VA that the conditioned has worsened.

The effective date is an important concept in all claims, especially claims to increase an existing rating. When a claim is successful, the back pay will date back to the effective date of that particular claim. Generally, the effective date is the date from which VA benefits are paid. It is the date that entitlement to the higher rating arose or the date the claim was filed, whichever one is later. The earlier the effective date, the larger the back pay. Regarding increased rating claims, the effective date can be the date the condition worsened to a level worthy of an increased rating, even if the claim was filed later, as long as the claim, or an Intent to File, is filed within one year of this worsening. The usual way to show that a conditioned has worsened is a record of hospitalization or examination, thus making the date of hospitalization or examination the date the conditioned worsened. It is possible, however, to show that the condition worsened by way of lay statements or other evidence. Below are a series of examples to illustrate the concept of effective date and back pay:

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When Are You Subject To A Va Reevaluation

According to M21-1, the VAs Adjudication Procedures Manual, VA Raters shall NOT schedule a Routine Future Examination when:

• The disability is Static, without material improvement over five years,
• The disability is Permanent in character and of such nature that there is no likelihood of improvement,
• The Veteran is over 55 years of age ,
• The evaluation is the prescribed schedular minimum within its diagnostic code,
• The evaluation is 10 percent or less, OR
• The combined evaluation would not change even if the VA reevaluation resulted in a reduced evaluation for one or more disabilities.

Expert Tip: When deciding if a disability is Static, VA Raters shall only order a future examination if there is objective evidence stating clearly a disability is likely to improve.

The principles expressed above apply equally to:

• Initial Routine Future Examinations and,
• Reexaminations requested in the interest of substantiating sustained improvement.

Therefore, where one or more of the above criteria are applicable, and the evidentiary record includes a single examination report portraying improvement in a disability that has persisted at its assigned level of evaluation for 5 years or longer, do not proceed with scheduling an additional reexamination unless doing so is:

• Required by regulation, OR
• Warranted in light of unusual circumstances, such as in cases of Veterans over age 55.

Disabled Veterans And Caregivers To Gain Access To Exchanges Commissaries And Recreation Facilities

About Ryan Guina

Ryan Guina is the founder and editor of The Military Wallet. He is a writer, small business owner, and entrepreneur. He served over 6 years on active duty in the USAF and is a current member of the IL Air National Guard.

Ryan started The Military Wallet in 2007 after separating from active duty military service and has been writing about financial, small business, and military benefits topics since then. He also writes about personal finance and investing at Cash Money Life.

Ryan uses Personal Capital to track and manage his finances. Personal Capital is a free software program that allows him to track his net worth, balance his investment portfolio, track his income and expenses, and much more. You can open a free Personal Capital account here.

Featured In: Ryan’s writing has been featured in the following publications: Forbes, Military.com, US News & World Report, Yahoo Finance, Reserve & National Guard Magazine , Military Influencer Magazine, Cash Money Life, The Military Guide, USAA, Go Banking Rates, and many other publications.

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What Are The 60 Va Disability Pay Rates In 2020

Make Sure You Get All The Va Benefits You Are Entitled To

We are knowledgeable in all aspects of the Veterans Administration claims process. Our attorneys take care to provide the medical evidence and administrative details that are critical to getting a VA claim approved.

We know the VA claims process can be frustrating. Were here to help. Contact the VA disability benefits attorneys at Marc Whitehead & Associates to schedule a free consultation to discuss your situation. Call us today at

About Marc Whitehead

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What Is The Va Disability 5 Year Rule For Requesting Reexaminations

The VA disability 5 year rule allows the VA to reevaluate an existing VA disability rating within 5 years of your initial examination, if and only if, your disability condition is expected to show material improvement over time.

However, the VA may still reevaluate your disability rating past the 5 year deadline if your condition has significantly improved, as shown by medical evidence, although this is uncommon.

Va Disability In A Divorce

By Carl O. Graham

When a veteran has a service-connected disability, she may be entitled to receive VA disability payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs. If the disability rating assigned by the VA is under 50%, then a retired member must waive retirement, dollar for dollar, to receive VA disability.

Why waive retirement to receive disability? Two reasons – first, disability is not taxable, and second, the payments are not divisible by the a domestic relations court.

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Va Disability Rates For Conditions Pay Chart Summary

*These rates assume Veteran Alone for simplicity. Higher rates are paid based upon dependent status.

In 2021, VA disability pay rates for conditions rose by 1.3%, which means veterans received a relatively small increase versus their 2020 VA pay due to low inflation and the COVID-19 affect on the economy.

Fourth Most Common Va Disability: Scars

Veterans can receive service connection for scars that result from their time in military service, or from service-connected conditions that required surgery. When considering scars, it is common to think of gunshot and/or combat wounds as the cause. However, it is often more common to see scars as secondary to surgeries, as mentioned above. Veterans with service-connected orthopedic conditions may undergo surgery that results in a scar.

About 1 million veterans are service connected for scars, making it one of the most common service-connected disabilities. VA disability ratings for scars, however, are usually fairly low as the criteria to get above a 0 percent rating is very difficult. About 76.6 percent of veterans are rated at 0 percent for skin conditions, while 18.1 percent of veterans have a 10 percent disability rating for skin conditions.

To qualify for the 10 percent rating, veterans must have more than one or two scars that are painful or unstable . This tends to be uncommon. VA does not rate scars based on where they are located, but the percentage of the body that is covered by the scars. Overall, scars affect nearly 10 percent of all veterans.

When providing evidence for service connection or increased rating claims for scars, it may be helpful to include clear, in-color photographs. Providing both the VA examiners and adjudicators detailed evidence of your scars may influence the final rating.

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