How To Use The Va Disability Pay Calculator
To calculate your disability rating, take a look at your VA disability compensation award letter and select your official rating.
Next, select the number of dependents in each applicable category.
Then, select the appropriate box for your marital status, and whether or not your spouse needs Aid and Attendance benefits.
Once youve filled out everything, toggle the switch for monthly or annual compensation and hit calculate. .
How Do You Know If Your Rating Is Permanent
If a veteran is rated permanent and total for a service-connected condition, there are a number of ways in which they will be notified. In most cases, it will be indicated in the decision letter. On some Rating Decisions, there is a Permanent and Total box that will be checked. On others, there may be language like eligibility to Dependents Chapter 35 DEA/CHAMPVA are established or no future exams are scheduled both of which indicate permanence. The exact language may vary between different VA Regional Offices.
Aid And Attendance Or Housebound Smc For Veterans Who Are Totally Disabled
Special Monthly Compensation Rate Table for 2020
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SMC Schedule |
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Limitation Of Range Of Motion Of The Ankle
Limited Range of Motion of the Ankle is the #8 most common VA claim.
Your ankle is an intricate network of bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles, which is strong enough bear your body weight and enable you to move.
This also means your ankle can be prone to injury and pain, especially due to your military service.
Most often, the VA rates ankle conditions under CFR Title 38, Part 4, Schedule for Rating Disabilities, DC 5271, Ankle, Limited Motion.
VA Disability Ratings for Ankle limitation of range of motion and pain fall between 10 percent and 20 percent.
The highest schedular rating for ankle pain is 20%.
What are the VA ratings for Ankle Pain?
- Moderate limitation of range of motion of the ankle rate at 10%
767,270 disabled veterans are service-connected and rated for ankle disabilities.
Pro Tip: In accordance with the Painful Motion principle, if you have pain upon flexion or extension of your ankle, the VA is required to award the minimum compensable rating for the condition, which is 10 percent.
Why Is A 60% Disability Rating Important
A 60% rating is important for TDIU benefits because it is the minimum rating that you must receive before you can qualify for these benefits.
As discussed above, if you have one service-connected disability rated at 60%, then you may be eligible for these benefits. However, a 60% rating is also important if you have multiple service-connected disabilities that meet the below conditions. If you meet these conditions, your multiple disabilities can be combined and considered as one disability that would need to meet a 60% rating as opposed to a 70% rating for TDIU qualification.
These conditions are:
- Upper or Lower Extremity Disability: One or both of your arms or one or both of your legs are disabled.
- Single Accident Disabilities: You were in an accident during military service, and you have multiple disabilities that resulted from this single accident.
- Disabilities Affecting One Body System: One of your internal body systems is impacted by several service-connected disabilities.
- Combat-Related Injuries: You suffered multiple injuries during a combat-related action.
- Disabilities Sustained as a Prisoner of War: You were a prisoner of war and you have multiple disabilities that have resulted from the time you were held captive.
If you need help determining whether your combined disabilities fall within one of the above categories, our expert team of TDIU lawyers can walk you through this process.
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Calculating Multiple Va Disability Ratings
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!
Veterans Eligibility For Ssdi
SSDI benefits are available for both veterans and other workers. They are calculated based on work credits accumulated throughout the veterans or other workers working life. However, SSDI is only awarded to people who qualify as totally and permanently disabled . The disabled veteran needs to check to see if their condition meets the requirements for SSDI. This can be found in the Blue Book compiled by the SSA.
This book contains a list of all conditions and the requirements needed in order to qualify for disability benefits. Most veterans who qualify for SSDI have their claim fast tracked as a reward for the time they have sacrificed representing their country.
A veterans claim for SSDI does not affect their VA benefits and each benefit is applied for separately. Any veteran who has paid Social Security taxes may apply for SSDI independently of VA benefits. You need to have accumulated 40 work credits and 20 of those need to have been earned in the last 10 years leading up to the date you were diagnosed with your disability.
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Va Disability Rates For Conditions 80 Percent Va Disability Pay
VA Disability Pay Rates for Conditions
We have also built a VA disability rates for conditions expert-level guide that will assist veterans who currently have a 80 VA disability rating.
This guide will also help you at both lower and higher VAratings, and explains VA disability rates for conditions in 2020.
Standard Va Disability Claims
With standard VA disability claims, the VA gathers evidence and compiles all supporting documents.
If the VA is unable to obtain a needed document, they may require your help. When help is required, it typically applies to documents not held by a federal agency, such as private medical records, employer information, and documents from state or local governments.
As with all claims programs, be prepared to provide your DD214 , service treatment records, VA medical records, and private medical records about your claim. Those needing help applying for their VA disability claim may also work with an accredited attorney, claims agent, or Veterans Service Officer .
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Va Disability Rates Charts Effective 12/1/2021
Basic Rates 10% 100% Combined Degree Only
| Veteran with spouse & one parent | $563.76 |
| Veteran with spouse and two parents | $611.45 |
| Additional for spouse receiving Aid and Attendance | $51.00 |
| Veteran with spouse and one parent | $1,762.92 |
| Veteran with spouse and two parents | $1,866.71 |
| Additional for spouse receiving Aid and Attendance | $120.00 |
| Veteran with one child only | $504.45 |
| With one child and spouse | $563.76 |
| With one child, spouse and one parent | $608.24 |
| With one child, spouse, and two parents | $652.71 |
| With 1 child and 1 parent | $548.93 |
| With 1 child and 2 parents | $593.41 |
| Each additional child under age 18 | $28.00 |
| Each additional child over 18 in a qualifying school program | $89.00 |
| Spouse receiving Aid and Attendance | $51.00 |
| Veteran with one child only | $1,616.79 |
| With one child and spouse | $1,754.46 |
| With 1 child, spouse and 1 parent | $1,858.24 |
| With 1 child, spouse, and 2 parents | $1,962.02 |
| With 1 child and 1 parent | $1,720.57 |
| With 1 child and 2 parents | $1,824.35 |
| Each additional child under age 18 | $65.00 |
| Add. child over 18 in a qualifying school program | $209.00 |
| Spouse receiving Aid and Attendance | $120.00 |
How To Calculate Your Va Disability Payment
You can calculate your expected veterans disability benefits using the information provided by the VA. First, using the compensation tables presented here, find your VA compensation rate for your specific disability rating. Using the basic rates table, you should be able to find the appropriate amount for your disability rating and your dependent status.
For example, if you are a disabled veteran with a 50% disability rating, with no spouse and no dependent children, your expected basic VA disability rate is $958.44, as outlined in the chart.
However, if your spouse receives VA Aid and Attendance benefits or you have more than one dependent child, you can calculate increases to your standard monthly pay in the Added Amounts section above.
Ready for a more complicated calculation? Lets consider a veteran with a 50% disability rating who has four dependent children and a spouse who receives Aid and Attendance.
For a veteran with a 50% disability rating, four dependent children, and a spouse receiving Aid and Attendance: The final total benefit amount is $1342.44.
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How Do Ratings Work For A Disability I Had Before Entering The Service That Got Worse Because Of My Service
If you get disability benefits for a preservice disability, we base your monthly compensation amount on the level of aggravation. Level of aggravation means how much worse your preservice disability got because of your military service.
For example: If you had an illness or injury that was rated as 10% disabling when you entered the military, and it became 20% disabling due to the effects of your service, then the level of aggravation would be 10%.
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 $522.39 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 $1,754.95 .
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 $64.00 for each additional child .
If your spouse receives Aid and Attendance, you would also add $119 .
In our example of a Veteran with 70% disability rating, your total monthly payment amount would be:
$1,754.95 basic rate + $64 +$64 +$119 Total $2,001.95
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Contact Our Savannah Veterans Disability Lawyers Now
The veterans disability attorneys at The Nye Law Group can help manage every aspect of your disability claim to help ensure you receive the benefits you deserve.
Contact us to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with our team of lawyers today. We work on contingency, so you will owe legal fees only if we are able to recover compensation.
Call or fill out a Free Case Evaluation form today to set up your free consultation.
Va Disability Compensation Cola Raises
Note: Increases in VA Service-Connected Disability Rates are tied to the same Cost of Living Adjustments provided by the Social Security Administration. These are the same rates the government uses for determining the cost of living increases for Social Security recipients, military retirees, and federal civilian retirees.
2014 was the first year the VA included amounts above a flat dollar amount. In previous years, the amount was rounded down to the nearest dollar. This change wont make a huge difference now, but if the policy remains in place, it will compound over time.
Here are the most recent COLA raises:
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How Can Veterans Increase Their 70 Percent Disability Rating
The first thing that most veterans do when they disagree with a 70 percent VA disability rating is immediately file an appeal. The VA allows veterans to initiate an appeal by filing a Notice of Disagreement letter within one year of receiving notification of the 70 percent disability rating. Veterans have several appeals options under the Appeals Modernization Act that went into effect in February 2019.
Veterans also have the option of filing for an increased VA disability rating if their condition has worsened since they received their initial rating decision of 70 percent. If more than one year has passed since their initial diagnosis, veterans should file a new disability claim and submit medical records demonstrating how their condition has worsened.
Percent Schedular Disability Ratings
There are two ways in which you can receive a schedular 100 percent disability rating: you have a 100 percent rating based on one disability alone or you receive a combined disability rating of 100 percent, meaning the combination of all of your disability ratings for each service-connected condition is 100 percent. However, it is important to note that disability ratings are not added together in the traditional way. Instead, VA uses its own form of math when combining disability ratings. To avoid doing VA math by hand, use the VA math calculator found on our website. Importantly, VA does round up. Therefore, if the VA math calculator produces an outcome of 75 percent, it means you are likely entitled to an 80 percent combined disability rating. On the other hand, if the VA math calculator produces an outcome of 73 percent, then you are only entitled to a 70 percent combined disability rating.
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Total Disability Based On Individual Unemployability : Compensated At 100% Rate
By demonstrating TDIU, you can receive the monthly disability compensation amount for 100percent even if your combined disability rating is actually less than 100 percent. TDIU is awarded when veterans are unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment due to their service-connected conditions. Importantly, TDIU can be due to any service-connected conditions that contribute to their unemployability . Furthermore, such service-connected conditions can be taken in combination when considering TDIU. That is, veterans do not have to show that their depression alone prevents them from working. Instead, veterans can argue that their depression combined with their knee and back conditions make them unable to work. In order to qualify for TDIU on a schedular basis, veterans must demonstrate the following:
- They are unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment due to their service-connected conditions and
- They have one service-connected condition rated at 60percent or higher or
- They have multiple service-connected conditions, one of which is rated at least 40percent disabling, with a combined disability rating of at least 70percent
Get Help Winning A 100% Disability Rating
As you can see, the criteria to receive a 100% disability rating from the VA is complex and confusing. Even if you think you have a strong case, the VA might argue otherwise. Once the VA makes a decision, it is tough to appeal and get a reversal.
That is why you need a top VA disability lawyer to fight for your benefits. The attorneys at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD have a strong track record getting our clients VA disability. We know how to fight cases the VA, and we can put our tools and resources to work for you.
We offer a free consultation during which you can speak to someone in our office about your situation. We may be able to help. Ready to get started? Call our office today: .
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