Veterans Disability Eligibility

The tragedies of war affect individuals and families in different ways. Sometimes a service member never returns to their family. Other times, the person who returns from the war is not the same person who left. Perhaps a life-altering injury has made it impossible to go on living as a family once did. Whatever specific situation you are facing, there is little doubt that you are looking for a benefits package that will aid in life after the war. This may include help with tuition so that you can go back to school and receive training to find other employment. It may also be elderly care in a nursing home many years since your time in service. Whatever type of VA disability aid you are looking for, you must first find out if you are eligible to apply. 

General Requirements for VA Disability

Whether you are looking at state or federal aid, there are a number of general requirements that will be required. There are three categories of eligibility that a veteran must fall into in order to qualify for state or federal aid. The first category is any veteran who received a disability while serving during a wartime period. This requirement is paired with being eligible to obtain or already receiving pension, compensation, or disability retirement from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense.

The second category concerns the spouse of a veteran. According to this requirement, a spouse may qualify for benefits if their service member spouse is a veteran who cannot be employed due to a total and permanent disability received in the line of duty or a veteran who is missing in action or did not return. The third category deals with any veteran who served during a wartime period for one day or more. This individual must not have been discharged on any dishonorable account. Should this service member not meet any of the criteria for an award or medal for being a part of a wartime effort but did serve honorably before being discharged, he or she meets this requirement.