Veterans Disability Information and Helpful Tips on How to Increase Rating
More than five million U.S. military veterans receive VA disability benefits. These benefits can play an important role in a disabled veteran’s financial stability. Depending on the circumstances, the veteran may also receive limited or comprehensive health care, and increased benefits for eligible dependents.
To ensure that you receive the highest level of VA disability benefits available to you, it’s important to understand how a veteran qualifies for benefits, how disability ratings are determined, how your disability rating impacts your benefits, and what you can do if your claim is denied or your disability rating seems too low.
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Qualifying for VA Disability Benefits
To be eligible for VA disability benefits, a veteran must show that the condition they are claiming benefits for is service connected. There are two ways to show a service connection:
- For some veterans, some conditions are presumed to be service connected
- If the condition is not presumed service connected, the veteran will have to present evidence that the condition started during military service or was caused or aggravated by an in-service event or exposure
Proving service connection without a presumption typically requires a combination of evidence such as medical records, military service records, a nexus letter from a medical professional and “buddy statements” from fellow service members or friends or family members who can speak to when the condition started.
Some conditions may also be considered secondarily connected. The VA recognizes a secondary service connection when a medical condition is caused by a service-connected condition, or by the treatment for a service-connected condition.
If this sounds complicated, that’s because it can be. Fortunately, you don’t have to sort it out alone. The disability benefits advocates at Veterans Help Group have in-depth knowledge of the VA disability claims process and know what type of evidence is required to establish a claim. Our advocates also have extensive experience with all types of VA disability appeals, review and supplemental claims. So, if you’ve filed a claim on your own and are unhappy with the results, we can help with that, too.
How Much Does Your VA Disability Rating Matter?
You already know that your VA disability rating impacts your monthly benefits, but you may not know just how significant that difference can be. In 2024, the monthly compensation for a disabled veteran by disability rating is:
- 100% disability rating – $3,737.85
- 90% disability rating – $2,241.91
- 80% disability rating – $1,995.01
- 70% disability rating – $1,716.28
- 60% disability rating – $1,361.88
- 50% disability rating – $1,075.16
- 40% disability rating – $755.28
- 30% disability rating – $524.31
- 20% disability rating – $338.49
- 10% disability rating – $171.23
As you can see, even relatively small increases in your disability rating can make a big difference in benefits. That’s especially true at the high end: a veteran with a 100% disability rating receives $1,485.94/month more in benefits than a veteran with a 90% disability rating.
Your VA disability rating impacts other benefits, too. For instance, a veteran with a disability rating of 30% or higher may qualify for additional benefits for eligible dependents, such as a spouse and minor children. But, veterans with 10% and 20% disability ratings do not get extra benefits for dependents.
The healthcare benefits most veterans receive depend on their disability rating, too. A veteran with a disability rating from 0% through 40% is entitled to VA health care for their service connected condition or conditions. But, those rated 50% or higher get broader medical coverage.
In short, it’s important to make sure that you receive the highest appropriate disability rating.
How to Increase Your VA Disability Rating
Your first opportunity to increase your VA disability rating is when you initially pursue your claim. You can increase your chances of getting the highest appropriate rating by:
- Making sure to include all service-connected or secondary-connected conditions in your claim
- Ensuring that you have undergone all relevant testing and are providing the type of evidence the VA relies on in rating your condition
- Providing sufficient medical documentation
- Getting buddy letters from people who can describe your symptoms and limitations
- Cooperating with any VA request for additional information or documentation
- Attending a C&P exam if the VA schedules one for you, and making sure you arrive on time and prepared
If you’ve already received a VA disability rating and you think it’s too low, you have three options for asking the VA to reconsider. These are:
- Requesting higher level review, in which a higher-level official at the VA reviews your case. When you request this type of review, you do not have the opportunity to submit additional information. So, it is typically most useful when your disability benefits advocate can identify an error in the rating determination, such as a mistaken statement of what the medical records reflect.
- Filing a supplemental claim, which allows you to provide new information. A supplemental claim is intended for a situation in which something has changed. That may be that your condition has gotten worse since you first submitted your claim, or that you have received new medical test results that show that your placement on the rating schedule should be different. Or, it could be that the rating schedule has changed and you may be entitled to a different rating under the new schedule.
- Requesting a board appeal, which may or may not allow for new information. The choice is yours, depending on your circumstances. You may request direct review if you don’t need to present new information, or evidence submission if you do. You may also request a hearing. You may go straight to a board appeal from your initial determination, or you may choose to start with higher level review or a supplemental claim and then proceed to a board appeal if you get a negative determination.
Choosing the best process for your circumstances can impact the outcome of your review or appeal, so it’s important to choose carefully. Your VA disability benefits advocate can help you decide which process makes the most sense in your case, and can explain other differences such as how long it typically takes to get a determination through each process.
Get Help With Your VA Disability Rating
Whether you’re just filing a claim and want to pursue the maximum possible VA disability rating, you’ve received a rating you think is too low and want to request review to increase your rating or otherwise appeal, or you’ve received an unfavorable decision on review or a supplemental claim and want to pursue a board appeal, we can help.
The sooner you get knowledgeable guidance, the better. So, call us today at 855-855-8992 or fill out our contact form right now.
