For those that serve their country, the Department of Veteran Affairs provides a wide range of disability benefits. But each veteran receives different types of benefits-- and not all of these benefits are equally valuable. The Department of Veteran Affairs has 8 "priority groups" which they use to decide which types of benefits a veteran will receive; "1" is the highest and "8" (which as of 2003 is no longer assigned to new veterans) is the lowest. The level of priority you are given will depend entirely on your disability (and whether it is service- or non-service-connected), your situation financially, and the level or intensity of your disability.
Because the fact of a disability originating from service-related or non-service-related sources has a generous impact on your veteran disability benefits, its important to know the qualification requirements for both types of benefits.
Non-service-Connected Benefits Requirements
Veterans who suffer from complete and permanent disability are eligible for non-service-connected benefits. Qualifiying for non-service-connected benefits can also be dependant on a few other issues:
• Income- Eligibility is based on a veteran having both a limited income and a net worth that does not provide sufficient maintenance. To get more information on income eligibility requirements, please see 38 U.S.C.S. §§1521-22.
• Service - To be eligible for non-service-connected pensions, you must have 90 days of active duty and at least one day in a "period of war." For those enrolled in the military after 1980, however, the requirement is simply a full period of active duty. Specifically, a veteran who was enrolled for the fist time after (or on) Sept. 8, 1980 will need to have completed a minimum service period, which should amount to either twenty-four continuous months of active duty or the entire period that individual was called for to active duty. In addition, the active service of the eligible veteran needs to include 90 total days during a period of war or one day of service during a period of war which ended in discharge due to a service-connected disability.
• Discharge- To qualify for VA benefits, you must have been discharged from military duty under non-dishonorable circumstances.
The Requirements for Service Connected Benefits
Eligibility for service-connected benefits, differently from non-service-connected benefits, is not dependant on a veteran having done wartime service or meeting a net worth or income level. Instead, you need to be able to prove the source and current status of your disability with:
• Evidence of current disability- As service-connected disability benefits are only available to those with current disabilities, the first things applicants must do is provide a current diagnosis of their disability using up-to-date medical records.
• Evidence of the occurrence of disability or injury- The next thing applicants for service-connected benefits must provide is proof that the disability occurred during or was aggravated by military service. Veterans should keep in mind, though, that the VA uses the term "in-service" broadly, also including injuries that occurred during leave.
• Evidence of connection between past injury and current disability- This requires that applicants give evidence of a connection between the injury incurred in service and the current disability.
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