Midwest Veteran Benefits Advisory

03/30/2023

Check it out!

The Iowa Veterans Entrepreneurship Conference boasts an impressive lineup of speakers and presenters who share their knowledge and expertise on various topics, including business planning, marketing, finance, and more. You’ll leave the conference with practical insights and strategies to take your business to the next level! Register to attend on June 2 ➡ https://go.iastate.edu/0YXR6A

11/06/2021

It's not only deployments that cause service-connected conditions.

The Millennium Cohort Study is 20 years old.

10/27/2021

Discussion on current/future projects & cooperation between Iowa and Kosovo citizens in education, business and economics, & sister cities.

10/24/2021

National Veteran Small Business Week is fast approaching on November 1st.

👋 Interested in attending an event during the U.S. Small Business Administration's National Veterans Small Business Week? Don’t forget to reserve your spot early! ✅ Check out the full events list here 👉 https://bit.ly/NVSBW21_1

10/24/2021

Take advantage of this "why" discovery workshop.

Wabi sabi is a Japanese design concept. It means beauty in that which is temporary or imperfect. Things that come off of an assembly line, for example, are perfect, but things made by hand, like the glaze on a Japanese ceramic bowl, are imperfect. It is their imperfections that give them their beaut...

10/22/2021

Environmental compliance job -good for those who manage environmental program at units/FMS.

Thank you for your interest in job opportunities with the State of Iowa. You can now apply online by clicking on the job title you are interested in and clicking on the "Apply" link. If there is no "Apply" link, please see the job description for instructions on how to apply. 

10/22/2021

Good overview of benefits in 2022.

This video provides a complete breakdown of the 2022 VA pay chart. It includes information on how to read the VA benefits chart as well as information such a...

03/26/2021

How is a rating determined for my condition?

Ratings are determined by the ability of the body, body part, organ, or psyche to “function under the ordinary conditions of daily life including employment.” “Evaluations are based upon lack of usefulness, of these parts or systems, especially in self-support.”

The medical examiner has to provide a “full description of the effects of disability upon the person’s ordinary activity” remembering that “a person may be too disabled to engage in employment although he or she is up and about and fairly comfortable at home or upon limited activity.”


(Reference: Title 38 CFR, Part 4, Subpart A, 4.10)

03/25/2021

Rule of reasonable doubt and choosing between two ratings.

If there is a reasonable doubt about the “degree of disability”, the doubt is “resolved in favor of the claimant”.

If the rating specialist determines your condition falls between two ratings, “the higher evaluation will be assigned if the disability picture more nearly approximates the criteria required for that rating.”


(Reference: Title 38 CFR, Part 4, Subpart A, 4.3 and 4.7)

03/24/2021

The compensation and pension (C&P) is a two-part process.

The first is examination by a VA or VA-contracted medical professional, and the second is a rating by a VA rating specialist.

Different medical professionals will not describe the same disability in the same language. Features of the condition that may be unchanged may be overlooked, or a change for the better or worse may not be accurately described.

The rating specialist has the tough job of reviewing the medical examination to interpret the information and comparing it to the descriptions of conditions in the schedule of rating to determine which percentage is most appropriate for your condition.


(Reference: Title 38 CFR, Part 4, Subpart A, 4.2)

03/23/2021

Why do I need a medical examination? Why am I being contacted for another exam?

The VA’s rating officials need an “accurate and fully descriptive medical examination…” to determine how much your condition limits your earning capacity so you can be properly compensated. After your claim is approved, things do change. Whether it is a change in laws, or new discoveries in medicine, or an improvement or worsening of your condition, re-examination and re-rating may be necessary.


(Reference: Title 38 CFR, Part 4, Subpart A, 4.1)