Veteran Nexus

As a Veteran, you may believe you are taking ”someone else’s place in line” if you file a claim. The truth is the line has been long for over a decade now, and if you qualify for benefits you deserve, go for it and let the VA figure it out!

The chart below is straight from the VA’s website, and represents all claims that are submitted to the VA, not just the disability and compensation claims. Even after modernizing the system the backlog is heading back to 2012 levels!

Veterans who reach 100% schedular and stop going to the hospital are upset and confused when they are reduced. Veterans who go for TDIU when they can get to 100% naturally feel trapped when they need to work to support their family. Make sure you are educated on the different types of 100% so you don’t get caught off guard!

If you have a rating under 40%, take an “inventory” on your health (including your mental health). If you believe you are under rated you may be eligible to go for an increase, or a secondary claim!

If you have a mental health rating, pay attention to your symptoms over the years. If you begin to worsen, you may be eligible for an increase, especially if you are in the minority (those rated under 50%

After personally talking to about 2000 veterans, most veterans seeking additional compensation are around 30% rated. Most of these veterans are eligible for an increase, and many of them get another 30% or 40%! Are you one of them?

Out of all disabled veterans, the two largest populations by disability rating are veterans at 10%, and veterans at 100%

I recommend having inflation work for you and your family. In my opinion, we cannot stop inflation, all we can do is ride the wave as best we can. One way Vets can do this is to purchase hard assets locking in today’s prices, while allowing inflation to do its work. Veterans with disability compensation who purchased a home in 2013 likely have monthly compensation today that outpaces their mortgage payment. (This is not financial advice)

I can’t say it enough, get everything you deserve as early as possible. If you win your VA disability decades after you have gotten out, I suggest you don’t do the backwards math, it will only make your mental health problems worse 😂

The other cost of waiting is the more time that goes by, the harder it is to prove that your disability today was caused by service. The earlier you start this process the better off you will be, even if you “are not that hurt” you can file for disability early and win smaller ratings and get the appropriate increases later.

Even veterans who have a 0% rating are eligible for benefits such as VA health care and education benefits for your dependents!

I did not know there were any options other than a free service (what I found out later to be a VSO) for many years. If I could do it all over I would have paid a service with a good fee structure after my second loss. I know some of you have had better luck using the free services, and are confused as to why some would opt to pay, but not all of us are lucky. In my case, constantly hoping to win my claim for free turned out to be more expensive than paying someone else!

I have said it before and I will say it again, time is not your friend when it comes to winning your VA disability claim. The longer you wait, the more you lose. In my opinion, using the method that gets you to the result you are looking for the fastest is the best method. I am happy for veterans in the social media comments who win their claim, but I am sad when they say it took them 20 years to get it.