How To Apply For Veterans Disability

Specify Your Illnesses And Injuries

When you complete the application, list the specific illnesses and injuries for which you are requesting disability benefits, along with the date your symptoms appeared. You should only claim disabilities or illnesses you had in service if you are still suffering from the condition, or if you suspect that you may develop complications in the future.

Louisiana Department Of Veterans Affairs

Survivors And Dependents Education

Provides education and training opportunities to dependents of Veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to a service-related condition or who died while on active duty or as a result of a service-related condition. Eligibility requirements apply.

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The Amount Of Veterans’ Benefits

Once this paperwork has been submitted, the file will be reviewed by the VA’s Board of Veterans Appeals . The BVA will determine whether or not the veteran qualifies for disability benefits. If he or she does qualify for benefits, the BVA assigns the veteran’s disability a rating ranging from 10 to 100% in 10% increments. The percentage rating directly correlates to a pre-determined monthly payment amount laid by law. For example, a veteran determined to be 10% disabled would receive $123 per month, while a veteran who is 50% disabled would receive $770 per month. A 100% disabled veteran would receive $2,673 monthly payment.

In addition, if a veteran is deemed to be 30% or more disabled and has a spouse and/or dependent children, the monthly payment is higher. Additionally, for certain more serious injuries or disabilities, such as blindness or loss of a limb, the disabled veteran would be entitled to receive a higher monthly compensation.

For more information on disability ratings and payments, see our article on how veterans disability ratings work.

Discounts For Licenses And State Parks

Louisiana Veterans can enjoy discounts and fee waivers for hunting and fishing licenses as well as entrance to Louisiana state parks. Certain qualifications apply.

Beginning June 1, 2022For Non-Resident Disabled Veterans who have a permanent service-connected classification of 50% or more:

• LDVA will certify the application and email the completed application to LWF , where LDWF will certify and send the veteran his/her initial hunting/fishing license.
• Each year after that, the veteran may purchase that new years hunting/fishing license either online on your website or in person at any one of the retailers listed at your hunting or recreational fishing license listing on your website under

• How to Apply

  Visit your local VAC. Find your nearest LDVA Veterans Parish Service Office here.

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Should I Apply For Veterans Disability Benefits On My Own

The VA advises that you work with an accredited Veterans Service Officer, and most private organizations agree. Your application may be delayed unnecessarily if you dont provide all of the necessary information up front. In addition, if your application is denied, the appeals process is very lengthy. It is crucial to try to get it right the first time.

There are many avenues available for assistance. The VA has staff at its regional centers that can help you. The VA also provides a list of accredited attorneys, claims agents and Veterans Service Organizations Representatives in your area. The Disabled American Veterans group is just one example of a private organization that offers free help to file your claim.

To find the closest regional benefits office, you can enter your zip code in the VA Facility Locator, at .

Who May Be Entitled To Va Disability Benefitsincluding Some That May Surprise You

According to VA regulations, disability compensation is paid to veterans who have injuries or illnesses that occurred while on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training, or whose injuries or illnesses were made worse by active military service. Benefits are also paid to certain veterans disabled due to VA health care. Veterans with a dishonorable discharge are not eligible for benefits.

Active duty for training also applies to members of the National Guard or the Reserve Corps who were called up for full-time duty in the Armed Forces. If they were not called up, their membership does not qualify them for veterans benefits.

Veterans is defined as men and women who performed active service in a uniformed branch of the U.S. militaryin the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Womens Army Auxiliary Corps , or Womans Air Service Pilots .

Its a little-known fact that VA disability benefits may also be given to those who served full time in the Public Health Services Commissioned Officer Corps or in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . In some cases, those who served full time, during wartime, in the Merchant Marine or the Flying Tigers may also be eligible.

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Tips For Filing A Disability Claim

Filing a claim for compensation can be a very tedious task indeed. Even if you do complete the online version of the claim at VA’s VETS.GOV website you may find that it takes at least 30 minutes just to fill in all the blanks, gathering the required supporting documentation and submitting it to the VA can take much longer and be an exercise in frustration.

Here are a few pointers on how to make the process easier, and how to make sure you get everything right the first time, so you won’t have to do it all over again.

Submit Intent To File

The Intent to File initiates your claim, beginning a one-year deadline to submit all of the evidence required to support your claim. In essence, it serves as a notice to the VA that you will file a claim.

Its important to submit this informal claim as soon as possible, as the submission date will be considered your filing date. If your claim is approved, you may be entitled to back pay from the date of filing to the date of approval.

This gives you additional time to collect the necessary medical evidence to support your claim. You wont have to worry about rushing medical appointments or necessary follow-up treatments, rehabilitation, or physical or occupational therapy. This period also allows you time to check and double-check that your forms are complete and correct, or to ask for help from a veterans service officer if necessary.

You can file your claim online at va.gov, where you can set up an online portal to view the status of your claim and check for updates or requests for information.

Simply initiate the claim, save your personal information and update your file as you collect more information over the course of the year.

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Help With Your Va Disability Claim

If you need assistance with your disability claim, you can visit your local VA office. You may also get help from a disability lawyer. An experienced disability benefits attorney can review your claim, gather vital evidence, and prepare the necessary paperwork to help you receive the compensation you deserve. If youve been injured in service to your country, we can assist you with your VA benefits claim. Call us today or complete the contact form on this page.

Working With A Representative Or Agent

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How To Prepare A Veterans Claim

Hopefully the next step will be to receive VA compensation and view the VA Disability Benefits Rates. However, even with thoughtful preparation, some people fall through the cracks or have their application for benefits denied. If this happens to you, your next step is to contact a lawyer. Disability lawyers are familiar with the VA system and can be an important ally as you navigate the process.

La National Guard Death And Disability Benefit

Louisiana National guardsmen suffering a permanent and total disability while on federal or state active duty on or after September 11, 2001, or the beneficiary of record of those killed in action may qualify for a $250,000 death or $100,000 disability benefit from the State of Louisiana. Certain restrictions apply.

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Can I Get Back

In general, the effective date for receiving benefit payments is the date your claim was received by the VA or the date entitlement arose, whichever is later. However, there are exceptions to this general rule. For example, your extensive hospitalization will usually qualify as sufficiently incapacitating to have prevented the filing of a claim. But the judgment of the rating board must be applied to the facts and circumstances of each case.

If Your Rating Is Too Low Or Your Claim Is Denied Heres How To Contest Iteven If The Va Says They Cant Help You

If your application for disability compensation is denied by a VA regional center or medical center, or the compensation rate youre given is less than you deserve, you have the right to appeal the decision if you do so within one year .

Heres what to do:

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Should I Submit An Intent To File Form

If you plan to file for disability compensation using a paper form, you may want to submit an intent to file form first. This can give you the time you need to gather your evidence while avoiding a later potential start date . When you notify us of your intent to file, you may be able to get retroactive payments .

Note: You dont need to notify us of your intent to file if you file for disability compensation online. This is because your effective date gets set automatically when you start filling out your disability compensation form onlinebefore you submit it.

How To Apply For Va Disability

Military veterans and service members who are injured or become ill during active duty or while completing active or inactive training may be eligible to receive disability pension and other disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs .

There are several classifications of illness or injury that may be eligible for disability benefits. These include physical problems, mental concerns and exposure to toxic materials or chemicals.

Filing a claim for benefits is usually straightforward. You can complete a claim online or visit your local veterans affairs office for assistance. If your VA disability claim is denied, you may appeal or hire a lawyer with experience in contesting VA disability claims to help you.

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An Easier Way To Submit Medical Evidence

Disability Benefits Questionnaires , recently introduced by the VA , are downloadable forms you can use, if you choose to, when you submit medical evidence from a private provider, together with your application for benefits.

According to the VA, DBQs allow Veterans and Servicemembers to have more control over their disability claims process, by giving them the option of completing an examination with their own healthcare provider, instead of at a VA facility. However, unless the VA specifically requests it, younot the VAmust pay for the exam, any tests, a doctors letter and/or any travel expenses.

The streamlined forms, the VA explains, use check boxes and standardized language, so that the disability rating can be made accurately and quickly. This should ensure that the ratings are made uniformly throughout the country, instead of having different VA clerks assign different ratings for the same severity. Even so, its vitally important to see if the disability rating you receive is too low, and to contest it if it is.

There are some 70 DBQs to cover nearly a full range of medical conditions. Some are specific to a single condition , but most of the forms can be used for several related conditions . By using check boxes instead of long narrative summaries, the VA hopes to significantly shorten the time it takes to process claims.

However, DBQs are not available for the following medical examinations:

Who Is Eligible For Va Service

A person who meets the following criteria may be eligible for VA service-connected disability benefits:

• You must have actively served, or been on active or inactive duty for training in the military . If you were on inactive duty, only a disability stemming from a heart attack, stroke, or injury will qualify for compensation.
• You must have been discharged from the military under any condition other than dishonorable.
• You must have a qualifying medical condition that impacts your capacity to sustain meaningful gainful employment .
• A specific event during your military service must have caused or contributed to your medical condition, and you must provide proof that this is the case.
• The VA has rated your medical condition at least 10% disabling. If the VA rates your service-connected condition 0% disabling, you might be eligible for other VA benefits, but you will be unable to recover disability compensation.
• Your medical condition must not be the result of willful misconduct, which the Department of Veterans Affairs defines as an act involving conscious wrongdoing or a known prohibited action.

Your VA disability attorney can review your military service records and your medical history to create a plan of action for your case that gives you the best chance for a successful outcome. For example, your VA disability attorney can determine what evidence is necessary to assemble a thorough, compelling claim to submit to the VA.

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