Veterans disability benefits consist of monthly monetary payments to the veteran from the U.S. government. The payment amount is dependent upon the veteran's degree of disability (a higher degree of disability correlates to a higher monthly payment.) In addition to monthly payments, veterans disability benefits may include travel expenses for rehabilitation or treatment. Federal or state governments are not allowed to tax a veterans' disability compensation.

Permanently and totally disabled, low-income veterans older than 65 are also eligible for Disability Pension, a needs-based program that supplements the veteran's income. In order to qualify for this benefit, the veteran must have served 90 days in active service and one day or more during war (or longer, for those who entered service after September 1980).

Who May Apply

To be eligible to apply for veterans disability benefits, one must be a veteran of U.S. military service, an active service member with an impending discharge between 180 and 60 days through the Benefits Delivery at Discharge program (BDD), or an active service member within 60 days of impending discharge through the BDD Quick Start claim process.

Additionally, for a veteran to qualify for veterans disability benefits, the veteran must meet all of the following criteria:

• The veteran must have a disease or disability diagnosed.
• There must have been an incident during the veteran's active service, and
• The disability must be "service-connected," meaning that there must be a proven causal connection between the incident and the disability or the disability must be on the presumed connection list (more on this below).

How Long Do Disability Benefits Continue?

After the VA has made its original determination, the monetary benefits continue to be paid to the veteran as long as the disability continues. In certain circumstances, a veteran's disability may be re-evaluated or re-examined, after which the disability rating may be increased, decreased, or remain the same.

Getting Help

Veterans can hire an attorney to act as the veteran's representative, and several veterans service organizations (VSOs) exist that can provide the veteran with a representative to assist in filing a veterans' disability claim.

Complete our free case evaluation and speak with a local attorney experienced in veterans disability claims.