Leaving Money on the Table

I am constantly amazed at how many veterans don’t know they have benefits through the Veterans Administration (VA) or feel they don’t deserve benefits for one reason or another. One of the major benefits veteran’s overlook is disability compensation. It is shocking how little veterans and their families understand about VA medical disability compensation. I was at a store last week and ran into John, an Iraq war veteran. John struggles financially because he can’t keep a good paying job due to his war disabilities. John has been out of the Marines for 3 years and thought he had waited too long to apply for benefits, this is a misconception. John will always be eligible for service connected disability benefits. John also was not told he was covered for medical benefits by the VA for 5 years after his separation from the Marine Corps. John has been paying for medical insurance when he did not have to. I asked if he had been told about his benefits at the Transitional Assistance Program or TAPS seminar and he said he hadn’t. If John receives a 30% disability rating or higher, as a combat veteran he has medical benefits for life through the VA. Some veterans struggle to make ends meet when they don’t have to. There are benefits for veterans, they just need to apply. Even though applying for benefits is easy, working through the bureaucracy of the VA moves slowly.

Applying for disability is not a difficult task, working through the VA disability process is challenging. Every US President has said they will improve the VA system, but the VA ship is hard to turn around. Filing a disability claim through the VA can be a long, arduous process. Once a claim is filed veterans needs to be prepared for the wait. The disability process has gotten better lately but it is still painstakingly slow. The key for the veteran is managing expectations and understanding their benefits claim will take time. Some veterans don’t feel applying for disability benefits is worth the effort and some veterans feel they don’t deserve the benefits and refuse to apply.   

Anyway why don’t veterans want to apply for disability benefits? When I pose that question to veterans they feel they are not disabled enough, there are veterans missing limbs and have visual wounds, while theirs may be internal and psychological. They feel their disabilities are not severe enough to warrant a claim. Another answer I get is, I am taking benefits from someone who needs them worse than I do. VA funding is based on the number of veterans served at their facilities. Sitting out the disability process is not helping anyone, by not applying for benefits you could cause a cut in funding to your local VA facility.

Sometimes, those who receive benefits are called “moochers” by some in our society, usually those who never served. Because of this attitude some veterans feel they are working the system and getting charity, the reason it takes months or years to get a disability claim through, is that the VA spends the time to weed out the “moochers”.  While in your 20’s, jumping off a 5 ton or duce and half with an 80 to 100-pound rucksack in full battle rattle, being tossed around on an aircraft carrier deck or, jumping off of aircraft and equipment is hard on the knees, ankles, and back. I truly believe no one gets out of the military physically unharmed. If you have a legitimate issue caused by your military service, go after it. The health issues from your service in your 20’s might not be seen instantly but they do catch up to you as you age.  You earned these benefits, it’s not a gift.

The bottom line is you need to apply for the benefits you have earned. There’s no reason for veterans and their families to struggle financially or have medical bills when you don’t have to. I talked to John for about an hour and finally convinced him to apply for compensation for his medical problems.  Many veterans are going to have back, knee, ankle, or various other physical and mental issues because veterans are trained to feel indestructible while serving. Apply for the disability benefits you earned, the military forced you to abuse your body when you were young. Don’t struggle financially in retirement or pay for medical insurance because you abused your body or are suffering with PTSD. Why leave money you have earned on the table?   

For questions or comments, you can contact me at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit my website at www.afterdutyvets.com, and subscribe to my YouTube channel After Duty Vets or like us on Facebook at After Duty Vets.