Military Disability Compensation.

[David Young]

I don't know how other Countries do their Disabitily Compensation for their Veterans but i know a little about how America does it. I'm a life member of Disabled American Veterans (D.A.V.) chapter Tri-County #26. I am 20% disabled for ringing in my ears and hearing loss, service connected, that happened in 1975. I get a check for over $230 a month from the U.S. Government, it goes up from time to time. You can work a normal job, and work all your life and still get your service connected disability check. I just did this a few years ago. My Dad suggested this to me because my hearing isn't all that great LOL!!! I told my Dad "i've been out of the Army since 1975 LOL" He told me to give it a try. I told him "i will". In 7 months, i was getting a service connected disability check.
My Dad is 100% service connected disabled. He gets a check for over $2500 a month. He has frost bite and P.T.S.D., hearing loss and a few other things. It took him over 8 years for him to get to this rating, because of records long lost and things like that. He also get a free DV (Disabled Veteran license plate for his car and truck). He never has to pay every year for a new plate since he is 100% service connected military disabled. My Dad also had a good paying job until he retired at 62 years old.
My ex-brother inlaw, hurt his shoulder in High School (gymn class). He went into the Army and his shoulder started to bother him. He told the Doctors he hurt it in Basic Training and they operated on it. He can't lift his right arm straight over his head, even after the operation........when he got out of the Army he applied for military disability compensation........He got a 30% rating and get over $360 a month for the rest of his life. It can go to higher ratings as he get older. He can still work a normal job and still get his Military service connected Disability Check.
My Son is in the Marines. He has P.T.S.D, hearing loss and bad knees. I told him to keep all records of his Doctor visits. Sometimes medical records in the Military "DISAPPEAR" LOL!!!

What i'm trying to tell you guys is.............If your in the Military, start you a MEDICAL FOLDER. Keep personal copies of your Doctor visits. Just ask your Doctor of a copy of what was done to you and the reason why ETC. They will do it. It will make it so much easer when you leave the military for you to start getting Service Connected Disability Compensation. I get 20%, over $230 a month for something that happened in 1975 LOL!!! I could have been getting this for all those years if i had known about it. Like i said before, i've just been getting this check for only a couple of years and it only took 7 months to start the check on something that happened way back in 1975.

All Veterans have some hearing loss. The ratings go from 10% up to 100%. Even if your old, like me LOL!!! There might be some money coming your way. I'm having my Son to keep a copy of what the Doctor does or has to say everytime he goes to the Doctor, and keeping all his personal records in a folder. The Military is famous for losing medical records.

My Dad knows a guy who got a service connected Disability rating of 100% just for hearing loss.

You can have a Service Connected Disability Rating, 10% to 100% and still work a normal job, all your life. The amount of money you get a month will not go down, even if you win the lottery LOL!!! I just wish i had know about this back in 1975. I lost out on a nice piece of change. LOL!!!

I hope this makes sense to you all. I'm not very good at explaining things LOL!!!

[Pete Snaith]

Hey Dave !! Can you get ant money if the US Army turns you into an Alchoholic ????

[Flyinghigh]

Now Pete, you know that's a bonus, not a disability!! LMAO

[David Young]

To be truthful, if it was linked to P.T.S.D., you might really could.

[basher8621]

Although I am a LONG way from retirement I will be getting disability for P.T.S.D as well, it is already documented and I have the copies as a back-up. It is a horrible thing. I have had a few friends that have suffered from it severely. I have a job where we are exposed to a lot so it is unfortunatly something we see a lot. We will see what things are like after this deployment.

[David Young]

Hi! basher8621, Keep personal records of everything medical, hearing test etc. If they give you 50% disability for P.T.S.D. and 30% disability for (example) hearing loss, you would get a check for 80% disabled. Several different disablities can be added together, but you can't get more than 100% disabled. My Dad's different disabilities added up to 145%, but he can only get the max. of 100%

[Flyinghigh]

My wife was diagnosed with PTSD last year. She was never in the military though. She was molested by her own damned brother when she was just three years old. I'd still like to beat that worthless piece of crap half to death. Several time. But his wife just died of cancer three days ago, so he's starting to lose everything that's important to him. I hate it for her kids (from a previous marriage) but could care less about him. Karma is a real thing and it's come around to him.

[fugies]

Thank David for the info. Well helpful. Im going to look for any handbook concerning that so that i can start collecting all the records. Will def be helpful in the future.

Will tell you if the situation is any different in the UK but i think the compensation work the same way. Might be a difference in the way they calculate how much they give you

[Thanasi2471]

hello all,
i am excited to be retiring. it looks like i may be an e-6 for life.
with my retirement pay and my disability... i will be somewhere in the ball park of... 40+75... 115%. i hope that i get all of that in two checks. one taxible and one not. wow, a great retirement for 20 years of hard service. i guess i am very lucky.

[David Young]

That's great news Thanasi2471. If your not at 100% on your service connected disability (this year it pays $2,673 a month), as the years go by you can try for a higher percentage. The older you get, the worst a disability becomes. I just went to Nashville last week for a traveling board hearing. I'm trying to get a higher percentage for my service connected hearing loss. My representative told me i have a good chance, but i won't know their decision for around 6 months.

Remember if you make it to 100% you get a D.V. license plate that is free. My Dad has one on his car and truck.

[Prop1]

My dad was just evaluated by the VA last week, and it was determined he's been suffering from PTSD since WWII. I called the local DAV this morning to have them help him get his compensation. Since I take care of his financial affairs, and because I drive him to the store and doctor appointments due to his eyesight loss, he's eligible for the $2673 + $1500 + he'll still get his $575 in physical disability.

[David Young]

So many Veterans don't know they more than likely qualify for disability of some sort. My Dad didn't start trying to get Military disability until he retired, at i think 62 years old. He was in the Korean war. He found out he had P.T.S.D., nerve damage from frost bite and hearing loss and several other things. He gets the 100% from the Military plus his normal retirement. A lot of people are afraid to apply. They are afraid it will cut down their other income, retirement, Social Security etc. I doesn't effect anything because it is a separate Tax Free check.

I'm trying to get a higher disability rating. I've been turned down so many times. I finally got a thing called a traveling board hearing in Nashville last week. So things are looking pretty good for now and i think I'll have good news in around 6 months.

My county representative who has an office in the court house and does this for a living told me he has been working on his own claim for 9 years. He told me he keeps on getting turned down and has to re apply. He did 28 years in the Navy. It's a long process and you can't give up, like the people who review your claim want you to do.

[srt4wannabe]

Yeah i gave up on trying to get compensation from a shattered ankle that i got while serving in the military. I had a screw put in it which they attempted to get out and broke off in my ankle. I dont have full range of motion and when i rotate my foot around it makes a cracking sound at a certain point on every rotation..

[David Young]

You did exactly what they want you to do.........Get so frustrated that you give up. You get back-pay from the time your claim is started to when you get approved. My Uncle got so much back-pay, he paid cash for a new car.

A few years ago there was a big thing on National News. The more Veterans the people who work on the disability board turned down, the more their bonuses and promotions would be. They want to drag it on far as long as they can. They want you to give up on your disability claim or die.

Appeal on your appeals. I appealed 5 times on an appeal before i finally got to go before the Traveling Board for a live in person hearing. The average wait time THEY told me for a Traveling Board hearing would be around 2 years. I got one in 7 months. Now i have to wait for 5 to 6 months for their decision. If they turn me down, I'll start appealing again. Like i said before, they want you to give up.

[Flyinghigh]

Next to Native Americans, our government has always treated our veterans very badly.