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Other Benefits
- Disability Severance Pay - By law, payment of VA compensation
and military disability severance pay for the same medical condition
or disability is prohibited.
VA compensation will be withheld on a monthly basis until the
total amount of military severance pay has been recovered.
- Special Separation Benefit (SSB) - VA compensation
will be withheld in full until the amount of the SSB has been
recovered.
- Voluntary Separation Incentive (VSI) - Your annual
VSI payment will be reduced by an amount equal to the amount
of VA compensation paid for the same period.
- Selected Reserve and National Guard - By law, if you
are an active member of the Selected Reserve or National Guard,
your VA compensation will be withheld at the rate of one day
of pay for each drill period served. In addition, VA compensation
is not payable to individuals serving full time on active duty.
Eligibility for Benefits
You may be entitled to VA disability compensation for any medical
condition or injury that was incurred in or aggravated by your
military service, if you were released from active military duty
with anything other than dishonorable discharge. There is no time
limit to apply for VA disability compensation. However, you are
encouraged to apply within one year of your release from active
duty since entitlement is established retroactively to the date
of separation if your claim is filed within this period. The effective
date of eligibility for benefits will be based upon the date of
your claim if you apply beyond the one-year period.
There is a "presumptive period" time limitation on
some disabilities which may preclude a claim if 1) there is no
diagnosis recorded within that period from date of separation,
and 2) there is no notation of the disease or injury in the Service
Medical Record (SMR).
How to Apply
VA Form 21-526, Veteran's Application for Compensation or Pension,
is the document that should be used in applying. The following
supporting evidence and/or documents should be submitted with
your application:
- Service Medical Records. Applicants who have their
service medical records are encouraged to submit them with their
applications in order to expedite processing. Otherwise, VA
will contact the service department to obtain them.
- Other Medical Records. Medical records should be included
when they substantiate any and all treatment by private doctors
and hospitals.
- Dependency Documents. Such documents should include
originals or copies of birth and marriage certificates. They
should also include copies of divorce/death records terminating
all prior marriages and those of the spouse.
- Military Discharge/DD Form 214 (Copy 4 - Member Copy).
Applicants who have a copy of their DD-214 are encouraged to
provide a copy with their claim to expedite processing. Otherwise,
VA will attempt to obtain verification from the service department.
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