Service-Connected and Non-service-Connected Benefits for Veterans
by: albert.tobega
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For those that serve their country, the Department of Veteran Affairs provides a wide range of disability benefits. But not all VA benefits are created equal-- the benefits you receive for your disability claim will vary from person to person. The Department of Veteran Affairs has 8 "priority groups" which they use to decide which types of benefits a veteran will receive; "1" is the highest and "8" (which as of 2003 is no longer assigned to new veterans) is the lowest. The level of priority you are given will depend entirely on your disability (and whether it is service- or non-service-connected), your situation financially, and the level or intensity of your disability.
Because the fact of a disability originating from service-related or non-service-related sources has a generous impact on your veteran disability benefits, its important to know the qualification requirements for both types of benefits.
The Requirements for Non-service-Connected Benefits
A veteran who suffers from a total and permanent disability qualifies for non-Service-connected benefits. Eligibility for non-service-connected benefits also depends on several other factors:
• Income- Being eligible for non-service-connected benefits is based on the recipient having limited earnings and a net worth too low to provide the veteran with adequate maintenance. To get more information on income eligibility requirements, please see 38 U.S.C.S. §§1521-22.
• Service - To reach eligibility for a non-service-connected pension, a veteran must have one day or more of active duty in a "period of war", with at least 90 days total active duty. For those enrolled in the military after 1980, however, the requirement is simply a full period of active duty. Specifically, a veteran who was enrolled for the fist time after (or on) Sept. 8, 1980 will need to have completed a minimum service period, which should amount to either twenty-four continuous months of active duty or the entire period that individual was called for to active duty. In addition, the active service of the eligible veteran needs to include 90 total days during a period of war or one day of service during a period of war which ended in discharge due to a service-connected disability.
• Discharge- To qualify for VA benefits, you must have been discharged from military duty under non-dishonorable circumstances.
Service-Connected Benefits Requirements
Unlike with non-service-connected benefits, veterans who receive service-connected benefits do not need to be fully disabled, have served during wartime, or meet an income or net worth requirement. Rather, you will be required to prove the source and current condition of your disability using:
• Proof of your current disability- Because benefits for a service-connected disability are awarded only to those with a current disability, an applicant for these benefits must provide recent medical records diagnosing the current state of their disability.
• Evidence of the occurrence of disability or injury- The next thing applicants for service-connected benefits must provide is proof that the disability occurred during or was aggravated by military service. Its important to know, however, that "in-service" is a broad term, and can include injury incurred even during leave.
• Support of the connection between the current disability and the service-connected injury- Veterans applying for service-connected disability benefits must prove that their current disability is indeed connected to the injury which occurred during military service.
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