Who is Eligible for Veterans’ Disability Benefits in Orlando?

If you are a veteran, you are likely already familiar with the challenges of getting VA benefits. Even getting the right information is harder when you are injured or suffered an illness that was caused by your military service or was made worse by it. This is when you need a skilled Orlando veterans’ disability attorney who can help.

Eligibility Requirements for Veterans’ Disability Compensation

If you have a current injury or illness, which is referred to as a condition, that affects either your body or your mind, and you meet certain criteria, you could be eligible for VA disability benefits. First, you must have served on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training, and you must have received a disability rating for this condition that is connected to your military service.

In addition, one of the following requirements must also be true. These requirements include:

• You had an injury or illness prior to your military service, and your military service made the condition worse. This is called a preservice disability claim; or
• You were injured, or you got sick, while serving in the military and you can link the condition to your injury or illness. This is termed an in-service disability claim; or
• You have a disability that is related to your military active duty that was not present until after you ended your military service. This is what’s known as a post-service disability claim.

If you do qualify, the coverage would apply to you as a veteran as well as your qualified dependents.

Certain Types of Discharges Can Leave You Ineligible 

How you were discharged can impact your eligibility for veterans’ disability benefits. You may not be eligible for benefits if you received a:

• Dishonorable discharge;
• Bad conduct discharge; or
• Other than honorable discharge.

Types of Conditions Covered by Veterans’ Disability Benefits

There are a number of conditions that can be covered by disability benefits. Some of these include:

• Severe hearing loss
• Ulcers
• Loss of range of motion
• Chronic back pain that resulted in a current diagnosis of a back disability
• Cancers that are caused by toxic chemicals or other hazards
• Breathing problems that are a result of lung disease or another current lung condition
• Scar tissue

There is also possible coverage for benefits for conditions like anxiety, traumatic brain injury (TBI), depression, and Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Veterans’ Administration has several presumed disabilities as well. These are:

• An illness that is caused by having contact with contaminants, like toxic chemicals, or other hazardous materials; or
• A long-lasting (chronic) illness that appears within a year after you were discharged; or
• An illness that was caused by the time you spent as a prisoner of war (POW).

Contact an Orlando Veterans’ Disability Benefits Attorney

Determining eligibility for Veterans’ Disability Benefits can be difficult. A lot of clients also are confused about whether or not you can qualify for both VA and SSD benefits. Navigating the claims process is never easy. This is why you need an experienced Orlando veterans’ disability lawyer who can help. Contact the Law Offices of Shea A. Fugate, P.A. to schedule an initial consultation.