Service-Connected and Non-service-Connected Benefits for Veterans

07/16/08

For soldiers who have done their duty for their country, the Department of Veteran Affairs offers several types of disability benefits. But each veteran receives different types of benefits-- and not all of these benefits are equally valuable. 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. Your priority group depends entirely on your disability and how it first occurred (service-connected or non-service-connected), your financial situation, and your current level of disability.

Since whether or not a disability is service-connected or non-service-connected can have a great effect on the benefits you will receive, it's important to have a good understanding of the specific requirements for each of these two types of benefits.

Non-service-Connected Benefits Requirements

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- Eligibility is based on a veteran having both a limited income and a net worth that does not provide sufficient maintenance. For more information 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. However, for a veteran who entered military service after 1980, the service requirement is simply to have completed a full period of active duty. Specifically, an individual who enlisted for the first time on or after September 8, 1980, is required to complete a minimum period of service, either twenty-four months of continuous active duty or the full period for which the veteran was called to active duty. Additionally, the veteran must have active service that includes a total of ninety days during one or more periods of war; ninety or more consecutive days, one day of which is during a period of war; or at least one day of wartime service that results in a discharge for service-connected disability.

• Discharge- To be eligible for benefits from the Department of Veteran Affairs, your discharge from the military needs to have been under non-dishonorable circumstances.

The Requirements for Service Connected Benefits

Eligibility for service-connected benefits, differently from non-service-connected benefits, is not dependant on a veteran having done wartime service or meeting a net worth or income level. Rather, you will be required to prove the source and current condition of your disability using:

• Evidence of 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.

• Substantiation of the disability or injury's occurrance The next thing applicants for service-connected benefits must provide is proof that the disability occurred during or was aggravated by military service. It's important to know, however, that "in-service" is a broad term, and can include injury incurred even during leave.

• Evidence of connection between past injury and current disability- This requires that applicants give evidence of a connection between the injury incurred in service and the current disability.