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Veterans Guide to VA Benefits
A guide for veterans, their family members and those assisting them to successfully apply for benefits from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs ("VA").
- 1. Veterans Benefits
- 2. VA Benefits- Legal Bases for Benefits
- 3. Veterans Benefits-Veterans Law
- 3.1. Unique Aspects of Veterans Law
- 3.2. Non-Adversarial System
- 3.3. Duty to Assist
- 3.4. Benefit of the Doubt
- 3.5. Nexus Letter
- 3.6. Effective Date
- 3.7. The St. Louis Fire
- 3.8. Claim Backlogs and Delays
- 3.9. Clear And Unmistakable Error
- 3.10. Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs)
- 3.11. Same Sex Marriage
- 4. Veterans Benefits- Eligibility
- 5. Veteran Benefit- Service Connected Disability Compensation
- 5.1. Compensation or Service-Connection
- 5.2. Service Connected Medical Conditions
- 5.3. Secondary Service Connection
- 5.4. Medical Conditions Aggravated by "Service"
- 5.5. Schedular Ratings for Compensation
- 5.6. Schedular Rating 100%-Total and Permanent
- 5.7. Schedular Rating 100%-TDIU or Indiviual Unemployability
- 5.8. Schedular Rating 100%-Temporay Disability Rating
- 5.9. Compensation Rates
- 5.10. Special Monthly Compensation (SMC)
- 6. VA Compensation-Service Connected Disability Conditions due to Legal Presumptions
- 6.1. What's a Legal Presumption?
- 6.2. Presumption of In-service Occurrence
- 6.3. Presumption of Soundness
- 6.4. Presumption of Regularity
- 6.5. Herbicide-exposed Veterans (including Agent Orange)
- 6.6. Combat
- 6.7. Prisoners of War (POWs)
- 6.8. Radiation-exposed Veterans
- 6.9. Camp Lejeune Presumptive Conditions
- 6.10. Gulf War Veterans
- 6.11. Blue Water Vietnam Veterans Act 2019
- 6.12. Certain Chronic Diseases
- 6.13. Children of Vietnam Veterans
- 7. VA Compensation Claims-Special Rules
- 8. VA Pension Non-Service Connected Disability
- 8.1. Pension-Legal References
- 8.2. VA Non-Service Connected Pension or Wartime Pension
- 8.3. Eligibility for Non-Service Connected Pension
- 8.4. Maximum Annual Pension Rate for VA NSC Pension
- 8.5. Countable Income for Non-Service Connected Pension
- 8.6. Allowable Deductions from Countable Income for VA Pension
- 8.7. Net Worth requirement for Non-Service Connected Pension
- 8.8. NSC Pension Reporting: Eligibility Verification Report for Non-Service Connected Pension
- 8.9. Extra Benefits to add to the Non-Service Connected Pension
- 8.10. Submitting a Claim for Non-Service Connected Pension
- 9. Veteran Benefits-Other Non-Healthcare VA Benefits
- 9.1. VA Burial and Memorial Benefits
- 9.2. VA Education Benefits
- 9.3. VA Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Benefits Formerly known as Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
- 9.4. VA Home Loan Guaranty Benefits
- 9.5. Special VA Benefits for the Disabled Service Connected Vets: Automobiles, Conveyances, and Adaptive Equipment
- 9.6. Special VA Benefits for the Disabled Service Connected Vets: Clothing Allowance
- 9.7. Special VA Benefits for the Disabled Service Connected Vets: Specially Adapted Housing and Special Home Adaptation Grants
- 9.8. VA Life Insurance Programs
- 10. Veteran Benefits-Survivors Benefits
- 11. Types of VA Claims
- 12. Filing Claim-Evidentiary Issues
- 13. VA Benefits-Filing a Claim/Refer to Veterans Guide to VA Claim Filing
- 13.1. How to Communicate with the VA
- 13.2. Filing an Application for Compensation or Pension
- 13.3. Using Advocacy Organizations for Filing Claims
- 13.4. Self-Filing Good Practices
- 13.5. Increasing, Reducing, and Severing Disability Ratings
- 13.6. Staged and Temporary Ratings
- 13.7. Protected Ratings
- 13.8. Section 1151 Benefits- Injured by VA Care or Voc Rehab or Medical Treatment
- 14. Filed Claim - What Happens Next?
- 14.1. The VA Receives the Claim
- 14.2. C&P Exam
- 14.3. How To Check Claims Status
- 14.4. Obtaining a Decision
- 14.5. Award Process
- 14.6. Benefit Payments
- 14.7. Retroactive Benefits
- 14.8. Choosing an Appeal Path
- 14.9. Disagreeing with a Decision
- 14.10. Perfecting an Appeal
- 14.11. Appeals Process & Tips
- 14.12. Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017
- 14.13. The Board of Veterans' Appeals
- 14.14. Appeals to the Veterans Court
- 14.15. Further Appeals
- Appendix I - General
- Appendix II - Military Records
- Appendix III - VA Compensation Rate Tables
- Appendix IV - VA Pension Rate Tables