Navigating the VA benefits process is crucial for many veterans.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is constantly looking for ways to make this process more straightforward.

One of the recent changes is the introduction of new automated forms, which will replace the familiar VA Form 21-4138.

These changes help to make communication clearer and the claims process more efficient.

In this post, we will discuss the specifics of these new forms, why they were introduced, and what they mean for you as a veteran seeking benefits.

When people join the military service, they do so with the intention of fulfilling their contractual obligations.

However, life doesn’t always go according to plan. If you were discharged during basic training, you might wonder what your veteran status actually is.

We’ll look more at what it means to be granted rights and privileges under the United States military code after you’ve been relieved of your duties and how it affects your ability to take advantage of different programs or support available to veterans. 

When a former service member makes a disability claim through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the VA assigns a disability rating to their claim. 

This rating is based on how much the disability impairs their ability to work so that the disability compensation can make up for lost wages. If they are unemployable, the compensation would need to cover the loss of full-time wages.

In some cases, a veteran has a disability that qualifies for a 100 percent disability rating, AND their disability is permanent. 

In these cases, an eligible veteran would receive a total and permanent disability va rating. This rating makes veterans eligible for VA disability compensations, social security benefits and a number of other VA disability benefits for the veteran and their family members.

We will break down the basics of permanent and total disability ratings below.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the most common injuries found in former combat veterans.

In fact, health officials have noticed an uptick in TBIs in military service members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past decade.

This guide will break down the basics of TBIs and how the VA rates them, as well as the requirements for proving secondary service connection.

It will also look at TBI trends in veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

If you are a veteran who has been disabled in the line of duty, you may be eligible for student loan forgiveness. There are several programs available to help veterans get their student loans excused. We will also discuss how to apply for VA disability student loan forgiveness and what you can expect from the process.

Depending on your disability rating, you may be eligible for student loan debt forgiveness. 

When you are on a fixed income because of an in-service event or injury, making your student loan payments can be almost impossible. 

Knowing what relief you qualify for is important, especially if you have student loans, a federal family education loan, or a TEACH grant service obligation. 

If a Veteran becomes wounded or injured or becomes sick as a result of their military service, they may be entitled to VA disability compensation. This is a tax-free monthly payment from the Department of Veterans Affairs related to service connected disabilities. If it is determined that the Veteran has a compensable service connected condition, or multiple conditions, they will assign a disability rating between 0% and 100%.

Additionally, a 100 percent service-connected disabled Veteran may be eligible for several benefits for spouses through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). These programs help ease some of the burdens placed on Veteran families.

What does this mean? If you are a spouse, you need to know what VA benefits you qualify for and how to apply for them.

You’ve got a service-connected disability rated at 70 percent. Now what? This guide covers everything you need to know about your VA disability benefits, including what they are, how they work and when disabled veterans are eligible for them.

In this post, we will cover the following topics – updated for 2023:

Ready to learn all about 70% VA Disability Benefits? Let’s dive in!

If you are in the process of filing for VA disability benefits from The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), you will most likely be asked to complete a Compensation and Pension (C&P) examination.

This exam is to determine if your disability is service connected, the level of your disability and if the condition should receive a rating increase or decrease .

While the thought of another doctor’s appointment may be daunting, it’s important to remember that the cp exam is an important part of your disability claims process.

It also can be a time consuming and frustrating process at times. Fortunately, there’s some things you can do and be aware of to help ease the process.

Nexus (n.) a connection or series of connections linking two or more things.

The nexus, or a link between a veteran’s current disability and an in-service event, is often the hardest element of service connection to prove for a VA disability claim. However, without a nexus, a veteran’s claim with the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) will not survive.

How does a veteran prove this complicated, yet critical part of the claims process?

The Nexus Letter.