VET2VET

VET2VET is a non-profit and non-partisan educational project dedicated to sharing information through social media. By spreading the knowledge we strive to achieve:

- assisting veterans with adjustment to civilian lifestyle after serving in the military;

- providing assistance in obtaining your VA and other available benefits you’ve earned;

- hosting guests who are concerned about veterans;

- linking veterans with fellow veterans;

…among others, VET2VET covers VA claims for compensation, health care and other entitlements.

Do you want to learn more about the different rights and array of benefits you earned through Service to your country?

So many veterans feel confused about their benefits and Services, which is why VET2VET is providing the counseling and assistance to you and your family.

There’s so much to know...and so many changes from one year to the next.

We are proud  to offer and share VET2VET podcast for FREE. If you choose to support this podcast to help sustain future episodes we would be grateful. However the best contribution is the one you paid to the nation - your military service and your support for those who served.

★ JOIN US IN OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU AND OUR FELLOW VETERANS ★ 

▶ facebook.com/VETOVET2 

▶ twitter.com/VETOVET2 

▶ youtube.com/c/VETOVET2

If you follow the steps discussed in todays podcast , you will have much better chances with your claim.

Disability Compensation. Disability compensation is a monetary benefit paid to Veterans who are determined by VA to be disabled by an injury or illness that was incurred or aggravated during active military service. These disabilities are considered to be service connected.

When we talk about service-connecting a medical condition, disease, injury or illness to military service, we are talking about proving the relationship between the two.

Because a Veteran need not show actual causation - reasonable relation is typically sufficient - there are 5 major legal theories that can be used.

You can appoint an attorney, claim agent, or VSO to act on your behalf in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims for VA benefits (38 U.S.C. 5902, 5903, and 5904).

National area supervisor for West Cost Region.

There are numerous ways to apply for VA disability benefits depending on the type of benefit you are seeking:

National area supervisor for West Cost Region.

Veterans Services Officers assist local veterans or their dependents in securing all benefits to which they may be entitled.

County Veterans Service Officers (CVSO), employed by their respective states, are knowledgeable individuals who know their way around the VA system. They can assist veterans and their families in a number of ways. County Services Offices can help you with compensation/pensions, medical care, military records, grave markers and veteran home loans. Some counties may also have dedicated funds to assist you with temporary shelter/utilities, food/health supplies, medical/dental, job placement, counseling, and transportation.

Benefit of the Doubt Rule When it comes to the Benefit of the Doubt doctrine, the statute is 38 USC § 5107(b). That statute says: “The [VA] shall consider all information and lay and medical evidence of record in a case before the [VA] with respect to benefits under laws administered by the [VA].  When there is anapproximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding any issue material to the determination of a matter, the [VA] shall give the benefit of the doubt to the claimant.”

Veterans Assistance Act

Veterans Claims Assistance Act (VCAA), is a law which was passed in 2000 to improve the manner in which the VA assists veterans claiming benefits, and which also set out some basic notice requirements for the VA.

The VA's interpretation of the "benefit of the doubt" regulation:

They "Doubt" the Veteran is going to get any "benefits".

A prominent condition affecting Gulf War Veterans is a cluster of medically unexplained chronic symptoms that can include fatigue, headaches, joint pain, indigestion, insomnia, dizziness, respiratory disorders, and memory problems.

VA refers to these illnesses as "chronic multisymptom illness" and "undiagnosed illnesses." We prefer not to use the term “Gulf War Syndrome” when referring to medically unexplained symptoms reported by Gulf War Veterans. Why? Because symptoms vary widely.

DEADLINE

Under long-standing VA rules, any undiagnosed illnesses used to establish eligibility for VA benefits by veterans of the Persian Gulf War must have become apparent by Dec. 31, 2011. The new deadline adds five years, extending it to Dec. 31, 2016.