For most veterans, having to deal with hearing loss and tinnitus is quite common. Nearly 933,000 veterans were being compensated for hearing loss and almost 1.3 million veterans were compensated for tinnitus.  A veteran with either of these two conditions may be wondering what is needed to establish service connection for hearing loss and/or tinnitus.

All claims for VA benefits begin with an application. Unless there are very unusual circumstances, a claimant should use the form that the VA specifies for the benefit desired. As with all VA forms, you should read the Form  instructions carefully and get help if you are unsure of what is required.

A Primary Family Caregiver stipend is monetary compensation paid to a Primary Family Caregiver for providing personal care services to an eligible Veteran enrolled in the Caregiver Support Program. The stipend benefit is not intended to replace career earnings, and receipt of the stipend payments does not create an employment relationship between VA and the Primary Family Caregiver.

There are eight distinct steps that most claims for disability compensation follow. These phases may vary in time depending on the complexity of the claim, the amount of evidence that must be gathered to support the claims, and the type of evidence. You are strongly encouraged to submit as much evidence as possible with your claim to help minimize processing time. There are eight steps of claims processing .So without further ado, let's get into it.

TBI has been called a “signature injury” of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF). Thirty-three percent of all patients with combat-related injuries and 60% of the patients with blast-related injuries seen at Walter Reed Army Medical Center have sustained a TBI (Okie, 2005). Mild TBI or concussion is one of the most common forms of combat-related injury. Based on self-report data, approximately 15% of troops engaged in active combat in Afghanistan and Iraq may have suffered a mild TBI (Hoge et al., 2008). Additionally, a recent study of the Navy-Marine Corps Combat Trauma Registry revealed that battle-injured were more likely than those injured outside of battle to have multiple TBIs (Galarneau et al., 2008).

Statistics show TBI is an important public health problem. These numbers can help establish TBI prevention strategies, identify research and education priorities, and support the need for services among those living with a TBI. According to the Centers for Disease Control (2011), each year an estimated 1.7 million people in the United States sustain a TBI annually. Of them:

About 75% of TBIs that occur each year are concussions or other forms of mild (m)TBI. The number of people with TBI who are not seen in an emergency department or who receive no care is unknown. TBI is a common injury seen in military combat.

PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is a Mental Disorder that is caused by experiencing a traumatic event. When defining PTSD, a “traumatic event” is any event where the person experiences shocking circumstances that conflict with their understanding of what is right and good. Events that cause PTSD can include actual or threatened abuse, death, physical injury, sexual abuse/violence, accidents, situations that cause extreme fear, and many more.

The way VA defines The word "permanent" slightly differently.  For that matter, the word total doesn't mean total when discussing a disability. These are just terms to VA. There really isn't a protected rating. Any rating can be modified by VA at any time, depending on the circumstances.

How do you know if your benefit is P & T?

What is IU?

What is substantially gainful employment?

Are there any other eligibility requirements?

How is the way VA decides total disability different from other agencies?

TDIU awards may be permanent or they may be temporary.

If I get a 100% rating, should I continue fighting the VA for benefits?

SMC compensation

If there are 2 medical issues that nearly every single Veteran has to deal with, it is tinnitus and knee problems: which is why questions about VA disability compensation for a knee replacement are among the most frequent questions I get in my email inbox.

If you were Army or Marine, a good bit of your time was spent running in formation with improper footwear, carrying 80+ pounds of socks and MREs from Point A to Point B.

If you were in the Air Force, you may have spent a good bit of time crouched under – or in – planes.

And you Navy guys and gals ran up and down steps in tight quarters.

Even the desk jockeys have knee problems – sitting is the absolute worst position for your hips, knees and feet.   Human musculature is not designed for sitting all day.

The point is that one of the most common types of VA Claims is a claim for something to do with the knees.

And, as a Veteran’s knee condition worsens, he or she may find themselves needing a partial or total knee replacement.

Can a Veteran get  disability compensation for a Knee Replacement?

Diabetes affects nearly 25 percent of VA’s patient population. The disease is the leading cause of blindness, end-stage renal disease, and amputation for VA patients.

Diabetes mellitus falls under The endocrine system which is a network of glands that create hormones to help regulate the body. These hormones control the growth of new cells and metabolism. Some organs, like the kidney, also help in producing hormones. The endocrine system is made up of the hypothalamus, thymus, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, adrenal glands, pineal gland, reproductive glands (ovaries or testes), and the pancreas. All these parts work together to keep the body in balance.

Diabetes is a metabolic disease.

For diabetics, the body does not produce or properly use insulin.  Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches, and other food into energy needed for daily living.

Diabetes is not – as commonly believed – something that only fat people get.

Typically, RO will conclude that diabetes — or symptoms of diabetes — did not appear to a compensable degree within one year of discharge from the military.

Another common error occurs when the VA Rater – or the BVA –  relies solely on a medical opinion from a VA Medical Center Doctor who concludes that it would be pure speculation whether the present diagnosis of diabetes was caused by or connected to military service.

Purchasing a first home is an exciting milestone in any person's life. For some, the process may also seem very intimidating.

Factors to Consider When Buying a Home

Purchasing Your First Home

10 Things Many Borrowers Don’t Know About VA Loans

Etc.