When people apply to get veterans disability benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (also known as the VA), they may come across the term “service-related disability.” Understanding what this term means can be essential for determining whether you get the disability benefits you deserve. But what exactly is a service-related disability, and why does it matter?
What is a Service-Related Disability?
In simple terms, a service-related disability is a severe physical or psychological condition that someone suffered as a result of their military service. This can include both physical and psychological disabilities, including paralysis, hearing loss, or PTSD, among many other conditions. As a general rule, to be considered a disability, a condition must be severe enough to impede a person’s day-to-day life, such as making it more difficult to hold down a job or making it harder to perform daily tasks.
What Counts As a Service-Related Disability?
For a condition to be considered a service-related disability, it must somehow be related to your time in the military. This can include injuries you suffered while serving in the military, or it can be a disease or psychological ailment you developed later. Alternatively, if you already had an existing disability, it might become service-related if your condition demonstrably worsened as a result of your military service.
Why Does It Matter?
The reason this matters is because you can only receive VA disability benefits for disabilities that are related to your service in some way. If you have a disability, but cannot prove it was either caused or worsened by your service, you will not receive a disability rating for them. This, in turn, makes it essential that you have adequate evidence to show your disabilities are service-related.
What Should You Do?
If you have a service-related disability, but are unsure of what to do, you should speak to a lawyer with experience handling disability benefits applications. They can help evaluate your case and ensure you get the best possible outcome for your situation. The sooner you call, the sooner they can get to work for you.
The attorneys of Sullivan & Kehoe place a special focus on assisting disabled veterans. Our veterans’ disability lawyers are still available for remote consultation on your legal issues. Call our office at (800) 395-7830 to schedule a consultation in our New York City, Garden City, Kings Park, Riverhead, or White Plains office, or visit our contact page.
