is there a place to find what percentage rate you may get from the VA online? a chart? graph? anything?

Question

I'm going to be getting out of the military at the end of my enlistment which is about 6ish months. Since being in I have been diagnosed with more things then I care to mention here, Med Boarded for things, multiple surgeries, a few meds i have to take daily, I'm trying to find out if there is a way to know how much if anything I might get when I separate before I go to the VA appointment. I guess I just want a heads up so I know if I'm being low balled or not. I don't care if it is exact I just want to know what to expect so if they come in low I can tell them not that it will do any good but will make me feel like ive tried. I've looked everywhere for a chart, reg, PDF file, anything and i'm not finding a thing. any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

You'll have to wait till they estimate the degree of disability for each ailment/injury,

then add them up. Take the "low ball" figures to get your foot in the door.

Later, you can try to upgrade each one. Good luck.



disability made easy

http://bit.ly/16rg5mD



VA Disability Compensation Rates

http://mil-com.me/P6cwYl

Answer 2

You won't find a chart. Each case is evaluated individually, and it takes time. Lots of time... If you are ending your contract, you will not get a disability rating. If you are getting med boarded out, you will get a disability rating. A group of doctors will review your information and give you a percentage. It's not negotiable (at that time).



However, don't count on getting a check anytime soon. I got med boarded out. I had a disability rating when I was discharged. It's why I was discharged. It's been 6 years and I still haven't seen a dime. My case is under review, again. The backlog is 2-3 years.



Plan on getting nothing but some medical benefits, which really help with paying for prescriptions. Then, if you do, you'll be pleasantly surprised. But even with a disability check, it's not enough to live on. It may enough to make a car payment, but don't plan your financial future on it because there are just way to many variables to know what will happen.

Answer 3

The "FIRST" thing you must do ASAP is...

Obtain "Hard Copies" of "Any and ALL" of your

In-service Medical Records...

Keep updating as up until Date of Discharge...

As in Monday AM...

(Keep in a Very Secure Place...your Wall Locker is NOT Secure...)



Reasons:

Will control what Percent of Disability you will receive from

the Dept. of VA (VA) also reduce your wait time from up to

two (2) years to 45-90 Days...

(Most of the wait time is trying to get your Medical Records

from the Services...)



The need to have them ASAP is so that they Cannot be

"Changed or Deleted" from your Military records...

(Happens ALL the Time...)



If given an MEB you will have been assigned a Percent of Disability already...

(Yes, they will "Low Ball" you...)



When you get back to your HOR will need to Register at the nearest

VA Medical Facility (Hospital) for Treatment...



You also MUST hook up with a Veterans Service Officer...ASAP...

I strongly suggest the DAV...and have them File Your VA Claim

for you...(Free)...They Do Not work for the VA...they act as your

Advocate on your Claim...

They have an Office at the VAMC and also at the VA Regional Office...

Telephone numbers are in the Book...under the VA RO listings...



Never give anyone your "Original Copies"...NEVER...

Do not ever let them out of your sight...

Answer 4

You get a certified copy of your medical record as you get out.

You go to a VA service center, VFW, American Legion, DAV and get a service officer.

He will go thru your record and put down every little thing that could possibly get you a rating.

He will fill out the form for you and send it in.

The VA will take its own sweet time evaluating your issues.

You will get one of three ratings on each item.

Denied completely.

Accepted but with zero disability.

Accepted with a percentage of disability assigned.

Then they use a complicated system to evaluate your overall rating. (They do not just add up the ratings, each is based upon disability of remaining wellness.)

Once they rate you they will start sending you money plus any owed from the date you applied.

You might check with the VA because sometimes they will allow your out processing physical to be their physical, thus saving time. Do it right and you can be on their list the day after you get out of the service.



Keep in mind that if you put down PTSD and other mental issues you may find you can not get a job in areas such as security, law enforcement, etc. I would not put those items down unless you REALLY have problems in that area.

Answer 5

You will get handed a disability rating by the military when they muster you out. You can then IMMEDIATELY file through the VA for a VA Disability claim/rating.



There is no chart to tell you what rating you will get from the military as there is no "chart" specifically stating each percentage for each condition and what those percentages add up to. The military doctors will eyeball that.



When you apply to the VA welcome to Wonderland as you try to follow the white rabbit down the hole. The VA claims system is not your friend in any way, shape or form. Their overall mission is to give you as little as they possibly can.



Folks will tell you to find a "good Veteran Service Officer (VSO)." These are folks from different service organizations who are supposed to be "experts" who can help you successfully file and pursue your claim. I went through three of them - none of whom could write beyond 6th grade-level English (and wanted to "dumb down" what I wrote) and one who had an essential part of the ratings process (General Assessment of Functioning [GAF] score) BACKWARDS for 25+ years.



I eventually wrote and filed everything by myself on my own with one IMPORTANT twist - I worked through the Constituent Liaison at my U.S. Senator's office. When you or your VSO files paperwork they tell you to send it via Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested, and that it can take 6-14 weeks for it to be placed in your file once it is received. Documents faxed by the Senatorial Constituent Liaison are faxed there, taken by the Constituent Liaison at the VA Regional Office to the proper person and filed that same day. Do not fail to use the Senatorial Constituent Liaison!



That said, no matter what your treating doctor's say about anything your fate will be in the hands of those doctors conducting the Compensation & Pension (C&P) Exams. They are the "final authority" and they actually have the option of discarding/disregarding ALL previous medical evaluations and treatments in reaching their conclusions about your degree of disability.



For my PTSD I had five total C&P Exams. The first examiner never saw any of my records before, during or after the Exam before she wrote her report, but her evaluation still counted. The second examiner did a fair evaluation and rated me at 70%. With 70% rating for a single issue I then qualified to try to file for 100% for Individual Unemployability (IU).



For IU the first C&P Exam it was so outrageous the VA agreed it should be ignored. For the second exam the examiner had recorded my GAF score BEFORE she ever met me, asked me only two vague questions, was writing her final report as we spoke, and filed her report SIX MINUTES after I walked out of her office - disregarding all previous diagnosis and treatment from an LCSW, two Clinical Psychologists (one a VA PTSD Specialist), and a VA Psychiatrist.



The third C&P Exam - after the first C&P Exam one I found that you can protest the findings and get a re-exam without having to formally appeal - took place at the VA Regional Office at my request and the examiner looked at my file was we were walking to his office and said, "Why am I even having to see you? Your case is obvious."



Bottom line - little, if anything, is predictable when dealing with the VA and you cannot assume that the VA wants to see you treated fairly. Be prepared for conflict.