Articles Tagged with disabled veterans

The good news is that not every veteran who files for disability benefits needs to have a Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam. When you initially submit your claim, you will need to include a current diagnosis from a competent medical expert, evidence of a service connection, and a “nexus statement” tying your disability to your service – usually a part of your medical expert’s report. Evidence may also include hospital records, test results, and buddy statements. 

If the evidence is sufficient and strongly supports a service-related connection, you could receive a rating without a C&P exam. The exams cost the VA money. Therefore, efforts of cost containment are often a consideration for not requesting superfluous exams. However, if your claim is complex, or if there are questions in the mind of the claim reviewer based on your documentation, you may be required to get a C&P exam.

The VA will send your file to a VA doctor (or a local doctor with whom the VA partners) assigned to examine you, and you will receive a letter from the doctor regarding your C&P exam. Be sure to contact them and arrange a convenient time for the exam. If the VA requires a C&P exam and you don’t get one, your case will be denied. If you miss your exam, call the VA right away to inform them that you still intend to comply, then reschedule with the examiner as soon as possible.

Filing with the VA for veterans’ disability benefits is usually a time-consuming process. Sometimes years can go by from the time of initial filing to when your case is settled. It may include requests for additional information, denial of benefits, appeals, and another review before you are granted a disability rating. Because the process can be quite cumbersome, time-consuming, and stressful, especially for a person struggling with a disability, veterans get the best and fastest resolution of their claims with the help of an experienced VA attorney.

Once you’re granted disability, you will begin to receive monthly installments. But what about all the time you waited? Fortunately, the award is retroactive and you will receive a lump sum of benefits when your benefits are awarded. This back pay is dated from the time of your original filing. For example, if you received a disability rating of 50% three years after you initially filed your claim, you will receive a lump sum of three years worth of disability payments at a 50% level. 

Exceptions to the Filing Start Date

Veterans with a 100% disability rating may be able to work, but depending on how you were awarded the rating, there may be limitations to how much you are allowed to earn. A 100% disability rating can be reached in several ways:

  • One service-related condition that is rated at 100% disability
  • Several conditions that together reach the 100% disability level
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