Make the Department of Veterans Affairs Work for You
A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding the VA Disability Compensation Claims Process Written by a Disabled Veteran for E-1s Through O-10s
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The VA serves the common sense function of disability insurance. As there is SGLI for the dead, there is the VA for the injured living. Unknown to most, there is a manual that guides all VA injury decisions. Knowing the rules allows the veteran to obtain exactly what the law allows.
How can I know what a leg is worth? I know because I looked it up:
Sec. 4.68 Amputation rule.
The combined rating for disabilities of an extremity shall not exceed the rating for the amputation at the elective level, were amputation to be performed. For example, the combined evaluations for disabilities below the knee shall not exceed the 40 percent evaluation, diagnostic code 5165. This 40 percent rating may be further combined with evaluation for disabilities above the knee but not to exceed the above the knee amputation elective level. Painful neuroma of a stump after amputation shall be assigned the evaluation for the elective site of reamputation.
12NOV2009 Update: ALCON, You may have noticed that the va.gov website has been reorganized. FYI, 38CFR Part4 is located in the veterans services link, then to the general benefits information link, then to the compensation and pension link, and finally you will see a references link to the right. Go there.
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About the Book
This is a veteran's user manual on the rules that govern the VA disability compensation process written by a disabled veteran who has actually been successful with VA disability claims. Most are shocked to discover that the commonly held myths about the VA are false. What is the real purpose of disability compensation? What can be claimed? Documentation is not what you thought it was. Your military medical records mean little to the VA and are not an issue if incomplete. Your final physical means little to the VA and is not needed. So how are medical issues documented for real? When should claims be made to the VA? Yes, there are time standards for successful claims. Most get these answers wrong with disastrous results.
I draw right from the laws and codes that govern the VA and provide context from my direct experience to illustrate how those rules are applied. You will know when to make claims, what to claim, how to claim, and a host of other common sense VA procedures. When finished, the veteran will have all the knowledge to make the VA function the way it was designed to and not get steamrolled by the bureaucracy or led astray by any of the veteran service organizations. By showing the reader where to look and what to look for, you will be able to make intelligent decisions as well as keep up with the subtle changes that occur in the laws over time. Nothing is stagnant. You will see just as I did that the system, while not perfect, can be made to function correctly in accordance with the governing laws. You, the veteran have a higher degree of control over your fate then most realize.About the Author
Christopher Wright has served enlisted and commissioned in the Army and Navy, and in the Marine Corps as a Naval Gunfire Liaison Officer. He successfully engaged the VA, receiving a 40% disability, and is not affiliated with any veteran service organization.
I don't guaruntee absolute happiness. You may not like that the VA only provides 10% for diabetes managed with restricted diet. You may disagree that the loss of the big toe rates 30% while the loss of the leg below the knee is 40%. You may hate that epilepsy controled with medication is only 10%. I do guaruntee that you will have the satisfaction of being able to engage the VA properly. You will know that you have made the system function correctly.
Email me at cstuartwright@aol.com if you have any questions.