Evanston VA Benefits Attorney

Evanston VA Benefits Attorney

Unfortunately, valid claims are denied at a surprisingly high rate, often because a claimant failed to submit the necessary evidence to establish his or claim or missed an important deadline. Because filing a claim for benefits can be so difficult, it is important for disabled veterans to consult with an experienced Evanston VA benefits attorney, as only these individuals are permitted to help claimants prepare and present claims to the VA.

Federal Benefits

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides healthcare benefits to qualifying veterans who can prove that they actively served in the military and were not dishonorably discharged. Unfortunately, these are only the most basic of eligibility requirements that claimants must meet. For example, service members who enlisted after 1980 must have served at least two continuous years or for the full period for which they were called to active duty in order to begin collecting benefits. There is, however, an exception for veterans who were discharged early because of a disability incurred or aggravated while on active duty.

The VA also allows veterans to apply for federal non-healthcare benefits, such as:

• Disability benefits, which cover lost wages and household expenses incurred by veterans with permanent disabilities;
• Special Monthly Compensation, which can be collected by veterans who require regular aid and attendance because of their disability or are otherwise housebound;
• Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay, which is a program that allows veterans who have a service-connected disability rating of 50% or higher and who retired after 20 or more years of service, to collect both military retired pay and disability compensation, which is usually prohibited;
• A housing grant for disabled veterans to help them build a new house that is specially adapted to their needs, or to modify an already existing residence; and
• An automobile allowance, which is a one-time payment of no more than $20,235.20 to be used by the recipient for the purchase of a vehicle.

While most veterans are required to provide proof of a specific disability, as well as a link to their time in the service to collect disability benefits, some former members of the military who served in specific wars are deemed automatically eligible for federal benefits. For example, veterans who served in the Vietnam War between the years of 1962 and 1975 are presumed to have been exposed to deadly chemicals like Agent Orange, which has been definitively linked to a number of illnesses, 11 of which, are presumed to be service connected, including: Hodgkin’s disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and respiratory cancers. Similarly, veterans of the Gulf War can receive compensation for:

• Chronic disabilities caused by an undiagnosed illness; and
• Medically unexplained multi-symptom illnesses.

In these cases, only veterans who can prove that their symptoms appeared during the war or were at least advanced to a degree of 10% disabling by 2011, will be able to automatically collect benefits. Former Prisoners of War who were imprisoned for more than a month are also presumed to suffer from service-connected conditions and so are automatically eligible for benefits.

If you believe that you may qualify for one or more of these benefits, please do not hesitate to contact our legal team today for a free case evaluation.

Call a Dedicated Evanston VA Benefits Attorney About Your Claim Today

To speak with an experienced lawyer about filing a claim for veterans benefits, please call The Comerford Law Office, LLC at 312-863-8572 today or send our legal team an online message.