If you were recently discharged from active military service and have since developed a medical condition, you may be eligible for veterans disability benefits. In many cases, if your symptoms appeared within a year of your discharge, the VA will determine that they’re related to your service, thereby making you eligible for veterans disability benefits. Below is an overview of delayed illnesses and veterans disability benefits.
Veterans Disability Benefits Eligibility
If you’re a veteran with an illness that appeared within one year of your discharge that is at least 10% disabling, you may be eligible for veterans disability benefits. However, in order to be eligible, you must also meet both of the following requirements:
- You have an eligible medical condition pursuant to federal law, and
- You weren’t dishonorably discharged from the service.
Obtaining Veterans Disability Benefits
In order to obtain veterans disability benefits, the first thing you must do is file a claim for disability compensation and submit evidence of your medical condition. The evidence you submit must demonstrate that:
- Your medical condition is at least 10% disabling, and
- It appeared within a year after you were discharged from the service.
If your illness is listed in Title 38, Code of Federal Regulations, 3.09(a), you aren’t required to show that your problem is a result of your military service. The VA considers these conditions, which are called “presumptive diseases,” to automatically be related to your service. For a detailed list of presumptive diseases, please contact a Michigan veterans benefits attorney.
Exceptions
If you have any of the following diseases, you may be eligible for veteran’s disability benefits even if your symptoms appeared over one year following your discharge from military service:
- Hansen’s disease
- Tuberculosis
- Multiple sclerosis
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease
Contact a Michigan Veterans Benefits Attorney Today
If you are a disabled veteran who suffers from any of the above conditions, you may be eligible for veterans disability benefits. In addition, since the above list is not exhaustive, you should contact a Michigan veterans benefits attorney if you have acquired any illness since your discharge from the service. At Disability Law Group, our Michigan veterans benefits attorneys are here to help you obtain the veterans benefits you deserve. We respect your military service, and we’re committed to assisting you with every step of the veterans disability benefits process. So, if you live in Macomb County, Oakland County, Wayne County, or anywhere else in Michigan or the United States, and suffer from a medical condition that may entitle you to veterans disability benefits, we’re on your side. At Disability Law Group, disability is all we do. Please contact us as soon as possible for a free consultation.
