Los Angeles Social Security Disability Lawyer Vincent Howard of HOWARD LAW is closely familiar with the extensive backlog of disability cases handled by the Department of Veterans Affairs. ![flag.jpg]()
A recent report by Newsweek's online platform, The Daily Beast, in conjunction with the Center for Investigative Reporting, revealed that sadly, an increasing number of veterans are actually dying before their disability benefits and/or pensions are awarded.
While our firm primarily focuses on propelling claims for civilian federal disability benefits, it's important for veterans to know that they may actually be eligible for both. Your receipt of one will not affect the other. Depending on your circumstances, you may additionally also be eligible for SSI, which is awarded to disabled individuals who have limited resources and income.
While none of these processes tend to be speedy (unless you are diagnosed with a condition listed on the administration's recently-expanded Compassionate Allowances Conditions), you should avail yourself of all the benefits to which you may be entitled. One could be awarded faster than the others, which could help you maintain financial independence while you focus on your health.
As a retired E4 Specialist in the U.S. Army, Howard is particularly dedicated to aiding fellow veterans suffering from disabling injuries or illnesses.
According to the recent news article, the V.A. appears to be increasingly impotent when it comes to handling the large volume of new claims, mostly from soldiers returning from the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It's gotten so bad that as of the end of the fiscal year in September, the federal agency paid out nearly $440 million in benefits to the survivors of nearly 20,000 former soldiers who had died while waiting for disability benefit approval. These figures are especially stunning when compared to what they were just three years ago. In 2009, nearly $8 million was paid out to survivors of nearly 6,500 veterans who died waiting for their claims to be processed.
These numbers include older, WWII veterans who die without getting their pensions, as well as veterans of more recent conflicts, who have committed suicide in record numbers after their disability claims for PTSD are shot down.
There are also an increasing number of deceased veterans' survivors who are waiting on claims, for which they are hoping to be awarded retroactive benefits. There were approximately 3,000 survivors awaiting disability claims approval at the end of 2009, versus almost 13,000 survivors waiting at the end of last month. The actual number may in fact be much higher, as family members usually have to file additional documentation in order to keep the claim from expiring after the retired service member has passed away. Many are so grief-stricken or exhausted, they simply let it go.
As we've previously reported in our Social Security Disability Blog, almost 900,0000 veterans and their loved ones have been cooling their heals for an average of nine months for a decision on their claims. The wait is longer in bigger cities. Los Angeles has some of the longest wait times in the country, with veterans waiting an average of 1.5 years.
One point we do want to drive home to veterans is that while your V.A. disability claim might be predicated on whether your condition actually occurred as a direct result of an incident or series of incidents while in the service, SSDI is different. There is less of a burden of proof in terms of establishing what caused your disability. Instead, the focus is on proving that as a result of your disability, you have been left unable to work. This is particularly important for PTSD sufferers to understand. We don't want you to lose hope. We want you to know there are multiple options you may have available to you. We urge you to contact us to learn more about how we can help improve your chances of having your disability claim approved.
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A recent report by Newsweek's online platform, The Daily Beast, in conjunction with the Center for Investigative Reporting, revealed that sadly, an increasing number of veterans are actually dying before their disability benefits and/or pensions are awarded.
While our firm primarily focuses on propelling claims for civilian federal disability benefits, it's important for veterans to know that they may actually be eligible for both. Your receipt of one will not affect the other. Depending on your circumstances, you may additionally also be eligible for SSI, which is awarded to disabled individuals who have limited resources and income.
While none of these processes tend to be speedy (unless you are diagnosed with a condition listed on the administration's recently-expanded Compassionate Allowances Conditions), you should avail yourself of all the benefits to which you may be entitled. One could be awarded faster than the others, which could help you maintain financial independence while you focus on your health.
As a retired E4 Specialist in the U.S. Army, Howard is particularly dedicated to aiding fellow veterans suffering from disabling injuries or illnesses.
According to the recent news article, the V.A. appears to be increasingly impotent when it comes to handling the large volume of new claims, mostly from soldiers returning from the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It's gotten so bad that as of the end of the fiscal year in September, the federal agency paid out nearly $440 million in benefits to the survivors of nearly 20,000 former soldiers who had died while waiting for disability benefit approval. These figures are especially stunning when compared to what they were just three years ago. In 2009, nearly $8 million was paid out to survivors of nearly 6,500 veterans who died waiting for their claims to be processed.
These numbers include older, WWII veterans who die without getting their pensions, as well as veterans of more recent conflicts, who have committed suicide in record numbers after their disability claims for PTSD are shot down.
There are also an increasing number of deceased veterans' survivors who are waiting on claims, for which they are hoping to be awarded retroactive benefits. There were approximately 3,000 survivors awaiting disability claims approval at the end of 2009, versus almost 13,000 survivors waiting at the end of last month. The actual number may in fact be much higher, as family members usually have to file additional documentation in order to keep the claim from expiring after the retired service member has passed away. Many are so grief-stricken or exhausted, they simply let it go.
As we've previously reported in our Social Security Disability Blog, almost 900,0000 veterans and their loved ones have been cooling their heals for an average of nine months for a decision on their claims. The wait is longer in bigger cities. Los Angeles has some of the longest wait times in the country, with veterans waiting an average of 1.5 years.
One point we do want to drive home to veterans is that while your V.A. disability claim might be predicated on whether your condition actually occurred as a direct result of an incident or series of incidents while in the service, SSDI is different. There is less of a burden of proof in terms of establishing what caused your disability. Instead, the focus is on proving that as a result of your disability, you have been left unable to work. This is particularly important for PTSD sufferers to understand. We don't want you to lose hope. We want you to know there are multiple options you may have available to you. We urge you to contact us to learn more about how we can help improve your chances of having your disability claim approved.