Determining Service Connection For Veteran’s Disability Compensation Claims

Determining Service Connection For Veteran’s Disability Compensation Claims

The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs has policies in place for prior military servicemembers to receive a monthly monetary entitlement for their medical injuries.  However, most veterans filing a disability claim are unaware on how their medical conditions are evaluated regarding injuries that may have occurred while on active duty.  The verbiage of service connection seems to be the common denominator, what veterans aren’t comprehending and its affiliation on whether there disabling condition was incurred or aggravated during service.  The VA characterization of service connection describes the facts shown by the medical evidence in the veteran’s service records on the following procedures:

1. 1. Direct: There injury or disease occurred in service directlyA direct service connection generally is an incurred disability caused by service – combat related injury or an isolated incident of service – COPD due to asbestos exposure.  It is not necessarily that the condition be shown in the service records, the veterans medical impairments commenced on active duty and of some occurrence while in service.
   2. Aggravation: A preexisting injury that was aggravated in serviceBefore entry into the military everyone is given a medical examination, during this assessment each preexisting condition will be fully documented.  If this prior condition becomes worsened during service then it will be determined whether the veteran aggravated this injury or a result of its natural deterioration process.
   3. Presumption:  By showing the establishment of aggravation perceived through statutory presumption while in serviceDisability compensation are eligible to service members for chronic diseases, tropical diseases, radiation exposed disease, and diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicide agent.  The list of medical impairments registered for these illnesses will be presumed to have begun during military service if manifest to a compensable degree within a specific time.  The most known existence of this benefit is the “Agent Orange” herbicide that was sprayed during the Vietnam War Campaigns.
   4. Secondary:  For condition caused or worsened by a prior service connected disabilityA secondary service connection could be adjudicated for VA disability compensation benefits; when a non service-connected condition is aggravated by an already established service connected disabling impairment.A brief detailed explanation of this can exemplify: A Gulf War veteran with a right knee degenerative joint disease service connected condition, years later filing an increase of disability rating due to worsening right hip osteoarthritis and analytic gait.

Favorable Disability Advocates LLC is an emerging team of professionals that take pride by going above and beyond, campaigning for your financial benefit…………Now and in the future!  The following blog is used for instructive purposes, we believe in properly educating the needs of our clients and ensuring quality assurance of our work.