re: 10% of vets were actively engaged in combat 28% receiver PTSD disability???

He can still claim this just the VA contracts out the rater portion and you have to do all the leg work yourself. Which means once you make the claim you need to go back and find a record of what caused the injury, the medical records and upload all of that into the VA claim. Then upload any medical doctors records that he has had since for it. It is a huge pain in the arse because you have to track down all these records but they do have them somewhere. He can also claim several as secondary to that. I know there are lawyers that you pay like $700 to start and then they take 30% of back pay but they will go out and track all those records down for him and will set up his appointments for him. If you have to travel they will pay his mileage.

I know some vets who got some extra pay because during duty they breathed in some toxic air blowing in the wind and got a bad cough.

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they got it with the help of doctors outside of the VA system.

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Some of the claim evaluations are contracted out to 3rd parties.

I worked for a company that handled those outsourced evaluations.

Yeah alot of disability has become a scam. I have seen shitbags get 100% and I know a guy whose leg got fricked in combat and only got 65%. It is pretty ridiculous.

Most people complaining about VA Benefits are people who didn’t have the sack to join. A veteran is entitled to any benefit the US government provides regardless of their duty. It’s a game they tell you the rules if you can game it go for it much rather a veteran get the benefit than an illegal.

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Yeah alot of disability has become a scam. I have seen shitbags get 100% and I know a guy whose leg got fricked in combat and only got 65%. It is pretty ridiculous.

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Definitely some scams out there with a quick google search. Also, some pretty great organizations around to help Vets through the claims process.

If the guy has a legit combat injury that affected his ability to walk, sounds like he would easily be able to get 100%. He can claim PTSD, Tinnitus, the actual leg injury and likely a few others related to TERA / PACT act stuff. Just needs the right doctor to document things the way the VA wants to see it.

Tell him to see a psychiatrist. Most combat VETs have no idea what is going on in their head until trained professional pulls it out of them. I was certainly suprised about myself.

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Most people complaining about VA Benefits are people who didn’t have the sack to join. A veteran is entitled to any benefit the US government provides regardless of their duty. It’s a game they tell you the rules if you can game it go for it much rather a veteran get the benefit than an illegal.

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Its like bitching about tax breaks, or saying people who have been raped dont have ptsd because they " act fine".

It takes most people 5-10 years of fighting to get a permanent and total rating. The claims department is trained to deny claims and make the veteran appeal. If they didnt frick so many people over there would be no need for these consulting firms that take their percentage.

Ive been shot at over 200 times. I'll give up my VA check when yall give up all your benefits your jobs offer.

Uncle sams always hiring. Sign up or shut up.

1000 percent agree. I’m 100 P&T recruiting office was open for anyone.

I'd rather give it to them than someone with six kids, not married who refuses to get a job.

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I worked with several and NONE of them had a disability that prevented them from working. For sure, there are very legitimate disabilities, but a guy who hurt his knee during training and limped for two months should not get $1000/month for life after leaving the military.

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First off, I’ll concede the obvious. Some people game the system. That happens in every large program. But these threads are always full of exaggeration and basic misunderstandings of how VA compensation actually works, so that's what I'm addressing.

No one is getting $1,000 a month because they “limped for two months.” That’s not how it works. The VA doesn’t just eyeball a case and hand out money. It runs on a rating schedule with specific diagnostic codes and defined criteria. Each condition maps to a percentage based on measurable limitations:

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Diagnostic Code 5258 – Cartilage, semilunar, dislocated, with frequent episodes of “locking,” pain, and effusion into the joint:

20%

Diagnostic Code 5259 – Cartilage, semilunar, removal of, symptomatic:

10%

Diagnostic Code 5260 – Leg, limitation of flexion of:

Flexion limited to 15° — 30%
Flexion limited to 30° — 20%
Flexion limited to 45° — 10%
Flexion limited to 60° — 0%

Diagnostic Code 5261 – Leg, limitation of extension of:

Extension limited to 45° — 50%
Extension limited to 30° — 40%
Extension limited to 20° — 30%
Extension limited to 15° — 20%
Extension limited to 10° — 10%
Extension limited to 5° — 0%

Diagnostic Code 5262 – Tibia and fibula, impairment of:

Nonunion, with loose motion, requiring brace — 40%
Malunion, marked knee or ankle disability — 30%
Malunion, moderate knee or ankle disability — 20%
Malunion, slight knee or ankle disability — 10%

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Notice "limped for two months" isn't on the list. Much less at a percentage that would get you close to $1000 a month.

The bigger confusion is people mixing up VA disability compensation with Social Security disability. They share a word, but they’re fundamentally different programs. Social Security disability is a means-tested safety net. You qualify by being unable to work. VA compensation is not that. It’s exactly what the name says: compensation for service-connected injury or impairment. There is no requirement that you be unable to work, and no income cap.

If you don't understand the difference between compensation and insurance think of it this way: If you're enjoying a day at the park and a drunk city employee runs you over with a trash cart and cracks your ribs, the city owes you compensation for the injury. That obligation doesn’t disappear because you’re back at work next week or because your ribs will heal. The payment is tied to the harm, not your employment status.

You can disagree with the program. That’s a separate argument. But at least argue against what it actually is. Every time this comes up, people point to vets who “can work” and treat that as proof of fraud. It isn’t. Working while receiving VA compensation is normal and allowed. Calling someone out as a fraud on that basis just signals you don’t even understand the system you’re criticizing.

And also, dude....

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I worked with several and NONE of them had a disability that prevented them from working.

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Yeah, no shite. How would you be able to work with them if they couldn't work? Kind of a self-evident point there.