Many veterans in Cleveland, Tennessee, and the greater Chattanooga area may realize that they are eligible to apply for disability benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Like other types of benefits available to those suffering with a debilitating illness or injury, these veterans benefits can be a lifeline to those who once served our country in the military but who now are not able to support themselves financially because of their conditions.
This disability program works a bit differently than other programs, such as Social Security. One big difference is that, in the world of veterans disability benefits, an applicant can be found to be partially disabled. In other words, having a disability is not an all or nothing proposition.
Partial disability is determined by assigning an applicant what is called a disability rating. The rating is a percentage which factors in to one’s overall monthly disability payment. While specific questions about disability ratings are best left to an experienced veterans’ benefits attorney, like those at our law office, suffice it to say that someone who is found to be 90 percent disabled is going to get a higher benefit than someone who is found to be 10 percent disabled.
One’s disability rating will depend on a number of factors, as it is supposed to measure numerically how extensive one’s disability is. To what extent a disability impacts a veteran depends on a number of things. Therefore, the Department will look at evidence from a variety of sources, including information provided by the veteran, other available information and the results of its own medical examination.
