During their time in the military, veterans put their life on the line to keep our country protected. When a veteran needs help because of an injury caused in the line of duty, the United States should do everything possible to get that veteran the help they need. Sadly, that doesn’t always happen, but a new process might help some people who need to get disability payments get through the process faster.
Veterans who are 100 percent disabled according to the Veterans’ Administration might qualify for expedited applications for benefits through the Social Security Administration. A new program allows veterans with a 100 percent permanent and total disability compensation rating to qualify for this process.
In order to qualify for the expedited process, veterans must present a copy of the letter from the Veterans’ Administration that lists their disability compensation rating. The VA Notification Letter must specify 100% P&T.
While the expedited process will help some veterans, it is important to realize that this isn’t a guarantee of approval. It is only an effort to get those who qualify their benefits as quickly as possible. One legislator hopes this will eliminate backlogs that have plagued those who have served our country. He says that veterans don’t deserve to have to deal with a bunch of red tape after being injured while serving in the military.
This is good news for veterans who need the benefits from Social Security to make ends meet. Those who have selflessly given up their health to protect the citizens of the country don’t deserve to have to jump through hoops to get the veterans’ benefits they deserve.
Any veteran who has been injured deserves to be taken care of in whatever scope is appropriate for the severity of his or her injuries. When the veteran has trouble getting those benefits, working with someone familiar with the process for claiming benefits might help them to learn how to proceed with their claims.
Source: The Gadzen Times, “Social Security launches expedited disability process for veterans” No author given, Apr. 20, 2014