2021 is here, and if you are currently receiving benefits from the VA, that means your benefits may have changed. The VA’s disability benefit rates change yearly, and several factors can influence the services you receive from year to year. You may even be eligible to have your disability rating raised by the VA and receive higher benefits this year.
In this article, we will go over the newly released disability pay dates and rates for 2021. We’ll also discuss the factors that can affect your disability rate, including the severity of disability, your ability to work, and more. Even if you are already receiving disability benefits from the VA, you may be eligible to receive more benefits to help you support yourself and your family.
You can apply to receive disability benefits from the VA through their online portal, by phone, by mail, or in person. The VA will need some key information from you to determine your disability rating and the benefits you can receive. After your application is received, the VA may ask you to get an examination to assess the severity of your disability.
You can support the claim that you file with the VA for benefits with testimonials from trusted friends and family members. These testimonials, known as “buddy statements,” serve as eyewitness accounts of the legitimacy of your disability. The VA needs to see medical proof that your disability is legitimate and connected to your military service. Still, testimonials can support your claim and verify to the VA that others have seen the impact that your disability has on you.
In order to be eligible to receive disability benefits from the VA, you need to have a disability, either physical or psychological, that directly links to your military service. To be considered a disabled veteran in the eyes of the military, you may have a physical disability or a long-term injury or struggle with service-related mental health issues such as PTSD, anxiety, or depression.
The VA’s disability ratings are given on a scale from 0 to 100. A high disability rating is provided for a very severe and debilitating disability or a combination of multiple service-related disabilities.
Sometimes, the VA gives a rating that is lower than a Veteran’s disability warrants. If you feel that the VA has given you a low rating, you can make an appeal with the help of an attorney. Going through the VA appeals process can get you a better outcome, but it may take years and you may benefit from professional guidance.
Disability payments from the VA arrive on a specific day of each month, although the calendar for payments from the VA changes from year to year. In 2021, disabled veterans will receive their payments on the following dates:
If you are a disabled veteran with a 10% disability rating from the VA, you should receive a monthly payment of $144.14 in 2021. For 20% disability rated veterans, the monthly payment from the VA is $284.93. Based on the significant difference in benefits between even the two lowest percentiles, you can see why an accurate disability rating is so important for veterans. If you are given a rating that is too low, you can end up with benefits that are far lower than they should be.
Your disability benefits from the VA can be extremely helpful in supporting yourself and your loved ones. If you have dependents, you can receive additional benefits to help you support them. Without dependents, a 30% disability rating in 2021 qualifies you for a monthly payment of $441.35. However, if you have a spouse, the payment for a 30% rating raises to $493.35. If you have a spouse and one child, the benefits for a 30% rating increase to $532.35. You can also receive additional benefits if you are living with parents who are your dependents.
For a 40% disability rating, a disabled veteran with no dependents can receive $635.77 per month in 2021, a significantly higher monthly payment than a disabled veteran with a 30% veteran would receive per month. A 40% disability rating for a disabled veteran with a spouse and one child qualifies for a monthly payment of $756.77. Getting your disability rating raised can significantly impact your monthly income, which can be especially important if you are dependent on your disability payments alone.
A 50% disability rating for a disabled veteran with no dependents qualifies the veteran for a monthly payment of $905.04. With a spouse, this payment increases to $992.04. With a spouse and one child, the monthly payment for a 50% disability rating is $1,056.04. A 50% disability rating gives a disabled veteran an exponentially higher monthly payment than a veteran with a 10% rating.
A disabled veteran with no dependents and a 60% disability rating can receive a monthly payment of $1,146.39. With a spouse, this payment is $1,251.39. With a spouse and one child, the disability payment for a 60% rating is $1,335.39.
A 70% disability rating for a veteran with no dependents qualifies for $1,335.39 each month. With a spouse, the payment is $1,566.71. With a spouse and one child, a 70% rating gets a disabled veteran a monthly payment of $1,656.71. This payment is more than ten times the monthly amount granted to a disabled veteran with a 10% rating.
For an 80% disability rated veteran, the monthly payment without dependents is $1,679.35. When it comes to dependents, with a spouse, the payment for an 80% rating is $1,819.35, and with a spouse and one child, an 80% rated disabled veteran will receive a monthly payment of $1,922.35.
The monthly payment for a 90% disability rating in 2021 is $1,887.18, $2,044.18 with a spouse, and $2,160.18 with a spouse and one child. The differences between the monthly payments for 90% rated disabled veterans and veterans with a 100% disability rating is staggering. The monthly payment for a disabled veteran with a rating of 100% and no dependents is $3,146.42, which is a massive increase from a rating that is just ten percent lower. If you receive a 90% rating from the VA but believe that you should qualify for a 100% rating, an experienced attorney can help you make an appeal to the VA.
As you can tell, even a 10% increase in your disability rating can make a huge difference in the monthly benefits that you can receive. If you feel that you have gotten an unfair rating from the VA, one of our attorneys can help you appeal your rating to get an increase.
As a disabled veteran, support from the VA is not only something you may need but something you deserve. We’re here to help you get the resources you need and deserve by helping you go through the appeals process with our combined decades of experience. In addition, we’re a team composed largely of Veterans, and many on our team know the struggles of being a disabled Veteran firsthand.
Berry Law was founded by a Veteran, and is on a mission to help other veterans. If you need help raising your disability rating in 2021, we’re here to team up with you. A disability is not a weakness, and there is no shame in asking for help to get the support and resources that you need from the VA. The struggle is real, and we’re here to do whatever we can to make it easier.
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