VA Disability Back Pay
Does The VA Offer Back Pay?
Understanding VA Back Pay eligibility is important for veterans who suffer from service-connected injuries or medical conditions. VA benefits, including Back Pay, offer compensation for a veteran’s inability to work due to injury or medical condition. Upon approval for VA benefits, a veteran will receive monthly payments as compensation for being unable to work part or full-time.
Back pay refers to the retroactive payment of benefits that were not paid during the time between actual eligibility and when the benefits were approved.
How Much is Back Pay?
The amount of VA Back Pay can vary, depending on the individual case and can cover several months or even years of unpaid benefits. Veterans who are eligible for VA Back Pay can receive a lump sum payment or have the amount added to their regular monthly benefits. In general, the longer it takes the VA to approve your claim, the higher the amount of back pay you will receive. This can especially be true if your initial claim was denied and you had to go through one or more levels of appeal before your VA disability benefits were granted.
Applying for VA Disability Benefits
For the most part, VA Back Pay is not automatic and veterans must apply for it separately. To be eligible for VA Back Pay, veterans must have a disability rating and evidence that the disability occurred or worsened during their military service.
If you are a veteran who meets these requirements, it is always recommended that you apply for your VA benefits as soon as possible. This can be especially significant if you are within one year of your discharge date. Applications for VA benefits submitted within one year of your discharge date are dated to your actual date of discharge. Applications submitted after one year of discharge are typically considered eligible on the first day of the month following the submission of the application.
Total Disability Individual Unemployability.
Total Disability Individual Unemployability ( a/k/a TDIU or Individual Unemployability)
If you have applied for VA disability benefits and were denied, you may be eligible for back pay if you are successful on appeal. Or if you were approved and subsequently applied for individual unemployability, you may be able to receive additional back pay for the time you were not receiving it dating back to your initial claim. The Friedman Firm works with veterans who were denied benefits, who are seeking an increase in their VA rating, or considering applying for TDIU. Contact us today with any questions you may have.