PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM OUR SERVICE OFFICER
Post 7916 Service Officer Contact
vfw7916serviceofficer@gmail.com
Brendan Conway
(571)354-9439
Here are some items that you will need to help get your VA claim started:
· Military Treatment Records
· Civilian Treatment Records
· Behavioral Health Records
· Dental Treatment Records
· DD-Form 214
· Marriage Certificates/Divorce Decrees (If applicable)
· Birth Certificates of Dependents
· Social Security Cards of Dependents
· Banking information (i.e. where they want check deposited)
· Dependent's college transcripts (if applicable. There are all sorts of college programs, not just GI Bill)
· Retirement physical
I would also recommend that you list out all of the injuries/statuses that you are going to claim and document when they happened.
For example :
Left Shoulder - Original Injury June 1994 St. Louis MO - Torn Rotator Cuff, Injured tendons/ligaments, bursitis. Multiple X-RAY,MRI (Scott AFB, Seoul Korea, Ft. Belvoir) Multiple surgeries performed 1999,2000 at Ft. Belvoir
Right Knee - Original injury Apr 1997 Camp Henry Korea - patellar tendonitis. Has progressively gotten worse, no treatment given outside of being provided patella straps
Right Ring Finger - Original Injury Sep 1997 Camp Walker Korea - Broken finger. Was never set doctors thought it was a sprain until the swelling went down at that point was told they would have to break my finger again to set it
Back - Original Injury Jul 1998 Ft. Belvoir -
Eligibility
Am I eligible for VA disability compensation?
You may be eligible for VA disability benefits or compensation if you meet both of these requirements.
Both of these must be true:
You have a current illness or injury (known as a condition) that affects your mind or body, and
You served on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training
And at least one of these must be true:
· You got sick or injured while serving in the military—and can link this condition to your illness or injury (called an in-service disability claim), or
· You had an illness or injury before you joined the military—and serving made it worse (called a pre-service disability claim), or
· You have a disability related to your active-duty service that didn’t appear until after you ended your service (called a post-service disability claim)
Presumptive conditions:
For some conditions, we automatically assume (or "presume”) that your service caused your condition. We call these presumptive conditions.
If you have a presumptive condition, you don’t need to prove that your service caused the condition. You only need to meet the service requirements for the presumption.
What should I do if I received an other than honorable, bad conduct, or dishonorable discharge?
If you’ve received one of these discharge statuses, you may not be eligible for VA disability benefits.
There are 2 ways you can try to qualify:
Find out how to apply for a discharge upgrade.
Learn about the VA Character of Discharge review process.
Forms
Use VA Form 21-526EZ when you want to apply for VA disability compensation (pay) and related benefits.
https://www.va.gov/find-forms/about-form-21-526ez/
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Use VA Form 21-4142 to give us permission to obtain your personal information from a non-VA source like a private doctor or hospital.
https://www.va.gov/find-forms/about-form-21-4142/
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Use VA Form 21-0781 if you’ve been diagnosed with PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) and want to apply for related benefits or services.
Use VA Form 21-0781a if you’ve been diagnosed with PTSD related to or because of personal assault, and you want to apply for related benefits or services.
https://www.va.gov/find-forms/about-form-21-0781/
How do I file a claim for compensation?
You can file a claim online now.
File for disability compensation online - https://www.va.gov/disability/file-disability-claim-form-21-526ez/introduction
You can also file for disability compensation in any of these 3 ways:
By mail:
File your claim by mail using an Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits (VA Form 21-526EZ).
Print the form, fill it out, and send it to this address:
Department of Veterans Affairs
Claims Intake Center
PO Box 4444
Janesville, WI 53547-4444
In person:
Bring your application to a VA regional office near you.
Find a VA regional office near you - https://www.va.gov/find-locations/?facilityType=benefits
With the help of a trained professional:
You can work with a trained professional called an accredited representative to get help filing a claim for disability compensation.
Get help from an accredited representative - https://www.va.gov/disability/get-help-filing-claim/
Post 7916 Service officer contact
vfw7916serviceofficer@gmail.com
Brendan Conway
(571)354-9439