Veterans Affairs: Benefits for Service-Connected Disabilities
Abstract
Congress, through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), provides a wide variety of services and benefits to veterans and to certain members of their families. Two disability programs are administered by the VA. These programs pay monthly cash benefits to certain disabled veterans. Disability compensation, the focus of this report, provides a monthly cash benefit if the veteran is at least 10% disabled as a consequence of his/her military service-which is considered to be a service-connected disability. A veteran applying for service connected disability compensation does not need to be totally disabled, have low income, or wartime military service. In contrast, a disability pension may be paid to a wartime veteran with limited income, who is no longer able to work, or is at least 65. A disability pension is not related to a service-connected injury or medical condition and takes into account the material needs of the veteran; it is a "needs-based" pension.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 23, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA471988
Entities
People
- Douglas R. Weimer
Organizations
- Library of Congress