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1 year of retroactive veterans’ benefits with new program

On Behalf of | Aug 7, 2013 | Veterans' Issues

There are a number of people in Atlanta who have bravely served our country; from Korea to Iraq, these soldiers have fought for our country and given up a lot. Many of them have also been injured and it is the federal government’s responsibility to care for these soldiers. Although it may not have been top of mind when they signed up for the military, soldiers know that they are entitled to veterans’ disability benefits if they are injured while serving our country.

It has been shameful, however, that some veterans wait years before they are finally approved for benefits. For some, their disabilities do not completely prevent them from working and they are able to collect some money prior to receiving their benefits, but for those people who are so injured that they are unable to work, the wait can drive them into poverty.

So, earlier this week, the federal government announced a new program to get veterans’ their disability benefits faster and to provide them with a little more money. For qualified veterans who fill out the Fully Developed Claim disability form, they will received one year of retroactive benefits. This is expected to greatly improve the turnover time for veterans’ benefits processing, too.

Of course, there are a few qualifications, such as this must be the first time that the veteran is filling out the form. Moreover, the form itself is quite comprehensive and may be too complex for some veterans to fill out without the aid of a disability benefits lawyer. If veterans are interested, however, they must act quickly, as the program will only last until August 2015.

Source: Dayton Daily News, “Program to help disabled vets,” Jack Torry, Aug. 5, 2013

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