It is must for Veterans who have suffered from psychiatric disabilities to be informed of their entitlements to VA benefits so they may receive the appropriate care and assistance. The evidence you have submitted will be carefully reviewed by DVA to ascertain if your impairment may be considered service connected and to calculate your rating on a scale of 100, going up in increments of 10%.
I will discuss the implications of this change for you and your dependents as well as how you might raise your VA benefits rating from 70% to 100%. Veterans who are fully disabled and unable to work or take care of themselves without assistance are given a 100% disability rating by the DVA.
The highest rating granted by the VA and the one that entitles one to the most compensation is a 100% disability rating. The Veteran must fulfill 100 Percent VA Benefits 2024 Requirements to receive a perfect rating of 100 percent.
70 Percent VA Benefits
A veteran with certain service-connected disabilities may be eligible for 70% VA disability benefits. It is typically difficult to go higher if a veteran has a 70% VA disability rating and very few veterans often have a rating of 70% or greater; the higher the grade, the more uncommon it is. Just 447,330 out of 4,743,108 veterans had this ranking, according to a 2021 VBA statistics report. That barely represents 9.4% of all veterans. Depending on your particular situation, there are many methods to attain a complete disability rating of 100 percent, that entitles you to the maximum payment.
For instance, if a veteran has several service-connected conditions, each of that is at least 40% disabled on its own, and a combined rating of 70%, along with proof that the veteran is unable to continue in a gainful employment, the veteran will be qualified for 100% disability compensation in the form of TDIU.
What is the Amount of 70% VA Disability Compensation?
The VA disability compensation amount for a 70% rating in 2023 is USD 1,663.06 as compared to the previous year, it is 8.7% higher. Higher disability ratings, like 90% or 100%, provide a far larger payment, even if that figure would seem logical. Thus, at this point, many attempt to raise their rating. Including your dependents will also increase your VA benefit amount.
How the VA assigns ratings
Benefits that are available to veterans with service-connected impairments are determined by VA ratings. Veterans file claims with the VA, sharing details about the severity of their disease and proof that their military service contributed to or made their disability worse to receive a rating.
After reviewing this data, the VA assigns a rating to each ailment the veteran alleges, ranging from 0% to 100%. Benefits are received by many veterans for several medical conditions. Actually, the average number of service-connected impairments among veterans receiving disability payments is 5.7.
What is the payment difference between 100% and 70%?
Every month, veterans with a combined rating of 70% get $1,716.28, while those with a combined rating of 100% get $3,737.85. Furthermore, even bigger monthly payments are available to veterans who are married, have dependents, or qualify for special monthly compensation (SMC).
What is TDIU?
The veterans who meet the requirements and have one disability rating of 60% or multiple ratings equaling 70% with one disability rating of 40% are eligible to enroll in Total Disability Individual Unemployability. You are eligible to 100% disability rate pay if you can show that your service-connected psychiatric disorder keeps you from functioning in a significantly lucrative job. As of 2023, this translates to $3,631.95 per month, that is more than USD 32,000 more than a Veteran at the 50% rating level would get in a year. This shows the significant impact that your disability rating may have.
How to Increase Your VA Disability Rating from 70 to 100 percent?
It’s worthwhile to try to raise your rating if you think you should receive a 100% rating from the VA. Even when going up from 90%, the monthly payment and benefit difference at 100% is noteworthy. Veterans may raise their VA disability ratings in a few different ways. Veterans can add other service-connected ailments, challenge a condition’s rating, or apply for individual unemployability payments if they think they should receive a 100% rating.
File an Appeal
If you think the 70% disability rating VA has granted is too low, you have one year from the date of the notice letter you received with the decision to file a Notice of Disagreement for an increased rating via legacy appeals system. If you want to file an appeal, think about obtaining legal counsel.
You can pick the appropriate course of action for your particular circumstances with the assistance of a disability lawyer recognized by the VA. If any laws that impact your rating have changed after your initial application, a VA-accredited disability lawyer can also assess the situation. It’s always important to double-check this since the VA periodically modifies the ratings it assigns to particular situations.
File a Claim for an Increased Rating
Your condition can get worse years later, even if the disability rating the VA first assigned may have been appropriate at the time. Your VA disability rating can be raised from 70% to 100% using this method as well. You will probably need to submit a fresh claim for an improved rating if you have missed the one-year window during which you can contest the VA’s decision. If your service-related problem has become worse, you are welcome to submit any fresh records or proof.
Apply for Total Disability Individual Unemployability
You can apply for the Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU) benefit if your service-connected disability prevents you from maintaining a suitable employment. In this instance, a 70% rating is beneficial because the minimum overall rating required by TDIU is 60%.
Ellie Dautner, a finance postgraduate from the University of San Diego, is an expert journalist in fintech and mobile payment technology. She specializes in writing about fintech, mobile payments, startup funding, and acquisitions.