How VA Disability Back Pay Works: Effective Dates, Rating Increases, and More

by | Aug 12, 2019 | Attorneys

VA disability back pay is the money owed to a veteran from their claim’s effective date to the day they started receiving benefits. Due to a significant backlog of claims, the VA may take years to award benefits. The longer the Veterans Administration takes to decide a claim, the more you’ll receive in back pay.

What Is an Effective Date?

A claim’s effective date is the day the VA uses to start payments. Effective dates are granted based on the date claims are received or the date on which entitlement arose. Though it’s rare for benefits to be granted before one of these dates, exceptions do exist.

Rating Increases, Reductions, and Staged Effective Dates

When requesting an increased disability rating, the claim’s effective date will be the date it’s received by the VA. If proof, such as a CPE exam’s results, shows that your condition got worse before the claim was submitted, the claim’s effective date will be as reflected by the evidence.

How Much Back Pay Will I Receive?

The level of back pay you’ll receive depends on your claim’s effective date and your VA disability rating. As previously mentioned, the effective date is the date you made a claim or the date your entitlement arose. The higher your disability rating, the more back pay you’ll get. The VA sometimes assigns the wrong effective date, and if you think they owe you more money, veterans’ benefits lawyers in Ohio may be able to help.

Contact Our Attorney for a No-Obligation Case Evaluation

Our firm’s attorneys are available to assist with determining whether the Veterans Administration has given benefits based on the right effective date. If your claim has been denied or if you don’t agree with the VA’s decision, our veterans’ benefits lawyers in Ohio can help. Fill out our online contact form or call us at the Jackson & MacNichol Law Offices today.

The Must List

Categories

Archives