Many people living in Mobile, Alabama and its surrounding areas today served in a branch of the United States military at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, several of them sustained a disabling injury during the course of their service. Those veterans would be aware of the disability benefits that are offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs and also the basis on which those benefits are offered.
For the knowledge of the uninitiated, the VA determines the compensation rate for a disabled veteran based on a disability rating that is derived by assessing the severity of the disabling condition. The various factors that can affect the disability rating include the supporting medical evidence; the results of the compensation and pension, or C&P, exam; and information gathered by the VA from other sources.
In the event that a veteran has multiple disabilities, the VA uses a combined ratings table to calculate the disability percentage, or disability rating. The VA also considers those veterans who entered into service with a disabling condition that aggravated during the course of employment in the armed forces. For those cases, the VA provides benefits based on the level of aggravation of that particular disabling condition.
The VA increases benefits under certain circumstances such as when the veteran’s disability is very severe, or the veteran has lost a limb; when the combined disability rating of a veteran and that veteran’s spouse, child or dependent parent is 30 percent or more; or when the veteran’s spouse has a serious disability.
Finally, there are circumstances when the compensation offered by the VA can decrease. That happens either when the veteran receives military retirement pay, disability severance pay or separation pay or when the veteran is incarcerated for more than 60 days in an American facility for a felony conviction.