Can You Be Denied For Military Service Because Of Social Media

Veterans who receive or are eligible to receive VA compensation for service-continued medical issues may exist qualified to receive Social Security Disability Insurance, too known as SSDI. A 2d Social Security do good, Social Security Insurance, offers government funds to assistance those in need (with or without military service).

These benefits are completely separate. The VA and the Social Security Administration have their own qualifying criteria, payment guidelines, and benefits. But your VA payments may bear upon your Social Security benefits.

How does VA inability pay touch Social Security Payments? The answer depends greatly on which Social Security disability benefit you are applying for. Does a veteran need to worry virtually having one benefit or the other diminished, cancelled, or revoked because they qualify and apply for both? Information technology's crucial before filling out awarding paperwork that you know how VA disability benefits can affect your SSDI payments and vice versa.

What Are SSDI And SDI?

SSDI, also known as Social Security Disability Insurance, is offered to those who have qualifying disabilities or weather regardless of whether they take served in the U.s. war machine. SSDI is a federal-level do good you lot earn afterwards working long enough–after having earned 40 credits.

How are the twoscore credits calculated? According to the Social Security Assistants (SSA) those credits are earned by your work and payments into the Social Security fund (via federal tax withholding) for a maximum of 4 credits per yr. The credits are based on your total earnings during the yr and the requirement to earn those credits is subject to review and change.

Some may earn more credits than they can use in a lifetime, simply this does not increase the level of do good or payment amounts.

Social Security benefits (including SSDI simply non limited to it) have medical requirements and non-medical criteria. Those coming together the non-medical requirements are paid benefits when it is determined their medical issues are expected to last a minimum of one year or result in the death of the patient.

Social Security Insurance, likewise known as SSI, is similar to SSDI in some means, but is a need-based benefit and subject to income caps. Such caps mean that if y'all draw VA disability pay but non armed services retirement pay, you may qualify for SSI.

Nevertheless, the Social Security Assistants official site advises veterans that those approved for a VA pension "will not authorize to receive SSI because the pension amount is college than the SSI payment corporeality," exceeding the income cap.

Quick Breakup Of SSA Benefits

Earned past working/paying into the SSA system
4 credits per yr must be earned
SSI is a benefit that is reduced by other forms of income/compensation (such as VA disability benefits) that exceeds program guidelines
SSDI is a programme that is not reduced past VA benefit payments

Social Security Inability Claims

The Social Security disability claims procedure is quite different from the VA in several means, the to the lowest degree of which beingness that you lot do NOT have to prove that your disabilities are service-related. Your status every bit a veteran does not affect your claim, and the nature of your war machine belch is not taken into consideration.

That is important for those who have punitive discharges who may or may not qualify for VA medical benefits. Social Security payments do NOT depend on whether your discharge was characterized in a certain mode.

Social Security disability requires the applicant to submit proof of a physical or mental wellness effect resulting in a reduced capacity to piece of work "at a substantial gainful level" which may exist quantified past a specific earnings amount.

That amount was listed in 2016 equally being roughly $ane,300 of income per month, and is listed here only equally an example of how these rules have functioned in the past. To determine the current level of "substantial gainful" employment, yous will need to await at the Social Security Administration official site.

But that's not the only requirement, a 2nd part to be mindful of is that your condition must be disabling for at least 12 months or must be such that it will "terminate in decease."

Some Background On VA Benefits Compared To Social Security Disability

VA bounty for medical weather, injuries, and other issues is conditional. The VA must determine that your medical issues are service-connected or service-aggravated and honor a disability rating on that footing.

VA disability pay requires the veteran to submit medical documentation, evidence (including photos and letters from those who detect the veteran'south disabilities), civilian intendance records, etc. A VA medical claim is reviewed past the VA. Compensation is awarded on a calibration of percentages (circular numbers from 0% to 100% disabled) and culminates in a maximum honour of 100% inability.

Quick Breakdown Of VA Disability Benefits

Veterans go through a VA-directed medical review
Veterans are rated on a percent scale for disabilities and conditions that affect the power to live and work
Bounty is subject to review
No income caps or nugget caps to receive the benefit

Compensation Requirements

The VA has complex criteria for awarding disability benefits. Yous must not accept a dishonorable discharge in most cases (castigating discharges may be reviewed on a case-past-example basis), and you lot must submit a formal merits.

The VA organisation is unlike the Social Security system in this mode; to use for Social Security disability payments you must have a minimum period of time on the job and take paid a minimum corporeality into Social Security through your payroll taxes.

The VA does non require such fiscal contributions from payroll, nor does it require you to have worked within the concluding five or ten years. Drawing Social Security payments, withal, requires you to have worked a certain corporeality inside the last v to ten years.

This requirement is subject to modify due to federal law and other variables. Check with the Social Security Administration for the well-nigh electric current guidelines.

VA Disability Award Amounts

The VA awards inability percentages in groups of ten, and then from 0% to 10%, twenty%, thirty%, etc. on a graduating scale, as the VA official site terms information technology. Veterans can never exist awarded more 100% disability. In cases where there are multiple disabilities the percentages are added together but can never be cumulatively more 100% full regardless.

The VA claims process takes fourth dimension; some veterans may find it faster to go signed up for Social Security disability benefits, but it's not necessary to decide which to utilize for first as a general rule. There are always exceptions to that, merely since these two programs (VA and Social Security) are completely separate, applicants are subject to the waiting times required due to demand and other factors.

Expedited Processing For Those With VA Disability Ratings At 100%

Some veterans who possess a VA rating of 100% permanent and total inability may qualify for expedited Social Security claims. Exist sure to ask nearly this when applying for SSA options and make sure you self-identify on all application paperwork as a 100%-VA rated disabled veteran.

Other vets may qualify for aid, too. Whatsoever veteran with "disabling mental or physical health injuries" on active duty on or later Oct. i, 2001 are eligible for expedited SSI/SSDI application processing. This does not need to have occurred during gainsay but the outcome must be noted on the SSI/SSDI application.

Drawing VA Benefits And SSA Benefits

Veterans may be permitted to depict both VA and SSA benefits, merely depending on the SSA program you enroll in, you may or may non have your Social Security do good corporeality reduced dollar-for-dollar by the amount of your VA inability pay (subject to a small exemption). Those drawing SSI may gamble benefit reduction if they don't meet income caps; those cartoon SSDI are non at risk.

With or without the benefit reduction, information technology tin can be helpful to accept a VA disability rating established when y'all use for SSA benefits such every bit SSDI or Social Security Income payments. Not in every case, but in some very of import circumstances this can exist a large aid.

If you apply for both VA inability benefits AND Social Security disability benefits, will the amount of either be reduced because you lot draw both?

The fundamental to understanding this issue to is recognize that Social Security comes in ii different options: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). One programme allows you lot to describe VA disability pay with no penalty, while the other features a dollar-for-dollar reduction in the amount of Social Security payments based on the amount of the VA disability payments.

SSI Payments Are Affected By Your VA Disability Pay

SSI is considered a "need-based" do good and applicants may be discipline to monthly income caps to authorize. Applicants who exceed the monthly income caps will not qualify–INCLUDING monthly income that is exceeded due to inability payments to you past the VA.

At the time of this writing, Social Security Income features a $twenty "general exclusion" which ways the showtime $20 dollars of your VA compensation is excluded from the dollar-for-dollar reduction in SSI based on your VA benefit corporeality each calendar month. VA benefits are classified by the Social Security Administration as "unearned income" that does not come up from a paying chore.

Under this rule, if your VA disability pay is $250, minus the $20 general exclusion, your SSI benefits would exist reduced by $230.

SSDI Payments Are NOT Affected By Your VA Disability Payments

SSDI payments are not reduced by "unearned income" such as VA disability payments. Your VA and SSDI payments will exist sent to you unaffected past how much you authorize for under VA medical disability compensation.

Tips About VA Compensation And Social Security

SSDI and SSI are non intended to provide a full living wage; the Social Security official site itself advises that in 2019 solitary, Social Security paid an average monthly inability benefit amount "barely plenty to go along a beneficiary above the 2018 poverty level" and whatsoever additional assist you can utilize for is crucial.
If y'all have the ability to apply for VA benefits get-go, information technology can assist to practice and so (when possible) if you already accept a 100% disability rating from the VA. Some vets cannot do this, but those who can should accept advantage of the option to have their SSDI or SSI benefit application expedited every bit described above.
VA bounty and military retirement pay combined may render some applicants ineligible for SSI, but SSDI bounty may still be possible.
Your fiscal demand volition determine which Social Security program you qualify for when claiming disability benefits.
VA rules for disability pay require the veteran to establish or provide proof that establishes that the medical outcome occurred on active duty or was aggravated by it.
SSDI and SSI are federal programs, but not limited to the military.
VA disability compensation is limited to the service fellow member, merely some VA benefits are payable for spouses, caregivers, and other family members. Be sure to inquire nigh these.

VA disability ratings may be reviewed and adjusted if the condition(s) get better or worse. These adjustments can touch your eligibility for other disability benefits. Don't hesitate to explore your options for expanded benefit payments from the Social Security Administration if yous think your basic ability to qualify for SSDI or SSI has inverse.

This is very important in cases where a veteran'due south condition improves and there is substantial reduction in VA benefits. For any need-based do good subject to an income cap (that includes the corporeality of your VA compensation) a reduction or increase in VA payments tin can touch your ability to authorize for your current payment corporeality.

What You Need To Utilise For Benefits

In both cases (VA and SSA) y'all will need medical documentation to support your claim. For SSA applications you may be required to provide copies of your medical records, belch paperwork, taxation records or other proof of income, and more. For VA disability benefits you will need to furnish military machine records, medical records, proof of discharge, and schedule appointments as directed past the VA in order to be screened for your claim. Your Social Security Number, birth document, and other important documentation may be required past both agencies.

Qualifying For One Does Non Qualify You For The Other

The VA and Social Security Administration have completely carve up processes and requirements for getting benefits such as these. Just because you are approved for one program does non mean yous volition qualify for another and just because y'all describe benefits from one does not hateful you will automatically get the other. Each must be applied for separately and approved separately.

Joe Wallace is a thirteen-year veteran of the U.s.a. Air Force and a former reporter for Air Force Television News