Disability Ratings in Maine

VA Disability Rating Lawyers in South Portland, ME

If you meet the VA’s definition of 100% disability, you are completely unable to do any kind of work. Veterans who have been granted disability benefits at this level are entitled to the highest monthly stipends as well as a wide range of benefits and privileges. Veterans may only obtain this grade if they match the VA’s strict standards.

Find out how one of our experienced VA Disability Attorneys at Jackson & MacNichol Attorneys at Law can fight for the disability ratings you deserve in South Portland, Maine.

• What are Disability Ratings?
• Types of 100% VA Disability Ratings in Maine
• Get a Disability Rating Attorney in Maine to help you

What are Disability Ratings?

Based on the degree of your handicap, you are given a disability rating. You may see how big of an impact your impairment has on your overall health and capacity to operate by using a percentage rating.

The disability compensation rate computed for you is based on your rating, so you can determine how much money you get each month. Disability ratings are also used to determine other benefits, such as VA health care, for you.

Importance of Disability Ratings

Veterans often claim they are “fine,” “someone else needs it more than I do,” or “I don’t believe I’ve earned benefits since I didn’t deploy/never served in combat/only did one tour” when asked why they haven’t signed up for VA healthcare or filed a disability claim. We can’t stress enough how important it is for you to make use of your advantages.

For the most part, VA benefits are not restricted and may be passed on to someone else. The benefits you have earned will not go to another veteran if you don’t utilize them. Instead, you will deny yourself and your family the opportunity to receive financial and medical help as well as educational and career possibilities.

Disability pay from the VA may include travel costs for rehabilitation or medical visits related to service-connected examinations if you are classified at least 30 percent disabled. Veterans’ disability payments cannot be taxed by the federal or state governments.

My VA disability rating is based on what?

The following factors go towards determining your final score:

You, your doctor’s report, and the findings of your VA claim exam (also known as a compensation and pension, or C&P, exam) if we believe you require this examination, and additional information that we get from other sources (like federal agencies)

Types of 100% VA Disability Ratings in Maine

Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU)

It’s possible for a veteran to get 100% compensation even if their aggregate rating does not meet the schedular 100 percent threshold. This benefit is known as a Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

Veterans who are unable to find and keep a job because of their service-connected illnesses are eligible for TDIU.

Permanent and Total VA Ratings

A 100 percent rating indicates total impairment. If a veteran is diagnosed with a permanent impairment, the severity of their condition is projected to stay the same for the rest of their lives. No reductions may be made to the permanent or total ratings.

Temporary VA Ratings

When a service-connected ailment renders a veteran temporarily unable to work, they may be eligible for a temporary 100 percent disability rating.

VA Cancer Ratings

Veterans who are diagnosed with cancer while serving in the military should get a 100% disability rating. After completing a treatment regimen like chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery, this rating will persist for another six months until treatment is completed. As a result of the residuals, VA will conduct a new evaluation.

Benefits for Veterans with 100% Ratings 

In addition to disability pay, veterans with a 100 percent disability rating are eligible for a wide range of other benefits. Included on this list:

• Health Care’s Priority Group 1

You’ll be assigned to one of eight priority groups based on the following factors:

1. Your military service record
2. Your disability rating from the VA
3. Your income
4. Your Medicaid eligibility status 
5. Other possible benefits being enjoyed (e.g., VA pension benefits)

Those who have received a 100% VA disability rating are eligible for Health Care Priority Group 1, which is the utmost priority. The following are included in this category:

1. Dental treatment (e.g., regular cleanings, restorative care such as fillings and crowns, x-rays, etc.)
2. Preventative care, certain inpatient treatments, including hospitalization
3. Medical or automotive adaptive equipment
4. Travel benefits related to medical care
5. Health care for dependents
6. Eye care and hearing care

• CHAMPVA

Civilian Health and Medical Programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) is a VA-funded health care program for veterans’ spouses and children who have been certified as having a 100 percent disabling condition.

• Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA)

If you or a loved one served in the military and was permanently and totally (100 percent) disabled due to service-connected conditions, or if you died while on active duty or as a result of a service-connected condition, your dependents may be eligible for education and training benefits under the program.

Degree and certificate programs, apprenticeships, and on-the-job training are all eligible for DEA benefits.

• Disabled Veterans’ Commissary and Exchange Benefits

With their Veteran Health Identification Card, veterans with a 100% rating may enter Department of Defense (DoD) and Coast Guard sites, select commissary shops, exchanges, and MWR retail activities where they can purchase at reduced prices.

• Added VA Ratings on top of  100%

The highest rating you can get for a single service-connected condition, or for a combination of service-connected circumstances, is 100 percent under the standard compensation rating system. Veterans with especially severe ailments, on the other hand, may be eligible for extra benefits. When a veteran has a severe disability that goes above and beyond the schedular rating standards, they are eligible for special monthly compensation (SMC).

In the event of a review of a veteran’s disability rating, it is not always permanent.

When it comes to VA disability awards, the Department of Veterans Affairs maintains the authority to make changes to the timetables and screening criteria at any moment.

There is a possibility that the VA may contact you to ask whether you’d want to retake the test. To have your claim re-evaluated, you may contact the Veterans Administration. If your problem doesn’t seem to be improving or is even worsening, try this.

Don’t miss the second round of testing. Doing so might lead to a more arbitrary VA judgment.

What if I have more than one disability?

If you have more than one impairment, we’ll apply a technique known as the “whole person theory.” We do this to ensure that your overall VA disability rating does not exceed 100%. That’s because a person can never have more than one hundred percent of their faculties possessed.

Get a Disability Rating Attorney in Maine to help you

As you can see, the Veterans Administration considers several variables when determining a 100% disability rating. V.A. may dispute allegations even if they are justified. You can’t appeal a VA ruling.

To fight for your benefits, you will need a top VA disability attorney. Our VA disability attorneys at Jackson & MacNichol have a proven track record. We can help you win your case against the VA using our knowledge and resources.

A complimentary consultation with one of our staff members is available if you need it. Can we help in any way? So, what are you waiting for? Call us now!