Too often folks think a delayed VA claim is merely that...postponement of compensation which will all catch up eventually. That is a terribly false impression.
The truth is quite bad...the truth is that the VA saves immense amounts of budget by denying claims whenever possible, and by postponing claims’ approval as long as possible. While some veterans’ disabilities are minor, other vets are totally disabled with military injuries, without funds, without medical care, and with families left destitute until a VA clerk gets around to approving their claim after years waiting.
The advantages and savings (to the VA) are obvious when you think about it:
• No medical care at all is provided during the application phase or appeal
• No medical care at all is provided during the application phase or appeal
- No dental, pharmacy, vision, rehabilitation, prosthetics, lab, imaging, social services or any other vital care provided until a claim is finally approved
- No travel or special clinics, such as the Spinal Cord Injury Centers
- No family benefits, such as ChampVA and dependents’ educational allowance (the loss of these two can be devastating to college-age families!)
- No interest paid on retroactive settlements; no reimbursement for medical bills paid by veteran for military injuries even when claim is approved
- No state benefits, such as tuition, property taxes, auto allowances; no disabled veteran hiring preference until claim is approved
- If the veteran dies without eligible survivors, even the retroactive disability payments and burial fees are “saved”
- Adaptive housing and other special housing needs denied until claim awarded means veteran usually pays for such modifications rather than wait
- No clothing or automobile allowances
- No aid & attendance allowance, nor nursing home
- Burial allowance if veteran dies before claim awarded
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