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Veterans Guide to VA Benefits

• 1. Veterans Benefits
  • 1.1. Introduction
  • 1.2. Overview of the Veterans Benefits System
• 2. VA Benefits- Legal Bases for Benefits
  • 2.1. Introduction to Legal Bases
  • 2.2. Sources of Authority
  • 2.3. Due Process
  • 2.4. Right to be Heard
  • 2.5. Compliance with VA Procedures
• 3. Veterans Benefits-Veterans Law
  • 3.1. Unique Aspects of Veterans Law
  • 3.2. Non-Adversarial System
  • 3.3. Duty to Assist
  • 3.4. Benefit of the Doubt
  • 3.5. Nexus Letter
  • 3.6. Effective Date
  • 3.7. The St. Louis Fire
  • 3.8. Claim Backlogs and Delays
  • 3.9. Clear And Unmistakable Error
  • 3.10. Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs)
  • 3.11. Same Sex Marriage
• 4. Veterans Benefits- Eligibility
  • 4.1. Eligibility for VA Benefits
  • 4.2. Veteran Status
  • 4.3. Character of Discharge
  • 4.4. Willful Misconduct
• 5. Veteran Benefit- Service Connected Disability Compensation
  • 5.1. Compensation or Service-Connection
  • 5.2. Service Connected Medical Conditions
  • 5.3. Secondary Service Connection
  • 5.4. Medical Conditions Aggravated by "Service"
  • 5.5. Schedular Ratings for Compensation
  • 5.6. Schedular Rating 100%-Total and Permanent
  • 5.7. Schedular Rating 100%-TDIU or Indiviual Unemployability
  • 5.8. Schedular Rating 100%-Temporay Disability Rating
  • 5.9. Compensation Rates
  • 5.10. Special Monthly Compensation (SMC)
• 6. VA Compensation-Service Connected Disability Conditions due to Legal Presumptions
  • 6.1. What's a Legal Presumption?
  • 6.2. Presumption of In-service Occurrence
  • 6.3. Presumption of Soundness
  • 6.4. Presumption of Regularity
  • 6.5. Herbicide-exposed Veterans (including Agent Orange)
  • 6.6. Combat
  • 6.7. Prisoners of War (POWs)
  • 6.8. Radiation-exposed Veterans
  • 6.9. Camp Lejeune Presumptive Conditions
  • 6.10. Gulf War Veterans
  • 6.11. Blue Water Vietnam Veterans Act 2019
  • 6.12. Certain Chronic Diseases
  • 6.13. Children of Vietnam Veterans
• 7. VA Compensation Claims-Special Rules
  • 7.1. Special Rules For Certain Claims
  • 7.2. Herbicide-Exposed Veterans
  • 7.3. Polytraumatic Injuries Requiring Specialized Rehab
  • 7.4. PTSD
  • 7.5. Military Sexual Trauma
• 8. VA Pension Non-Service Connected Disability
  • 8.1. Pension-Legal References
  • 8.2. VA Non-Service Connected Pension or Wartime Pension
  • 8.3. Eligibility for Non-Service Connected Pension
  • 8.4. Maximum Annual Pension Rate for VA NSC Pension
  • 8.5. Countable Income for Non-Service Connected Pension
  • 8.6. Allowable Deductions from Countable Income for VA Pension
  • 8.7. Net Worth requirement for Non-Service Connected Pension
  • 8.8. NSC Pension Reporting: Eligibility Verification Report for Non-Service Connected Pension
  • 8.9. Extra Benefits to add to the Non-Service Connected Pension
  • 8.10. Submitting a Claim for Non-Service Connected Pension
• 9. Veteran Benefits-Other Non-Healthcare VA Benefits
  • 9.1. VA Burial and Memorial Benefits
  • 9.2. VA Education Benefits
  • 9.3. VA Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Benefits Formerly known as Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
  • 9.4. VA Home Loan Guaranty Benefits
  • 9.5. Special VA Benefits for the Disabled Service Connected Vets: Automobiles, Conveyances, and Adaptive Equipment
  • 9.6. Special VA Benefits for the Disabled Service Connected Vets: Clothing Allowance
  • 9.7. Special VA Benefits for the Disabled Service Connected Vets: Specially Adapted Housing and Special Home Adaptation Grants
  • 9.8. VA Life Insurance Programs
• 10. Veteran Benefits-Survivors Benefits
  • 10.1. Dependency & Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
  • 10.2. Survivors or Death Pension
  • 10.3. Parents Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
  • 10.4. Ancillary Benefit-Restored Entitlement Program for Survivors (REPS)
  • 10.5. Ancillary Benefit-Dependents Educational Assistance (DEA)
• 11. Types of VA Claims
  • 11.1. Elements of a Claim
  • 11.2. Formal VA Claim
  • 11.3. Informal VA Claims
  • 11.4. Inferred VA Claims
• 12. Filing Claim-Evidentiary Issues
  • 12.1. Evidentiary Issues
  • 12.2. New & Material Evidence
  • 12.3. Lay Evidence
  • 12.4. Expert Opinions
• 13. VA Benefits-Filing a Claim/Refer to Veterans Guide to VA Claim Filing
  • 13.1. How to Communicate with the VA
  • 13.2. Filing an Application for Compensation or Pension
  • 13.3. Using Advocacy Organizations for Filing Claims
  • 13.4. Self-Filing Good Practices
  • 13.5. Increasing, Reducing, and Severing Disability Ratings
  • 13.6. Staged and Temporary Ratings
  • 13.7. Protected Ratings
  • 13.8. Section 1151 Benefits- Injured by VA Care or Voc Rehab or Medical Treatment
• 14. Filed Claim - What Happens Next?
  • 14.1. The VA Receives the Claim
  • 14.2. C&P Exam
  • 14.3. How To Check Claims Status
  • 14.4. Obtaining a Decision
  • 14.5. Award Process
  • 14.6. Benefit Payments
  • 14.7. Retroactive Benefits
  • 14.8. Choosing an Appeal Path
  • 14.9. Disagreeing with a Decision
  • 14.10. Perfecting an Appeal
  • 14.11. Appeals Process & Tips
  • 14.12. Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017
  • 14.13. The Board of Veterans' Appeals
  • 14.14. Appeals to the Veterans Court
  • 14.15. Further Appeals
• Appendix I - General
  • 1. ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS
  • 2. ACRONYMS & TERMS USED IN VA BENEFITS CLAIMS & APPEALS
  • 3. THE HISTORY OF VETERANS BENEFITS
  • 4. RESOURCES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION
  • 5. KEY ACTS AND STATUTES
  • 6. KEY VA REGULATIONS
  • 7. KEY COURT DECISIONS
  • 8. C&P EXAMINATION WORK SHEETS
• Appendix II - Military Records
  • 1. Introduction to Military Records
  • 2. Your DD-214
  • 3. How Do I Get My DD-214?
  • 4. Military Record- Understanding Character of Discharge
  • 5. Your Military Service Records
• Appendix III - VA Compensation Rate Tables
  • 1. 2022 VA Compensation Rate Table
  • 2. 2022 Special Monthly Compensation Table
  • 3. 2022 VA Special Benefit Allowances Rates
  • 4. 2022 Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) Table
  • 5. 2023 Birth Defect Compensation Rates
• Appendix IV - VA Pension Rate Tables
  • 1. 2022 VA Pension Table
  • 2. 2022 VA Survivors Pension Table

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