If the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has classified you as disabled, then you may wonder if you qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI/SSI). You might be able to receive both if your disabling condition prevents you from working in any capacity for any employer.
The VA has a different set of criteria that they use to determine if you’re disabled from what the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses. The former simply looks at your military records. They’ll review them to see what diseases or injuries you acquired while on active duty. They’ll then assign you a disability rating from 0 to 100 depending on how disabled they perceive you to be. The benefits that you receive from the VA depends on your percent score.
Only those who are totally disabled qualify to receive SSDI/SSI. A terminal medical condition or one that will render you unable to work for at least a year into the future is what the SSA defines as a total disability. You should keep in mind that they don’t just take into account a single condition that you may have been diagnosed, but they consider your overall health instead. If you have two or more qualifying conditions, then you may qualify to receive SSDI/SSI.
Veterans who have disability ratings of 10% may not qualify to receive SSDI/SSI. However, if you have a 100% score, you may. It’s important for you to note on your SSA application if the VA has deemed you to have a permanent and total disability. Under the Wounded Warrior Program, you may be able to skip ahead of other applicants and have your application moved to the front of the pack if you do this.
Navigating the VA and SSA system takes an enormous amount of patience. If you want to give yourself the best chance of getting your application approved, then you should ally with a qualifying conditions attorney in Oakland. They’ll be able to help you gather together your medical records and aid you in applying for disability here in California. They can help you get the benefits that you paid for.