The VA fully developed disability claims process is a new software tool for veterans to file disability claims and receive medical assistance. It is no secret that over the last several years the Veteran’s Administration has had some very public examples of neglect and incompetence concerning delivering services to America’s service members. Nevertheless - the VA has taken concrete steps to make disability claims easier to file and manage.

In this post, I want to introduce the new software program developed to streamline the claims process – eBenefits.va.gov. This Internet accessible software was developed to both streamline the process for receiving veteran-based benefits and improve communication between the VA, veterans and their families.

There are three groups this system is meant to assist:

1. Retiring and/or separating veterans
2. Veteran spouses
3. Surviving family members

Retiring and/or separating veterans can use this online system as a comprehensive management tool which offers the ability to file claims, manage associated documents, manage communication as well as review award announcements. For those who are married, your spouse should be involved with managing eBenefits because any decision rendered by the VA will affect them as well.

eBenefits provides three overall areas to manage your benefits:

1. The ability to file and manage claims
2. Manage benefits
3. Managing health related concerns

Further, eBenefits allows veterans and their families to access the National Resource Directory. This directory provides additional information and website links to apply for other benefits such as:

1. Education and training
2. Employment
3. Family and Caregiver support
4. Homeless Assistance
5. Housing
6. Transportation and travel

Let's dig into using the system to apply for disability and related benefits. When I separated from the United States Marine Corps many years ago, I was 22 and although I had some injuries, I felt invulnerable and didn't take the necessary steps to properly manage my health post-service.

First – veterans separating from the military in the next 180 days should get copies of their service medical records. Believe me - it is much easier to get copies before separation than afterward!

Why is getting copies of your medical records so important? The answer is quite simple - whether planning to file a claim before separating (can’t do so prior to 180 days from separation) or waiting for years after the fact, you must have proof of any service-connected injury claimed.

Next - it doesn't matter how minor an injury is or how insignificant it may appear today. As you age and using myself as an example - it will get worse. Further, the injury will affect other areas of your health.

Let’s give an example from my service history. I served in Somalia in the early 1990's. Today's military as well as tens of millions of civilians have watched the movie Black Hawk Down. While I am not here to make it appear as if I was there when the chopper was shot down by Somalia militants, my unit (a Marine Expeditionary Unit) arrived about a week after the tragedy.

Our mission was to provide a ‘show of force’ in the capital city, Mogadishu, and that we did! Nevertheless, during the time I spent serving in the theater of operation, sleep was quite difficult to come by. If there wasn't some form of ongoing violence among the Somali people daily, Russian made weapons (or so we were told) were being fired at all times of the day and night. This produced, in me, as well as many of my buddies, a sleep deprivation of sorts.

22 years removed from this event, my sleep has yet to return to normal and it has become necessary to plug my ears with some form of noise reducer to sleep and even then, it is never quite peaceful. At the time and even for years after separating, I didn't necessarily think it was a big deal. I still thought that pushing through the pain was the best remedy to overcome it. My fellow Marines will understand when I say “pain is weakness leaving the body.”

Such motivating (though largely untrue) statements are good when one is in their early twenties however and now in my early forties, I have found this condition to be ravishing my health. The point is - no matter how small or insignificant you think the injury is today, document it and be prepared to offer that evidence to receive your benefits.

For those who have more injuries than one, the VA fully developed claim process allows you to claim multiple injuries. Should you claim all of them? That is a personal decision but I would like to offer this for your consideration - the most successful claims are very strategic in nature.

You should claim only injuries you can properly document through your service medical record or civilian treatment after you separated. Of course there will be ‘secondary injuries’ stemming from these but that is another subject all-together.

In a perfect world you will have documentation from both sources. What is most important, however, is that you have evidence.

Here are just a few sources of documentation you will want to begin gathering (but not limited to):

1. Copies of your service medical record
2. DD214
3. Copies of civilian treatment records
4. Lay medical statements
5. Dependent information
6. Mental health records (if applicable)

Let me be clear - receiving compensation for service-connected disabilities isn't some form of welfare! When you signed a contract to serve our beloved country, the obligation of the U.S. military to meet your health needs didn't stop when you separated and completed your I.R.R. (Inactive Ready Reserve) commitment. These benefits are yours - so why not get them?

For those wanting to become familiar with the eBenefits VA Fully Developed Claim Process, I want to introduce you to an online course which will shepherd you through the filing process with the Veteran’s Administration.

Whether choosing to use P.O.A. (Power of Attorney) services or filing online yourself, this course takes you step-by-step through the application process. Further, it is the only cohesive resource of its kind on the Internet.

Follow this link and begin the process of receiving your disability compensation and health benefits now!

https://www.udemy.com/va-fully-developed-disability-claims/#/