Robert Jurasek ⋅ Hollywood, FL Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ⋅ 45 years experience

Dear John,

I recommend that any claim for disability compensation be filed through a VA-accredited Veteran Service Organization (VSO). You can find a list of VA-accredited representatives at www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/vso-search. My VSO of choice is Disabled American Veterans (DAV), www.dav.org/veterans/find-your-local-office/, but there are many excellent organizations that are dedicated to assisting Veterans with their claims.

The VA website, www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/, is a valuable source of information on filing compensation claims. The links on the website will provide answers to many of your questions, but please feel free to contact me if I can assist you in any way.

Thank you both for your Service!

Sincerely,
Bob Jurasek

Ben Chu ⋅ Baton Rouge, LA U.S. Army, Captain ⋅ 8 years served

John,

You can visit this link http://rutherfordcountytn.gov/vso/index.htm for more information. The Veteran Service Officers usually are tremendously helpful so you want to talk to them. They should be able to pull your wife's service record and help apply for benefit for any disability that originated from her serving the country. I did not know about the benefits that available to Veterans until recently so you may be surprised to know the extent that America would go to take care of her Veterans. So go talk to your local VSO. Even if you or your wife had not been in combat, don't underestimate what those ruck march with 70 lb of weights could do to your body.

Dorian Meyette ⋅ Cambridge, MA Harvard University ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi John, I'm sorry to hear that your wife is having a tough time right now. Is your wife working either full time or part time right now? If not, how long has it been since she worked? I would be happy to point you in the right direction. If she is working, or interested in working, I would also point her to vocational resources.