It is unfortunate but true that many veterans in Michigan as well as the rest of the country have sustained injuries while on active duty. Many of them have a permanent and total disability rating of 100 percent. To those veterans, the Social Security Administration offers certain benefits, which are in addition to the benefits that the Department of Veterans’ Affairs provides. These Social Security disability benefits are based on the SSA’s guidelines and can be obtained by filing a separate application with the SSA.
While filing an application for SSD benefits, a veteran should remember that the SSA does not provide benefits based on the VA’s compensation rating of 100 percent. Rather, the SSA determines disability based on its own guidelines. This means that a veteran who has 100 percent compensation from the VA can only obtain SSD benefits if the SSA determines that the disability has lasted for one year and is likely to continue for at least another year and that this disability prohibits the veteran from working.
In order to obtain these benefits, a veteran first needs to identify him or herself as a “veteran rated 100 [percent] P&T” and provide a letter from the VA, which contains all details of the P&T rating. After the application is filed, a number of factors determine how soon the benefits will begin. Three major examples of those factors are the nature of the disability, the amount of time that is required to obtain all necessary medical reports and whether the SSA requires the veteran to undergo further tests before making a decision.
Claiming benefits from the SSA for disabilities may be a fairly well-defined process on paper, but when a veteran actually wants to file an application, that veteran may face a number of difficulties, mainly because he or she may not be aware of all the underlying rules and regulations that the SSA wants applicants to follow in order to successfully obtain benefits. Therefore, it may be helpful for those veterans if they choose to retain an attorney who is experienced with all SSD claims.
Source: SocialSecurity.gov, “Information for Wounded Warriors and Veterans Who have a Compensation Rating Of 100% Permanent & Total (P&T),” Accessed on June 12, 2015