VA issues

[Rabrrita]

Originally Posted by chucksnee

Even if you are rated at ZERO, it's still service connected.

Excellent point which is often misunderstood.

Many ratings which show as ZERO may be combined within another disability or the severity has not yet reached the level of a percentage rating. But since it is a rated disability, if a future VA medical determination is to de-combine the disability, or the veteran's condition reaches a minimum percentage threshold, they get bumped up. I think I had something like 8 ZERO rated items and within the last 3 years, 2 of them received a percentage rating of their own (split apart from the primary disability) and a bump in the combined disability rating occurred.

[Clemencia53]

Originally Posted by Tommy Joad

Appreciate the advice. I’d Rep you if I can figure out where the button is. Thanks.

Yes - get with a VSO - take your medical records. They did all the work for me. I did have to go to medical appointments so my conditions could be evaluated. Not too bad.

[johnsonkk]

For the VA, they published a type of 5W notice:

Medical care and appeal boards, benefit files, decisions boards, will all continue.

Advocacy such as education, classes, and some burial functions will be on hold during a shutdown.

Easy to read chart is here:
https://department.va.gov/contingency-planning/