Are you a disabled military veteran who resides in Michigan? If you are, you may be eligible for federal and state veterans’ disability benefits. But where do you begin when learning about these benefits and how to apply for them?
Our experienced VA disability attorneys at Stone Rose Law can help you to answer these and any other questions you have about what you are entitled to as a disabled veteran. We serve armed forces veterans like you in the entire state of Michigan, providing free assistance in preparing, filing, and tracking your initial or supplemental VA benefits claim.
We can also help you determine which Michigan disabled benefits you can claim and any VA disability benefits you receive.
Call us today at (480) 498-8998 to discuss your VA benefits claims.
Veterans who have service-related injuries that they sustained or made worse during their service are eligible for healthcare and monthly compensation benefits as part of the VA disability program.
Even if you receive a 0 percent VA disability rating with no monthly compensation payment, you are still eligible for other valuable veterans’ services. These include medical benefits, VA educational benefits, mental health counseling, and even VA home loan eligibility.
The quickest and easiest way to apply for VA benefits is to apply online. You can also submit your completed application to your local VA Regional Office by mail, fax, or in person.
Regardless of which filing option you choose, you must prove three things to receive disability compensation:
To qualify as a veteran eligible to receive VA benefits, your active duty service must fall within a time period that the VA recognizes. You can usually establish this through your military records of service, including your DD Form 214.
If you’ve received a dishonorable discharge, or an other-than-honorable discharge. In these situations, it may be better t first see if you can work with an experienced VA benefits attorney to improve your discharge by making an appeal to the VA.
The VA defines a disability as a current physical or mental illness or impairment that your active duty military service either caused or made worse. You may be eligible for compensation from the VA if your service-related disability makes you less than 100% able-bodied, which can be proved with medical records.
The VA decides whether you have a service-connected disability on a case-by-case basis. Your service medical records and any records of post-service medical treatment you have received will be part of the claims evidence the VA will consider.
Although some medical conditions, known as presumed disabilities, do not require you to prove a connection to military service, most still require you to prove a service connection.
The VA rejects many disability claims because they lack sufficient evidence to create a service connection. One of our Michigan VA disability attorneys at Stone Rose Law can help you gather all the documents and other support you need to clear this potential obstacle to your benefits claim approval.
What follows are some specific medical conditions the VA will consider in addition to disabilities that arose directly because of a service-connected disabling event.
A latent condition is a condition that you had when you entered military service but which has not yet become disabling. If your latent condition becomes worse after you leave the service, the VA will decide whether something happened to you while serving to aggravate it.
Another way you can receive a service-connected disability is if it comes from a separate disability that itself is service-connected.
For example, your doctor might diagnose you as having post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) based on a traumatic event you experienced while in service. If your PTSD treatment includes drugs that have a side effect of contributing to significant weight gain, this additional weight could eventually cause you to be diagnosed later on with Type 2 Diabetes.
These events make it possible to trace a secondary service connection by showing that the PTSD treatment caused your diabetes.
The VA will deny your claim if your injury, illness, or disabling condition results from doing something unrelated to a service-connected condition.
If the VA approves your initial or additional disability compensation claim, it will assign you a VA disability rating. Your rating will range from 0% (non-compensable) to 100% for totally disabled veterans.
Factors that go into deciding your disability rating include whether you have multiple disabilities (most veteran claims for benefits are for more than one) and the severity of each disability.
The VA uses a formula to determine your combined disability rating if you have more than one disability. More complex than a simple combination of two separate ratings, the VA calculations use a collection of tables in a process some call “VA Math” to arrive at a final combined figure.
One of our Stone Rose Law VA lawyers can help you understand and show the extent and degree of your disability to achieve the amount of disability compensation you need. Our VA Disability Calculator can help you estimate how much you may receive in monthly disability payments if you have multiple disabilities.
How much you can receive in monthly disability benefits compensation depends on your single or combined disability rating. The higher your overall disability rating, the more you can receive.
The VA also matches your disability to a benefit amount based on the current year’s rates. For 2024, the disability rating compensation for an individual veteran is as follows:
These monthly payments increase if you have a dependent spouse, parents, or children.
Here are some additional compensation benefits for veterans.
If you have a spouse, dependent children, or parents who depend on you to take care of them, you may receive additional Special Monthly Compensation benefits.
Sometimes, surviving spouses or other dependents can continue to receive monthly VA benefit payments after a veteran dies. These surviving spouse benefits include coverage of burial costs and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits for your surviving family members.
There are multiple special VA veteran benefits you might be eligible for.
For example, if you cannot find or keep substantially gainful employment, you may be able to receive additional VA benefits, like total disability, based on individual unemployability.
You might also receive compensation for costs if you need hospital or convalescent care, or need assistance with paying for transportation and clothing.
A Stone Rose Law Michigan veterans disability attorney can help you learn which may apply to your needs.
In addition to the VA’s veterans benefits, the state of Michigan also offers veterans’ benefits.
Note that the state benefits below are not all the Michigan benefits you can claim; we only cover those that apply to disabled veterans.
An experienced Michigan veterans disability benefits lawyer can help you to know which state veterans benefits you may be eligible to receive.
There are three Michigan Veteran Homes located in Chesterfield Township, Grand Rapids, and Marquette. These homes provide medical and nursing care, domiciliary care, in-house pharmacy, rehabilitation therapy, and recreational activities.
To be admitted, you must be a veteran eligible for VA health care or financial benefits, served at least 24 continuous months or the full period of active duty you were called upon to serve, and were not discharged dishonorably.
You do not need to be a Michigan resident, and spouses or surviving spouses can also be admitted if space is available.
The state of Michigan can exempt veterans who are 100% disabled based on individual unemployability from paying taxes on their homes.
To qualify for these benefits, you must have a discharge that is not dishonorable. You must also be a Michigan resident.
Veterans who are 100% permanently disabled may be eligible to register one vehicle with a disabled veteran plate for free.
The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency offers emergency assistance to veterans with temporary financial issues who need help with utility bills, vehicle or home repairs, medical bills, or other debts.
Available resources include county Soldier and Sailor Relief Funds, National Guard Family Programs, and the Michigan Veteran Trust Fund.
To be eligible for Michigan Veteran Trust Fund benefits, you must be a Michigan resident and have been honorably discharged with 180 days of service during war or 180 days of active duty with the award of an Armed Forces Expeditionary medal or Marine Corps and Navy expeditionary medal, or have a service-incurred disability if you served less than 180 days.
This grant provides undergraduate tuition assistance for natural or adopted children of permanently disabled veterans or veterans who died because of military service. Children must apply and receive benefits before reaching the age of 26.
Permanently and totally disabled veterans can get any Michigan resident’s hunting or fishing license free of charge without participating in the lottery.
100% permanent and disabled veterans get free entry into Michigan state parks.
Military Disability Retirement Pay from a pension, annuity, or similar allowance for personal injury or sickness based on active service should not be included in your taxable income.
Some of the payments that are considered disability benefits include:
Veterans who have not been dishonorably discharged, have a 100% disability rating or are considered disabled due to unemployability may be able to apply to the Michigan Department of Treasury to be exempt from paying taxes on their homes. Surviving spouses of veterans who have not remarried are also eligible.
The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency employs Veterans Service Officers (VSOs) to help Veterans and their families find and apply for benefits under federal, state, and local laws.
VSO services are provided free of charge. For more information or assistance, please call 800-MICH-VET (800-642-4838) or contact the nearest Veteran Service Officer.
DIC is a tax-free monetary benefit paid to eligible survivors of service members who died in the line of duty or eligible survivors of a veteran whose death resulted from a service-connected injury or disease.
Michigan offers eligible Veterans and their spouses preference when hiring for Michigan civil service positions.
The VR&E Program helps veterans with service-connected disabilities to prepare for, find, and keep suitable jobs.
This program offers services to veterans who have service-connected disabilities so severe that they cannot immediately consider work to help them live as independently as possible.
The VR&E Program includes the following services:
At Stone Rose Law, our Michigan VA disability lawyers systematically approach your specific VA claim. After consultation with an accredited VA disability benefits attorney and your permission, our attorneys will obtain a copy of your VA claims file.
Because our attorneys have access to the same systems the VA uses to maintain claims files, we can get your claims file quickly.
Once we access your claims file, we review everything in it. This means checking all your service treatment records, your VA records, any previous claims for benefits, and any rating decisions.
We thoroughly scour your records to look for:
After reviewing your file and creating a plan for your initial claim, we discuss our findings and recommendations with you.
If you have never applied for VA benefits before, we will assist you at no cost in preparing and filing a claim. We will also monitor your claim, assist you with preparing for C&P examinations, and advise you of any VA decisions as part of this free service.
If you are denied VA benefits or believe your VA rating decision awarded you insufficient benefits, we can also help you fight for your benefits through a compelling appeal of the initial VA decision.
Our attorneys are experts in the VA appeals process, whether it involves filing a supplemental claim or a formal hearing before a veterans’ appeals judge.
Going up against the Department of Veterans Affairs is never easy. Still, it is not something you should fear, especially if you have legal help from a VA disability advocate like the one you will have with Stone Rose Law.
Our legal team of veterans disability attorneys provides legal assistance to Michigan veterans with VA benefit claims, so you can receive the proper benefits you deserve for your service-connected disabilities. We have a proven track record of successfully representing our clients with service-related benefits claims.
We can help you show that your injury or medical condition is connected to your military experience or that your disability has worsened since the time you first started receiving veterans disability benefits.
Contact us today to discuss how our law firm and veterans lawyers can help you with your VA claim or appeal. Schedule a free case evaluation with a Michigan veterans benefits lawyer at (480) 498-8998, or contact us online, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
