va service-connected claims and ides

VAService-Connected

Claims and IDESLynda Hurley

VBA

Officer-In-ChargeWalter Reed Army Medical Center &

National Naval Medical Center

“To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan…” Abraham Lincoln

Disability Compensation

Disability Compensation

UNCLASSIFIED/FOUO

Establishing Service Connection

UNCLASSIFIED/FOUO

++

Current Disability or Condition

Injury or Illness in Service

Nexus

UNCLASSIFIED/FOUO

Acute & transitory illnesses

Pain

Age related vision changes

Most dental conditions

Lab results/findings

NOT Disability Examples

UNCLASSIFIED/FOUO

IMPORTANT NOTE:IMPORTANT NOTE:

Disabilities Disabilities do notdo not have to be incurred in have to be incurred in

combat or during a period of war.combat or during a period of war.

Grant if you can;Deny if must!

UNCLASSIFIED/FOUO

Compensation• Compensation is tax free

• Establishes eligibility for other benefits

• Receipt of retired pay and VA compensation now being phased in for some retirees

• Severance and Separation Pay still prohibited in most cases

• VA rating is independent of any military rating

• Extra allowance for dependents

Related Benefits

• VA Medical care for all SC conditions

• $10,000 life insurance

• VA loan funding fee waived

• Civil Service Preference

• Additional Special Monthly Compensation added for loss of limb, organ, etc.

• Automobile Grant

• Automobile-Adaptive Equipment

• Clothing Allowance

• Special Adaptive Housing Grant

UNCLASSIFIED/FOUO

Time LimitsTime LimitsNo time limit to apply for compensation.

– Apply within one year of separation --Entitlement effective from the date of retirement.

– Apply later than one year of separation --Entitlement effective from the date VA receives the claim.

UNCLASSIFIED/FOUO

IDES Claims

• DoD and VA collaboration

• Reduce redundancies

• Standardization Across Services (where possible)

• Reduce time to start of VA benefits

IDES Pilot Timeline Overview Timeline Overview

Separate:•PDRL•TDRL•w/ or w/out severance

MEB PEB VA Rating TransitionTreatment

Physician assesses and treats Service

member

Service member is wounded, il, or

injuredPhysical Exam (35

days)

Case Development (30 days)

Admin and Record transit (15 days)

Informal Board (15 days)

Formal Board (30 days)

Rating Reconsideration (15

days)

Single Rating Agency

OR

Return to Duty

Seamless Transition

Admin and Record transit (15 days)

Proposed Rating (15 days)

Appeal (30 days)

Up to 1 year 80 days 120 days 45 days

Reintegrate Reintegrate or or

SeparateSeparate

DoD VA

VA benefits letter one

month following separation

Reintegrate

30 days=275 days

SeparateFinalize DES Disposition

Process to Unit or for separation VA Appeals

One Physical

Examine Rate Transition Compensate Examine Rate Compensate

UNCLASSIFIED/FOUO

Questions?

Lynda HurleyVBA Officer-In-Charge

Walter Reed Army Medical Center & National Naval Medical Center

• Office: 202-782-6852• Fax: 202-782-5172• Cell: 202-255-4761

UNCLASSIFIED/FOUO

Lynda.Hurley@va.govLynda.Hurley@us.army.mil