Benefits Services

The following list includes VA benefits that our Benefits Services team can assist with. This list changes as the needs of warriors evolve. If you need help with a VA claim that isn’t listed, please contact the WWP Resource Center, and we’ll see if we can assist you.

• Filing original VA claims
• Increased compensation
• Secondary conditions
• Ancillary benefits entitlements
• VA appeals
• Pre-Discharge claims
• Preparation for VA compensation and pension examinations
• Presumptive service connection/Gulf War toxic exposure(s)
• Foreign Medical Program/living abroad benefits
• Veterans Readiness and Employment benefits
• Utilizing VA Vet Centers and Veterans Health Administration hospitals/clinics
• Navigating My HealtheVet
• Program for Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers
• Education veteran benefits
• Proposed rating reductions
• PACT Act (Toxic Exposure)
• Death and burial benefits

WWP offers programs for physical and mental wellness, career transition, and support in obtaining VA disability compensation benefits.

If you are not currently registered with WWP, please visit our registration page for details about who is eligible and how to get started. WWP supports post-9/11 wounded, ill, and injured veterans, service members, and their families. You may also be eligible for our programs if you are the caregiver of a wounded warrior.

The Wounded Warrior Project Benefits Services team is one of the many programs available to help veterans get the assistance they need. We provide veterans with disability compensation claim assistance and can answer your VA disability benefits questions.

If you believe you have suffered an injustice because of an error in your military records, you can apply for a change/upgrade. Please visit the Defense Finance and Accounting Service website.

Each branch of service has a drop-down option that gives you access to the application form(s) needed to make your request.

If you need assistance applying for a correction, visit the National Veterans Legal Service Program’s website and review their “Lawyers Serving Warriors” program. It is a pro-bono (free) service provided to veterans specifically needing assistance with the correction of military records, such as modifications and upgrades.

The short answer is “no”. Legal contracts are binding between you and your attorney(s). If you have entered into an agreement with an attorney for the purposes of pursuing VA benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Wounded Warrior Project will not be able to assist with your VA-related benefit entitlements until the timeframe requirements of the legal contract expires and/or you are released from the contract.

If you want a full copy of your military records, you can make your request online on the National Personnel Records Center’s website.

Veterans with a debt owed to the VA are encouraged to contact the VA’s Debt Management Center to discuss repayment options, including possible debt dispute/disagreement, repayment extensions, compromises, and waivers. For more information, visit the VA’s Debt Management Center website.

Veterans and/or their caregivers are encouraged to contact the VA’s Debt Management Center immediately to discuss their options upon notification of a debt. Do not delay.

NOTE: When requesting a debt waiver, the VA will assess your expenses based on essential needs necessary to maintain a safe living space and health, such as mortgage/rent, food, utilities, and already accrued private debts, payments, or installments.

WWP’s Benefits Services team does not assist with Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. We are not trained or able to assist with questions related to SSDI federal benefits.

A list of helpful VA phone numbers can be found here.

We always recommend finding a veterans service organization (VSO) to help you file a claim with the VA. However, should you choose to file a claim on your own, educate yourself through the VA’s website on the basics of filing a service-connected compensation claim. Additionally, the VA provides prompts through your va.gov account to file your claim electronically.

Even if you have filed your claim, our accredited National Service Officers can assist with making sure all illnesses or injuries were claimed and that the VA has rated your disability claim properly.

Additionally, you may be able to receive assistance with increased compensation or additional claims, and we can help you become more informed about the claims process to ensure you’ve received the benefits you’ve earned in a manner that honors your service.

First and most importantly, do not fail to appear for the exam. The VA schedules future exams for certain conditions that a veteran has that may have a probability for improvement in their severity. Should you fail to appear for the exam, the VA will reduce the percentage for that condition, which could impact your total compensation. If you have a relationship with a VSO, you should contact them immediately to find out what the exam is for, why the exam was scheduled, and how to fulfill the requirements of the exam.

The quickest and easiest way to verify your current VA representative is to log into your va.gov/benefits account and check the “Profile” section. Your current representative, if any, should be shown there. Alternatively, you can call the VA at 800.827.1000 and speak with a representative who can verify your representation.

The VA’s website contains a “Service-Connected Matrix”, which displays the additional benefits you may be eligible for based on your VA disability rating. You can look at your potential benefits entitlements here.

An Intent to File is an official notice sent to the VA that provides you with a “placeholder” for filing a formalized claim. You’re essentially telling the VA, “This is my date of claim, but I’d like up to one year to gather my evidence and formalize it”. It’s a tool we recommend veterans use when they don’t know if they’re quite ready to file a claim but will have what they need to execute a successful claim within one year.

The quickest and easiest way to verify this is to log into your va.gov account and select your name at the top right of the page. Next, select “Letters”. Verify that your mailing address is correct, then select “View Letters.” Scroll down and expand the “Benefits Summary and Service Verification Letter” option. There, if you see an option saying, “You are considered to be totally and permanently disabled solely due to your service-connected disabilities,” then you are rated P&T. You can generate a letter and include that designation if you choose. Alternatively, you can call the VA at 800.827.1000 and speak with a representative who can verify if your total (100%) VA rating is rated as permanent.

Benefits: Veterans who (1) served during certain eras, including Vietnam, Desert Storm, and post-9/11, (2) were deployed to certain locations, and (3) were diagnosed with one or more of the presumptive conditions may qualify for disability compensation, even if denied previously.

Review a complete list of qualifying dates and locations of service and the newly recognized presumptive conditions to learn more.

VA Health Care: Veterans who have served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Global War on Terror, or any other combat zone following 9/11 are entitled to enroll in VA health care without needing to apply for VA benefits initially. Moreover, veterans who were exposed to toxins or hazards during training or active duty within the United States, even if they never deployed, are also eligible for enrollment.

The following elements are needed for a successful disability compensation claim:

• A current, diagnosed disability;
• An in-service event, injury, or illness; and
• A medical nexus between the current disability and the in-service event, injury, or illness.

If you can’t work because of a service-connected disability, you may qualify for Individual Unemployability. If the VA approves IU, you would receive disability compensation and other benefits just as a veteran with a 100% schedular disability rating. You may be eligible for Individual Unemployability if you meet the requirements listed below.

This must be true:
You can’t hold down a steady job that supports you financially (known as substantially gainful employment) because of your service-connected disability. Odd jobs (marginal employment) don’t count.

And one of these must be true:

• You have at least one service-connected disability rated at 60% or more disabling; or,
• You have two or more service-connected disabilities, with at least one rated at 40% or more disabling and a combined rating of 70% or more.

In certain cases – for example, if you need to be in the hospital often – you may qualify at a lower disability rating.

You can access your rating decision letter(s) by logging into your va.gov account. Select the down arrow next to your name in the top right corner, select “Letter” and then “View Letters”. You can download the specific letter(s) you need.

You can update your dependents on the VA’s website. Navigate to va.gov, enter “add dependents” into the search bar in the top right corner of the homepage, and follow the prompts. In most instances, dependents can be added in as little as 24 hours.

Yes, we are here to provide educational resources and information to ensure you receive the VA education benefits you’ve earned. We can help with:

• State education benefits
• GI Bill (Chapter 35 and Forever GI Bill)
• Yellow Ribbon Program
• VA Dependents Educational Allowance benefits
• FRY Scholarship
• And more

The VA maintains a robust education benefits platform on its webpage that allows veterans to apply for and manage education benefits, and even determine eligibility and remaining months of entitlements. You can find out more here.

The answer is “maybe”. You may have heard of or know of veterans who’ve been sent back to school, but every case is different, and it truly depends on the unique situation. If, as an example, maintaining a competitive advantage in your employment field requires an advanced degree, VR&E may approve that course of study. It’s important to make an appointment with your local VR&E office to further discuss how they might be able to assist. They may determine that a certification is equally suitable for your needs.

You may be eligible if you and the veteran you care for meet all the requirements below.

Eligibility requirements for the family caregiver:

You must be at least 18 years old, and at least one of these must be true for you:

• You’re a spouse, son, daughter, parent, stepfamily member, or extended family member of the veteran; or,
• You live full-time with the veteran or are willing to live full-time with the veteran if designated as a family caregiver.

Eligibility requirements for the veteran:

All of these must be true for the veteran applying for the family caregiver program:

• The veteran has a VA disability rating (individual or combined) of 70% or higher; and,
• The veteran was discharged from the U.S. military or has a date of medical discharge; and,
• The veteran needs at least six months of continuous, in-person personal care services.

If you are receiving service-connected compensation for a disability for which the VA has prescribed a prosthetic device or topical ointment/cream to treat the condition, you may be entitled to a clothing allowance from your local VA Hospital. Talk to their prosthetics department on filling out the proper form.

Yes. You can file no later than July 31 of the calendar year for which you’re wanting compensation from the VA Hospital’s prosthetics department. NOTE: You don’t file the request at the VA regional office. You must submit your application to the VA Hospital Prosthetics Department.

If you’re a transitioning service member, you can only file a BDD claim within 180-90 days prior to discharge.

No. The concept of the BDD program is to complete all the necessary requirements of a normal VA claim for rating purposes, up to the point of authorizing benefits. Once you get your DD-214 and you’ve officially become a veteran, you must ensure the VA receives your Member Copy 4 version so they can authorize benefits. This can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months after you discharge in order to receive VA benefits.

Are you receiving, or are you eligible to receive but waived, military retired pay? For example, are you medically retired under the Temporary Disability Retired List or Permanent Disability Retired List, retired early under the Temporary Early Retirement Act, or are retired with 20+ years of service? If so, you could be entitled to CRSC if you sustained injuries during military service because of combat or combat-related training that were not due to willful misconduct. For more information, visit the Defense Finance and Accounting Service website.

If you need assistance filing for CRSC, please reach out to National Veterans Legal Service Program by visiting their website.

To qualify for the TSGLI program, all of these must be true:

• You have a scheduled loss that is a direct result of the traumatic injury, and
• You suffered the traumatic injury before midnight on the day that you left the military, and
• You suffered a scheduled loss within two years (730 days) of the traumatic injury, and
• You’ve survived for a period of not less than seven full days from the date of the traumatic injury (the seven-day period begins on the date and time of the traumatic injury and ends 168 full hours later), and
• You were an active duty military member, a Reservist, a National Guard member, on funeral-honors duty, or on one-day muster duty

You can download the SGLV 8600 from the VA’s website.

That is incorrect. If you think you may qualify for TSGLI based on a traumatic injury and a doctor can review the records and provide a summation within the SGLV 8600 that you suffered a loss within two years of the traumatic injury on active duty, there is no time limit to apply.

Unfortunately, no, we are unable to assist with MEB and PEB needs related to the integrated disability evaluation system. If you need assistance, please reach out to National Veterans Legal Service Program by visiting their website.