VA health care, disability compensation are separate programs

VA health care and disability compensation are separate programs: Here’s the difference

Just because the VA is paying for your hearing aids does not automatically mean that the VA has service connected your hearing loss with your military service.

Disability compensation is a monetary benefit paid to veterans who are determined by the VA to be disabled by an injury or illness that was incurred or aggravated during active military service. VA disability is managed by the Veterans Benefits Administration.

VA health care is an integrated health care system providing veterans with health care services like any other health insurance/care provider. VA health care is managed by the Veterans Health Administration.

That said, many veterans are confused as to the difference between disability claims and health care so here are the facts.

First, if the VA treats a veteran for a particular condition, that condition is NOT presumed to have been incurred or aggravated during active military service.

Second, the VA health care system does automatically service connect a veteran for a disability while being treated. The VA health care system can help develop or provide evidence to support disability claims; however, it cannot directly approve disabilities for claims and/or assign disability benefits.

So, in order for the VA to service connect your disability and then provide you compensation,

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Army veteran Michael Thrun, left, and Navy veteran Thomas Berry sit in wheelchairs as they wait for their rides following treatment March 30, 2015, at the Veterans Administration Puget Sound Medical Center in Seattle. you MUST file a dis-

ability claim for the condition you believe to have originated from your military service. You normally would seek a VSO for assistance with preparing and filing a claim.

Lastly, as part of the disability claims process,

the VA will likely require you to attend a Compensation & Pen-

sion (C&P) exam. Because veterans need to see a doctor as part of their disability claim, veterans begin to blur the line between the C&P exam and VA health care. Don’t confuse C&P Exams with VA health care. C&P exams are assessments to help determine the validity of a claim. VA health care is treatment. A condition that causes the most confusion is hearing claims. Because many veterans get their hearing aids from the VA health care system, they assume that the VA has accepted that their hearing is service connected because the VA paid for the hearing aids. But this is not the case! Don’t assume that because the VA is treating you for a certain condition, they automatically are accepting that your condition was caused by your time in service. If you are seeking disability compensation for a service-connected illness or injury, you will need to file a disability claim. Payments are not automatic without a claim being filed and an award being rendered. To get help with a claim, contact your local VSO office. If you live in Kootenai County, call Terri at (208) 446-1098 for more information or to schedule an appointment. The Spokane County Veterans Services Office can be contacted at (509) 477-3890. Thanks to Terri Dickerson of Kootenai County Veteran Services for this information.