Disability Compensation! How Much?

By: Dan Meyer

The office hours for the Big Stone County Veterans Service Office are 7:30 am – 4:00 pm Monday through Friday. My office phone number is (320) 839-6398.

In the news. I will be conducting a Veterans Benefit Booth at the Big Stone County Fair and the 72^nd Annual Ortonville Cornfest. The County Fair will be held in Clinton from 4 – 8 August. The Cornfest will be in Ortonville from 20 – 22 August.

Attention all veterans! Do you have hearing loss and/or ringing in the ear(s) that were caused by noise exposure during your military service? Did you fire small arms and/or heavy artillery? Did you operate military heavy-duty vehicles? Did you have proper hearing protection afforded to you?

What is VA Disability Compensation? Disability Compensation is a tax-free benefit paid to a veteran for disabilities that are a result of or made worse by injuries or diseases that happened while on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training. Disability Compensation is also paid to certain veterans disabled from VA health care.

Who is eligible? You may be eligible for disability compensation if you have a service-connected disability and you were discharged under other than dishonorable conditions.

How much does VA pay? The amount of basic benefit paid ranges from $123 to $2,673 per month, depending on how disabled you are.

Note: You may be paid additional amounts, in certain instances, if: you have very severe disabilities or loss of limb(s); you have a spouse, child(ren), or dependent parent(s); you have a seriously disabled spouse.

In the “Did you Know?” segment. Did you know that service-connected veterans who have VA service-connected disabilities may be eligible for hearing aids at no cost to the veteran? The hearing aid batteries may be received at no cost as well. Even if you’re service-connected for disabilities other than hearing loss, you may be eligible for hearing aids provided by VA at no cost. Please contact me and let’s verify your possible eligibility for this benefit.

Until next week, take care and “Fair Winds and Following Seas!”