[Music] welcome to cck live today we're discussing the top ways to obtain VA disability benefits
before we get started make sure to subscribe to our channel for all the latest VA disability
information the first way to pursue VA disability benefits is by establishing service connection for
your disability this could be by a initial claim or by a supplemental claim an initial claim is
the first time you file a claim in pursuit of VA disability benefits for particular injury or
condition caused or aggravated by your military service veterans can file a claim at any time
after military service using VA form 21526 EZ it's important to include as much relevant evidence as
possible when submitting your initial claim to improve your chances at a favorable decision
the first time veterans who are not quite ready to file a VA claim but plan to do so within one
year can submit an ITF or intent to file with a VA form 21-0966 the date you submit your intent to
file will become your effective date if your claim is submitted timely veterans still in service can
obtain VA disability benefits by filing a claim up to $180 days before leaving the service if you
have 90 to 180 days left on active duty you may be eligible to file a pre-discharge claim through
the benefits delivery at discharge program this can help speed up the claims decision process if
you are a veteran who has less than 90 days left on active duty or soon to be veteran you won't be
eligible for the bdd program however you can still file before your discharged and your claim will be
processed after separation as a fully developed or standard claim your effective date will be
the day after your formal discharge similarly filing any time within one year of discharge
will preserve an effective date of the day after discharge and another way to obtain VA benefits is
by filing a supplemental claim a VA supplemental claim is a claim for disability benefits filed by
a claimant who had previously filed for the same or similar benefits on the same or similar basis
VA is required to readjudication relevant evidence is presented to file a supplemental claim veterans
should use VA form 20-0995 it's important to note that veterans need to have new and relevant
evidence that VA hasn't seen before in order to file this type of claim new and relevant evidence
can be new supporting documents like doctor's reports and medical test results moving on the
next Pathway to VA disability benefits is filing a claim for an increased rating this is when a
veteran files a claim for more compensation for disability that VA has already determined to
be service connected veterans can file for an increased disability compensation if you have
a rated service connected disability that has gotten worse to be successful you will need to
submit medical evidence showing your conditioned worsened as well as an updated VA form 21526 ez
with an increased rating claim veterans may also obtain special benefits by raising the issue for
examp example a veteran May file a claim for an increased rating to be eligible for benefits
like tdiu and special monthly compensation to raise tdiu veterans should submit VA form 28940
for more information on these benefits you can check out some of our other videos to learn more
about the different Pathways to VA disability compensation and using evidence to support your
claim be sure to check out our blog at cck-law.com and thank you for tuning in [Music]