Veteran's disability benefits to be reviewed

Do you know someone who was discharged from the military with a medical discharge between Sept. 11, 2001, and Dec. 31, 2009? Was their combined rating 20 percent or less and not have been found eligible for retirement? If so, they were among more than 77,000 former service members who are eligible for a medical disability review.

Starting in January, the Veteran's Benefit Administration and Defense Department's Physical Disability Board of Review or PDBR, began sending letters to those veterans urging them to apply for a review. Everyone eligible should receive a letter by this October.

The board, which was created in 2008 by Congress to address inconsistencies in disability ratings granted by various services, can determine whether veterans initially received fair ratings or are eligible for an increase. By law, the PDBR may not recommend a lower disability rating for any rating reviewed. All changes to disability ratings that are approved will be backdated and effective the date of the original Physical Evaluation Board.

At the 30 percent threshold, veterans qualify for medical retirement, which carries lifetime retired pay, medical care and other benefits. With this increase in rating, you can see why this rating is so important. The process is slow, taking an average of 430 days to process - but has resulted in ratings upgrades for nearly 50 percent of those who have applied.

Since January 2009, less than 4 percent of those eligible have applied. You don't however have to wait for a letter. The process begins with the completion of form DD-294. You can get more information concerning this process by either emailing the board at [email protected] or contacting their local Veteran's Services Officer. Locally you may contact Darryl Heisey at (208) 446-1090.