War Battle: Social Security Benefits

One would think that the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration were linked. They are both federal programs and they are both in place to help disabled war veterans take care of themselves and their families. Both need a judgment that states a veteran is disabled, but what happens if one says you are disabled and one says you are not? What do you do then?

Unfortunately, this is a question and challenge that many veterans face and the answer is clear: you fight and battle the system, after fighting and battling for your country.

Proving you are disabled is no easy task. In fact, it is a known challenge that can, and most often does, take years. Most all who file are denied at least twice. Appeals follow the process and proving the inability to work is near impossible. It’s bad enough that the process is so complicated, but many veterans are finding out that not only is it complicated; it needs to be done twice.

There are no promises that veterans will be granted Social Security benefits, even if the Department of Veterans Affairs has rated them 100 percent disabled. This comes as a surprise to many vets who assume that they are covered by Social Security disability insurance if they are disabled. They are surprised to find out that even if they have proved they are unable to work through the VA, Social Security can, and does, say no.

This most often happens to veterans who are facing severe post-traumatic stress syndrome or other mental disabilities that make it impossible for them function and work. The VA says ‘you are disabled’ but Social Security says ‘no you are not’. So they end up fighting for their benefits twice, and many times do not win the battle. In addition, unless a veteran has been on active duty since Oct. 2001, they may have to wait additional time: only claims by those on active duty since Oct. 2001 are expedited.

Both federal agencies look at medical documentation, mental limitations, physical impairments and the ability to work jobs to make their assessment, yet the outcome of this documentation may be different in each case. It seems the agencies have separate procedures, bureaucratic cultures and rules.

Fortunately, Congress is taking notice. Over 100 Congressional members are backing bills that would require Social Security to accept the rulings given by Veterans Affairs. This would make the overall process much easier, quicker, and would make more sense.






For information on Social Security Disability, visit the

Social Security Disability Benefits Resource Center