A Look at Linking Disability with Duty

The men and women currently serving in the US armed forces are the latest in a long line of fighters dating back to the Revolutionary War. The presence of American forces in hotspots around the world have made the military an effective instrument in ensuring security and implementing foreign policy goals. However, certain situations may affect personnel that leads to their separation from service, thereby underlining a need for disability benefits. As such it is important to establish connections that may allow former military personnel to be granted their dues, which are classified into direct service connection, aggravated injury connection, and presumed service connections.

Direct service connections are established when the veteran can prove that their disability occurred over the course of their duties. The evidence to be presented must include a full report on the incident leading to the injury and associated medical files. Aggravated service connections can be determined if a veteran has an existing medical condition accounted for during the initial physical examination, but worsened while on active duty.

Presumed service connections are for disabilities of at least 10% that may be related to active service. Depending on the circumstances, the disability should have disappeared within a period of time after separation. A disability lawyer should account for the history of the disorder and build the client’s case around the mitigating factors.

Donning the uniform of your country does carry a huge sacrifice to your body. You must exert every effort to be accorded just compensation.