• Discharge- To qualify for VA benefits, you must have been discharged from military duty under non-dishonorable circumstances.

The Requirements for Service Connected Benefits

Unlike with non-service-connected benefits, veterans who receive service-connected benefits do not need to be fully disabled, have served during wartime, or meet an income or net worth requirement.

A: The answer to this changes from applicant to applicant. As a general rule, pretty much every applicant will be rejected one or more times. The entire process on average can take about 2 to 5 years. If you are in the middle of this process, and have a hearing scheduled to evaluate your application, it is a good idea to speak with a professional who understands the ins and outs of the SSD process. Most Social Security professionals offer a free consultation, and will let you know up front whether or not they can take on your case.

Sadly, though, the rules that go into determining how many credits you have and need for the last ten years of work makes meeting your credit requirements rather difficult. A social security lawyer will tell you that this often happens when an applicant simply hasn’t worked enough. Unfortuantely, though, it can also happen when you’ve waited too long to apply for SSD, or when a judge has decided to change your disability’s official onset date.

Q: Can you receive Medicare once your application for social security disability insurance is approved?

A: You are eligible for Medicare two years after the date social security determined you are entitled for social security disability benefits. Your date of entitlement is the onset date established by social security plus the required waiting period of five months. You begin receiving social security disability benefits roughly on your entitlement date. Medicare benefits can be awarded two years after that.