Veterans for Common Sense Says VA Claims For Reservists Are Denied More Often

Veterans for Common Sense found that members who were deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan were having more difficulty getting benefits approved by the Veterans Affairs Department as compared to other veterans seeking disability compensation claims. This new data cites information and data obtained by the Veterans for Common Sense through the Freedom of Information Act. In the data, the denial rate for claims filed by reserve component combat veterans is four times higher than for post-9/11 combat veterans who were active-duty members.

There are 1.6 million post-9/11 combat veterans. About 566,000 are receiving disability benefits; 53,000 have been identified with service-connected conditions that merit disability ratings too low to qualify for compensation. Another 15,640 claims were denied, according to the VA records. While Guard and reserve members make up 40 percent of post-9/11 combat veterans, they accounted for 60 percent of the claim denials.

Read more at http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/10/military-reserves-va-disability-compensation-102312w/8fa2a67f9214c7994dfd823174014787