Disability Insurance Articles
How Disability Insurance Affects Military Veterans
2010-06-27
Typical American health insurance will help pay for things like ambulance rides, major surgeries and aftercare to speed recovery. There are times, however, that Americans require a further level of care due to a disability suffered either at work or on their time off. These disabilities can range from a simple reduction in mobility to a full-on inability to work. In these cases, disability insurance may be an option worth considering - whether it be through an employer, the state, or worker's compensation. For those that are military veterans, however, and have been injured as a result of their time in the service, another level of disability insurance exists.
Disability insurance is intended to care for those who are injured based on certain circumstances. Employee plans typically cover a worker with disability benefits whether they are injured at home or at work, and may pay up to 100% of the cost of treatments and rehabilitation. Social security insurance benefits will pay out for those who are seriously disabled and have been certified as being unable to work for a substantial period of time and have paid Social Security taxes. State disability insurance comes into play for those who do not have this type of insurance thorough their group or employee health care plan, but does not operate in every state. California, Rhode Island and Hawaii are some of the few states that have disability benefits.
For military veterans, these options are all available, but they are also offered another level of protection through the Veterans Benefit Administration, a division of the Branch of Veterans Affairs. The VBA offers veterans two plans to deal with disabilities suffered as a result of military service. The first, disability compensation, pays a monthly amount to military personnel who have become at least 10% disabled (as per a medical assessment) as a result of military service, or who have an existing condition that was made 10% worse by this same service. The other option, a disability pension, is paid out monthly to those who have completed wartime service and can no longer work or have limited income. This program is also used to pay for pensions of those members 65 and over.
While being disabled is a situation that no worker wants to find themselves in, options do exist to help maintain the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed, and to continue living their lives to their fullest potential with rehabilitation options in addition to simply monetary assistance. For military veterans, several extra options exist, owing to the recognition of their service to the country, and these options can further assist in limiting the affects of a disability.