In order to qualify for veteran’s benefits, you must be considered a military veteran, meaning you must have:

• Served in the Uniformed Services on active duty;
• Been on active duty for trainings; or
• Been on inactive duty for training, been discharged under conditions that weren’t dishonorable, and be at least 10% disabled by a condition that was brought about by your job.

Common disabilities that are incurred while in the armed forces include physical disabilities, such as:

• Paralysis
• Blindness
• Hearing loss
• Amputation of a limb
• Traumatic brain injuries, which are a large cause of injury among veterans who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq

Mental health issues, including:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Exposure to toxic substances, such as:

• Agent Orange
• Radiation
• Fibromyalgia
• Herbicides

Unless you have a “presumed disability,” you will need to be able to provide medical evidence of your injury. Specifically, you will need to prove that your injury is both current and was brought about by your time in the military rather than by outside circumstances.

Presumed disabilities do not require this proof, and include:

• Being a former prisoner of war
• Chronic diseases that were discovered within a certain period of time after being discharged
• Exposure to radiation or mustard gas
• Exposure to herbicides (serving in Vietnam)
• Serving in Southwest Asia during the Gulf War