As a combat veteran, you saw and experienced things that may have changed you physically and mentally. Many veterans wonder what combat veteran benefits are available to help them transition to civilian life after discharge.
Don’t fight the VA alone
In addition to being eligible for the same VA benefits as a non-combat veteran, combat veterans have access to other benefits and resources specific to their experiences.
In this article, we describe the differences between a veteran, a wartime veteran, and a combat veteran, as well as who is eligible for combat veterans benefits and how to qualify for a combat PTSD VA rating.
In this article about combat veteran benefits:
What is a veteran?
To be eligible for VA benefits, you must be legally considered a veteran by the VA. According to the VA, a veteran is a person who has served in active duty military, naval, or air service and was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
Anyone who served active duty and was dishonorably discharged may not be eligible for most VA benefits.
What is a combat veteran?
A combat veteran is one who was actively engaged in combat during service.
Service in a combat area or area of hostility includes, but is not limited to, having served active duty during World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Lebanon, Grenada, Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Bosnia, Kosovo, Operations in the former Yugoslavia area, Global War on Terrorism, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn.
What is a wartime veteran?
A wartime veteran is different from a combat veteran. To be considered a wartime veteran, you must have served active duty during a period of war. Unlike a combat veteran, a wartime veteran may or may not have seen combat.
Combat PTSD VA rating
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects up to 18% of all combat veterans. According to a study of PTSD among combat veterans, there are risk factors most combat veterans face that may explain why so many develop PTSD.
These risk factors include:
- Intensity of urban combat
- Personal injury
- Witnessing others get wounded or killed
PTSD in combat veterans is rated the same as PTSD in veterans who never saw combat. Using diagnostic code 9411 in the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders, PTSD can be rated at 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, or 100% disabling.
Your rating is based on how severe your symptoms are and how often you experience them. For example, a 0% rating means you have a formal PTSD diagnosis, but your symptoms are not bad enough to interfere with your work and daily life. Your symptoms also don’t require continuous medication to treat.
A 100% rating means your symptoms are so severe they affect every aspect of your life, like your work, school, family life, judgment, thinking, and mood. A veteran with a 100% combat PTSD VA rating may have suicidal thoughts, illogical speech, obsessive routines, near continuous panic or depression, and a lack of care for personal hygiene.
How do I prove I am a combat veteran?
Combat veterans who apply for VA benefits must be able to provide necessary documentation proving they are combat veterans.
The following documentation can help prove you are a combat veteran:
- Military service documentation reflecting service in a combat theater
- Receipt of combat service medals
- Documentation proving you are receiving imminent danger or hostile fire pay or tax benefits
For combat veterans applying for VA disability compensation, providing a lay or buddy statement can also play a big part in proving an in-service event related to combat.
Combat veteran benefits
While combat veterans are eligible for the same VA benefits as non-combat veterans, combat veterans have access to a few additional benefits.
Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC)
Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) is a tax-free monthly payment available to eligible retired veterans with combat-related conditions.
If you qualify for CRSC, you could receive compensation that is equal to or less than your length of service retirement pay and VA disability compensation. Your condition, however, must be combat related.
One common benefit of CRSC is that you can receive both military retired pay and VA disability pay at the same time.
To qualify for CRSC, you must meet all of the following criteria:
- You are retired and receive or are entitled to receive military retirement pay
- You have a VA disability rating of 10% or more for a combat-related injury
- Your military retired pay is reduced by the amount of your VA disability payments
- You are able to provide evidence that your injury was a result of combat
In addition, at least one of the following must apply to you:
- You served for 20 years or more in the military, National Guard, or Reserve
- You retired for medical reasons with a disability rating of 30% or more
- You’re covered under the Temporary Early Retirement Act (TERA)
- Your condition is rated at least 40% disabling, and is not stable, placing you on the Temporary Disability Retired List (TDRL)
- Your condition is rated 30% or more disabling and is stable, putting you on the Permanent Disability Retired List (PDRL)
Enhanced eligibility for health care benefits
Veterans can receive VA health care at no cost for a maximum of 10 years after discharge or release for any condition related to service in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), or Operation New Dawn (OND).
To qualify for enhanced health care benefits you must meet the following criteria:
- You served in a theater of combat operations after November 11, 1998
- You were discharged or released from active service on or after January 29, 2003
- You didn’t receive a dishonorable discharge
Veterans who qualify for enhanced eligibility are given higher priority, allowing them to get enrolled right away. With enhanced eligibility, veterans will receive free health care and medications for any condition related to combat service.
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Readjustment counseling
Readjustment counseling can help veterans successfully transition from military life to civilian life. This benefit is available at no cost to combat veterans.
Readjustment counseling services include:
- Individual and group counseling for veterans and their family members
- Family counseling for issues related to the military
- Counseling for families who experienced a death due to active duty service
- Counseling for those affected by military sexual trauma
- Post-deployment health reassessment (PDHRA)
- Assessment and referral for substance abuse
- Assessment and referral for employment
- VBA benefits explanation and referral
- Screening and referral for conditions like traumatic brain injury (TBI) or depression
How Woods & Woods can help
At Woods & Woods, we focus on helping non-working veterans with service-connected conditions get individual unemployability benefits and, in some cases, increased ratings. We also help survivors of veterans receive their DIC benefits. If you think we can help you with your claim, call us today for a free case evaluation. You won’t pay us unless we take and win your case.
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Frequently asked questions
A combat veteran is one who was actively engaged in combat during service. To receive additional combat veteran benefits, you must prove you are a combat veteran by providing military service documentation that reflects service in a combat theater, a receipt of combat service medals, documentation that you are receiving imminent danger or hostile fire pay or tax benefits.
PTSD in combat veterans is rated the same as PTSD in veterans who never saw combat. Using diagnostic code 9411 in the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders, PTSD can be rated at 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, or 100% disabling based on how severe your symptoms are and how often you experience them.
Neil Woods
Neil Woods is a VA disability attorney and the owner and president of Woods & Woods. He received his law degree from Western Michigan University.
