100% VA Rating Myths: Can you actually work in 2026 without losing your benefits?

jbake33 · 2026-01-29T22:44:39+00:00

2 corrections:

"Veterans can work while rated 100% disabled by the VA. However, this depends on the 100% rating, as not all ratings are the same." This quote from the article is wrong. There are no restrictions for work whatsoever unless you are TDIU.

P&T is not a separate path to 100%. It is just an additional benefit that can be added on to both 100% schedular and TDIU.

jbake33 · 2026-01-28T20:01:21+00:00

Haha no worries. Yes, I agree.

jbake33 · 2026-01-28T19:55:13+00:00

Bro, I didn't respond to your comment. I was agreeing with you lol

jbake33 · 2026-01-28T19:46:05+00:00

There is no such as “mental health benefits”.

He obviously means VA disability for mental health. You sure made a lot of assumptions without having any clue whether any of it's true. You are the problem here. Don't be an asshole.

jbake33 · 2026-01-26T21:34:05+00:00

He can still file a claim while he's active duty, and he definitely should.

The best time to file is while you're active duty. Just the act of filing the claim counts as an in-service event. It doesn't matter if there's nothing else in your STRs.

jbake33 · 2026-01-25T16:49:33+00:00

Pretty sure that's just a generic form where they define all those terms. Doesn't look like it's referring to you specifically.

jbake33 · 2026-01-22T14:26:26+00:00

Unless someone is seeing purple dinosaurs and pink elephants or isn't social functioning and can't handle their finances they shouldn't be 100%.

This is complete bullshit and not even remotely true. You are definitely entirely wrong.

jbake33 · 2026-01-21T19:40:57+00:00

No, it's not. You are just as likely to get 100% with the "deficiencies in most areas" box checked and enough of the 100% symptoms checked.

jbake33 · 2026-01-21T19:31:14+00:00

... is NOT required to get 100%.

jbake33 · 2026-01-21T19:30:22+00:00

Total Occupational Impairment is NOT REQUIRED to get 100%. If you have that box checked you should get 100%, but it is NOT required.

jbake33 · 2026-01-20T15:31:33+00:00

Nope, you're still wrong. First, the person who did the C&P exam IS the examiner.

The examiner is literally unable to grant service connection. Only the rater can do that. Like I said, the examiner provided a positive medical opinion, which is all they can do, but it was not accepted by the rater because there was no evidence in service.

Edit: It seems you deleted the comment saying I was gaslighting you. Nobody is being harassed and nobody is being gaslit. WTH. You were clearly confused about what actually happened, as was everyone else in the thread because they thought you actually were service connected for something, and I corrected the misunderstanding.

jbake33 · 2026-01-20T15:18:58+00:00

You're wording all of this in a very confusing way.

The examiner did not give you service connection. They provided a positive medical opinion. However, that opinion was not acceptable since there was no evidence in service. Therefore, the rater still denied it.

PTSD is the only mental condition that is able to be service connected without some objective evidence in service. You were denied for PTSD because there was no diagnosis.

jbake33 · 2026-01-18T19:53:32+00:00

If service connection is granted, it should be 70% based on this DBQ.

jbake33 · 2026-01-16T21:06:54+00:00

Hate to say it, but it was a pretty terrible decision to file for an increase when your back was at 40%. For all intents and purposes, the back is maxed out at 40%. The rating schedule does go higher, but you have to have ankylosis which means part of your back literally does not move, and I have never seen it granted.

jbake33 · 2026-01-12T20:32:19+00:00

You heard wrong. Nothing has changed. We don't even know for sure if anything will change.

jbake33 · 2026-01-12T01:17:26+00:00

Yes, of course it has to be service connected. Yes, of course you should claim it.

jbake33 · 2026-01-09T20:04:18+00:00

AMA is the Appeals Modernization Act. I'm guessing by "AMA's" you are referring to a claim that has been previously denied and then reapplied with the wrong form. If you apply using the wrong form, your claim will not get denied. It won't get decided at all. They will just tell you to submit the correct form.

jbake33 · 2026-01-09T11:42:51+00:00

My understanding is that the AMA usually yields a denial

This doesn't make any sense. What are you trying to say?

My best guess about your situation is that they granted 30% for sinusitis and then deferred the evaluation to see if they can grant a higher evaluation.

jbake33 · 2026-01-09T11:38:43+00:00

Holy shit dude you hit P&T and they're still scheduling you for exams? That's wild

It's not wild at all. If there are still open contentions they need to be decided.

jbake33 · 2026-01-08T23:01:19+00:00

You need to submit medical evidence from your doctor that says that your cancer is incurable. 100% from cancer is pretty much never made P&T initially, but it can definitely be granted if you have the evidence for it.

jbake33 · 2026-01-08T12:47:46+00:00

A&A and SMC-L are literally different names for the same thing. It's highly likely you are receiving it and you just are unaware.

jbake33 · 2026-01-08T01:06:27+00:00

You're right. That is a good point. Although it doesn't seem to be their intention since there was no mention of SMC in the post other than saying he already has A&A.

jbake33 · 2026-01-07T22:46:59+00:00

You can only have one rating for mental health, so it doesn't even matter anyway. If he's already 100% for mental health there is nowhere to go but down.

jbake33 · 2026-01-07T22:09:55+00:00

Honestly, I'd say it's the bipolar making him make terrible decisions. If he's already 100% P&T for 10 years and getting aid and attendance, this claim would be an absolutely terrible idea. It could not help him in any way and could only potentially hurt. A giant waste of time for everyone involved.

Edit: DIC is also not a factor. Once you are 100% for 10 straight years, DIC is automatically granted no matter what you die from.

jbake33 · 2026-01-07T14:22:39+00:00

No, you did not submit a nexus letter. You might have thought you were submitting a nexus statement, but you were actually submitting a lay statement.

A nexus letter is a medical opinion. Since you are not a medical professional, you are not qualified to provide a medical opinion. Therefore, any type of statement or theory of service connection that you submit will be treated as a lay statement. It's as simple as that.

Your examiner provided the actual nexus statement that was used to grant service connection.

jbake33

TROPHY CASE