St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1948-01-30
Dear Joe
DIFFERENCE
By JAMES L. HICKS

You may be entitled TO disability
compensation, if you served in the
armed forces sometime between
December. Z. 1870, and noon, De-
eember 81 194ST If you were dis
charged under conditions other than
dishonorable; II your present dis
ability is the result Of an injury
suffered, or disease contracted in
line Of duty, or your present dis
ability is the result Of an injury
or disease made worse by your
military service, or II your dis
ability was incurred before July 26,
1947.
All Of these conditions are de-
pendent upon whether or not your
injury OF disease was the result Of
your own wilful misconduct.
II your disability is not service
connected or service-aggravated,
you may be entitled to a pension If
you served sometime between De-
cember 7, 1871, and noon December,
1916; IL you served at least 30
days, unless discharged or sepa-
rated for disabilities incurred in the
line Of duty, If you were discharged
or separated under conditions other
than dishonorable, il you are
permanently and totally disabled;
II your disability is not the result
Of your own misconduct, and if
your income is not over $1,000 a
year, II you are single and not over
$500 a year II you are married.
All Of these conditions must be met
in order to be eligible for a pension.
The amount Of compensation
which you can get from the govern
ment depends on the extent Of your
disability. This is called the degree
Of disability. It is decided by a
rating board in accordance with es-
tablished schedules. This board
rates your disability in percentages
from zero to 100 per cent.
You get $3.50 month for each
10 per cent Of disability which you
have, but no compensation is paid
for disability rated less than 10
per cent. In other words, $3.50 is
the smallest amount of cOmpensa-
ton which you can be paid.
The amount of pension which you
are eligible to receive for total non
service connected disability depends
on your age or the length Of time
you have been receiving a pension.
The minimum amount of pension
money which you can receive is $50
a month. So, stop telling people
you get a pension Of $3.50. That's
no pension-that's compensation.
You may claim compensation or
a pension at any time during your
life II you meet the requirements.
II you are receiving compensation
for a disability and your disability
gets worse, you may ask for an
increase in the amount Of your com
pensation.
| II at the outset you believe that
the percentage Of disability given
you by the rating board does not
do your case justice, you may ap-
peal to the Board Of Appeals, Vet
Grams Administration, Washington,
D. c.
Your appeal must be made with
in one year Of the date on which
the board notified you of the dis
ability rating given you. Along
with your appeal submit any add
tional evidence which you feel
might help your case
Remember that your local VA
office has the records Of your case,
so all your correspondence must be
sent through that office.
Here's something else to keep in
mind, If you qualify for disability
compensation you may also qualify
for vocational rehabilitation, and in
that case you will receive compen-
sation plus subsistence.
In other words, suppose you are
80 per cent disabled and the VA
agrees TO give you vocational re-
Mobilization. Instead of drawing
sos a month like the physically fit
boys, you will draw $l05, il you
are single; S115 il you have one
dependent, and up to $l72.sO, de
pending upon the number Of your
dependents.
Get 'em straight, Joe. Don't ask
for n pension when its compensation
that you have coming. You may
I,sa s,r,o J,urh