Yes, military veterans who become disabled during their service can collect disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation at the same time. And many do. More than 950,000 former service members received Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) in 2016, according to the most recent data available.
The two federal agencies have different processes and rules for determining eligibility and setting payments, and getting VA disability benefits doesn't necessarily mean you'll qualify for SSDI. But if you've received a 100 percent permanent and total (P&T) disability rating from the VA, Social Security can expedite processing of your SSDI application.
MEDICAL ELIGIBILITY
Social Security bases eligibility for disability benefits on whether your condition is severe enough to prevent you from doing most paid work for at least a year or is likely to result in your death. By the SSA's lights, you are either disabled or you're not.
If you developed multiple disabilities from your service, the VA has a complicated formula for combining them into a single rating. It's possible to get a 100 percent disability rating by having multiple conditions, even if none is totally disabling by itself. You also can have a 100 rating that's total but not permanent, if the VA expects your condition will eventually improve.
BENEFITS
With SSDI, the amount of your monthly benefit is based on your lifetime average earnings in covered work. There is no sliding scale based on the severity of your condition; again, in the eyes of the SSA, you are either disabled or you're not. The average SSDI benefit in October 2022 was $1,364 a month.
How SSDI and VA compensation can work together
FAST-TRACK APPLICATIONS
If you have a 100 percent P&T rating from the VA, Social Security will speed up processing of your SSDI claim. To get expedited handling, enter Veteran 100% P&T in the Remarks section of your online application and provide Social Security with the notification letter the VA sent you about your rating.
Regardless of your P&T rating, you may qualify for expedited processing under Social Security's Wounded Warrior program, which prioritizes claims for veterans who became disabled while on active duty on or after Oct. 1, 2001.
NO 'OFFSET'
Workers’ compensation and some other types of public disability benefits can trigger what the SSA calls an “offset” that reduces your Social Security payments. VA disability benefits don't affect your SSDI or vice versa; if you qualify for both programs, each will pay the full amount to which you are entitled.
VA disability compensation is determined by the rating the agency assigns to your condition. In 2023 payments for a veteran with no spouse or children can range from $165.92 per month for a 10 percent disability to $3,621.95 for a 100 percent disability.
There is an important exception to the VA's usual method of using your disability rating to determine benefits. If you don't have a 100 percent rating but are unable to hold a steady job that supports you financially because of your service-related disability, you may qualify for the VA's Individual Unemployability benefit, which pays at the 100 percent rate.
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