Hey everyone, welcome back to the channel.
I’m Robert Hoffman with Veterans Guide, back with part three of answering Reddit questions. If you’re new here, this is a series where I answer your VA disability questions from Reddit. Let’s dive in.
How Do I Get a VA Home Loan?
Now for my first question. This comes from Kim-Skims-0209. They asked: “How do I get a VA home loan?”
Well, in order to get a VA home loan, first you need to get with a certified VA home loan lender. From there, while you’re working with your agent, either you or your agent can turn around and pull your certificate of eligibility. If you have entitlement and you’re eligible, and as long as you’re eligible and have entitlement, either one of you can pull the COE. And then you’re now starting the process to utilize the VA home loan for your first home purchase.
Will Volunteering Risk My TDIU Rating?
Now for our next question. This one comes from Mojave211. They asked: “If a veteran is rated at 70% but receiving TDIU will volunteering risk this rating?”
Short answer is no volunteering. You do not risk losing your TDIU. You risk losing your TDIU when you go above the allowable income that you make within the year, which is $15,650 per year. If you go over that allowable limit, then you’re at risk for losing your TDIU.
How Much Weight Do Private DBQs Carry?
This next question is from SurrealArtist3456. They ask: “How are private DBQs viewed nowadays?” DBQs stand for Disability Benefits Questionnaire. Now, for context, this user said they went to see their private doctor after their CP exam, stating that they were denied an increase on their headaches which were rated at 0%. The best way to touch on this is that your DBQs are extremely important. They hold as just as much weight as a VA doctor. The big thing about this is to understand that while you’re getting rated at a 0%, it may not be the fact that you’re having headaches or migraines. It’s about what’s written in the documentation from your doctors that is the most important information that you can put in there. It has to match with the requirements of the VA that they read on their documentation. So if your letter states that information about headaches, but it doesn’t line up with the documentation that they read, it gives the evaluation rating, then you are at that point going to receive a zero because they can identify you have the headaches, but they cannot identify the percentage that you should be receiving those headaches at due to the writing that’s in the documentation.
How Do I Know What My Secondary Conditions Are?
All right, our next question is from DefNotanalt_69 and they ask: “How do you know what to claim as secondary? Or should I just claim everything on their own?” So secondary conditions come down to one main factor. Secondary conditions are not service-related disabilities. So most of your primary things, if you can relate it back to service conditions while you were serving, then it becomes a primary filing. If it’s a condition that is from a primary condition from service, which you can relate to service conditions, then it would be a secondary claim. And so you want to identify it. If you can relate it to service, you can file it as a primary claim. If it’s not, but it’s associated to something that was a primary claim, then you would have to initiate it as a secondary condition. If not, that condition will receive a denial and you won’t get a rating on it.
Do I Need to See a VA Doctor for my Claim?
Next up, we’ve got a question from SheepherderFew4341. They ask: “Does seeing the VA for physical therapy help my disability claim?” Well, that’s really a touchy subject.
When you look at doctors, you gotta look at the VA doctor and a civilian doctor as an equivalent. There really is no difference.
Neither one can hurt or benefit your claim in any way. What really matters is your condition alone, what you’re experiencing, and how that relates to the VA disability guidelines that allow you to like, understand where your rating is at. Just by going to see a VA doctor is not going to increase the claim or decrease it. It’s more about your conditions and how your conditions are seen within the medical field and in how it relates to the VA guidelines.
Are Buddy Statements Important?
Next up, we have CompetitiveEnergy175 and they ask: “How do you feel buddy statements add to your claim?” In my opinion, and I know I’ve seen this a lot of times, but buddy statements are drastically important. The first main thing is making sure that your letters again are reading within the guidelines of the VA rating system so that rating is justified. And then when you add in buddy letters of people who are experiencing it. I use PTSD in reference to night terrors. People wake up in the middle of the night, which can also lead to mental health, sleep apnea. Those kind of conditions aren’t really easy to diagnose to a doctor and you can only talk about those things. Well, you get a buddy statement that says, hey, every night my wife or my husband wakes up and they’re having night terrors. It happens three times a night. They don’t get very good sleep. I experience this every night. Sometimes it’s very aggressive, sometimes it’s very mild. And they explain the condition that is very important to help justify the claim for what you’re actually working for. And so they can properly diagnose you and then also properly rate you based off your condition. So buddy statements, extremely important. Get as many as you can and make sure they’re added to your claim.
Does My VA Rating Affect My SSDI Payments?
All right, this next question comes from Lumpy53E. They ask: “Will your SSDI amount be affected by the amount of your VA disability payments?” No.
Does the VA Offer Programs for Metalworking or Welding?
This next question comes from Own-Song-8093. They ask: “Does the VA have vocational programs for things like welding or metalworking?”
The answer is yes, they have the vocational rehabilitation and education program. Short, it’s VR&E. When you’re in this program, you can go through rehabilitation for getting back into the workforce, education, benefits, degree to progress into a new career or starting your own business. But all of them come with requirements. One of the good things is if you have post 9/11 GI Bill, they will pay you while you’re taking educational benefits, whether certifications or it’s classes. For your bachelor’s degree they will pay you the dependent rate of an E5 VAH while you’re attending school. So it’s almost like using your GI Bill, but not so you get the benefits of the GI bill pay because it’s a lot different than the VR&E payment.
So if you have GI bill benefits, it helps with the VR&E program. But they do have the VR&E program that is set up to help you get back into the workforce in a career that you feel will be successful and that the VA also identifies as a potential successful career for you, whether it’s certifications or a degree.
What States Offer Property Tax Exemptions for Veterans Under 100%?
All right everyone, my last question is from user named Parsinious. They ask: “Are there any states that offer property tax exemptions for disabled vets under 100%?”
Yes, there are a number of states that offer some property tax exemptions for veterans under 100%. These include states like Florida. I think they offer property tax exemptions to veterans with at least a 10% rating. Illinois which offers exemption to veterans starting at I think 70%, And I want to say Oregon is they offer tax exemptions for veterans with at least a 40% rating. Now each state has its own exemption rules, so it’s important to check with your state to see which exemptions you may qualify for. But yeah, look up your state and try to understand what benefits you have. And they may offer and tax exemptions is one of them for less than 100%.
All right, everyone, thank you so much for watching. If you enjoyed this video, leave a like and subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next one. Call us today at 888-982-1009.
