Add spouse to DAV

I can appreciate your frustration. I retired in 1980 and was certified by the VA in 1981 with a 20% service connected disability. That percentage amount has grown to 70% over the years. I didn't know until 2016 that there are several different levels of financial compensation based on with/without children and with/without spouse. I had been receiving financial benefits based on veteran alone from 1980 until 2016 when I in fact had a spouse and dependent children at home when I started and have been married to the same woman since 1961. Not one single person in the VA system EVER mentioned the fact that I could be receiving more money each month if I had a wife or children living at home. Not one! Ever! I now receive compensation for the with spouse level. It took about 3 months for the VA to process that application for me. It was made retroactive to the date of the application - NOT to 1980 as it should have been in my opinion. It's NEVER the Governments fault that you don't know what your benefits are.

...last sentence is straight outta the blamers manual...it's there fault I didn't know???

Personal responsibility...your job to know your rights, benefits and entitlements, hire a lawyer like the rest of us if you need help it's the American way...

Also, IMO you're being quite unreasonable, irrational if you expect back pay/retroactive from the V.A. For more than the 24month maximum...cmon lets keep it real huh?

Swim-bike-run-1 wrote: ...last sentence is straight outta the blamers manual...it's there fault I didn't know???

Personal responsibility...your job to know your rights, benefits and entitlements, hire a lawyer like the rest of us if you need help it's the American way...

Also, IMO you're being quite unreasonable, irrational if you expect back pay/retroactive from the V.A. For more than the 24month maximum...cmon lets keep it real huh?

When I was rated 20% in 1980 and filled out the application paperwork and was counseled by the VA, there wasn't any indication on the forms or in the briefings as to different levels of compensation. As soon as I received my disability rating from the VA, I became a life member of the DAV. I have never seen any mention in the DAV magazine of the different levels of compensation based on marital status or dependents. There simply wasn't any information source that I was aware of at the time that indicated that I actually had choices. THAT was the reality for me in 1980.

The information about different levels of compensation should be a given in both organizations to the veterans at the very earliest part of the application process, IMHO. As to my personal responsibilities, I make it a point to bring factual information to other veterans (as I did above) on this and other websites so that they might benefit from it and not make the same mistakes I did. I'm fully aware that there isn't a snow balls chance in Hell that I will every see any of that lost revenue because I wasn't offered full information on what my options were at the time of initial application; with or without a lawyer. My only point in bringing it up here was to help future veterans that might see it here to fully understand what their options are and act accordingly. Your snide comments as to my intent and purpose are duly noted and dismissed.