Military/VA Benefits

Stu Steinberg, NATEODA benefits coordinator and a service office with the Vietnam Veterans of America since 1978, talks about helping veterans with their VA disability rating and compensation.

The work of Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians brings a tremendous feeling of accomplishment to them against the dangers in the profession. It also brings the lifelong challenges of living with injuries and chronic illnesses that come with the profession. The NATEODA may be able to help you file initial application for disability compensation or reevaluate your disability rating for increased compensation.

Stu Steinberg is our advocate for military and Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. He has an impressive record of helping active-duty members, approximately 300 former and active-duty EOD personnel, with disability ratings before separation or medical retirement, providing valuable assistance with medical boards and corrections petitions, and helping them transition into the DVA system.

He has an equally impressive record helping retired and former service members with their initial rating for DVA disability compensation and increased compensation for health conditions.

These cases have included claims for post-traumatic stress disorder, tinnitus and hearing loss (which most EOD personnel have), injuries from combat wounds, orthopedic issues and claims related to exposure to herbicides in South Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand and for personnel aboard Navy ships that were inside the 12-mile limit of South Vietnam.

If you need help with a claim for medical benefits, contact Stu Steinberg at [email protected].

I am currently handling a case for one of my best friends. I have been handling his DVA claims since 2013. He is now rated at 90%.

Recently, due to having to work from home and being relatively isolated, his PTSD symptoms have gotten worse. I reopened his PTSD claim seeking an increase from 50% to 70%. I was able to obtain his mental health records from the past year which document the increasing severity of his symptoms. I also got a statement from his spouse that documented his worsening symptoms at home. Remember, if you’re making a claim for PTSD and you’re married, make sure you get a statement from your spouse or partner that helps document your symptoms. If I am successful with this claim, my client will be at 100% and can retire from his job if he wants to.

In another case, my client is currently rated for Type II Diabetes due to exposure to Agent Orange during his tour in South Vietnam. I got him rated at 10% for this illness because he was able to control it with watching his diet and losing weight. However, in the last year, his glucose readings increased and he was started on Metformin, a drug that helps the pancreas release insulin. I have filed a reopened claim to increase his rating to 20% because of having to take medication to help control the diabetes. This should automatically get this rating increased to 20%. Since he is retired military, part of his Combat Related Special Compensation—a percentage of his retired pay equal to the DVA rating percentage—will be tax exempt.

Almost everything you need to know about the VA can be found on their website, https://www.va.gov.

Many people are looking for forms on their first visit to va.gov. The link for forms is in the blue section at the bottom of the page. Click on Find a VA Form and a new page opens. Type in the form number, such as VA Form 21-526EZ (the form to apply for a service-connected disability compensation), or type in a descriptive phrase, such as “claim for disability compensation.”

If you need the VA Form 21-526EZ, you might feel the 12-page form with eight pages of instructions is not EZ. Contact us to send us a message for help with your application.

The VA website also connects you with frequently used services such as renewing prescriptions and tracking them, sending a secure message to your primary care team, scheduling and renewing appointments, and viewing your VA medical records.

The white boxes on the page give you quick access links to topics. The links in the Disability box, lets you check on the status of your claim or appeal, upload evidence to support your claim, file a claim for compensation, and file for an increase in an existing service-connected disability.

Finding the link on the VA website can be frustrating. If you need help, send a message to our benefits coordinator.

You can see and manage your VA health benefits at the VA’s MyHealtheVet website. You need an online account to access your information. If you don’t have one, go to the registration page to register as a MyHealtheVet member.

After you create your MyHealtheVet account, you need to upgrade it to a Premium account for access for the highest level of access to My HealtheVet features.

My HealtheVet offers three account types: Basic, Advanced and Premium. Anyone registering on My HealtheVet starts with a Basic or Advanced account. A Basic account provides access to medical libraries and allows you to enter personal data into journals and other tools to track your health measures.

When you register and select Veteran and VA Patient on the registration form, your profile information is linked to VA/DoD records. When this happens, your account is automatically upgraded to the Advanced level.

An Advanced account offers Veterans and VA Patients a higher level of access than the Basic account to My HealtheVet features including:

• VA Prescription Refill
• VA Prescription Tracker
• VA Allergies

For Veterans and VA patients, a Premium account includes all the features of a Basic and Advanced account, plus these services:

• Copies of key portions of your VA electronic health records
• VA Health Summary
• Secure Messaging
• VA Appointments
• VA Medical Imaging and Reports
• Department of Defense (DoD) Military Service Information (MOS codes)

To learn more about creating your account and the services available to you, click the links below to watch these videos from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

MyHealtheVet  This is an overview of the website.

My HealtheVet: Put a Premium on Your Health   This explains how to upgrade to a premium account.

VA Digital Tools for Veteran Health Care Delivery and Self-Care Management   This has more information about the website.

If you need to make sure your medications arrive when you need them, you could use the Rx Refill mobile app.

Learn more and download it here for Android and Apple mobile devices. To use it, you have to enter your ID.me, DS Logon or My HealtheVet account credentials.