Will a VA Approval Help My Social Security Disabilty Case?

It is not unusual for social security disability claimants to have disability cases pending with both the Social Security Administration and the Veteran's Administration. Nor is it unusual to be approved by the VA while a social security case lingers on, or is later denied.

Unfortunately, VA disability approvals have no bearing on the status of claims filed with the Social Security Administration.

Why?

The Social Security Administration uses its own unique method of evaluating disability claims and defines "disability" just as uniquely.

Essentially, for social security purposes, claimants must have a severe impairment, potentially resulting in death, that prevents (or may prevent) them from working for at least 12 full months.

This definition of disability infers that approved claimants must be one hundred percent disabled. This is in direct contrast to the VA system which gives claimants "percentages" of disability, and awards them accordingly.

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