How a veterans disability attorney Disability Settlement Can Affect a Divorce Case
Jim’s client, 58 years old, is permanently disabled from his service in the military. He receives a monthly pension from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
He would like to know how an award from a jury will impact his VA benefits. The answer is that it will not. It will, however, have an impact on the other sources of income he earns.
Can I claim compensation in the event of an accident?
If you’ve served in the military but are now permanently disabled because of injuries or illnesses, you may be eligible for a veterans disability attorneys disability settlement. This settlement can assist in compensating you for medical bills, lost income, and other expenses that resulted from your injury or sickness. The type of settlement that you can receive will depend on whether or not your illness or injury is service-connected, what VA benefits you are eligible for, and the cost to treat your accident or injury.
Jim is a 58 year old Vietnam veteran was diagnosed with permanent disabilities as a result of his two years of service. He doesn’t have enough space for work to be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits, however, he does have the VA Pension, which provides cash and medical treatment for free according to his financial need. He wants to learn how a personal injury settlement can affect his ability to benefit from this benefit.
The answer is contingent upon whether the settlement is in the form of a lump sum or a structured settlement. Structured settlements are payments made over a time frame instead of in one payment, and the amount paid by the defendant is used to offset any existing VA benefits. A lump sum settlement will affect any existing VA benefits because the VA will annually evaluate and consider it as income. If Jim has excess assets after the settlement has been annualized, he can reapply to receive the Pension benefit. However the assets he has to be under a limit that the VA has agreed establishes financial necessity.
Do I need to hire an attorney?
Many spouses, military personnel and former spouses have concerns about VA disability payments and their impact on financial issues during divorce. Some people think, for instance, that Department of Veterans Affairs compensation payments can be split as an army retirement in divorce proceedings or that they’re «off limits» in calculating child support and alimony. These misconceptions can lead to serious financial errors.
It is possible to submit an application for disability benefits yourself, but most disabled veterans disability legal (https://iamelf.com) will benefit from the assistance of a professional lawyer. A skilled veteran’s disability lawyer can examine your medical records and veterans disability legal gather all the necessary evidence to make a convincing case to the VA. The lawyer can also file any appeals that you might require to get the benefits you deserve.
The majority of VA disability lawyers don’t charge for consultations. The government will also pay the lawyer directly from the benefit of retroactive benefits. This is a benefit of the Equal Access to Justice Act. The amount of retroactive past-due benefits your lawyer will receive must be specified in your fee agreement. For example an agreement on fees could state that the government will pay the lawyer up to 20% of retroactive benefits or give. Any additional amounts are your obligation.
Can I Garnish My VA Benefits?
The VA provides monthly compensation to disabled veterans. The purpose of the payments is to offset the effects of injuries, diseases or disabilities that have been sustained or worsened during the veteran’s service. As with all income, veterans disability benefits are subject to garnishment.
Garnishment permits a court order that an employer or government agency deduct money from the pay of a person who has an amount and then pay it directly to the creditor. In the event of divorce, garnishment may be used to pay spousal or child support or child support.
However, there are some situations in which a veteran’s disability benefits may be refunded. The most common situation involves veterans who have waived their military retirement to get disability compensation. In these scenarios the amount of pension that is allocated to disability compensation can be garnished in order to cover the obligations of family support.
In other cases, a veteran’s benefits can also be garnished in order to pay medical expenses or federal student loans that are over due. In these instances a court may be able to directly to the VA to obtain the necessary information. It is crucial for disabled veterans to find a competent attorney to ensure that their disability benefits aren’t taken away. This will allow them to avoid having to rely on private loans and payday lenders.
Can I Represent Myself in a Divorce Case?
VA disability settlements can be a major benefit for veterans disability litigation and their families, but they’re not without their own set-of complications. For instance when a veteran is divorced and is awarded a VA disability settlement, they need to know how this could affect their benefits.
In this regard, a major question is whether disability payments are considered to be assets that could be divided in a divorce. This question has been addressed in two ways. A Colorado court of appeals ruling found that VA disability payments were not property and could not be divided this manner. Another option is a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Howell which ruled that garnishing a veteran’s VA disability benefits to pay for Alimony is against the Uniformed Services Former Spouses Protection Act (USFSPA).
Another concern relating to this subject is the treatment of disability benefits for child maintenance and support. The USFSPA and the Supreme Court both forbid states from claiming disability benefits as income for these purposes. Certain states take different methods. Colorado, veterans disability legal for example, adds all income sources together to determine the amount required to support a spouse. The state then adds disability payments in order to take into account their tax-free status.
In the end, it is crucial for veterans disability law to know how their disability compensation will be affected if they become divorced and how their ex-spouses can affect their compensation. By being aware of these questions, veterans can guard their income and avoid unintended consequences.