September 2025 

I am often approached by Veterans and their dependents who have unrealistic expectations regarding potential benefits or, they are simply unaware of potential benefits. I’d like to help clarify some misunderstandings. 1) The surviving spouse of a deceased Veteran is not entitled to the Veteran’s service-connected disability award, or non-service-connected pension award. These entitlements do not convey to the spouse after death. This is particularly important as I often encounter surviving spouses who have planned their financial future based on erroneous, often hearsay information. There are two potential paths of entitlements to the surviving spouse of a deceased Veteran which are determined by the nature of the Veteran’s passing. They are either “Survivor’s Pension” or “Dependency and Indemnity Compensation.” 2) A Veteran can be service-connected disabled but not receive a monthly monetary amount. The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) can and often does adjudicate a disability as having been caused by an in-service event, but also determine that the severity of the disability does not rise to the level of it being compensable. 3) A Veteran need only be 10% service-connected disabled to apply for a reduction of property tax on their primary residence. Reach out to the Fannin Central Appraisal District for additional information. The Veteran will have to demonstrate the current disability rating and fill out the appropriate application(s). 4) A Veteran need only be 30% service-connected disabled to add dependents to their award. This includes spouses, including “common-law” spouses, dependent juvenile children, dependent adult children still attending school, dependent parents, and dependent adult children who, because of their disabilities, require parental care. 5) The VA does not “loan” money to Veterans. The VA is not a bank. 6) There are two pathways into VA Healthcare. These pathways are through financial means testing, and/or service-connected disability. 7) There is no statute of limitation for filing disability claims through the VBA. I have service-connected Veterans in their 90’s. And finally, 8) The effective date of service-connected disability pay is typically based on the date the VBA receives the claim. There are exceptions to this however, more often than not, the effective date will be the date the claim is received. As always, many thanks to our Veterans for their service and sacrifice. Reach out to Fannin County Veteran Services, or the Veteran Service Officer in your county for additional information or assistance with your Veteran related needs.