Are you a veteran that was injured or developed a disease that is not related to combat? You could be eligible for veterans benefits for disease and non-battle injury. This article discusses how veterans service-connect diseases and non-combat-related mental and physical impairments.
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Can I get veterans benefits if my disease or injuries are not combat related?
For many years, a primary source of injury to soldiers has been non-battle injuries. These injuries occur anywhere our troops are located. Soldiers become disabled from non-battle injuries while they are deployed or stateside, at bases, or at home. Non-battle injuries and accidents occur to service members, just like injuries and accidents occur to the civil population.
Sports and exercise-related activities such as basketball, running, weightlifting, and training can cause muscle, joint/tendon/ligament and bone injuries. Some of these injuries heal quickly, while other injuries can cause lifetime pain.
“Non-battle injuries resulted in more medical air evacuations from Afghanistan and Iraq than battle injuries,” said Keith Hauret, an epidemiologist at the U.S. Army Public Health Command. “The leading cause of these injuries are physical training and sports.”
Military soldiers need training so they are physically fit and able to perform physically demanding tasks. However, physical training stresses the body often causing injuries to muscles, tendons, and ligaments that can lead to orthopedic injuries to feet, ankles, knees, and hips. Orthopedic injuries are common when soldiers get caught up in sporting games like weightlifting, football, and basketball.
There are veterans benefits for disease and non-battle injury.
The military defines disease and non-battle injury as a person who is not a battle casualty but who is lost to the organization by reason of disease or injury, including persons dying of disease or injury, by reason of being missing where the absence does not appear to be voluntary, or due to enemy action or being interned.
Service personal that are active duty are on duty 24 hours a day – 7 days a week. It does not matter if you were technically off duty or on duty at the time of injury or how the injury occurred.
Many veterans have service-connected disabilities from non-battle injuries that occurred while they were active duty. These service-connected disabilities may be from playing sports like basketball, football or a soccer game. Training, running, slip and falls cause thousands of non-battle injuries every year to enlisted personal. Non-battle injuries also develop from falls from ladders, falls on snow and ice, even automobile or motorcycle accidents cause non-battle injuries.
There are a variety of diseases to both enlisted men and women that cause non-battle injuries. Diarrhea, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and respiratory problems are common causes of non-battle disease in all branches of the military. Non-battle disease can cause anxiety and depression.
Disease and non-battle injuries often cause veterans additional problems later in life. A broken ankle from training can cause the knee and hip to deteriorate after years of use. Veterans that experience service-related disabilities from broken bones, face and head injuries, hip, knee and ankle injuries often suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental disorders.
The VA often wrongly denies veterans benefits for disease and non-battle injury.
The Veterans Administration often does a poor job connecting a direct relationship from a serious motorcycle, automobile crash, or minor training injury to a veteran’s disability claim. The VA may grant a service-connection from training that caused an ankle injury, but deny benefits related to that injury that caused other disabilities and injuries to the knee and hip leading to anxiety and depression from foot, ankle, knee and hip injuries.
Veterans that suffer from non-battle injuries should receive VA benefits for all their service-connected disabilities. The VA may grant a small service-connected disability to a veteran from a non-battle foot or ankle injury but all too often they miss the secondary, knee and hip injuries and disabilities that cause veterans a lifetime of pain that leads to anxiety and depression and other mental health issues.
Free VA claim evaluation on veterans benefits for disease and non-combat injury.
Want to find out if you’re eligible for veterans benefits for disease and non-battle injury? Woods & Woods veterans disability lawyers can help! You only pay our law firm if you obtain VA disability benefits. There is never a charge to talk to us about your claim. Learn what legal options are available to you as a veteran. Know your rights!