CCK Law: Our Vital Role in Veterans Law
What Is VA Disability Back Pay?
VA disability back pay is the compensation owed to veterans from the effective date of their claim, to the date they were granted those benefits. Due to its backlog of disability compensation claims, VA can often take months or years to grant benefits.
The longer VA takes to decide your claim, the more back pay it owes you to compensate you all the way back to your effective date. To calculate an estimate of your retroactive benefits, use our VA Disability Retro Calculator.
Who We Are: Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick (CCK Law) has argued many of the cases that have defined and clarified veterans disability law. CCK Law attorneys serve in leadership positions throughout the legal community and have posted more than 2,500 blogs and 1,100 videos about veterans benefits.
Watch CCK Law Partners Maura Black, Michael Lostritto, and Christian McTarnaghan discuss what veterans should know about VA back pay:
How Does VA Determine Effective Dates?
An effective date is the start date VA uses to begin payments. VA assigns effective dates based on the date it received the veteran’s claim, or the date that entitlement arose (e.g., date a veteran was diagnosed with the condition they are claiming).
How Much Back Pay Will I Receive?
The amount of back pay a veteran will receive depends on the effective date of their claim and the disability rating VA grants them. A veteran’s effective date is the date of their claim for benefits or the date entitlement arose.
The other factor that determines the amount of back pay you will receive is the disability rating granted by VA. Generally, the higher the rating, the more back pay VA owes you. The retroactive amount is paid to the veteran in a lump sum.
Our VA disability retro calculator is designed to help veterans estimate the amount of VA disability back pay they might be due based on the factors described above.
How Does the VA Disability Retro Calculator Work?
The VA disability retro calculator calculates your retroactive benefits by asking several straightforward questions. Veterans simply type in the answers to get an immediate estimate. The first question asks the veteran to enter the date on which they should have gotten a larger disability payment than was received. If there is a stop date to indicate a staged rating, the veteran enters that date in the following field.
The VA disability retro calculator then asks the veteran to specify the benefit rate VA should have been paying at that time. Rating percentages, ranging from 0 to 100 in 10 percent increments, are presented in a drop-down list. Next, the calculator asks the veteran to indicate the benefit rate they were actually receiving. Answer choices are again presented in the drop-down list format.
The final questions ask about marital status along with the number of dependent parents and children, if any. Once completed, the veteran clicks “Submit,” and the VA disability retro calculator displays an approximate dollar-figure amount the veteran is owed in disability back pay.
Watch CCK Law’s Bradley Hennings, a partner at the firm, explain how veterans can pursue any back pay they may be owed for past claims VA never ruled on:
Call Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick
Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick is devoted to helping veterans receive any VA disability benefits they may be entitled to. The VA disability retro calculator is a quick and easy-to-use tool that aids in that process.
CCK previously released the VA Disability Calculator, aimed at helping veterans determine an estimate of their combined VA disability rating and monthly compensation. For a free case evaluation, call 800-544-9144 today.
Disclaimer: This calculator uses VA disability ratings and compensation amounts as of 1980. It does not account for historical compensation amounts prior to 1980. This calculator is intended to provide an estimate of your retroactive disability compensation. You should not rely on this calculator in your decision making or for your financial planning. This calculator does not provide legal advice, and is not a substitute for legal advice. We do not represent or guarantee that we will obtain the numbers shown in this calculator in your case.
