Who is Considered a Veteran?

There are a lot of questions you must ask yourself when you are applying for VA Disability Compensation. What conditions are related to my time in service? Which doctors have I treated with for these injuries? Will my family be taken care of if something happens to me? However, one simple question you may forget to ask yourself is; am I a Veteran? or who is considered a Veteran?

It may seem like a simple question to answer. However, it’s not that black and white. I joined this firm in March of 2011. In that time, I’ve met a lot of people who thought they were Veterans who weren’t and a lot who thought they weren’t Veterans but were.

GifBefore we get too far down the rabbit hole, let’s look at how the VA defines who a Veteran is. Essentially, a Veteran is a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and did not receive a dishonorable discharge. The latter part of this condition is met if you received a general, medical, or entry-level discharge. If you received any other type of discharge, the VA must determine that your discharge was other than dishonorable.

One area in which many men and women get confused falls under the length of time. Too often people think that they must serve a specific time to be considered a Veteran. That’s not true. Many Veterans enter the military for a set period, but they must be discharged early for several reasons. Here is a common example we witness. An individual joins the military on a 4-year enlistment. Near the end of the 2nd year, they injure their ankle and are no longer found fit for duty. In this case, that individual will likely receive a general discharge because of medical reasons. When he recovered, he’d likely be assigned a general discharge, and he’d be sent home.  Keep in mind that this person has done nothing wrong, he was found unfit for duty. The military can’t really punish a person for that, especially if the injury was not intentional. This also doesn’t mean that this person should lose their Veteran status. Though our firm does not deal with education benefits, we’ve heard that a general discharge means that you may have some issues with your education benefits.

We also meet some men and women who think that the only people who can be considered Veterans are those who served in combat or served overseas. This is also not true. For the most part, you have very little control over where the military sends you, or if you are deployed to combat. So, the military and the VA can’t really hold that against you.

What about people who think that they are Veterans, who aren’t? There are a few times in which this can be issue. You may assume that it goes without saying that anyone who didn’t serve in the military isn’t a Veteran. It’s also important to note that the spouse of a Veteran, and the children of a Veteran, are not considered Veterans (unless they also join the military.) Also, individuals who participated in ROTC programs in high school or college, but never entered the armed forces, are not considered Veterans. Finally, anyone who received a dishonorable discharge is .

If you are a Veteran and would like to know more about the services we provide, call us today for a free consultation. Our Number is toll -free 1-877-526-3457. If you can’t talk right now, fill out this form, and we will call you at a better time.

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