Rates of Veterans Considered “Unemployable” Triples

The Veterans Administration offers an individual disability compensation program called Individual Unemployability. The program uses a scale to determine whether a veteran is eligible to receive both veterans benefits and social security disability benefits.

Recently, government data showed that 100% unemployability had tripled since 2000. Part of the spike has to do with numerous vets, who are also now senior citizens, living longer and becoming physically weaker as they age. The majority of people who fit this classification are in the age range that they have already stopped working – 56% are at least 65 years old, and 11% are 80 years old or older.

To be eligible for the veterans benefit of Unemployability, you must:

• Be a veteran
• Have at least one service-related disability OR
• Two or more service-connected disabilities ratable at 40% or higher, for a combined rating of 70% or higher
• Be unable to maintain gainful employment due to service-related disabilities.

The Individual Unemployability benefit was created in 1934, before Social Security or social security disability existed. Most workers were employed as manual laborers, and the Great Depression was putting financial strains on all economic levels. The benefit was created as a safety net for veterans, particularly of World War I, who fell out of the work force due to service-related disability. Now, the largest group of veterans receiving individual unemployability veterans benefits served in Vietnam – meaning they could have serious mental trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder that would add to their disability rating.

The government data singled out individual unemployability as the largest VA expenditure in the last few years, which led some to claim that the system operates under antiquated rules.

“VA’s compensation program does not reflect the current state of science, technology, medicine and the labor market,” the Government Accountability Office concluded in a 2006 report.

The report noted that 37% of the US workforce were men ages 65 to 69.

Another large group of applicants for the individual unemployability benefit are much younger. For example, Isaiah Kyseth left the army in 2007 when he damaged discs in his back during a training exercise, then suffered further injuries in an off-duty car accident. He never went to war, but he is still considered a veteran.

He received an individual unemployability rating of 80%, at the age of 31. While this has covered much of his medical needs, he will be truly unemployable for the rest of his life due to his physical condition.

“I lost my entire sense of purpose,” he said. “I am permanently disabled for the rest of my life.”

While it is important to continue to financially support veterans as they age into retirement and receive unemployability ratings, it is just as important to maintain high standards for applicants like Kyseth, who are unlikely to find another source of employment for decades.

The Strom Law Firm Can Help With Veterans Benefits and Disability Problems in South Carolina

If past problems with your records affect your ability to apply for Veterans Disability in the state of South Carolina, the attorneys at the Strom Law Firm can help. Veterans Disability can be complex.  Not understanding the basics and not having counsel can leave you in a bind.  We understand that you need your South Carolina Social Security benefits.  We will put our years of experience to work for you to ensure that you have the representation necessary to actively pursue your claim.  Call the South Carolina Veterans benefits attorneys at the Strom Law Firm today to discuss your Veterans Disability case today.  We will be glad to discuss any questions you may have during our free, confidential consultation.  Call the experienced attorneys at the Strom Law Firm at (803)252-4800.