Veteran’s Day
Veterans Day occurs on November 11th every year in honor of the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918, signifying the end of World War I. In 1938, November 11th was dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day”. In 1954, “Armistice” was changed to “Veterans” after both World War II and the Korean War. With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
In 2018 there were 18.2 million living veterans who had served during at least one war. Nine percent of our veterans are women. Seven million served in Vietnam, two million served in the Korean War, and three million have served in support of the War on Terrorism. Of the 16 million who served during World War II, about 496, 777 were still alive as of 2018.
Many of our veterans don’t come back from war the same as they did when they left home to protect our country. In 2018, 4.7 million, or 25 percent of the total, had a service-connected disability. Among all veterans with a service-connected disability, 29 percent reported a disability rating of less than 30 percent, while 41 percent had a rating of 60 percent or higher.
If you are a veteran and are currently receiving VA benefits, you may be entitled to additional benefits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides monthly disability benefits to those who are unable to work for a year or longer. These benefits differ from VA benefits in some of their qualifications, but both can help ease financial burdens.
Unlike VA benefits, Social Security benefits do not require the condition you are experiencing to have happened during active duty. With that being said, if you have developed a condition after or have a preexisting condition, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits.
To begin your application, you can do so online or contact us to help you. If you do choose to fill out your own online application, use the official SSA website, www.ssa.gov to use the free service. There are many imposters out there, and some legal services companies will charge you for filling out an application.
Thank you to all who have served to help protect our country. We are eternally grateful for your service.
