It is common for military veterans who suffer from a disability due to their service to file for a disability claim. However, many of these service people develop other disabilities in the future related to their service.
In that case, it is possible to file for a secondary claim. This allows a person to receive more benefits for any new disability that connects to a prior disability that the individual received benefits for.
What are secondary disabilities?
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs discusses secondary claims, used to receive more benefits. To gain these benefits, a person needs to go through the same initial process that they underwent for the first disability claim.
Some common examples of secondary disabilities include arthritis that happened due to a service-related knee injury, or heart disease due to high blood pressure as a result of service.
How to properly file
It is necessary for the person filing to gather up as much evidence as possible, first. They must submit any and all related medical documents or records related to the disability in question, along with the new disability. This shows the progression of the new disability and how it directly ties to the original one.
It is also possible to get the testimony of family and friends to help back up these evidence records and findings. They can vouch for the progression of an illness or disability and how it directly tied back to another disability.
In submitting these documents properly, it is entirely likely that a veteran can gain further benefits for the complex and related disabilities they continue to suffer through.