Claim Review Nets Veteran $113K, College Funding

It pays to have a professional revisit a denied claim. One U.S. Marine Corps veteran from Arizona filed his initial claim for disability service connection in 2012, for example, but had the claim denied based on an opinion that he didn’t have one of the Vietnam War’s presumptive illnesses. 

A Vietnam Veterans of America Overseas (VVAO) veteran service officer (VSO) intervened in 2025 to file a high-level review with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). After filing procedural remedies, the VVAO advocate prevailed; the veteran’s claim was approved with an effective date of 2012.

The veteran received a whopping $112,865 in tax-exempt back pay — a life-changing amount for him and his family. In addition, the veteran’s children qualified for Chapter 35 benefits for college; currently $1,750 per month for four years of schooling, the benefits total more than $54,000 per child.

Could you be missing out on guaranteed benefits? Contact a VVA Veteran Service Officer to assist with your claim in states that have a benefits program here, or search for a VSO from another organization through the VA’s website in states where we do not. Enter your ZIP code or city and state, and you’ll see which VSOs serve your area.