Vets Disability Panel Rejects Lump Sum Option

The Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission rejected the concept of the Department of Veterans Affairs offering veterans with lower-rated disabilities a lump-sum payment in lieu of monthly payments for life. The 13-member commission made the decision after a public meeting the week of Oct. 16 in Washington, D.C., during which veterans organizations spoke against the idea. The plan, which would have applied to veterans rated 10 or 20 percent disabled by the VA, would have encompassed some 75 percent of all disabled veterans. Joseph V. Violante, legislative director for Disabled American Veterans, said that veterans should be relieved by the commission’s decision. Veterans who took the lump sums would be giving up a lot of their benefit and would face the possibility of not being able to re-open their claim should conditions worsen, he said.