How Do I Stop Veteran's Disability Payments From the VA?

If you have military-related injuries, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) likely compensates you each month. Typically, disability payments vary, depending on the level of disability you have experienced and whether you have a dependent or not.

For example, according to the VA, if you have a ​10 percent​ disability rating, you will receive an average of ​$152.64 per month​ as compensation, regardless of whether you have a dependent or not. But things change when you have a higher disability rating due to more severe injuries.

For example, if you have a ​60 percent​ disability rating with no dependents, you will receive ​$1,214.03​ per month. One child will increase your benefits to ​$1,288.03​ per month, and each additional child will increase your benefits by ​$55 monthly​. And if you have a spouse, you will get an extra ​$102 per month​.

However, there may come a time when the veteran disability pay needs to stop. So, you need to know what to do in that case.

Generally, your disability compensation will last as long as the military-related injuries last. That duration varies based on the severity of your injuries. However, if you were designated ​100 percent disabled​, you will receive benefits for the rest of your life.

The same rule applies if you are eligible for an “Individual Unemployability” designation. Such a designation is based on a severe service-related disability of at least ​60 percent​ that prevents you from holding a steady job to fend for yourself.

For other kinds of disability, the benefits will likely come to an end at some point.

You can lose your VA benefits under the following circumstances:

• If you are convicted of a felony and remain in prison for at least ​60 days​, your disability payments will be reduced by as much as half.
• If you don’t notify the VA of your imprisonment, your disability payments will he halted completely until all the overpayments are accounted for.
• If you lie to receive disability benefits and get found out, your compensation may be halted or given to your dependents.
• If you betray your country, you may lose all your benefits, not just the VA disability compensation.
• If you no longer meet the eligibility criteria for VA disability payments, you could lose all benefits. For example, if you had a temporary service-related injury and have recovered, your compensation needs to stop.

If you find yourself in a situation that requires you to halt your veterans disability payments, you are better off canceling the disability claims yourself. If you don’t, you may need to pay back the overpayments, which could put a financial strain on you later. Therefore, you need to learn how to cancel a disability claim for veterans compensation for service-related injuries.

​Get re-examined:​ Visit a medical facility in your state and request re-examination. If your situation has changed, and you are no longer as disabled, making you eligible for employment, request for a letter to that effect. Ensure you get at least two copies of an official letter that includes the doctor’s signature and letterhead.

​Reach out to the VA:​ Once you are officially cleared by the relevant doctor, reach out to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and let them know that you have been medically cleared by your doctor and would like to stop disability payments. You can reach out to the VA through a few methods:

• Electronically via the Ask VA (AVA) online tool
• Via a written statement using the mailing address: Department of Veterans Affairs, Claims Intake Center, PO Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444
• By phone via the number: ​1-800-827-1000​
• Via the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD), using the federal number: 711
• By visiting the VA regional or local offices physically, which you can identify using the online locator tool

​Complete any forms provided:​ If after requesting for a stop to veterans disability payments the VA sends forms that you need to complete, please do so. It would be wise to attach the doctor’s letter to the completed forms at that point. If there are other forms that you need to take back to the doctor on behalf of the VA, do so and attach them too.

​Return the forms and wait:​ Once you have completed the forms, you can submit them. You should wait for at least ​two weeks​ before checking on the progress of your request. Remember, it may take up to ​two months​ before your request for the VA to stop disability payments is processed. In the meantime, you may want to save the payments you are getting to ensure you will be able to pay them back if the need arises.