My First Payment Is Way Larger Than What It Should Be

[schmitty918]

I got my first payment for VA disability a few days ago. I little over 14,000. While that is great an all, I searched around and I found my approval letter on ebennifits and I was approved for 50%(around $850 a month) starting December 1st, 2014. The math doesn't make any sense. Can someone please explain this to me? At first I was thinking it was the last installment of my enlistment bonus, but I'm pretty sure that money comes from a the Army, not the VA and I was discharged early so I wasn't expecting that anyway.

[saints13]

If you got severance pay then the VA will withhold all your pay until the severance pay is paid back minus any taxes they took out. It happened to me. When I got medically discharged they gave me 21,000. But 5,000.00 was taken out in federal taxes. VA sent me a letter stating they noticed I got a severance check from the military for 21,000.00. So they were going to withhold all my monthly checks until the 21,000 was recouped. Told them they took out 5,000.00 in taxes so VA adjusted it and said they will withhold my monthly checks until the 15,000 was recouped. I was only rated at 20% at the time so it took almost 6 years before I started getting my monthly disability checks. That's just what happened to me though back in 1998. I don't know about the COLA thing though, except for the drink cola, ha ha ha

[Buck52]

I agree with GP & broncovet! good advise!

saints13

COLA means ''Cost of living Adjustment''

........Buck.

[Oiler1995]

Definetly,put the money in savings.If there's any payback at least you will have it if there's a mistake.Goodluck.

[marine0816]

Take the money and run, we give billions to countries that hate us every year.. What is a little over payment to a US veteran?

[ArNG11]

Take the money and run, we give billions to countries that hate us every year.. What is a little over payment to a US veteran?

Funny, seriously pretty funny.

[ArNG11]

I would keep it in the bank. If there is an error and when they realize there is an error, they will be quick to point and shoot and collect. JMO, if it were me, I would suggest going through the decision and the dates and make an educated guess as to what you should have gotten and then go with that. Anything in excess, keep it in a separate account. Contact the VA and make sure you make reasonable, traceable attempts to correct the mistake. If they fail to contact you, look up to see if there are any statute of limitations. Heck the IRS can go back 10 years on back taxes. I don't think the VA is any different.