Question about disability pay

[Grunt 8152]

I'm curious about something and hoping someone can explain something for me or point me in the right direction.

 

It's my understanding that disability payments and ratings are based on the total impact to earning capacity.

 

Can someone help me understand why if your 50% disabled you don't receive half the pay of a 100% rating? It just seems weird that if you're being compensated for it's impact on your earning potential that a 50% impact for example doesn't entitle you to 50% of what they give you if you are 100% disabled.

 

Thanks

[brokensoldier244th]

It has to do with total disability effects averaged out across a large number of people. A 50% disability on one part of you (or collectively of a bunch of small things) is not the same 'net' effect on productivity potential for every person, every industry, or even that much of an impediment for some people. The VA combined ratings tables are the same that insurance companies use for the same thing. You start at 100% 'whole'. You get rated 20%, now you are 80% whole. If you get rated another 20%, the impediment is 20% of the remaining 80%, or 5, basically, which would bump you up to 30% (since VA uses 10 pt rounding-anything .5 and over moves to the next level). And onward, etc. 

 

As for how, who, came up with the amounts and tables? Thats an actuary/statistical thing that I don't remember much about - its been many years since I took stats in college, and I wouldn't have all of the data that they used, to make an informed guess. They were also developed a long time ago, as were the definitions of the Ratings schedule (see, for example, "total occupational and social impairment"). 50 yrs ago, in an agrarian/industrial/mixed society having a 100% MH rating would render most anyone pretty ineffective in an employment setting. Fast forward to now, though, and you have lot of modernization and accommodation options that can make it relatively easy for people even with high ratings to be employable.

I have a 100% combined rating and I work full time- but- I work from home. I'm in comfortable surroundings with my support system (family) around me, and I can take breaks as I need to, and work my full 8 any time within a 12 hour period on that day. Thus, I can space things out, go to doctor's appts, take naps, breaks, etc, if im having a bad pain or bad head day. I'm also 45 and computer literate (I used to IT for hospitals across the country) before I finally succumbed to taking FMLA and 5 yrs off from ANYTHING about 6 yrs ago. During that time I was increased to 100% p/t. I started working again PT in 10 hour a week or so increments over the next few years for a city library, in the stacks, away from people. I gradually built my tolerance and self-confidence/self-worth back up to a point where I could relatively reliably work longer. Eventually I got to where I could work 40 hours in SOME job industries, with accommodations. That's where I am right now. 

Granted, that path, or those types of jobs are not always the best fit for everyone, or in industries where they have experience, so that can be a challenge. Still, there are more and more companies at a national level that are starting to shed their 'building/campus butts in seats' model for a more streamline part or full tele-remote work model, and not just the big ones like Google/Microsoft. I have a friend that worked for an insurance company from home for the last 2 yrs as a cust service rep, and it was a big one (All State) I think. Cellphone/data companies often do it, also. 

Edited March 19, 2022 by brokensoldier244th

[pacmanx1]

1 hour ago, Grunt 8152 said:

Can someone help me understand why if your 50% disabled you don't receive half the pay of a 100% rating? It just seems weird that if you're being compensated for its impact on your earning potential that a 50% impact for example doesn't entitle you to 50% of what they give you if you are 100% disabled.

The simplest answer is at present, this is the law and rules that the VA goes by and the only way to change it is through Congress.