Service connection for any disability requires three elements. First, the Veteran must have had an injury, illness, or event which first presented or occurred in active-duty service. Second, the Veteran must have a current disability which is related to the in-service event. Finally, the Veteran must have a medical “nexus” statement linking the condition in service to the current disability. This blog is focusing on the first prong of service connection, the event in active-duty service.

Generally, the Veteran’s period of active-duty service can be easily identified by the Veteran’s DD-214. The DD-214 will include periods of active-duty service during which the Veteran may be eligible for disability compensation benefits from the VA. However, when the Veteran is a National Guard or Reservist, without any period of true active-duty service in the armed forces, the period of active-duty service can be more difficult to pinpoint.

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