Navigation Temporary and Total Disability
An often underutilized benefit, temporary and total disability is compensation which may be granted to a Veteran who finds themselves hospitalized or requiring convalescence due to a service-connected condition. In order for a Veteran qualify for this benefit, a Veteran needs to be hospitalized as a result of a service-connected condition for a period of 21 days or more in a VA medical center or VA approved hospital. The Veteran’s effective date for the temporary and total disability will be the first day that the Veteran’s hospitalization and end on the last day of the month the Veteran was discharged.
Another instance where a Veteran can qualify for temporary and total disability is a period of extended convalescence to recover from an operation of at least one month, or if a Veteran is placed in an immobilizing cast of a major joint, or are suffering from severe postoperative residuals, due to a service-connected condition. The date of temporary and total disability is the date the Veteran is discharged from hospital or begins outpatient treatment and granted in periods of 30 days, which can be extended up to 6 months or longer depending on the progress made by the Veteran.
