Do you know what your VA benefits are?

FYI I confirmed with a Vets Service Officer and two other Vet organizations on the web that VA disability compensation for a VN Vet with Prostate Cancer can be started as soon as a definitive diagnosis of PC is established, e.g. thru a biopsy.

But it is essential to understand that if the patient chooses 'watchful waiting', aka 'active surveillance', he can receive 100 percent disability for years either until he dies, or takes definitive action to eliminate the cancer, through surgery, radiation or chemo. After the cancer is in remission, of course, VA will reduce the percentage of disability based on individual circumstances.

In my case, I had biopsy-confirmed PC in Sep 2010 and for five years kept it under 'watchful waiting' until fall 2015 when definitive treatment became necessary. Had I submitted a claim back when it was first diagnosed, I could have collected over $150k, tax free in VA disability compensation over those five years. As it was, my actual disability status and compensation only started last fall when I decided to have definitive treatment of the cancer because that is when I submitted my claim.

Catch 22 is that you cannot retroactively file for disability, like back to the start of your eligibility, when you were first diagnosed. Nope, your eligibility starts from the day you file your claim even if you would have been eligible to file years earlier. No recourse is available to make payments retroactive to when PC was first diagnosed. Arbitrary, but firm VA rule, and it applies to every type of VA disability claim, not just prostate cancer.

$150k is a helluva price I paid for being unaware of the rules. So pass this email around to make sure any VN Vets know the importance of filing immediately after PC is diagnosed, especially if they decide on 'watchful waiting'.