Various advocates and lawmakers have voiced their concerns about disabled veterans who may be left out of receiving direct payments from Congress as part of a sweeping bill to support Americans during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to an article Stars and Stripes, “Their concern is for disabled or low-income veterans and surviving family members who receive monthly compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs but don’t normally file tax returns or benefit from Social Security. The Internal Revenue Service is using the addresses or direct deposit information on file from Americans’ 2018 or 2019 tax returns to send the stimulus checks. For some, the VA payments are their only income. Those payments are not taxable, so the IRS lacks payment information for many veterans and families — potentially millions, advocates said.”
A letter written by twelve veterans advocacy organizations and government leaders stated, “Unfortunately, this approach will leave out a significant number of people who have little or no income and are not required to file a federal tax return, including many seriously disabled veterans and their survivors…While there may be logistical or even legal obstacles to overcome, it is critically important that you and your departments work together to prevent potentially millions of disabled veterans and their survivors from losing this financial support.”
Always contact an attorney if you are seeking veterans disability benefits. Wolf & Brown offers a free initial consultation.
Relevant Pages: Veterans Disability