Can a Disabled Veteran be Recalled to Active Duty? (Answered)

Remember the excitement in the air when you were called to serve your country as military personnel?

The basic training, the benefits, and all made butterflies in your bellies, and you never imagined or thought you would become disabled.

Of course, nobody would, and it’s no fault of yours that you’ve moved from being an active military person to a disabled veteran.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking and why you’re looting the internet for articles like this.

You want to know if a disabled can be recalled to active service and your chances of being recalled to active duty, right? The simple answer is yes, a disabled veteran can be recalled to active duty.

This article aims to guide disabled veterans on the recall process to active duty.

So, let’s get to it.

Table of Contents

• Everything You Should Know About a Recall into Active Duty
• What to Do when Recalled to Active Duty
  • Notify the VA
  • Re-establish your military pay allotments
  • Change your survivor benefit plan
• What Qualifies You As a Disabled Veteran?
• Frequently Asked Questions

Everything You Should Know About a Recall into Active Duty

There are several factors a veteran can get a recall into active duty. The most common reasons are national war and a state of emergency. When this happens, a state can recall retired and disabled veterans to serve in their capacity.

The general rule of thumb is that veterans recalled into active duty will serve in their previous rank before their retirement or disability challenges. Also, the veterans recalled into active duty will get full pay and allowances for the duration.

The point is that a disabled veteran can be recalled to active duty if need be. It all buzzes down to the unit the disabled veteran belongs to, their ranks, and the nation’s need at that time. Only a disabled veteran with a 100% VA (Veterans Affair) disability rating cannot get a recall into active duty.

Related: What the Rehabilitation Benefit Covers in a Disability Income Policy

What to Do when Recalled to Active Duty

Since you can get a recall into active duty as a disabled veteran, it’s important to know how to prepare ahead.  We’ve done all the work for you. Here’s the step-by-step guide to preparing for a recall to active duty as a disabled veteran.

Notify the VA

As earlier mentioned, a disabled veteran with a 100% VA rating cannot get a recall to active duty. But, bear in mind that if your VA rating is less than 100%, they can recall you to active duty. When this happens, you must notify the VA to stop your disability compensation.

Once recalled to active duty, you will be placed on active duty members’ payroll to receive your full pay and allowances. Failure to notify the VA to terminate the disability compensation when recalled to active duty is a criminal offense.

Note that the termination of your disability compensation from the VA will not affect your VA disability rating. And if you have disability issues after your active duty, you will qualify for another disability compensation from VA.

Re-establish your military pay allotments

Next is to re-establish your military pay allotments and stop the allotments paid to your disabled veteran pay account. Then, you can return to your previous allotments when you retire or are out of active duty.

Related: How to Report Someone Taking Advantage of a Disabled Person

Change your survivor benefit plan

It is against the law to alter your survivor benefit plan when you are retired. You cannot add or remove a spouse or dependent on your survivor benefit plan after your retirement. But fortunately, when recalled to active duty, veterans can add a new spouse or dependent to their survivor benefit plan.

This change is only allowed within a year of recall to active duty. Within a year, you must notify the DFAS to make the necessary adjustments to your survivor benefit plan.

What Qualifies You As a Disabled Veteran?

This section of the article covers factors qualifying you as a disabled veteran. Note that qualifying as a disabled veteran is not limited to the factors mentioned herein. I have only stated the most commonly known ones in this article. You can check with your military codes to confirm your qualifications as a disabled veteran.

A disabled veteran has served on active duty and was discharged honorably. But that’s not all. They have been diagnosed with a disability caused by their service in active duty or a service-connected disability and receiving VA disability compensation and other disability benefits.

To qualify as a disabled veteran, you must have received a 60% rating for a single disability or 40% for a single disability paired with another disability to equalize a 70% disability rating. A disabled veteran with a 100% VA rating means that the military personnel is completely disabled and cannot function in active duty.

A medical report stating why a veteran can no longer work in a sedentary or physical role often backs the rating. It will interest you to know that getting proof of VA disability is like a breeze. All you need to do is create an account on the VA official website.

Related: Homes for People with Disabilities: Everything You Should Know

Frequently Asked Questions