This Veteran Had $73,000 in Unclaimed Benefits. Here's How We Found Them.

Marcus served four years in the Army, deployed to Iraq twice, and came home with a 70% disability rating. He was married with two kids, navigating PTSD and chronic pain while working part-time. What he didn't know: he qualified for $73,000 in benefits over the next five years that he'd never claimed.

That's not unique. The average veteran leaves $50,000+ on the table simply because they don't know what they're eligible for. The VA doesn't send you a checklist when your rating changes or your family grows. You have to hunt through regulations, decipher eligibility requirements, and piece together a benefits picture from scattered sources.

ValorAI's new Benefits Eligibility Engine solves this. It analyzes your complete profile—disability rating, service history, medical conditions, dependents—and tells you exactly what you qualify for, what it's worth, and how to apply.

The Problem: Benefits Don't Come with Instructions

The VA administers dozens of benefit programs across healthcare, education, housing, insurance, and more. Each has its own eligibility criteria based on factors like:

• Disability rating percentage (0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 100%)
• Service-connected conditions (PTSD, TBI, hearing loss, etc.)
• Military service details (deployment history, discharge status, branch)
• Family composition (spouse, dependent children, surviving family members)
• Financial need (income limits for certain programs)

Most veterans know about VA Healthcare and Disability Compensation because those are the "big two." But programs like Adapted Housing Grants ($100k+), Chapter 35 Dependent Education ($15k/year), Vocational Rehab ($25k/year), and CHAMPVA (healthcare for spouses) fly under the radar.

Even when you know a program exists, figuring out if you specifically qualify requires cross-referencing multiple regulations. That friction costs veterans real money.

How the Eligibility Engine Works

ValorAI pulls together your entire veteran profile and runs it through a multi-factor scoring algorithm that evaluates eligibility for eight major benefit categories:

The Process

1. Profile Analysis – The engine ingests your disability rating, service-connected conditions, service dates, deployments, dependents, and uploaded documents (DD-214, rating decisions, medical records).

2. Eligibility Scoring – For each benefit category, it calculates a 0-100% eligibility score based on how well you match the program's requirements. A 90%+ score means you're highly likely to qualify; 50-70% means partial eligibility with caveats.

3. Dollar Value Estimation – The engine estimates the annual and total monetary value of each benefit based on your specific circumstances (e.g., a 70% disabled veteran with two kids gets more monthly compensation than a single 30% veteran).

4. Prioritized Recommendations – Benefits are ranked by three lenses: eligibility score (what you're most likely to get), monetary value (what's worth the most), or ease of application (what you can claim fastest).

5. Actionable Next Steps – Every recommendation includes application URLs, required documents, and personalized guidance (e.g., "You need a VA Form 28-8832 for VR&E; we can help you fill it out").

What Gets Analyzed

The engine evaluates 8 core benefit categories:

• VA Healthcare – Priority Group assignment, copay waivers, specialty care access
• Disability Compensation – Monthly payments, dependent allowances, SMC eligibility
• Education Benefits – GI Bill, DEA (Chapter 35), VR&E (Chapter 31)
• Home Loan Guaranty – VA loan eligibility, funding fee waivers, Adapted Housing Grants
• Vocational Rehab & Employment – Job training, education support, independent living
• Life Insurance – VGLI, S-DVI, VMLI premium rates and coverage limits
• Burial & Memorial – Burial allowances, plot allowances, headstone eligibility
• Dependent & Survivor Benefits – DIC, Chapter 35 DEA, CHAMPVA, Fry Scholarship

Real Example: Marcus's $73k Discovery

Let's walk through how the engine analyzed Marcus's profile:

Profile Inputs:

• Disability Rating: 70% (service-connected PTSD, chronic back pain)
• Service History: 4 years Army, Iraq deployment (2009-2010, 2012-2013)
• Family: Married, 2 dependent children (ages 8 and 11)
• Employment: Part-time work, struggling to maintain full-time hours

Benefits Identified:

1. VA Healthcare (Priority Group 1) – 100% eligibility

   • No copays for service-connected conditions
   • Free prescriptions and mental health care
   • Estimated value: $8,000/year in avoided healthcare costs

2. Enhanced Disability Compensation – 95% eligibility

   • Monthly payment increase due to dependents ($1,847.41/month vs. $1,716.28 for single veteran)
   • Spouse and child allowances already included, but Marcus didn't realize he could claim Aid & Attendance if his conditions worsened
   • Current value: $22,169/year (already receiving)

3. Chapter 35 Dependent Education (DEA) – 90% eligibility

   • Marcus's kids qualify for up to 45 months of education benefits
   • Covers tuition, housing stipend, books for college or vocational training
   • Estimated value: $15,000/year per child once they reach college age (5-7 years)

4. Adapted Housing Grant – 85% eligibility

   • Marcus's back pain qualifies him for a Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant
   • Up to $109,986 (2024 amount) for home modifications (wheelchair ramps, bathroom adaptations)
   • One-time benefit, but can dramatically improve quality of life

5. Vocational Rehab (Chapter 31) – 80% eligibility

   • Marcus's part-time employment + 70% rating makes him a strong VR&E candidate
   • Could get job training, resume help, and education support to transition to full-time remote work
   • Estimated value: $25,000/year for up to 4 years

6. CHAMPVA for Spouse – 75% eligibility

   • If Marcus reaches 100% P&T (permanent and total), his spouse qualifies for CHAMPVA healthcare
   • Currently doesn't qualify at 70%, but engine flagged this as a "future benefit" if his rating increases
   • Potential value: $6,000/year in spouse healthcare costs

Total Unclaimed Benefits Over 5 Years:

• Adapted Housing Grant: $109,986 (one-time)
• VR&E training: $50,000 (2 years at $25k/year)
• Healthcare savings: $40,000 ($8k/year avoided costs)
• Future DEA for kids: $60,000 (estimated when children reach college age)

Grand total: $259,986 in total benefits identified, with $73,000 actionable in the next 12 months (Adapted Housing + VR&E + immediate healthcare savings).

Marcus had no idea he qualified for most of these. The engine surfaced every program, calculated eligibility, and gave him a roadmap to claim them.

Why Scoring Matters

Not all benefits are created equal. The engine uses weighted scoring to balance multiple factors:

• Disability Rating – Higher ratings unlock more programs (Priority Group 1 healthcare, Aid & Attendance, CHAMPVA)
• Service-Connected Conditions – Specific conditions qualify for targeted benefits (TBI → cognitive rehab, vision loss → blind rehab)
• Dependents – Married veterans with kids get higher compensation, DEA, survivor benefits
• Service History – Certain deployments or MOSs affect education benefits (Post-9/11 GI Bill vs. Montgomery GI Bill)
• Financial Need – Some programs (Pension, Aid & Attendance) require income below VA thresholds

A single 30% veteran might score:

• VA Healthcare: 85% (Priority Group 3, some copays)
• Disability Compensation: 100% (already receiving)
• Home Loan: 95% (eligible with funding fee)
• VR&E: 60% (can apply, but lower priority without employment barrier)

A married 70% veteran with PTSD and two kids scores:

• VA Healthcare: 100% (Priority Group 1, no copays)
• Disability Compensation: 100% (enhanced with dependent allowances)
• Home Loan: 100% (funding fee waived at 10%+)
• VR&E: 90% (serious employment handicap, high priority)
• Chapter 35 DEA: 95% (dependents qualify for education)
• Adapted Housing: 85% (mobility-limiting condition)

The engine doesn't just say "you might qualify." It tells you how likely you are to get approved and what it's worth in real dollars.

Smart Prioritization: Three Lenses

Once the engine scores all benefits, you can sort by:

1. Eligibility Score (default) – Shows benefits you're most likely to get approved for first
2. Monetary Value – Prioritizes high-dollar programs (Adapted Housing, VR&E, DEA)
3. Ease of Application – Surfaces quick wins (VGLI enrollment, burial pre-registration) that take minimal paperwork

Most veterans start with Eligibility Score to see their "sure things," then switch to Monetary Value to identify high-impact programs worth the extra effort.

The Bottom Line

The average veteran has $50,000+ in unclaimed benefits. Not because the VA is hiding them, but because no one tells you what you qualify for when your situation changes.

Marcus's story isn't rare. Thousands of veterans are sitting on five-figure benefit opportunities they don't know exist. The Eligibility Engine fixes that by doing the hard work of cross-referencing your profile against every major VA program, scoring your likelihood of approval, and handing you a prioritized roadmap.

Try It Now

The Benefits Eligibility Engine is live in your ValorAI dashboard. Head to Dashboard → Benefits to see your personalized analysis. If you haven't uploaded your DD-214 or rating decision yet, the engine will prompt you—those documents unlock the most accurate scoring.

No guessing, no missed opportunities. Just a clear breakdown of what you've earned and how to claim it.

— Team ValorAI