§ 1151. Benefits for persons disabled by treatment or vocational rehabilitation

1,502 words·~7 min read·/usc/title-38/section-1151

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(a)Compensation under this chapter and dependency and indemnity compensation under chapter 13 of this title shall be awarded for a qualifying additional disability or a qualifying death of a veteran in the same manner as if such additional disability or death were service-connected. For purposes of this section, a disability or death is a qualifying additional disability or qualifying death if the disability or death was not the result of the veteran’s willful misconduct and—

(1)the disability or death was caused by hospital care, medical or surgical treatment, or examination furnished the veteran under any law administered by the Secretary, either by a Department employee or in a Department facility as defined in section 1701(3)(A) of this title, and the proximate cause of the disability or death was—

(A)carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on the part of the Department in furnishing the hospital care, medical or surgical treatment, or examination; or

(B)an event not reasonably foreseeable; or

(2)the disability or death was proximately caused

(A)by the provision of training and rehabilitation services by the Secretary (including by a service-provider used by the Secretary for such purpose under section 3115 of this title) as part of an approved rehabilitation program under chapter 31 of this title, or

(B)by participation in a program (known as a “compensated work therapy program”) under section 1718 of this title.

(1)Where an individual is, on or after December 1, 1962, awarded a judgment against the United States in a civil action brought pursuant to section 1346(b) of title 28 or, on or after December 1, 1962, enters into a settlement or compromise under section 2672 or 2677 of title 28 by reason of a disability or death treated pursuant to this section as if it were service-connected, then (except as otherwise provided in paragraph (2)) no benefits shall be paid to such individual for any month beginning after the date such judgment, settlement, or compromise on account of such disability or death becomes final until the aggregate amount of benefits which would be paid but for this subsection equals the total amount included in such judgment, settlement, or compromise.

(2)In the case of a judgment, settlement, or compromise covered by paragraph

(1)that becomes final on or after the date of the enactment of this paragraph and that includes an amount that is specifically designated for a purpose for which benefits are provided under chapter 21 or 39 of this title (hereinafter in this paragraph referred to as the “offset amount”), if such judgment, settlement, or compromise becomes final before the date of the award of benefits under chapter 21 or 39 for the purpose for which the offset amount was specifically designated—

(A)the amount of such award shall be reduced by the offset amount; and

(B)if the offset amount is greater than the amount of such award, the excess amount received pursuant to the judgment, settlement or compromise, shall be offset against benefits otherwise payable under this chapter.

(c)A qualifying additional disability under this section shall be treated in the same manner as if it were a service-connected disability for purposes of the following provisions of this title:

(1)Chapter 21, relating to specially adapted housing.

(2)Chapter 39, relating to automobiles and adaptive equipment.

(Pub. L. 85–857, Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1124, § 351; Pub. L. 87–825, § 3, Oct. 15, 1962, 76 Stat. 950; Pub. L. 91–24, § 3, June 11, 1969, 83 Stat. 33; Pub. L. 94–433, title IV, § 404(19), Sept. 30, 1976, 90 Stat. 1379; Pub. L. 98–223, title II, § 213(1), Mar. 2, 1984, 98 Stat. 46; renumbered § 1151 and amended Pub. L. 102–83, §§ 4(a)(1), 5(a), Aug. 6, 1991, 105 Stat. 403, 406; Pub. L. 104–204, title IV, § 422(a), Sept. 26, 1996, 110 Stat. 2926; Pub. L. 106–419, title III, § 303, Nov. 1, 2000, 114 Stat. 1853; Pub. L. 108–454, title III, § 304(a),(c), Dec. 10, 2004, 118 Stat. 3611.)

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