Claim Raven explanation
What this means
This statute authorizes compensation for qualifying disability from injury or disease incurred or aggravated in line of duty during a period of war, subject to its service, discharge and other limits.
The word wartime refers to the legally defined period of service; it does not by itself say that the injury must have occurred in combat. The statute also addresses line of duty, discharge conditions, and limits involving misconduct. A particular case may require other statutes and regulations to determine how those requirements apply.
How this helps your claim
This statute helps explain the basic authority for disability compensation tied to qualifying wartime service. The relevant service period and discharge conditions matter, along with whether the disability arose or worsened in line of duty. The service-connection regulations explain how the evidence is considered; this statute does not assign a rating.
What to check in your records
Use the related service-connection regulations to understand how evidence is considered.
- Check the service dates and discharge information in your separation and personnel records.
- Find medical and service records addressing the injury, disease, or worsening involved in the claim.
- Read the decision’s explanation of entitlement alongside the related service-connection rules. If service eligibility or line of duty is disputed, identify the exact finding and supporting records.
Separate the compensation elements in the decision
The statute supplies the basic wartime compensation authority, while other provisions explain how specific service and disability questions are evaluated. A diagnosis, qualifying service and a supported relationship are different facts. The decision may accept some while disputing another.
Read the favorable findings and reasons for each issue. This can show whether the unresolved question concerns the current disability, an event during service, the relationship between them or another eligibility requirement. Repeating an accepted fact may not answer the element the decision found missing.
Does wartime compensation require that I was injured in combat?
Not simply because this statute uses the wartime framework. Legally defined service periods and combat circumstances are different concepts. Combat can have its own evidentiary relevance, but the basic statute does not mean every qualifying injury must occur in combat. The applicable entitlement conditions still matter.
Official statutory text
38 USC § 1110
OLRC release through Public Law 119-102 (July 12, 2026). Layout and spacing are adapted for reading. The statutory text is shown here; publisher source credits and editorial notes remain in the linked official release.
§ 1110. Basic entitlement
For disability resulting from personal injury suffered or disease contracted in line of duty, or for aggravation of a preexisting injury suffered or disease contracted in line of duty, in the active military, naval, air, or space service, during a period of war, the United States will pay to any veteran thus disabled and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable from the period of service in which said injury or disease was incurred, or preexisting injury or disease was aggravated, compensation as provided in this subchapter, but no compensation shall be paid if the disability is a result of the veteran’s own willful misconduct or abuse of alcohol or drugs.
Related references
- 38 USC § 1131: Peacetime disability compensation eligibility
- 38 CFR § 3.303: VA service connection explained
- 38 USC § 5107: Benefit of the doubt in VA claims
- 38 CFR § 3.159: VA duty to assist: records and examinations
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