Disabled veterans can receive both VA benefits and SSD benefits as long as the disability occurred in connection with military service. Each benefit must be applied for separately, and approval for one does not guarantee success in the other. One major difference in eligibility is that Social Security requires that an applicant be incapable of any kind of full-time work, while th VA allows partial disability.
Veterans who become disabled during active military service on or after October 1st, 2001 may take advantage of an expedited Social Security disability approval process. The only requirement for VA disability is that your disability occurred during time in the military, but it does not have to be a result of combat.