Veterans Benefits Guide For Dummies

If your claim for veterans benefits is denied, you can appeal to the VA regional office and even to the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) if needed. If the Board of Veterans Appeals denies your appeal, you’re not dead in the water yet. If you still believe that you’re entitled to the benefit(s) you claimed, you have three options: Ask the board to reconsider, ask the local VA regional office to reopen your appeal, or appeal the board’s decision to the U.

Veterans with disabilities or medical conditions that were caused or worsened by military service can receive compensation and other government aid. VA pensions are paid to disabled veterans under 65, and any wartime veteran 65 or older with limited income. Low-income veterans who are totally and permanently disabled due to non-service-connected medical conditions and disabilities can receive a disability pension.

A veteran can receive a military funeral in a military or private cemetery. The choice affects how arrangements are made for that veteran’s military funeral. Here are your choices for a military veterans funeral: A veteran can be buried in a national cemetery, Arlington, a National Park Service cemetery, or a state veterans cemetery.

Dependency Indemnity Compensation, or DIC, is a monthly benefit paid to eligible survivors of deceased veterans — a spouse, unmarried child, and in some cases, parent. For survivors to qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, the deceased veteran must meet one of the following criteria: A veteran who died on active duty A veteran whose death resulted from a service-related injury or disease A veteran whose death resulted from a non-service-related injury or disease, and who was receiving, or was entitled to receive, VA compensation for a service-connected disability that was rated as totally disabling (this includes veterans who were receiving 100 percent disability compensation due to “unemployability,”) For at least 10 years immediately before death Since the veteran’s release from active duty and for at least five years immediately preceding death For at least one year before death if the veteran was a former prisoner of war who died after September 30, 1999 Eligible spouses include those who meet one of the following conditions: Married the veteran before January 1, 1957 Was married to a service member who died on active duty Married the veteran within 15 years of discharge from the period of military service in which the disease or injury that caused the veteran’s death began or was aggravated Was married to the veteran for at least one year Had a child with the veteran and lived with the veteran continuously until the veteran’s death or, if separated, was not at fault for the separation Spouses who remarry before the age of 57 lose their entitlement to benefits, unless that marriage ends.

Should military pay be considered community property when there is a divorce, and divided between the retiree and his/her spouse? In 1981, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that military retirement pay couldn’t be divided as community property by state divorce courts. When the decision was announced, military retirees shouted for joy, while ex-spouses sent up cries of protest.

Survivors’ & Dependents’ Educational Assistance is an education benefit for eligible spouses and children of certain veterans. Spouses and children can receive education benefits even if the veteran is not deceased. Eligible persons can receive up to 45 months of full-time or equivalent benefits for: College, business, technical, or vocational courses; high school diploma or GED; independent study; or distance learning courses Correspondence courses (spouses only); apprenticeship/on-the-job training Remedial, deficiency, and refresher training (in some cases) The cost of tests for licenses or certifications needed to get, keep, or advance in a job To be eligible for this education program, you must be the son, daughter, or spouse of: A veteran who is rated by the VA with a 100 percent service-connected disability.

Most, but not all, veterans are eligible for veterans burial and memorial benefits, including a special marker, medallion, or headstone, a memorial flag, and a signed certificate from the President. Get markers, medallions, or headstones for veterans When someone is buried or memorialized in a national cemetery, state veterans cemetery, or National Park cemetery, a headstone or marker is part of the package.

The VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) Program helps veterans who have service-connected disabilities get and keep a job. The VR&E Program (Chapter 31) also has other benefits for veterans, beyond education and training. After your evaluation by a VA vocational rehabilitation counselor (VRC), the VA may determine that you’re entitled to participate in the program but that you don’t need education or vocational training to meet your employment objectives.

In order to apply for your veterans benefits, you must be able to prove your service eligibility and the nature of your discharge. The type of discharge you received when you left service may affect your eligibility for a particular veterans benefit, so it's important to understand the different types of discharges.

Applying for benefits under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, Active Duty Montgomery GI Bill (ADMGIB), and the Selected Reserve GI Bill (SRMGIB) is rather easy, considering these programs are administered by the federal government. Just follow these steps: Find out if the program you want to participate in is approved for VA education benefits.

The GI Bill helps veterans get the education needed to find civilian employment. Both the Post 9/11 GI Bill and the Montgomery GI Bill offer education benefits to veterans that can be used to pay for education programs that lead to an accredited college degree or an occupational objective. Benefits under the new Post 9/11 GI Bill can only be used for programs offered by schools in the United States that are authorized to grant an associate’s degree or higher.

As a veteran, you are entitled to receive health care under the VA's medical benefits package, as long as you meet the VA's eligibility requirements for the medical benefit you are seeking (this is true, even if your medical condition is not service-related). Once enrolled in the VA's medical benefits program, you’re assigned to the VA medical center closest to where you live.

If your claim for veterans benefits is denied, you can appeal the decision. You can appeal other decisions regarding your veterans benefits as well. An appeal is a request for the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) to review the VA regional office’s decision made on your claim. The BVA is part of the Department of Veterans Affairs and is located in Washington, D.

If you have a disqualifying discharge characterization and you're a veteran, does it mean you’re out of luck for receiving veterans benefits? Not necessarily. If you believe your discharge characterization or your reason for discharge to be inequitable or improper, you can apply to the appropriate Discharge Review Board (DRB) for a discharge upgrade or to change your reason for discharge.

The Veterans Affairs (VA) medical benefits package provides health care to veterans who qualify. Veterans that qualify for VA health care should enroll in the priority group they fit into so they can receive medical benefits as soon as possible. There are eight categories, with Group 1 as the highest priority for enrollment in the VA health care system.

Tricare is a health insurance program available to veterans, and it comes in four varieties: Tricare Prime, Tricare Extra, Tricare Standard, and Tricare for Life. Tricare, the military's health insurance plan, actually covers everyone — active-duty members, retirees, and their families. Check your eligibility for veterans health insurance (Tricare) You’re eligible for Tricare benefits if you: Are a retired active-duty member.

If your claim for veterans benefits is denied, you can appeal the decision to the VA regional office and to the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA), if needed. The appeals process can sometimes be lengthy, but you can have someone represent you and help you with your appeal if you want. You start your appeal by submitting a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) to the VA regional office.

To qualify for a particular veterans benefit, you must prove your eligibility. Eligibility for veterans benefits typically depends on your length of service, where and when you served, and your discharge characterization. Each and every VA benefit has different eligibility rules. Why? Each and every veterans benefit represents a different law, passed by Congress, at a different time.

Before you can claim any veterans benefit, you must prove your service eligibility. Some veterans benefits require active duty service, while other veterans benefits are not as strict in their requirements. In any case, you will need to prove your service and manner of discharge in order to apply for a particular benefit.

Not all veterans are authorized to shop in exchanges on military bases base-exchanges, post exchanges, commissaries, and the like. Qualified veterans can shop in any of the four exchange systems, regardless of their service branch: The Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) The Navy Exchange Service (NEXCOM) The Marine Corps Exchange (MCX) The Coast Guard Exchange (CGX) Congress makes the laws concerning who can and can’t shop at military exchanges, commissaries, and other non-appropriated fund activities.

The Veterans Affairs (VA) medical benefits package provides health care to veterans who qualify. Veterans qualify for VA health care if they have a military discharge other than dishonorable, and meet the minimum military service requirements. If you have even one day of active-duty service before September 8, 1980, as an enlisted member, or before October 17, 1981, as an officer, you’re eligible for medical benefits.

Each time Congress passes a new veterans benefit law, it establishes specific eligibility criteria for that benefit. For the purpose of benefits, being a veteran is not enough. Whether you qualify for benefits, or certain types of benefits, depends on several factors: Your length of service Where and when you served Your discharge characterization Veteran benefits and length of service Eligibility for most veterans benefits requires a minimum length of military service.

The VA extended care (long-term care) program includes such services as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult family homes, domiciliaries, adult day care facilities, and other programs. Depending on your financial situation, however, VA extended care may cost you. VA long-term care options The VA’s nursing home programs include: Community living centers: These centers are designed for veterans with chronic stable conditions including dementia, those requiring rehabilitation or short-term specialized services such as respite or intravenous therapy, or those who need comfort and care at the end of life.

Yes, a veteran's military retirement pay is subject to federal income tax. The amount of federal tax deducted from a veteran's retirement pay each month is based on the number of exemptions indicated on the veteran's W-4 after retirement. As a veteran, whether your retirement pay is also subject to state income tax depends on your state’s laws.

Military medical retirement is intended to compensate for a military career cut short because of disability. Typically, a medical retirement is issued when a medical condition is severe enough to interfere with the proper performance of your military duties. Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation is intended to compensate for disabilities that interfere with civilian employment, and it is separate from medical military retirement pay.

The U.S. government operates two retirement homes for certain military veterans: the Armed Forces Retirement Home Gulfport and the Armed Forces Retirement Home Washington. Retired officers that aren't eligible for the Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) can retire to special retirement homes for officers. The Gulfport campus, located in Gulfport, Mississippi, was originally established as the Naval Asylum in 1834, until the name was changed to the Naval Home in 1880.

Life insurance programs are valuable benefits offered to qualified military servicemembers and veterans. Current members of the military can choose from several life insurance programs (depending on their status), including Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (SGLI), Traumatic Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (TSGLI), and Family Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (FSGLI).

Veterans who want to start a business should checkout the Patriot Express Veterans Small Business Loan program. Patriot Express is administered by the SBA (Small Business Administration).The SBA Patriot Express Pilot Loan Initiative provides loans for veterans who want to start a small business or expand a small business they already own.

Veterans benefits available to you vary based on the type of your military service, so it's important to understand the differences before you apply for any veterans benefits. As you'll see, military service varies from full-time warriors to various types of reservists. Veterans benefits and full-time warriors Active-duty service is full-time service.

If an error in your military record makes you ineligible for a veterans benefit, then fix the error and qualify for the veterans benefits you deserve. Perhaps DD Form 214 doesn’t include all of your active-duty service or maybe it’s missing a critical medal, such as the Purple Heart. If you fix such errors, you may qualify for a benefit you didn't qualify before.

It can sometimes be difficult to know who qualifies for veterans benefits. ID cards are issued for other military benefits, including shopping, travel and Tricare. Here is a list of basic qualifications: Military members on active duty. Members of the active (drilling) National Guard or Reserves. Retired active-duty members.

The VA will pay a veterans death pension to a spouse who has not remarried or to an unmarried child of a deceased wartime veteran. A veterans death pension is a needs-based benefit and is payable only to eligible dependents who have annual income below a yearly limit set by law. You may be eligible to receive a veterans death pension if all the following conditions are met: You are the unmarried spouse or unmarried child of a deceased veteran.

Service-Disabled Veterans’ Insurance (S-DVI) is life insurance designed specifically for veterans with service-connected disabilities. S-DVI is available as term, modified, or ordinary life insurance and in a variety of other permanent insurance plans as well. The maximum amount of coverage is $10,000. You can apply for S-DVI if you meet the following four criteria: You were released from active duty on or after April 25, 1951, with a discharge that the VA considers to be other than dishonorable.

The VA home loan program is a great benefit. With a VA home loan, it is easier for veterans to finance a home than most commercial loan programs, and there is no required down payment and no required private mortgage insurance (PMI) for the loan. Just follow these easy steps: Obtain counseling. This isn’t required under the VA Home Loan Program, but it’s certainly a good idea — especially for the first-time home buyer.

Veterans are often surprised at the number and types of benefits that are available. If you're just getting started in applying for veterans benefits, there are some basic things you should know. Nobody is going to hand you your benefits Unfortunately, that would be too easy. Instead, you have to know what benefits there are, you must find out what the eligibility criteria is to receive a particular benefit, you need to know which government agency is in charge of that benefit, and then you have to ask for the benefit.

Getting help with veterans benefits isn’t all that difficult, and it’s a wonder more veterans don’t do so. Veterans can get help with their benefits from all sorts of places, including the places listed here. Veterans benefits and the American Legion Many of these posts have accredited American Legion representatives to help veterans with their VA claims and appeals.

Getting the benefits due you as a veteran from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is often a frustrating experience. Claim your veteran benefits without the frustration by following these simple rules. Accept help in claiming your veteran benefits Don't go it alone. Numerous people and organizations are able to help you, including veterans service organizations (VSOs), counselors at VA regional offices and vet centers, representatives at various state veteran offices, and even lawyers who specialize in veterans affairs.

Military travel is a top benefit for veterans. Many veterans and their family members can travel for free on military aircraft by using the space-available travel program, often referred to as space A. Although this is a valuable benefit, space-A travel can often be frustrating, unless you follow these tips. Departure terminal choices for veterans Generally speaking, military air terminals on the West Coast have more scheduled flights to Pacific locations, such as Japan, Hawaii, Alaska, Korea, Australia, and Guam, while terminals on the East Coast have the most flights to Europe and the Middle East.

The VA or the state will pay some of the expenses incurred in the burial of our country's veterans. Not every veterans funeral expense is covered, although most of the normal expenses you might incur will be reimbursed. When a veteran or his qualifying dependents are buried or inurned in a national cemetery, Arlington, or a National Park cemetery, the government will pay for opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a headstone or marker, and a burial flag.

The Armed Forces Vacation Club is an inexpensive vacation option for veterans and their families. The Armed Forces Vacation Club (AFVC) is a collection of time-share condominiums that are rented out to veterans and qualified military members at incredibly low prices. As with staying at military lodging facilities or vacationing at one of the Armed Forces Recreation Centers (AFRCs), you have to have an ID card to take advantage of this benefit.

Veterans are entitled to a wide range of benefits, but unfortunately most veterans benefits aren’t well publicized. Sometimes they’re hidden in long, confusing pieces of legislation, and other times, they’re buried among broken links on half-dead government websites. Fortunately, this Cheat Sheet is here to help.

The VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) Program helps veterans who have service-connected disabilities get and keep a job. The VR&E Program (Chapter 31) has placed vets in employment positions ranging from sales associate at the mega-superstore up the road to production manager at an international corporation.

Veterans’ Mortgage Life Insurance (VMLI) is a life insurance program for a veteran's survivors. Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance is designed to pay off the home mortgage of a severely disabled veteran in the event of his or her death. Only veterans who have received a Specially Adapted Housing Grant from the VA are eligible for Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance.

Survivors can receive an annuity after a veteran dies, under the Survivor Benefit Program (SBP). When a veteran dies, his retirement pay stops. However, if the veteran enrolled in the Survivor Benefit Program, a surviving spouse or minor children can continue to receive a portion of that pay. The Department of Defense (DOD), not the VA, manages the Survivor Benefit Program (SBP).

Qualifying veterans can relax at luxury vacation resorts known as Armed Forces Recreation Centers. For military members and veterans, Armed Forces Recreation Center resorts (AFRCs) offer affordable vacations at full service resorts. AFRCs offer a full range of resort hotel opportunities for those who hold the magic military or dependent ID card.

Veterans who've suffered a service-related disability can get help from the VA for modifying their homes. The VA has grant programs to assist disabled veterans with necessary home modifications: The Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant The Special Home Adaptation (SHA) grant The Temporary Residence Adaption (TRA) grant The Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) grant Disabled veterans and the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant The goal of the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant Program is to provide a barrier-free living environment that gives a disabled veteran a level of independent living that he may otherwise not enjoy.

Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) is life insurance offered exclusively to veterans. Post –separation, a veteran can convert his SGLI coverage to renewable term insurance. You can convert your SGLI coverage to VGLI upon your discharge from the military or within 485 days of discharge. If you convert within 120 days of separation, you don’t have to show proof of health.

Military funeral honors for veterans are provided by the Department of Defense. Military services have a long tradition of providing funeral honors for fallen veterans of their branches. However, during the military drawdowns of the late ’80s and ’90s, as resources began to stretch, the DOD found this harder and harder to do.

A VA pension is a benefit paid to wartime veterans, 65 or older, with limited or no income. Pensions are also paid to veterans under 65, who are permanently and totally disabled. VA disability compensation is payable to veterans who have service-connected disabilities that have been rated by the VA to be at least 10 percent disabling.

The Tricare Retiree Dental Program (TRDP) is a voluntary dental insurance program available to eligible military and their families. Under the Tricare dental care program, you pay a monthly premium in exchange for dental care benefits, which are managed by a company called Delta Dental. You can find information on enrolling in Tricare Retiree Dental Program online, or by calling 888-838-8737 between 6 a.

Tricare is the military’s health insurance program, and it comes in four varieties: Tricare Prime, Tricare Extra, Tricare Standard, and Tricare for Life. Tricare, the military's health insurance plan, covers everyone — active-duty members, retirees, and their families. However, retirees and their dependents have to chip in for the cost of coverage.

You can use your GI Bill benefits to pay for almost any education program that leads to an accredited college degree or to an occupational objective. The programs listed here are examples of the types of approved training programs for which GI Bill benefits are payable. An undergraduate or graduate degree at a college or university, including An accredited independent study program (which may be offered through distance education) leading to a standard college degree.

The GI Bills can be used to pay for a variety of education and training programs, but there are restrictions on where or how the benefits can be used. You may not receive benefits for the following courses: Bartending and personality development courses. Nonaccredited independent study courses. Any course given by radio.

Most, but not all, veterans are eligible for veterans burial and memorial benefits. As a veteran, military and even private burial expenses may be covered. Burial at Arlington may even be permitted under certain circumstances. Check eligibility for military burial benefits You’re eligible if you fall into one of the following categories: President or former presidents of the United States, based on their service as commander in chief.