Veterans Affairs Benefits for the Guard
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This page includes links to information on VA programs and benefits. Many of these programs were designed for Guard and Reserve personnel returning from Operation Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom tours.
Click on a link below to learn more about benefits and special programs for veterans. Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom/Benefits for National Guard and Reserve Personnel Department of Veterans Affairs Federal Benefits Guide for Veterans and Dependents (2004 Edition) VA Non-Service-Connected Pension Program (for Those Without Service-Connected Disabilities) Veteran’s Readjustment Counseling Service VA Makes Unusual Outreach Effort: Afghanistan, Iraq Vets Urged to Seek Psychological Help |
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Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom/Benefits for National Guard and Reserve Personnel
External Web Link: http://www.seamlesstransition.va.gov/seamlesstransition/
This site contains benefits information for returning National Guard and Reserve service members. It includes the printable trifold brochure “A Summary of Benefits for National Guard and Reserve Personnel.” Over 30 links connect you to resources or information on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); the GI Bill; transitioning from war to home; health, medical, and employment benefits; and readjustment and bereavement counseling.
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Hire Vets First
External Web Link: www.hirevetsfirst.gov
The Hire Vets First website provides valuable information regarding the hiring of veterans for Managers, Human Resource Specialists and veterans seeking employment.
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Department of Veterans Affairs
External Web Link: http:https://www.guardfamily.org/?line=10031
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Web site provides a wealth of information on veterans’ benefits. Health benefits, vocational rehabilitation, employment, education, and current hot topics are all covered in detail.
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Vet Center Directory by State
External Web Link: http:https://www.guardfamily.org/?line=10031
This page provides a directory of links to the Vet Centers within each state. Use it to locate your nearest Vet Center.
What are Vet Centers? Vet Centers provide returning war veterans with high-quality readjustment services at locations in or near their communities. Vet Centers provide professional readjustment counseling, community education, and outreach to special populations. They help veterans gain access to services from community agencies and to additional services within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
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Federal Benefits Guide for Veterans and Dependents (2004 Edition)
External Web Link: http://www1.va.gov/opa/vadocs/current_benefits.htm
The 2004 edition of this booklet provides a complete listing of the federal benefits available to veterans and their dependents. You can download the booklet as a PDF file in English or Spanish from the URL shown above.
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VA Non-Service-Connected Pension Program (for Those Without Service-Connected Disabilities)
External Web Link: http://www.military.com/Opinions/0,,Berkley_062105,00.html
The cash assistance provided by the VA Non-Service-Connected Pension Program can help veterans with modest incomes pay for prescription drugs, nursing home or in-home care, and other out of pocket medical expenses.
In order to qualify for the VA Non-Service-Connected Pension Program, veterans are required to have served during a specific period of war, such as World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, or the wars in Iraq/Afghanistan. The location of the service, stateside or overseas, does not matter as long as the veteran was discharged under honorable conditions and, generally speaking, served for at least 90 days.
Veterans may receive a non-service-connected pension based on reaching age 65. Veterans who are under age 65 qualify if they are permanently and totally disabled. For disabled veterans, the disability does not have to have any relationship to the veteran’s military service.
Eligibility for the program is based upon need. A veteran is generally eligible if he or she has less than $80,000 in net assets. The home and one motor vehicle are not counted in determining assets. The annual income of the veteran and dependent family member must be below certain limits.
For 2005, the maximum benefit for a single veteran is $846 per month. If the veteran has a spouse or other dependent, the maximum amount is $1,109 per month. In determining eligibility and the amount of the benefit paid, the VA will subtract any income, such as Social Security or retirement benefits, the veteran and his dependents receive from the maximum amount.
Additional amounts are payable to a disabled veteran of any age who is housebound or in need of aid and attendance. For example, a single veteran who is considered housebound is eligible for up to $1,034 per month. A single veteran who is paying privately for nursing home care may receive up to $1,412 per month. A single veteran who is blind or needs the aid of another person for daily activities and who receives care at home can also receive up to $1,412 per month. If this veteran has a spouse, the amount is $1,674 per month. Single veterans whose nursing home care is being paid by Medicaid have their benefit reduced to $90.00 per month, but the $90.00 must be given to the veteran and may not be used for the cost of medical or nursing home care.
In determining income, the VA will count all of the income received by the veteran and his or her dependents. The VA will subtract from a veteran’s income out-of-pocket medical expenses above a minimal amount ($508 per year for a single veteran and $665 per year for a veteran with a spouse or other dependent) paid by the veteran or dependents. Even if the veteran is depleting savings to pay medical expenses, the expenses are still deducted from income to increase the pension benefit.
For example, under VA rules, a single veteran who is housebound because of disabilities, who has $1,400 per month in gross income, and who is paying $562 per month for medical expenses, would be eligible for $157 per month in VA pension benefits. Medical expenses include Part B Medicare premiums, Medi-gap insurance, prescription drugs, nursing home care or other medical care, and dental care. Only expenses actually paid by the veteran or dependent may be deducted.
Wartime veterans who believe that they qualify for a pension can contact the Department of Veterans Affairs (1-800-827-1000) for an application and further information. A simple letter requesting the pension benefits (including a request for housebound aid and attendance if applicable) can serve as an “informal claim” for a pension, allowing benefits to be paid from that date forward if the claim is approved. Applications can also be completed online or can be printed out and mailed directly to the VA.
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Veteran’s Readjustment Counseling Service
External Web Link: http:https://www.guardfamily.org/?line=10031
Readjustment counseling is provided at 206 community-based Vet Centers located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Designed to help combat veterans in their readjustment to civilian life, counseling is provided to groups, individuals, and families. Other services provided include medical referral, homeless veteran services, employment services, VA benefit referral, and brokering of non-VA services. Eligible veterans include those with active-duty service in a combat theater during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, in the campaigns in Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, or Iraq, or in the global War on Terror. Veterans who served in the active military during the Vietnam era, but not in the Republic of Vietnam, are also eligible provided they requested services at a Vet Center before Jan. 1, 2004. Vet Centers also provide bereavement counseling to the families of military personnel killed in action and sexual trauma counseling to veterans who suffered sexual trauma while on active duty.
Readjustment difficulties can include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other problems that affect functioning within the family, workplace, school, or other area of everyday life. For additional information, contact your nearest Vet Center. Vet Centers are listed in the federal government section of the telephone directory. A directory of Vet Centers categorized by state is provided at http:https://www.guardfamily.org/?line=10031
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VA Makes Unusual Outreach Effort: Afghanistan, Iraq Vets Urged to Seek Psychological Help
External Web Link: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20041005-9999-1m5outreach.html
More than 4,000 San Diego County veterans are being offered free medical care by the Department of Veterans Affairs under an unprecedented outreach effort to help them handle the psychological aftermath of Iraq and Afghanistan. The VA has sent letters to 10,860 veterans — including National Guardsmen and reservists — in Southern California alone urging them to seek medical services, including screenings for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and adjustment disorder, two conditions prevalent in combat vets.