The men and women who have served in the Armed Forces, along with their families, are owed a debt of gratitude that can never truly be repaid. Each and every one of them has sacrificed so that all Americans can enjoy the freedom and safety that comes with living in the United States. Although it may be impossible to ever truly repay a veteran for his/her service, the U.S. government does offer a number of benefits to veterans and their dependents. Many eligible veterans, however, are unaware of all the benefits to which they might be entitled. With this in mind, the North Andover trust attorneys at DeBruyckere Law Offices explain the top five VA benefits.
Disability Benefits
Veterans who have disabilities, medical conditions, or injuries incurred or aggravated during active military service may be eligible to receive tax-free monthly benefits. To be eligible for disability benefits, you must show:
- You have a current physical or mental disability.
- You had an injury or disease in service or experienced an event in service that caused or aggravated an injury or disease.
- There is a link between your current disability and the event, injury, or disease in military service.
In addition, the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) program provides monthly benefits to surviving spouses, dependent children, or parents in recognition of the economic loss caused by a Servicemember’s death during military service, or by the death of a Veteran as a result of a service-connected disability. You can find out if you are eligible for the DIC program on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.
Health Care
Veterans, and their families, have access to excellent health care services. To be eligible you must:
- Have served in the active military, naval, or air service and separated under any conditions other than dishonorable.
- If you enlisted after Sept. 7, 1980, or entered active duty after Oct. 16, 1981, you most likely will be required to have served 24 continuous months or the full period for which you were called to active duty. This includes current and former members of the Reserve or National Guard called to active duty by a federal order.
Along with providing basic preventative care and emergency care, veterans may also be eligible for a wide variety of specialty health care programs, such as:
- Inpatient and hospitalization benefits
- Mental health care
- Geriatrics and Extended Care Services
- Domiciliary
- Hospice
- Respite
- Home health care
- Home telehealth
- Homeless services
In addition, the VA also offers a number of non-medical services aimed at maximizing access to health care services or supporting those services. For example:
- Beneficiary Travel
- Caregivers
- My HealtheVet
- Rural Health
- Transplant Services
- VA Point of Service (VPS)
- Veterans Canteen Service
- Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
- Veteran Transportation Services
Education and Training
Several programs help veterans and their dependents to further their education at little, or no, cost. Among the programs offered are:
- Post-9/11 GI Bill®
- Yellow Ribbon Program to help pay tuition costs for private, out-of-state, or graduate school.
- Montgomery GI Bill®
- Reserve Educational Assistance Program
- Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance
Home Loans
You have likely heard about the VA loan program. There are actually several loan programs that provide low-interest rate financing for veterans, and surviving spouses, who wish to purchase, or refinance, a home. The three main programs include:
- VA Purchase Loans
- Cash-Out Refinance Loans
- Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loans
In addition, for Native American Veterans who wish to purchase a home on tribal lands, there is a special program, the VA Native American Direct Loan (NADL) program.
You might also qualify for the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant program. SAH grants help Veterans with certain service-connected disabilities live independently in a barrier-free environment. SAH grants can be used in one of the following ways:
- Construct a specially adapted home on land to be acquired
- Build a home on land already owned if it is suitable for specially adapted housing
- Remodel an existing home if it can be made suitable for specially adapted housing
- Apply the grant against the unpaid principal mortgage balance of an adapted home already acquired without the assistance of a VA grant
Pension and Veterans Aid and Attendance Program
Pension is a needs-based benefit for wartime Veterans with limited or no income who are age 65 or older or who have a permanent and total non-service-connected disability.
The Veteran’s Aid & Attendance (VA&A) program is intended to provide additional monetary assistance above and beyond that provided by the VA pension program. The additional assistance is aimed at helping veterans who need help with daily tasks of living, such as dressing, bathing, or cooking by providing the financial resources to hire someone to help.
Contact North Andover Trust Attorneys
For more information, please join us for an upcoming FREE seminar. If you have additional questions about veteran benefits, contact the North Andover veteran benefits attorneys at DeBruyckere Law Offices by calling (603) 894-4141 or (978) 969-0331 to schedule an appointment.
The amount of your disability benefits will depend on several factors, including the extent of your disability – rated from 0 to 100 in increments of 10 — and your household members (spouse and/or dependents) at the time of your disability rating.
Homebound benefits are very similar to VA&A benefits. Eligibility criteria are also similar except you must be homebound as well.
Yes. You have a right to appeal the denial of many veteran benefit programs. Consult with an experienced attorney if you have been denied benefits to which you think you are entitled.
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