Federal Benefits

Are you coming to the Veterans Services office for an appointment?

Here are all the things you should bring with you to help your appointment go as smoothly as possible.

General Benefits Overview: DD214 (Discharge Paper — This is the key to all benefits)

VA Health Care: DD214, Spouse/Children DOB, SSN and your marriage date, Last year’s income information and out of pocket medical expenses, Copy of Medicare Card/Private Health Insurance Card

VA Compensation: DD214, private medical records for claimed condition (VA Medical Records not needed), voided check to send with application.

Update Dependents: Children: DOB, SSN, Place of Birth. Spouse: DOB, SSN, Date and Place of Marriage. Past Spouses: Name, DOB, Date/Place of Marriage, and Date/Place of Divorce/Death for all past spouses for Veteran AND current spouse.

VA Pension/Survivor Pension: DD214, all current financial information with statements, medical expenses, current Social Security Statement, Voided Check for submission with claim - Survivor Pension: Also bring marriage certificate and death certificate, any previous marriages will need to be reported with date of marriage and end date.

DIC: DD214, Death Certificate, marriage certificate (information on any past marriages), voided check for submission with claim

Burial Benefits/Government Markers: DD214, Funeral Home Invoice, Proof of plot/internment expenses, death certificate. (A setting fee for the monument company may apply for government markers)

There is no charge for VA benefits.

Veterans should never pay someone for these services.

VA Math - How does it work? VA Math Explained

The VA uses the Whole-Body Concept when combining VA ratings. Every person starts off at 100% and each following service-connected condition takes a percentage of the overall total. You can never be more than 100% service connected. The VA doesn’t add percentages together they combine them.

• VA Math: 30 % + 20% + 10% = Combined Rating of 50% (NOT 60%)

How is this possible? Think of a percent of a percent of a percent. 

Benefits Based on Compensation Percentages

Every level of percentage comes with different benefits. These checklists have benefits based on compensation percentages. 

0_ SCD Checklist

10_ SCD Checklist

20_ SCD Checklist

30_ SCD Checklist

40_ SCD Checklist

50_ SCD Checklist

70_, 80_, or 90_ SCD Checklist.doc

100_ SCD Checklist

IU_ SCD Checklist

Pre-discharge disability claim 

If you have an illness or injury that you believe was caused—or made worse—by your service, learn how to file a disability claim through the Benefits Delivery at Discharge program. This may help speed up your claim so you can get your benefits sooner. You'll need to file 180 to 90 days before separation.
Open to active-duty service members (including active-duty Guard members and Reservists)

Converting your life insurance after separation 

Find out how to convert your SGLI coverage to a Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI) or commercial policy. Learn about other options for coverage if you have service-connected disabilities. In some cases, you must act within 120 days of separation to ensure no lapse in coverage.
Open to service members and Veterans (active duty, Guard, and Reserve)

Educational and career counseling 

Get support transitioning to a civilian career with free educational and career counseling. You can use this benefit if you're leaving active service soon, have been discharged within the past year, or are a Veteran or dependent who is eligible for VA education benefits.
Open to active-duty service members and Veterans only

Active-duty service members and VA health care 

Learn about your health care options after separation or retirement and how to apply for VA health care when you receive your separation or retirement orders. If you're a combat Veteran, apply right away to take advantage of 10 years of enhanced eligibility.
Open to active-duty service members and Veterans only

Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) 

If you have a service-connected disability that limits your ability to work or prevents you from working, find out how to apply for VR&E services. You can apply up to 12 years from when you receive your notice of separation or your first VA disability rating.
Open to service members and Veterans (active duty, Guard, and Reserve)

VA Health Care

With VA health care, Veterans are covered for regular checkups with your primary care provider and appointments with specialists (like cardiologists, gynecologists, and mental health providers). You can access Veterans health care services like home health and geriatric (elder) care, and you can get medical equipment, prosthetics, and prescriptions. 

Eligibility

You may be eligible for VA health care benefits if you served in the active military, naval, or air service and didn’t receive a dishonorable discharge.

 If you are eligible based on service time, there are additional factors to consider for enrollment, see below. 

If you enlisted after Sept. 7, 1980, or entered active duty after Oct. 16, 1971:

• You must have served 24 continuous months or the full period for which you were called to active duty, unless any of the descriptions below are true for you.

This minimum duty requirement may not apply if any of these are true:

• You were discharged for a disability that was caused—or made worse—by your active-duty service, or
• You were discharged for a hardship or “early out,” or
• You served prior to September 7, 1980

If you’re a current or former member of the Reserves or National Guard

• You must have been called to active duty by a federal order and completed the full period for which you were called or ordered to active duty. If you had or have active-duty status for training purposes only, you don’t qualify for VA health care.

If you meet the basic service and discharge requirements and were exposed to toxins or other hazards while serving our country—at home or abroad 

You’re eligible for VA health care. This includes all Veterans who served in the Vietnam War, Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, or any other combat zone after 9/11. 

Is there anything that will make me more likely to get these benefits?

You may qualify for enhanced eligibility status if you meet the minimum active-duty service and discharge requirements and at least one of these descriptions is true for you. Enhanced eligibility means that we’ll place you in a higher priority group. This makes you more likely to get benefits.

At least one of these must be true:

• You receive financial compensation (payments) from VA for a service-connected disability.
• You were discharged for a disability resulting from something that happened to you in the line of duty.
• You were discharged for a disability that got worse in the line of duty.
• You’re a combat Veteran discharged or released on or after September 11, 2001.
• You get a VA pension.
• You’re a former prisoner of war (POW).
• You have received a Purple Heart.
• You have received a Medal of Honor.
• You get (or qualify for) Medicaid benefits.
• You were exposed to toxins or hazards by working with chemicals, pesticides, lead, asbestos, certain paints, nuclear weapons, X-rays, or other toxins. This exposure could have happened while training or serving on active duty, even if you were never deployed.
• You served in Southwest Asia during the Gulf War between August 2, 1990, and November 11, 1998.
• You served at least 30 days at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987.

Or, you must have served in any of these locations during the Vietnam War era:

• Any U.S. or Royal Thai military base in Thailand from January 9, 1962, through June 30, 1976 
• Laos from December 1, 1965, through September 30, 1969
• Cambodia at Mimot or Krek, Kampong Cham Province from April 16, 1969, through April 30, 1969
• Guam or American Samoa or in the territorial waters off Guam or American Samoa from January 9, 1962, through July 31, 1980
• Johnston Atoll or on a ship that called at Johnston Atoll from January 1, 1972, through September 30, 1977
• Republic of Vietnam from January 9, 1962 through May 7, 1975

If none of these descriptions apply to you, you may still qualify for health care based on your income. Find out if you may be eligible for free or reduced cost health care based on your income.

Current Income Limits

Disability compensation is a benefit paid to a veteran because of injuries or diseases that happened while on active duty, or were made worse by active military service.  It is also paid to certain veterans disabled from VA health care.  The benefits are tax-free.

Programs for Veterans with Service-Connected Disabilities may include:

• Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
• Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) 
• Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payment (CRDP)
• Benefits for Dependents of 100% Disabled Veterans

These cancers are now presumptive:

• Brain cancer
• Gastrointestinal cancer of any type
• Glioblastoma
• Head cancer of any type
• Kidney cancer
• Lymphoma of any type
• Melanoma
• Neck cancer of any type
• Pancreatic cancer
• Reproductive cancer of any type
• Respiratory (breathing-related) cancer of any type
• List of Other Cancers

 These illnesses are now presumptive:

• Asthma that was diagnosed after service
• Chronic bronchitis
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Chronic rhinitis
• Chronic sinusitis
• Constrictive bronchiolitis or obliterative bronchiolitis
• Emphysema
• Granulomatous disease Interstitial lung disease (ILD)
• Pleuritis
• Pulmonary fibrosis
• Sarcoidosis

On or after September 11, 2001, if you served in any of these locations you have toxic exposure:

• Afghanistan
• Djibouti
• Egypt
• Jordan
• Lebanon
• Syria
• Uzbekistan
• Yemen
• The airspace above any of these locations

On or after August 2, 1990, if you served in any of these locations you have toxic exposure:

• Bahrain
• Iraq
• Kuwait
• Oman
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Somalia
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE)
• The airspace above any of these locations

Vietnam era Veteran eligibility

These cancers are now presumptive:

• Bladder cancer
• Chronic B-cell leukemia
• Hodgkin’s disease
• Multiple myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Prostate cancer
• Respiratory cancers (including lung cancer)
• Some soft tissue sarcomas Note: Doesn't include osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, or mesothelioma on our list of presumptive conditions.These are now presumptive: AL amyloidosis Chloracne (or other types of acneiform disease like it) Note: Under our rating regulations, this condition must be at least 10% disabling within 1 year of herbicide exposure. Diabetes mellitus type 2 High blood pressure (hypertension) Hypothyroidism Ischemic heart disease Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) Parkinsonism Parkinson’s disease Peripheral neuropathy, early onset Note: Under our rating regulations, this condition must be at least 10% disabling within 1 year of herbicide exposure. Porphyria cutanea tarda Note: Under our rating regulations, this condition must be at least 10% disabling within 1 year of herbicide exposure. If you have a cancer or illness that’s not on our list of presumptive conditions, but you believe it was caused by Agent Orange exposure, you can still file a claim for VA disability benefits. But you’ll need to submit more evidence. Keep reading to learn about service requirements and supporting evidence. Service requirements for presumption of exposure VA bases eligibility for VA disability compensation benefits, in part, on whether you served in a location that exposed you to Agent Orange. They call this having a presumption of exposure. You have a presumption of exposure if you meet at least one of these service requirements. Between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, you must have served for any length of time in at least one of these locations: In the Republic of Vietnam, or Aboard a U.S. military vessel that operated in the inland waterways of Vietnam, or On a vessel operating not more than 12 nautical miles seaward from the demarcation line of the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia Or you must have served in at least one of these locations that we’ve added based on the PACT Act: Any U.S. or Royal Thai military base in Thailand from January 9, 1962, through June 30, 1976, or  Laos from December 1, 1965, through September 30, 1969, or Cambodia at Mimot or Krek, Kampong Cham Province from April 16, 1969, through April 30, 1969, or Guam or American Samoa or in the territorial waters off Guam or American Samoa from January 9, 1962, through July 31, 1980, or Johnston Atoll or on a ship that called at Johnston Atoll from January 1, 1972, through September 30, 1977 Or at least one of these must be true for you: You served in or near the Korean DMZ for any length of time between September 1, 1967, and August 31, 1971, or You served on active duty in a regular Air Force unit location where a C-123 aircraft with traces of Agent Orange was assigned, and had repeated contact with this aircraft due to your flight, ground, or medical duties, or You were involved in transporting, testing, storing, or other uses of Agent Orange during your military service, or You were assigned as a Reservist to certain flight, ground, or medical crew duties at one of the locations listed here Eligible Reserve locations, time periods, and units include: Lockbourne/Rickenbacker Air Force Base in Ohio, 1969 to 1986 (906th and 907th Tactical Air Groups or 355th and 356th Tactical Airlift Squadrons) Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts, 1972 to 1982 (731st Tactical Air Squadron and 74th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, or 901st OrganiSational Maintenance Squadron) Pittsburgh International Airport in Pennsylvania, 1972 to 1982 (758th Airlift Squadron) Ionizing radiation exposureBoth of these must be true: You have an illness that’s on our list of illnesses believed to be caused by radiation or that doctors say may be caused by radiation, and Your illness started within a certain period of time (as shown along with the list of illnesses)Note: You can find a list of radiation-related illnesses on the National Archives’ Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR) website. Review radiation-related illnesses on the eCFR websiteAnd you must have had contact with ionizing radiation in one of these ways while serving in the military: You were part of atmospheric nuclear weapons testing, or You served in the postwar occupation of Hiroshima or Nagasaki, or You were a prisoner of war (POW) in Japan, or You did tasks like those of a Department of Energy (DOE) employee that make them a member of the Special Exposure Cohort (For more details, check 42 U.S.C. 7384L(14))You may also qualify for disability benefits if you served in at least one of these locations and capacities: You were part of underground nuclear weapons testing at Amchitka Island, Alaska, or You were assigned to a gaseous diffusion plant at Paducah, Kentucky, or You were assigned to a gaseous diffusion plant at Portsmouth, Ohio, or You were assigned to a gaseous diffusion plant at Area K-25 at Oak Ridge, Tennessee Cleanup of Enewetak Atoll, from January 1, 1977, through December 31, 1980 Cleanup of the Air Force B-52 bomber carrying nuclear weapons off the coast of Palomares, Spain, from January 17, 1966, through March 31, 1967 Response to the fire onboard an Air Force B-52 bomber carrying nuclear weapons near Thule Air Force Base in Greenland from January 21, 1968, to September 25, 1968 Note: If you get a disability rating, you may also be eligible for VA health care and other benefits. Toxic Exposure Screenings Toxic exposure screenings are available at VA health facilities across the country. Every Veteran enrolled in VA health care will receive an initial screening and a follow-up screening at least once every 5 years. Veterans who are not enrolled and who meet eligibility requirements will have an opportunity to enroll and receive the screening.   The screening will ask you if you think you were exposed to any of these hazards while serving: Open burn pits and other airborne hazards Gulf War-related exposures Agent Orange Radiation Camp Lejeune contaminated water exposure Other exposures The VA will give you information about any benefits, registry exams, and clinical resources you may need. Ask about the screening at your next VA health care appointment. If you don’t have an upcoming appointment, or if you want to get the screening sooner, contact your local VA health facility. Ask to get screened by the toxic exposure screening navigator.

Veterans with low incomes who are permanently and totally disabled, or are age 65 or older, may be eligible for monetary support if they:

• Have 90 days or more of active military service
• At least one day of service which was during a period of war
• Have an honorable discharge

Non Service Connected Pension

• 10 point veteran preference in Federal hiring
• Health care enrollment
• (subject to income requirements)
• Travel allowance for scheduled appointments for care at a VA medical facility or VA authorized health care facility
• Burial and plot allowance

Non Service Connected with Aid and Attendance or Housebound

• 10 point veteran preference in Federal hiring
• Health care enrollment (subject to income requirements)
• Travel allowance for scheduled appointments for care at a VA medical facility or VA authorized health care facility
• Free hearing aids
• Free eye glasses
• Burial and plot allowance
• Aid and Attendance for spouse (if spouse meets criteria)

Burial in VA National Cemeteries

Burial in a VA national cemetery is available for eligible veterans, their spouses and dependents at no cost to the family and includes the gravesite, grave-liner, opening and closing of the grave, a headstone or marker, and perpetual care as part of a national shrine. For veterans, benefits also include a burial flag (with case for active duty) and military funeral honors.

The VA operates 124 national cemeteries, of which 84 are open for new interments and 20 of these accept only cremated remains.

Headstones and Markers

Veterans, active duty servicemembers and retired reservists and National Guard service members are eligible for an inscribed headstone or marker to mark their grave at any cemetery. The headstone or marker will be delivered at no cost, anywhere in the world. Spouses and dependent children are eligible for a government headstone or marker only if they are buried in a national or state veterans cemetery.

Urns and Plaques

Veterans, active duty servicemembers and retired reservists and National Guard servicemembers are eligible for an Urn or Plaque whose remains are not interred. When you choose to get a plaque or urn for a Veteran, they will no longer be eligible for burial in a VA national cemetery. And we won’t be able to provide a government headstone, marker, or medallion for the Veteran after you’ve received a plaque or urn.

The plaque or urn is your property once you receive it.

Presidential Memorial Certificate

Certificates are issued upon request to recognize the military service of honorably discharged deceased veterans. Next of kin, relatives and friends may request them in person at VA regional offices or by mail.

Burial Flags

VA will furnish a U.S. burial flag for memorialization of

• Veterans who served during a wartime or after January 31, 1955.
• Veterans who were entitled to retired pay for service in the reserves, or would have been entitled if over age 60.
• Members or former members of the Selected Reserve who served their initial obligation, or were discharged for a disability incurred or aggravated in line of duty, or died while a member of the Selected Reserve.

Burial Allowance

VA Burial allowances are partial reimbursements of an eligible veteran’s burial and funeral expenses.

Military Funeral Honors

Upon request, DOD will provide military funeral honors consisting of folding and presentation of the United States flag and the playing of “Taps.”

Family members should inform their funeral directors if they want Military Funeral Honors.

For further details go to the VA Military Funeral Honors website

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)

For a survivor to be eligible for (DIC)

The veteran’s death must have resulted from one of the following causes:

1. A disease or injury incurred or aggravated in the line of duty while on active duty.
2. An injury incurred or aggravated in the line of duty while on inactive duty training.
3. A service-connected disability or condition directly related to a service-connected disability.

OR

If the veteran was:

1. Continuously rated totally disabled for a period of 10 years immediately preceding death.
2. Continuously rated totally disabled from the date of military discharge and for at least five years immediately preceding death.
3. Or a former POW who died after Sept 30, 1999, and who was continuously rated totally disabled for a period of at least one year immediately preceding death.

ChampVA

To be eligible for ChampVA you must be one of the following:

• The spouse or child of a veteran who VA has rated permanently and totally disabled for a service-connected disability
• The surviving spouse or child of a veteran who died from a VA-rated service-connected disability, or who, at the time of death, was rated permanently and totally disabled.
• The surviving spouse or child of a servicemember who died in the line of duty.

Educational Assistance

The VA provides education assistance to the spouse or child of a servicemember who either died of a service-connected disability or who has a permanent and total service-connected disability, or who died while such a disability existed.

Widow's Pension

The VA provides pensions to low-income surviving spouses and unmarried children of deceased veterans with wartime service.

To be eligible, spouses must not have remarried and children must be under age 18, or 23 if attending a VA approved school, or have become permanently incapable of self-support because of disability before age 18.

The veteran must have been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable and must have had 90 days or more of active military service, at least one day of which was during a period of war, or a service-connected disability justifying discharge. Longer periods of service may be required for veterans who entered active duty on or after Sept 8, 1980, or Oct 16, 1981, if an officer. If the veteran died in service but not in the line of duty, the death pension may be payable if the veteran had completed at least two years of honorable service.  

GI Bill and other education benefits 

Find out if you qualify for VA education benefits to help pay for school or training. If you qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, learn how to transfer your unused benefits to your spouse or dependent children.
Open to service members and Veterans (active duty, Guard, and Reserve)

Certificate of Eligibility for a VA-backed home loan 

Review the requirements for getting a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to buy, build, improve, or refinance a home.
Open to service members and Veterans (active duty, Guard, and Reserve)

Life insurance for you and your family 

Find out if you qualify for and how to manage your SGLI coverage, and learn about coverage options for you and your family after separation or retirement.
Open to service members and Veterans (active duty, Guard, and Reserve)

Disability compensation 

File a claim for disability compensation for conditions related to your military service, and manage your benefits over time.
Open to Veterans (active duty, Guard, and Reserve)

Support for Veteran-owned small businesses 

If you served on active duty, register to do business with VA and get support for your Veteran-owned small business. If you have a service-connected disability related to active-duty service or training, you may qualify to register as a service-disabled Veteran-owned small business.
Open to Veterans (active duty, Guard, and Reserve)

Veterans Pension program 

If you served on active duty during wartime, are at least 65 years old or have a service-connected disability, and have limited or no income, find out if you qualify for Veterans Pension benefits.
Open to active-duty Veterans only

Aid and attendance or housebound allowance 

If you need help with your daily activities or you’re housebound, check whether you’re eligible to have increased aid added to your monthly Veterans Pension payments.
Open to active-duty Veterans only

Disability housing grants 

If you have a service-connected disability, find out how to apply for a housing grant to make changes to your home so you can live more independently.
Open to Veterans (active duty, Guard, and Reserve)

More life insurance options 

Explore life insurance coverage options and services for you and your family, and manage your policy online.
Open to Veterans (active duty, Guard, and Reserve)

Pre-need eligibility determination for burial in a VA national cemetery 

Apply for a pre-need eligibility decision letter to confirm that you qualify for burial in a VA national cemetery. This can help you pre-plan, and it can make the process easier for your family members in their time of need.
Open to active-duty Veterans only

Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC)

• Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) provides tax-free monthly payments to eligible retired veterans with combat-related injuries.
• With CRSC, veterans can receive both their full military retirement pay and their VA disability compensation, if the injury is combat-related.

For further information go to the Military CRSC website

Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payment (CRDP)

• Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments (CRDP) restores retired pay on a graduated 10-year schedule for retirees with a 50 to 90 percent VA-rated disability.
• Concurrent retirement payments increase 10% per year through 2013.
• Veterans rated 100% disabled by the VA are entitled to full CRDP without being phased in.
• Veterans receiving benefits at the 100% rate due to individual unemployability are entitled to full CRDP in 2009.

Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) Overview

• Concurrent Receipt means to receive both military retirement benefits and VA disability compensation, which was forbidden by law until 2004. To receive VA disability compensation, disabled military retirees had to waive all or part of their military pay.

Concurrent Receipt Overview

As of 2004 this law changed so that qualified disabled military retirees will now receive both their full military retirement pay and their VA disability compensation. This law phases out (over 9 years) the VA disability offset, meaning that military retirees with 20 or more years of service and a 50% (or higher) VA rated disability will no longer have their military retirement pay reduced by the amount of their VA disability compensation.

Unlike the Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC), full concurrent receipt was phased in gradually (completed by 2014).

According to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), Concurrent Receipt is now officially referred to as Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP).

Members rated less than 100 percent, but receiving 100 percent from the VA due to an unemployability code, fall under the 10-year phase-in plan. They received full restoration by 2014. CRDP is paid on the actual VA rating, not the unemployability code.

Concurrent Receipt Eligibility

• Be a Military Retiree with 20 or more years of service, including:
  • Chapter 61 Medical Retirees with 20 years or more.
  • National Guard and Reserve with 20 or more good years (once they turn 60 and begin drawing a retirement check).
  • Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA) Retirees may also be eligible.
• Have a service-related VA disability rating of 50% or higher.

The Value of the CRDP Benefit

Your personal CRDP payment rate is determined by your current VA Disability Compensation waiver, minus the CRDP "Table Rate," then multiplied by the current CRDP "Phase Out" percentage. This makes it impossible to create a single CRDP Payment Rate table that applies to everyone. You can use the CRDP Pay Computation to figure out your personal rate.

When fully phased in, CRDP fully restores military retirement pay and VA Disability Compensation payments. For example, a single retiree with a VA-rated service-connected disability could receive their full retirement pay plus over $2,400 a month.

Note: The amount received cannot exceed the sum of actual military retirement pay and VA Disability Compensation combined.

The CRDP Application Process

Concurrent Receipt is automatic. If you qualify, you will automatically see an increase in your monthly retirement check.

VR&E

• The VR&E program assists veterans who have a service-connected disability and an employment handicap with obtaining and maintaining suitable employment.
• To be eligible, a veteran must have a service-connected disability rated at least 10%, and a serious employment handicap.
• Education benefits are generally available 12 years from the date the VA notified you of at least a 10% service-connected disability if you served before 2013. If you left service after 2013, there is no time limit.