If you have contributed to the safety of the United States by serving in the military, there may be numerous rewards waiting for you when you return to civilian life. These rewards may involve medical care, education, employment opportunities, rehabilitation, and much more. It makes sense to take full advantage of these benefits, and your first step should be to gain an understanding of how VA benefits actually work. remove actually While internet research can certainly provide plenty of insights, an article can only get you so far. A consultation with a veterans benefits lawyer can provide more detailed guidance while implementing strategies to maximize these benefits.
Determining Eligibility
The first step when approaching VA benefits is to determine your eligibility. Generally speaking, VA benefits apply to current service members and veterans – plus their immediate families. Immediate family members include the children, spouses, and parents of service members.
With all that said, you may need to closely examine the nature of your service to determine eligibility. If you were dishonorably discharged from the military, you generally become ineligible for VA benefits. “Discharge requirements” for VA benefits can be quite complex – and they are worth discussing further alongside your VA benefits lawyer.
Current or former members of all branches of the US military qualify for VA benefits as long as they were not dishonorably discharged. These include not only remove not only the Army, Marines, Air Force, and remove and Navy, remove but alos the but also the Coast Guard add a , and various other branches.
Determining eligibility can be slightly more complex if you served in the National Guard or Reserves. To qualify for VA benefits, you need to have been placed on active duty by a federal order. After being placed on active duty, you must complete the full period of service to qualify for VA benefits. If you never served in an “active-duty” status or completed only the training elements of active duty, you may not qualify for VA benefits. However, this may only apply to medical VA benefits.
Certain service members enjoy “enhanced eligibility status.” In other words, you become more likely to receive VA benefits if you meet certain requirements – and you will be placed in a “high priority group.” If any of the following is true, you could fall into this high-priority category:
- You receive disability compensation for something that happened during active service
- You were discharged from active duty because of a disability you suffered
- You’re a combat veteran who was released after 9/11
- You receive a pension through Veterans’ Affairs
- You were incarcerated or detained as a prisoner of war
- You received certain medals, such as the Purple Heart or the Medal of Honor
- You qualify for Medicaid benefits
- Were were exposed to toxins or radiation during your service
- You served during the Gulf War
- You served at Campe Lejuene between 1953 and 1987
- You served at a Thai military base between 1962 and 1976
- You served in Laos between 1965 and 1969
- You served in Cambodia in 1969
- You served in Samoa or Guam between 1962 and 1980
- You served near Johnston Atoll between 1972 and 1977
- You served in Vietnam between 1962 and 1975
Even if you were dishonorably discharged, you could still qualify under certain circumstances. For example, your lawyer can help you apply for a “discharge upgrade” or a “VA Character of Discharge” review.
What Kind of VA Benefits Will I Get?
You can receive a wide range of VA Benefits. Here are a few examples:
- Disability Compensation: You can receive compensation for any disabilities that arise during your service. You may also receive compensation for a disability that was worsened by service, or a disability that is “presumed to be related” to military service.
- Pension: Veterans can receive tax-free compensation if they earn limited or zero income after leaving the military. To qualify, you must be either 65 or suffering from a total disability.
- Education: Veterans and current service members can receive compensation for various educational programs. Different educational benefits apply to active-duty veterans, National Guards, and Reservists. This can help pay for tuition, books, supplies, and even housing allowance.
- VetSuccess: This program allows veterans with qualifying disabilities to pursue rehabilitation and employment programs. This program can help you determine a viable career path in the future despite your disability. It may include counseling, job-search assistance, and much more. Some of these counseling benefits may be available to veterans without disabilities.
- Life Insurance: The VA offers its own life insurance benefits to veterans and current service members. There are several insurance programs and policies to choose from, and your lawyer can help you approach the most suitable options based on your unique situation.
- Home Loans: The VA also assists veterans and service members with shelter costs by providing home loans. These loans offer much more favorable terms compared to banks, and they may require zero down payments. There are also no mortgage insurance premiums to worry about. Options include guaranteed loans, refinancing loans, and specially adapted housing grants.
- Health Care: Health care is the primary focus for many people pursuing VA benefits. The VA may cover costs related to hospital, dental, pharmacy, nursing home, counseling, substance abuse, and prosthetic treatments.
- Burials: Veterans Affairs provides you with compensation to cover the burial of a loved one. Families may take advantage of this benefit to receive free headstones, Presidential Memorial Certificates, American flags, and access to VA national cemeteries.
- Compensation for Dependents: If you have lost a veteran, the VA may provide you and your family with monthly payments, pensions, and various other forms of compensation.
Find a Qualified Veterans Benefits Lawyer Today
If you have been searching for a veterans benefits lawyer, look no further than the Elderly Care Law Firm. With our help, you can strive for positive outcomes as you seek to take full advantage of veterans’ benefits. While you may have the right to access these benefits, navigating paperwork and bureaucracy can be tricky. Reach out to us today to learn more about which veterans benefits may be most helpful to you. From there, we can help you pursue benefits with efficiency and confidence. Book your consultation today to get started
