Veterans Benefits You May be Unaware Of

You may know about the education and health care benefits available to military veterans. However, there are a number of additional benefits available to help ease financial burden and improve the lives of veterans and their families. Some of these benefits include:

Disability Benefits

A Veteran with a disability resulting from an injury or disease that was incurred or aggravated while on active duty or active duty for training may receive tax-free disability compensation. Surviving spouses of a service member who died on active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty for training may be eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation.

Life Insurance

Given the extraordinary risks involved in military service, the Veteran’s Administration offers a number of life insurance programs, developed to provide families with financial security.

Long-term Care

Many Veterans are eligible to receive money to cover the cost of nursing homes, assisted living programs, and other long-term care options through the Aid & Attendance and Housebound program. Veterans and survivors who are eligible for a VA pension and require the aid and attendance of another person, or are housebound, may be eligible for additional monetary payment.

Mortgage Help

The Veteran’s Administration has several resources to help Veterans become homeowners, including loans, grants, and other programs. Length of service or service commitment, duty status, and character of service will determine eligibility for specific home loan benefits.

If financial trouble arises, there are also programs that assist Veterans with their mortgage payments, such as special repayment plans, loan forbearance and loan modification programs. Additional benefits are available for Veterans with VA loans and for homeless veterans.

Death Benefits

There are a number of benefits available to the family of a deceased veteran, including:

• A gravesite in one of the national cemeteries with available space, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a Government headstone or marker, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate, at no cost to the family. Some Veterans may also be eligible for Burial Allowances.
• Burial benefits available for spouses and dependents buried in a national cemetery include burial with the Veteran, perpetual care, and the spouse or dependents name and date of birth and death will be inscribed on the Veteran’s headstone, at no cost to the family. Eligible spouses and dependents may be buried, even if they predecease the Veteran.
• Upon the family’s request, Public Law 106-65 requires that every eligible Veteran receive a military funeral honors ceremony, to include folding and presenting the United States burial flag and the playing of Taps

Survivor Benefits

The Veterans Benefits Administration offers a variety of benefits and services to spouses, children, and parents of Service members and Veterans who are deceased or totally and permanently disabled by a service-connected disability.

There are hundreds of benefits available to Veterans and their families, and many Veterans are eligible for these benefits, but they are not aware they can apply. The Veterans Administration has a section about benefits on their website, as well as a chart for help with applying for benefits.

Every Veteran should maintain a copy of his or her DD Form 214, which is the separation paperwork issued by each branch of the service. The form name may be different depending on the dates of service, and whether service was in the Guard or Reserves. Regardless of the form name, keep a copy in a safe place, such as your My Life and Wishes account. This form is the key to unlocking your benefits!