Posted 11 months ago
Veteran Benefits
The United States Department of Veterans affairs (VA) is charged with providing lifelong health care services to eligible military veterans at over 170 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics located throughout the country. The history of the US Department of Veterans Affairs is inextricably intertwined and dependent on the history of American wars as wounded soldiers are the population the VA Cares for. The VA’s primary function is to support veterans in their time after service by providing benefits and support.
What are your Veteran Benefits? The VA categorizes veterans into eight priority groups and several additional subgroups, based on factors such as service-connected disabilities, their income, and assets (adjusted to local cost of living). As of June 2020, the VA employs 412,892 people at hundreds of Veterans Affairs medical facilities, clinics, benefits offices, and cemeteries.
Am I eligible? To be eligible for VA health care benefits, you must have served in the active military, naval, air and coast guard for 24 continuous months or the full period for which you were called to active duty. The VA enrollment representative will be able to look you up in their database and provide you with more information.
How to apply? The first step to take to find out if your eligible is to visit one of the 170 VA medical centers with your DD214, discharge and separation documents. This document will have your time in service along with any awards, medals, and special recognitions during your time in active duty. Once registered and eligible, you will be provided with a VA card. This card serves as your personal insurance card that will have your identifying information.
For benefits, financial resources and assistance to be provided, veterans are encouraged to see a primary care provider that is registered with the VA in order to remain on “current status”. Current status grants the veteran access to benefits through a physician’s order. This does not mean that you must only choose the VA’s physician. You can also keep seeing your long-time family provider as well with no issues or conflict.
There are two other ways to register for veteran benefits.
– You can call the toll-free hotline at 877-222-8387, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET to get help with your application.
– Register with the VA by downloading the VA form 10-10EZ from About VA Form 10-10EZ | Veterans Affairs, complete it and mail it to Health Eligibility Center 2957 Clairmont Rd., Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30329.
Applying for VA Benefits helps veterans maximize their health care coverage, which offers extensive coverage for medical equipment, routine dental, vision, and mental health services. There are also other programs that a veteran’s spouse can benefit from that can be granted through the VA. Understanding your benefits and what you have earned will ensure your future self from potentially developing additional medical conditions, obtaining the medical treatment you need and deserve, as well as receiving monetary compensation from lost earnings potential.