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• · VA Medical
  · VA Benefits
  · Military
  · Insurance
  · Legal Issues
  · Political Correspondence
  · Veterans Support Agencies (American Legion, VFW, DAV)
  · Social Security
  · Misc. Start a large 3-ring binder notebook with plastic page protectors for:
            · DD-214
            · Copies of VA Benefit Rulings (Education, Disability, etc.)
            · Copies of VA Medical Documents
            · Other official documents

Your veteran should go when he/she IS NOT SICK or having problems. The process can be long and frustrating. Do NOT wait for illness to go to register. It is a benefit they have earned and it will be very important if later illnesses are discovered. (Note: Many times soldiers procrastinate with this when coming home. This is to be expected. However, putting this off can have very negative impact later. Lovingly ask your veteran to be accountable to you by showing you his/her VA Hospital Card to validate it has been done and/or offer to go with your veteran to register).

ALL VETERANS WHO HAVE BEEN IN ACTIVE DUTY SHOULD REGISTER IMMEDIATELY UPON RETURN.

THERE IS A TIME LIMIT TO REGISTER, SO BE AWARE.

SERVICES "CLOSER TO HOME": Veterans who live in areas that are not close to Regional VA medical offices may be eligible for an "Outpatient Fee Card" (VA document M-1, Part 1, Chapter 18) which states, "When appropriate VA officials determine that certain VA services are unavailable or cannot be economically provided due to geographic inaccessibility, the veteran with special eligibility may be authorized fee-basis care, but only as described in this chapter".

Therefore, if you live in a rural area or an area that cannot easily access VA Medical benefits, make sure that you apply immediately for an "Outpatient Fee Card."

MEDICATIONS: VA Hospitals can mail medications to Veterans who have been approved for the services. This is helpful for Veterans that live in remote areas or who do not have transportation. As will all medications, they should be distributed and administered with great care. If your Veteran has a substance abuse disorder, or you are aware that your Veteran may "loose track" of when/if meds were taken, discuss this with your Veteran and caseworkers at the VA Hospital. Care and caution should be paramount.”

CASE MANAGEMENT: It will be important for you to get to know the social workers/case managers who are working with your Veteran. You have the right, as much as the Veteran does, to contact them and inquire about services and your Veterans status. Social Workers/Case Managers can help pull together all aspects of a Veterans care. They can be the first line of communication with regard to concerns, assistance, updates, etc. and you should not hesitate to use them.

OUTPATIENT TREATMENT: This is the type of treatment a veteran receives when they are NOT hospitalized, which is referred to as in-patient treatment. In many regional VA Hospitals, veterans do not make their own appointments, they are assigned appointments and notified by mail. Many times the notification does not include specific information, like why or what the appointment is for. You and your veteran have a right to this information and should call the case manager or appointment desk to inquire if you do not understand. It is a good idea to take notes about what is said so that you can refer to them later if needed.

BE ADVISED that, if the soldier is still in the military, and the Commanding Officer becomes aware that the soldier has a problem, then the Commanding Officer will probably begin steps to Separate the Veteran. This means that your veterans unit will begin taking action to get your veteran out of active duty. This will end your veterans status and pay and may have many consequences that need to be addressed very carefully and not quickly.

Therefore, you may want to call and speak with the Chaplain initially. This intervention may be an indirect way of addressing issues and may be considered if the problem is mild to moderate in nature.

The veteran will be very resistant to this intervention and it is not meant to be a threat, but if the veteran is sick and needs help, it is the RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MILITARY to intervene if the veteran is still enlisted. The command has rights that YOU DO NOT have with regard to your veteran’s welfare.

Regardless, do not be uncomfortable or intimidated if you need to call the Chaplain or Commanding Officer. If your veteran’s life is at stake and the well being of your veteran or family is threatened, then this is a necessary step.

So, if you DO NOT get timely response from your veteran or his/her commanding officers, then you may need to seek legal counsel. You may try obtaining JAG (Judge Advocate General-legal help for veterans). You may inquire about this service also through Military One Source at www.militaryonesource.com  or 1-800-342-9647.

If you seek civilian legal counsel, this may be a costly and time-consuming task. There are often attorneys that will offer to help "pro bono" or at no cost as a public service offering. Do not be afraid to ask. Call your local American Bar Association to get referrals to attorneys that may be able to assist you. Or you may email Deployment Cycle Support (DCS) that provides legal services, family readjustment and counseling and mental health support http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story is key=182) 

Legal counsel can help you to determine what actions that you can take on behalf of and for the welfare of your veteran and your family. This is especially important when a sick veteran begins to make poor financial decisions that may put the family at risk.

Be aware that if your veteran is single, you will have NO LEGAL RIGHTS to access medical or financial information. You will not be able to check insurance eligibility, payment balances, medical history, etc. You will not be able to call on behalf of the veteran to inquire about any of the above or any information protected under the Privacy Act. It can be very difficult to advocate for your veteran if he or she has become seriously ill without obtaining shared rights.

You CAN ask your veteran to sign a "release of information" so be sure and ask EVERY entity (insurance, medical providers, etc.) for a Release Form which will allow you to have access.

It is VERY difficult to understand and you may need the help of the American Legion at www.legion.org  then go to the "About Us" link and then to "Posts" to find an American Legion office near you. You can also look at the "Veteran" link that shows the services they can provide Veterans.

Or you may go to www.vfw.org  for the Veterans of Foreign War website. Go to "Programs and Services" to find how they can help you apply for Veterans benefits. Another source is the Disabled American Veterans at www.dav.org. 

Any of these organizations should be able to help you understand and file for VA Disability Benefits.

They NEED support and input from you, even if they are resistant, YOU are involved in this too and have a right to be a part of the solution..

If you cannot go with them, call Disabled American Veterans (www.dav.org),  the American Legion (www.legion.org)  or Veterans of Foreign War (www.vfw.org)  and ask for their help (look for "local chapters" to call). There are MANY Veterans who are willing to help other Veterans and many volunteers that can help.

VA Disability Benefits take a long time to receive and there is a lot of paperwork involved. It can take from 1 to 4 years to receive benefits, BUT the sooner that you make OFFICIAL application, IF the veteran is deemed disabled, the disability payments will be retroactive to the DATE of the OFFICIAL filing.

The most important thing is to file immediately for VA Disability Benefits. Your veteran will need an advocate to have Power of Attorney over the disability process that is recognized by the VA Benefits Branch. This can be The American Legion (www.legion.org), the Disabled American Veterans (www.dav.org)  or Veterans of Foreign war (www.vfw.org) 

For veterans with physical disabilities/dismemberment, there are emergency funds available.

Be aware that almost all psychological VA Disability Benefits are REFUSED by the VA "the first round". Be prepared for a very long and anxiety laden process.

The VA Disability Branch can hire specific people to be appointed as your veteran’s fiduciary agent. These agents are paid OUT OF THE veteran’s DISABILITY funds to manage his/her money. YOU ARE NOT PAID and the burden and accountability is tremendous. VA Disability requires a yearly accounting of every penny and they audit it more closely than the IRS.

If you have questions about this process, please feel free to contact us.

In most cases, the veteran will be too ill to initiate the claim, therefore it will be the responsibility of the family/loved ones to follow through. Sometimes the veterans unit and/or DAV, American Legion or VFW can be of assistance, but ultimately, this is left up to the soldier, which means it is left up to the family. This could be a substantial amount of income that the veteran has a right to receive. It will take a LONG time to receive these benefits, but this should be considered as it may take a LONG time for the soldier to heal.

Typical qualifying injuries are those resulting in loss of limbs or sight, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Marine program assists any current or former Marine who was injured, regardless of where or how the injury was suffered. More information on these programs is available at the following websites: U.S. Army Wounded Warrior Program (http://www.army.com/resources/item/878) , Navy Safe Harbor and Marine is Marine for Life (the link for this is difficult to traverse for this specific resource).

Some veterans are willing to go to these programs. Others are too upset to go to military or government related programs.