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Did You Know? Many veterans are unaware
of their benefits. According to the latest press from Washington, D.C., - more than half of America's veterans say they have
little or no understanding of the benefits due them, despite efforts over recent years to match returning soldiers with the
help and services they need.
An analysis of Department of Veterans Affairs survey data found that younger
veterans - those who served in the post-9/11 war period - are better versed in their benefits. But even among those veterans,
40 percent say they have little or no understanding of their benefits, a figure that climbs to two-thirds for those unfamiliar
with life insurance benefits available.
The VA said it's working hard to boost benefits
awareness and has taken steps in recent years to do so."We want to accept them into the VA. We want to help them,"
said Joseph Curtin, who recently became the VA's director of outreach.
One major change will come Wednesday when a
new law will mandate all departing service members go through a series of detailed benefits sessions. Until now, participation
in such sessions varied by service and was often optional.
The VA had been
reaching 150,000 service members per year; under the mandatory, beefed-up, sessions, that is expected to rise to 307,000.
America's veterans are eligible for a range of benefits, from access
to the VA's well-regarded medical system to lifetime payments for disabilities suffered during military service to access
to education, life insurance and home loan programs.
But VA data show
that participation varies widely by geography. In addition, a veteran's understanding of what's available varies greatly by
period of service.
McClatchy Newspapers analyzed the VA's 2010
National Survey of Veterans, conducted about every 10 years to determine the state of America's veterans. Included are several
questions about veterans' health coverage as well as understanding of the VA benefits package. McClatchy also reviewed benefits
data by state in 2011, the most recent year available.
When asked about
the VA benefits, veterans' responses are all over the map, depending on their age and the benefit in question.
Among all veterans, 59 percent said their understanding of available
benefits was "a little" or "not at all," according to the analysis of the VA's survey data.
But there were some wide swings:
VA Policy Change The Veteran's Administration (VA) offers a pension benefit to low-income veterans (or their spouses) who are in nursing homes or who need help at home with everyday tasks like dressing or bathing. The pension, called Aid and Attendance, is currently underused, but impending regulations will soon make it available to even fewer veterans. The new regulations will for the first time specify asset limits for qualification and impose a look-back period and transfer penalties similar to Medicaid’s. The looming changes mean that those considering applying for Aid and Attendance should act quickly. To
learn more about your benefits see your nearest VSO. |
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