VA Benefits and Services

1. VA Benefits and Services Briefing for Tribal Veteran Representatives

2. VA on the Internet www.va.gov http://www.facebook.com/VeteransBenefits http://twitter.com/VAVetBenefits Or call us 1-800-827-10007:00 a.m. EST to 10:00 p.m. EST

3. www.ebenefits.va.gov • One-stop shop for benefits-related online tools and information. • Apply for benefits • See your benefits status and payments online • Download your DD 214

4. VA • Veterans Benefits Administration • All VA benefits - Compensation, Education, Home Loan Guaranty, etc. • Administered by VA Regional Offices • Veterans Health Administration • All VA health care services • Administered by VA Medical Centers, Ambulatory Care & Community Based Outpatient Clinics, etc. • National Cemetery Administration • National and State Veterans Cemeteries • Headstones & Markers • Presidential Memorial Certificates

5. Content • VA – Purpose & Organization • Compensation & Pension • Education • Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment • Home Loan Guaranty • Burial & Survivor Benefits • Other Benefits & Services • Conclusion & Contacts

6. “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan…” - Abraham Lincoln -

7. Compensation for Service-Connected Disabilities

8. Compensation A service-connected disability is a disease or injury incurred or aggravated while on active duty. The disability does not have to be combat or wartime related.

9. Compensation • Disability Examples • Torn knee ligament • Amputation • Heart disease • Post traumatic stress (including the result of sexual trauma) • Skin condition such as psoriasis

10. Compensation • Disabilities are rated from 0% to 100%. • Combined overall rating • Compensation payment is tax free. • Compensation payments range from 10% to 100%. • Additional allowance for dependents with 30% or higher rating. ***By Regulation, the Department of Treasury now requires that federal beneficiaries receive their recurring/monthly benefits electronically.***

11. Compensation - Sample Rates S – Spouse C = Child(ren) Rates effective Dec 1, 2011

12. Compensation • Additional Special Monthly Compensation added for loss of limb, organ, etc. • Concurrent retired pay, previously prohibited, now being phased in • Concurrent VSI, SSB, Severance Pay, and Separation Pay still prohibited

13. Compensation - Related Benefits • VA health care for all rated service-connected conditions • Vocational rehabilitation & employment services • $10,000 life insurance • Federal employment preference • VA loan funding fee waived • Possible State and local benefits for veterans

14. Compensation Hot TopicsIndividual Unemployability vs. Permanent and Total 100% disabilityPost Traumatic Stress DisorderAgent Orange exposure and related illnesses

15. Individual Unemployability vs. 100% permanent and total disability

16. Individual UnemployabilityVeteran must meet the scheduler requirements as follows:- One service connected (SC)disability at 60% or- Combined degree of disability at 70% with at least one SC disability rated at 40%and-Be unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as a result of service-connected disabilities.

17. Can a veteran work if rated Unemployable (IU)?YesMarginal employment shall not be considered substantially gainful employment. Marginal employment generally shall be deemed to exist when a veteran’s earned annual income does not exceed the amount established by the U.S Department of Commerce, Bureauof the Census, as the poverty threshold for one person.

18. 100% Permanent and Total(P&T)When a veteran is rated P&T, it has been determined that a single or combination of service connected disabilities total 100% anda determination has also been made that no future exams would be necessary, due to the unlikelihood that there would be a future improvement in said disabilities

19. Can a veteran rated 100% P&T work?Yes.He/she has been rated at 100% disability level with the unlikelihood of improvement. We have not rated the veteran unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment. If the veteran is able and wishes to work, he or she is free to do so without worry or concern of losing his or her disability.

20. Ancillary Benefits for Veterans Rated P&T • Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance, (Chapter 35, USC) • Commissary and Exchange Privileges • ChampVA • Student Loan Forgiveness • State and Local Benefits

21. PTSD; New Relaxed Criteria • Relaxation of Evidentiary Standards for Establishing In-Service Stressors • “Fear of Hostile Military or Terrorist Activity” • No longer requires a confirmed specific stressor unless evidence to support the veteran’s “Fear” statement is not available.

22. New PTSD RequirementsVA will now rely on a Veteran’s lay testimony alone to establish occurrence of a stressor related to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity, provided1. A VA psychiatrist or psychologist, or contract equivalent, confirms that the claimed stressor is adequate to support a diagnosis of PTSD2. The claimed stressor is consistent with the places, types, and circumstances of the Veteran’s service3. The Veteran’s symptoms are related to the claimed stressor

23. Service connecting PTSD When the Fear Criteria Doesn’t Apply We still need: • credible evidence that the claimed in-service stressor occurred and can be verified (combat or non-combat related) • medical evidence diagnosing the condition • a link, established by medical evidence, between current symptoms and an in-service stressor.

24. The Agent Orange Act of 1991, PL 102-4, established a presumption of service connection for veterans with service in Vietnam during the Vietnam era who subsequently develop, to a degree of 10 percent or more; one of the following: • Hodgkin's disease • multiple myeloma • non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) • acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy • porphyria cutanea tarda • prostate cancer • respiratory cancers, such as cancers of the • lung • bronchus • larynx, or • trachea • soft-tissue sarcoma • chloracne or other acneiform disease consistent with chloracne • type 2 diabetes mellitus, and • chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

25. New Presumptive Conditions due to Herbicide Exposure in Vietnam The three new presumptive conditions are: • Ischemic heart disease • Chronic B-cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia • Parkinson’s disease

26. Blue Water vs. Brown Water Navy

27. Remember!We do not service connect exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides. We do service connect illnesses associated with the exposure

28. Pension

29. Pension • Pension is a benefit paid to wartime veterans with limited income, and who are permanently and totally disabled or age 65 or older. Who Is Eligible? • Veterans with discharges that are other than dishonorable. AND • served 90 days or more of active duty with at least 1 day during a period of war, AND • countable family income is below a yearly limit set by law, AND • permanently and totally disabled, OR • age 65 or older.

30. Family Income Limits (effective December 1, 2011) If you are a... Your yearly income must be less than... Veteran with no dependents $12,256 Veteran with a spouse or a child $16,051 Veterans with additional children: add $2,093 to the limit for each child) Housebound veteran with no dependents $14,978 Housebound veteran with one dependent $18,773 Veteran who needs aid and attendance and has no dependents $20,447 Veteran who needs aid and attendance and has one dependent $24,239 Note: Some income is not counted toward the yearly limit (for example, welfare benefits, some wages earned by dependent children, and Supplemental Security Income.)

31. How Much Does VA Pay? VA pays you the difference between your countable family income and the yearly income limit that describes your situation. This difference is generally paid in 12 equal monthly payments rounded down to the nearest dollar. Example: $10,000 MAPR – $6000 countable income = $4000.00 IVAP/12 mos. = $333.00/mo. Note: Certain expenses (i.e., medical expenses, education expenses, or expenses related to the last illness or burial of a dependent) paid by you are taken into consideration when arriving at your countable family income.

32. Native American Income Exclusions for Pension • Income paid to an individual Native American from trust or restricted lands • Distributions made to an individual Native American out of tribal trust fund revenues held in trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) = up to $2000.00/yr exclusion

33. Compensation & PensionTime Limit • No time limit to apply for Compensation or Pension • For Compensation, benefits will be paid retroactive to the date of separation/retirement if VA receives the application within one year of the separation/retirement. Otherwise, benefits are effective no earlier than the date VA received the application

34. Compensation & PensionHow to ApplyVA Forms: 21-526, 21-526b, 21-4138

35. How to Apply (cont.) • Contact VA for the application form by calling 1-800-827-1000 • Visit any VA Regional Office • Or apply on the Internet at www.ebenefits.va.gov

36. All Compensation claims are worked at the veteran’s VA Regional Office__________________________All Pension claims are now worked at the VA Pension Maintenance Center in St. Paul, Minnesota

37. The Life of a ClaimIn Processing Center (IPC)Pre DeterminationRating BoardPost DeterminationAppeals(reopen or notice of disagreement?)

38. www.va.gov/rcs/ Vet Center Readjustment Counseling Services

39. “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.” Abraham Lincoln Vet Centers serve Veterans and their families by providing a continuum of quality care that adds value for Veterans, families, and communities….. We welcome home war Veterans with honor by providing readjustment counseling in a caring manner. Vet Centers understand and appreciate Veterans’ war experiences while assisting them and their family members toward a successful post-war adjustment in or near their community.

40. What is the Vet Center • A safe and protected place to talk • Confidentiality – no stigma • Flexible hours • Easily accessible community- based setting • Network knowledgeable about the resources available • Vet Center staff are >65% combat Veterans • Veterans serving Veterans • All family members are welcome • No cost….ever • What we Offer • Individual Counseling • Group Counseling • Military Sexual Trauma Counseling • Marital/Family Counseling • Bereavement Counseling • Drug and Alcohol Referral • Liaison with VA and Community Resources • Benefits Assistance Referral • Community Education and Career Referral www.vetcenter.va.gov

41. Eligibility • Veterans, National Guard, and Reservists who served in a combat or hostile zone and received a campaign or expeditionary ribbon • Must be reflected on DD-214 • Military Sexual Trauma

42. Vet Center Outreach Current conflict Veterans serve as outreach specialists in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

43. Mobile Vet Centers Fifty (50) mobile Vet Centers, distributed nationally, are utilized to provide access to returning Veterans via outreach to demobilization sites, active military bases, National Guard, and Reserve locations. The vehicles also support Vet Center services to rural areas geographically distant from VA services. Vet Center Combat Call Center Veterans or family members can call a national call-in service, at any time, to talk to another combat Veteran or spouse regarding any readjustment issues related to military service. The person on the other end of the call will be a Veteran or spouse who understands and values the military experience of serving in a combat zone, is trained as a Vet Center counselor, and has knowledge of VA and other resources that may assist the Veteran, spouse, or family in obtaining needed services.

44. Education Benefits

45. Post-9/11 GI Bill • Eligibility: At least 90 days of aggregate service on or after September 11, 2001, or individuals discharged with a service-connected disability after 30 days. An Honorable discharge is required to be eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Benefit: • Up to 36 months of benefits; payable for approved training on or after August 1, 2009. • Determined by the length of active duty service (40% up to 100% per length of active duty service). • Expires 15 years after last qualifying period of active duty service. • Usable for any program at an institution of higher learning (IHL) approved for MGIB-AD.

46. Tuition and Fees • Active Duty and Veterans: Full tuition and fees (based on length of active duty service) for public, in-state students • Private and foreign schools cap at $17,500 academic year • Exception: Active Duty are not eligible to participate in the Yellow Ribbon program • Paid directly to the school on student’s behalf

47. Monthly Housing Allowance • Must attend more than half-time • Prorated by rate of pursuit rounded to nearest tenth • Equivalent to the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for an E-5 with dependents based on school’s zip code • Distance learners (e.g., online students) can receive ½ the national average monthly housing beginning October 1, 2011 • Active duty Servicemembers are not eligible

48. Books and Supplies Stipend • Pays up to $1,000 per year • If taking classes at an IHL: Amount paid determined by number of credit hours, with full stipend paid for 24 credit hours per academic year • If taking a non-college degree, apprenticeship, or on-the-job training program: Pays $83/month up to $1,000 per year

49. Yellow Ribbon Program • Institutions voluntarily enter into an agreement with VA to share tuition and fee costs that exceed the tuition and fee cap of $17,500 at non-public schools and for out-of-state charges • VA matches each additional dollar that an institution contributes, up to total cost of tuition and fees. Training at private institutions Out of state tuition

50. Yellow Ribbon Program • Payable to school when student’s tuition and fees exceed the cap: Based on school participation Based on student qualification Spouse of Veteran (transfer of entitlement) Dependent children (transfer of entitlement) Veterans only at 100% level