Veterans Benefits for Dummies (ISBN - 0470398655)

388 Pages·2021·2.97 MB·English

Rod Powers
Retired Air Force First Sergeant

Learn to:
• Save time and cut through the red tape

• Navigate the VA healthcare system

• Take advantage of educational
opportunities

• Claim disability benefits

Veterans Benefits

Making Everything Easier!™

Open the book and find:

• Whether you meet basic
qualifications for veterans

• How to change your discharge
status

• The lowdown on pensions and
retirement pay

• Ways the new G.I. Bill affects
servicemen and women

• Clear explanations of medical and
dental benefits

• The pros and cons of the VA home
loan

• Financial planning tips

• Help for homeless veterans

Rod Powers is a recognized expert in all U.S. military matters. A military
author, his articles have appeared in numerous military and civilian
publications. Powers is the co-author of the successful ASVAB For Dummies,
2nd Edition, and serves as a military guide for About.com.

$19.99 US / $23.99 CN / £13.99 UK

ISBN 978-0-470-39865-4

Business/Personal Finance

Go to dummies.com
®

for more!

Meet eligibility requirements,
gather the right documents, and
earn the benefits due you

Want to take full advantage of your military benefits? This
concise, plain-English guide explains the various programs
available to you and your family, and helps you properly
file applications, claims, and appeals. You’ll make sense of
the often-confusing world of the Department of Veterans
Affairs and see exactly how to get the benefits you need
and deserve.

• Understand your status — based on length, type, place, and
period of service, know where you stand as a veteran

• Work with the VA and service offices — evaluate the VA
healthcare program and Tricare, the DOD healthcare system

• Navigate the VA disability compensation and application
process — understand disability ratings and available programs
including CRSC

• Find your way home — use a low-interest loan to finance your
dream house or retire gracefully in a military home

• Travel in style — take advantage of military aircraft and lodging
around the world

• Carry on in memory — discover payments and benefits available
to spouses and dependent children of deceased veterans and
how to request honors and memorials

Veterans Benefits

Powers

spine=.768”

by Rod Powers

Veterans Benefits

FOR
DUMmIES

‰

Veterans Benefi ts For Dummies®

Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2008943502

ISBN: 978-0-470-39865-4

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Author

Rod Powers joined the U.S. Air Force in 1975 intending to become a spy. He
was devastated to learn that he should’ve joined the CIA instead because the
military doesn’t have that particular enlisted job. Regardless, he fell in love
with the military and made it both a passion and a career, retiring with 23
years of service. Rod spent 11 of those years as a fi rst sergeant, helping to
solve the problems of the enlisted corps.

During Rod’s military career, he traveled the world — twice. He’s been
assigned or deployed to so many countries that he doesn’t even remember
them all. He’s a veteran of the Korea “Tree War,” Grenada, Desert Shield,
and Desert Storm. He’s a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Leadership
School, the Noncommissioned Offi cer Academy, the Senior Noncommissioned
Offi cer Academy, and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy.

Since his retirement from the military in 1998, Rod has become a world-
renowned military careers expert. Through hundreds of articles on his highly
popular U.S. Military Information Web site at About.com (usmilitary.
about.com), Rod has advised thousands of troops about all aspects of U.S.
armed forces careers. Veteran Benefi ts For Dummies is his third military-related
book. One of his other books, ASVAB For Dummies, was published by Wiley.

Rod is the proud single-parent father of twin girls, both of whom enjoy suc-
cessful careers in the U.S. Air Force. Rod currently lives in Daytona Beach,
Florida, where he gratefully enjoys the devoted attentions of his girlfriend,
Jackie, and his pet tomato plant, Oscar. Even today, Rod tries to run his life
according to long-lived military ideals and standards, but he gets a bit con-
fused about why nobody will obey his orders anymore. Not even Oscar.

Dedication

To Charisa Raine Lindsy, an angel with Angelman Syndrome, who has won a
special place in my heart. To get more facts about this devastating genetic
condition and fi nd out how you can help, visit the Angelman Syndrome
Foundation at www.angelman.org.

Author’s Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I offer my most sincere gratitude, appreciation, and
respect to our nation’s veterans. Without your sacrifi ces, dedication, and loy-
alty to our country, this book, nor any freedom of expression, would not be
possible.

Many thanks to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
Defense for their invaluable information and assistance. Special thanks to
Scott Langhoff for reviewing the manuscript for technical accuracy and keep-
ing me informed on the latest changes to veterans benefi ts.

I am grateful to Barb Doyan, my literary agent, for her encouragement, sup-
port, and hard work in getting this project off the ground. Thanks to Mike
Baker, acquisition editor at Wiley, and likewise to my project and copy edi-
tors, Natalie Harris and Vicki Adang, both editors par excellence. Their contri-
butions to this book cannot be overstated.

Finally, to my girlfriend, Jackie Gatton, who stuck with me and had faith in
me, even when I sometimes had to break a date to meet a deadline.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registra-
tion form located at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our
Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax
317-572-4002.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media
Development

Project Editor: Natalie Faye Harris

Acquisitions Editor: Mike Baker

Senior Copy Editor: Victoria M. Adang

Assistant Editor: Erin Calligan Mooney

Editorial Program Coordinator: Joe Niesen

General Reviewer:
Scott H. Langhoff, CPO USN (Retired)

Editorial Manager: Christine Meloy Beck

Editorial Assistants: Jennette ElNaggar,
David Lutton

Cover Photos: Thinkstock Images

Cartoons: Rich Tennant
(www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Erin Smith

Layout and Graphics: Reuben W. Davis,
Melissa K. Jester, Christin Swinford,
Christine Williams

Proofreaders: Laura Bowman, Caitie Kelly

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Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies

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Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel

Publishing for Technology Dummies

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Composition Services

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Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Contents at a Glance

Introduction ................................................................ 1

Par t I: Benefit ting From Benefits .................................. 7

Chapter 1: The Wonderful World of Veterans Benefi ts.................................................9
Chapter 2: Determining Veteran Status and Qualifying for Benefi ts .........................17
Chapter 3: Navigating Your Way through the Red Tape of Claims and Appeals .....35

Par t II: A Healthy Look at Medical Care
and Compensation Programs ....................................... 55

Chapter 4: Veterans Affairs Healthcare ........................................................................57
Chapter 5: Tricare: The Military’s Health Insurance ...................................................79
Chapter 6: Disability Compensation and Pensions .....................................................93
Chapter 7: Getting Your Military Retirement Pay ......................................................115
Chapter 8: Carrying On: Payments and Benefi ts for Survivors ................................129
Chapter 9: Burial and Memorial Benefi ts ....................................................................149

Par t III: Understanding Education
and Employment Programs ....................................... 169

Chapter 10: Advancing Your Education through the GI Bill .....................................171
Chapter 11: Aid and Vocational Training for Disabled and Homeless Veterans ......195
Chapter 12: Veterans’ Job Preference & Small Business Loans ...............................211

Par t IV: Home Is Where the Hear t Is —
Except When You’re Traveling! .................................. 225

Chapter 13: Financing Your Dream House: VA Home Loan Guarantees .................227
Chapter 14: There’s No Place Like (A Military Retirement) Home .........................237
Chapter 15: Shopping Until You Drop .........................................................................251
Chapter 16: Things to Do, Places to See: Travel Benefi ts .........................................265

Par t V: The Par t of Tens ........................................... 287

Chapter 17: Ten Places to Get Help with Veterans Benefi ts.....................................289
Chapter 18: Ten T ips for Avoiding Problems with Your VA Benefi t Claims ..........295
Chapter 19: Ten T ips for Traveling via the Military ..................................................299

Par t VI: Appendixes ................................................. 303

Index ...................................................................... 357

Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................. 1

About This Book ..............................................................................................2
Conventions Used in This Book .....................................................................2
What You’re Not to Read ................................................................................3
Foolish Assumptions .......................................................................................3
How This Book Is Organized ..........................................................................3
Part I: Benefi ting from Benefi ts ............................................................3
Part II: A Healthy Look at Medical Care
and Compensation Programs ...........................................................4
Part III: Understanding Education and Employment Programs .......4
Part IV: Home Is Where the Heart Is —
Except When You’re Traveling! ........................................................4
Part V: The Part of Tens ........................................................................5
Part VI: Appendixes ...............................................................................5
Icons Used in This Book .................................................................................5
Where to Go from Here ...................................................................................6

Par t I: Benefit ing From Benefits .................................... 7

Chapter 1: The Wonderful World of Veterans Benefi ts. . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Getting Familiar with the Benefi ts You Deserve ........................................10
Breaking Down Your Benefi ts ......................................................................11
Meeting your healthcare needs .........................................................12
Pocketing a monthly check.................................................................13
Sometimes old soldiers do die: Memorial
benefi ts and taking care of survivors ............................................14
Getting educated about education benefi ts .....................................14
Take this job and . . . well, just take this job ....................................15
There’s no place like home .................................................................15
Shopping and sight-seeing ..................................................................16

Chapter 2: Determining Veteran Status and
Qualifying for Benefi ts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

What Is a Veteran? The Legal Defi nition .....................................................18
Understanding the Difference between Types of Military Service ..........19
Full-time warriors .................................................................................19
Weekend warriors ................................................................................19
Active Guard/Reserves ........................................................................21
Individual Ready Reserve ...................................................................21

Veterans Benefits For Dummies
viii

Digging into the Details: Other Considerations for Benefi ts ....................22
Length of service ..................................................................................22
Where and when you served ..............................................................25
Service discharges ...............................................................................25
Changing your discharge ....................................................................29
Service Records: Proving Your Eligibility ...................................................30
DD Forms 214 and 215 .........................................................................30
NGB Forms 22 and 22A ........................................................................32
Military medical records .....................................................................32
Protecting Your Paperwork ..........................................................................33

Chapter 3: Navigating Your Way through
the Red Tape of Claims and Appeals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Meeting the Two Main Benefi ts Agencies ...................................................36
The Department of Veterans Affairs ..................................................36
The Department of Defense and military services ..........................37
Double-Checking Your Documentation and Eligibility .............................38
Collecting your documents ................................................................39
Using the VA’s “duty to assist” ..........................................................40
Submitting Your VA Claim ............................................................................41
Playing the Waiting Game: The Big Decision .............................................42
Fixing Errors in Your Military Record .........................................................43
Knowing the grounds for requesting a change ................................43
Submitting the proper paperwork .....................................................44
Providing evidence is important! .......................................................44
Understanding the advisory opinion.................................................44
Do You Need a Lawyer or Additional Help? ...............................................45
Deciding to Appeal ........................................................................................46
Getting the appeals process rolling ...................................................47
Receiving a thumbs up or thumbs down ..........................................47
Preparing to send your appeal up the chain ....................................47
Getting on with the appeal .................................................................49
Trying to speed up the waiting game ................................................50
Making your case at a board hearing ................................................50
Bracing yourself for the ultimate decision .......................................51
When All Else Fails: Appealing the Appeal .................................................52
Motion to reconsider ...........................................................................52
Reopening an appeal ...........................................................................53
U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims .......................................53

Par t II: A Healthy Look at Medical Care
and Compensation Programs ........................................ 55

Chapter 4: Veterans Affairs Healthcare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Medical Benefi ts Package: The Backbone of the System ..........................58
What’s covered ....................................................................................58
What’s not covered..............................................................................59