Veteran's Guide to Benefits

by Phillip J. Budahn

Overview

• The 5th edition of the popular reference • Complete, updated information on benefits for veterans and their families • Covers healthcare, disability pay, education benefits, pensions, payments to families, and more • Who's eligible, what's available, and how to obtain benefits • Includes a directory of federal and state-run veterans facilities and offices

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780811736459
Publisher:	Stackpole Books
Publication date:	06/09/2011
Edition description:	Fifth Edition
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	789,137
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Phillip J. Budahn is a veteran military author with extensive experience with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He lives in northern Virginia.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

1 Basics on Veterans Benefits 1

2 Kinds of Veterans (and Spouses, Too) 7

Just-Plain-Veteran Veterans 8

Disabled Veterans 10

Low-Income Veterans 13

"Bad-Paper" Veterans 14

Military Retirees 17

Special Veterans 19

Spouses and Survivors 20

3 The Soon-To-Be Veteran 22

Final Paycheck 23

Final Physical 27

Health Care 28

Dental Care 30

Time Off 30

Getting Home 33

Job Search 38

Unemployment Compensation 41

Veterans Preference 44

4 Health Care 46

VA Health Care 47

VA-Paid Hospital Care 53

VA Nursing Homes 54

VA-Paid Nursing Homes 57

Care for Family Members 59

Spina Bifida 61

Children of Women Vietnam Veterans 64

Gulf War Families 65

5 Care for Chronically Ill or Elderly Veterans 67

VA Domiciliaries 68

State Veterans Homes 71

Adult Day Care 73

U.S. Retirement Homes 75

And Spouses, Too 78

6 Disability Pay 80

Disability Compensation 81

Disability Retirement 85

Temporary Disability Retirement 89

Disability Severance Pay 92

7 Veterans Pensions 96

Improved Pension 97

Old-Law Pension 104

Section 306 Pension 106

8 Payments to Families 109

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation 110

Death Pension 115

Birth Defects 118

Help for Caregivers 118

9 Life Insurance 119

Veterans Group Life Insurance 120

Servicemember's Group Life Insurance 124

Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance 127

Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance 129

Programs for Pre-1974 Discharges 131

10 Home Loans 135

VA Home Loans 135

11 Education and Training 146

Post-9/11 GI Bill 147

Montgomery GI Bill 154

Montgomery GI Bill (Selected Reserve) 159

Reserve Educational Assistance Program 163

Veterans Educational Assistance Program 168

Vietnam-Era GI Bill 171

Vocational Rehabilitation 172

12 Tying up Loose Ends with the Military 176

Copies of Discharges 177

Upgrading Discharges 179

Correcting Military Records 182

Copies of Medals 186

13 Taps 188

Burial Allowances 189

Headstones and Markers 190

National Cemeteries 192

Final Honors 194

Appendixes

VA Facilities 196

State Veterans Facilities 242

Veterans Helping Veterans 250

Nonmilitary Veterans 254

Official Wartime Periods 258

Two Centuries of Veterans: Some Statistics 261

Index 264