VA Welcoming Vets Home
Welcome home, veterans, and thank you for your service to our country! The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has launched a website at www.oefoif.va.gov specifically for returning vets. The website is a social, veteran–centric website focusing on their needs and questions. The following are some of the benefits VA provides.
For veterans of service with the armed forces of the United States,
there are services and programs offered by the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA), especially for those who are wartime veterans.
There are eligibility or other requirements connected with the various
benefits. You may be eligible if you were discharged under other than
dishonorable conditions and you served 90 days or more of active duty
with at least 1 day during a period of wartime. In addition to federal
benefits, there are also benefits and services available to eligible
veterans who are residents of NJ. These benefits are provided by the
NJ Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs.
Veterans' Pensions
To qualify for veterans compensation and pensions, you must have
a service related disability and have received an honorable discharge.
Veterans who served in a war, whose incomes are low, will not be
considered totally disabled and eligible for a pension unless the
VA determines that they are not employable.
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Disability Compensation
The VA pays compensation on disabilities incurred in, or aggravated
by, military service. Wartime Veterans with service-connected disabilities
with limited income who are no longer able to work may qualify.
Some income is not counted toward the yearly limit, but eligibility
requirements include family income. The VA payments will be the
difference between your family income and the yearly income limit,
which describes your situation.
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Medical Care
VA Health Care Programs offer quality care in the most efficient
manner. The goal is to prevent and lessen the burden of disability
on older, frail chronically ill patients and their families/caregivers,
and to maximize each patient's independence. Eligibility for VA
outpatient treatment, inpatient care and nursing home care is subject
to various constraints and restrictions. Veterans who may be eligible for the US Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) health benefits should call for information toll-free at 1-877-222-8387.
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Prescription Drug Coverage
You may be eligible for the VA low-cost prescription drug program
if your present illness is not service connected. If you are being
provided treatment, necessary prescriptions will also be provided.
A co-payment is charged for each 30 day or less supply of medications
provided on an outpatient basis for the treatment of a nonservice-connected
disability. Veterans with a service-connected disability rated
50%
or more and veterans who meet income requirements are exempt from
paying this co-payment.
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Home Loans
VA guaranteed loans are made by private lenders, such as banks
or mortgage companies to eligible veterans for the purchase of a
home which must be for their own personal occupancy. The VA offers
home loan guarantees as protection against default.
Homelessness
As part of the national VA effort to assist homeless veterans,
grants have been awarded to non-profit and local government agencies
to develop or expand programs to provide services to homeless veterans.
Eligible transitional projects serve veterans in need of housing
and supportive services, and provide outreach and referral, vocational
counseling, rehabilitation and community support.
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Death Benefits
Death benefits may be provided to eligible widow(er)s, and children
of qualified veterans. Survivors may also take advantage of burial
expense assistance -- burial flags, headstone or grave markers,
burial plot in a national cemetery, memorial markers, or memorial
plots. If the death is service related VA will pay up to $1,500
toward the burial expenses. If the death is nonservice related,
VA will pay up to $300 toward burial and funeral expenses and a
$150 plot interment allowance.
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Denial of Benefits
Persons who have been denied veterans' benefits or had their payments
or services stopped or reduced, have certain appeals procedures available
free of charge. Contact the VA for information.
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Other Services, Benefits
Other services or benefits to veterans which may be provided through
the VA include: dental care, prosthetic devices, special assistance
to the blind, grants for specially adapted housing, federal employment
preference, and Military Exchange & Commissary Privileges.
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Uniformed Services Beneficiaries
All uniformed services beneficiaries 65 years of age or older who are eligible for Medicare must be enrolled in Medicare Part B to use the pharmacy program. They will be able to use the military's National Mail Order Pharmacy Program to buy a 90-day supply of a drug or a 30-day supply of brand-name prescription drugs, or a 30-day supply of generic prescription drugs. For those outside of the TRICARE network, you can get prescriptions mail order or a non-network retail benefit that has a deductible and a co-payment. If you are near a base pharmacy and get your prescriptions there, they will be free. For information about TRICARE call 1-877-874-2273 or for TRICARE pharmacy information 1-877-363-6337.
During a Special Enrollment Period, uniformed services retirees were given the opportunity to enroll in Medicare Part B, TRICARE Prime (the military's managed-care plan) or choose a civilian provider with no penalties imposed. Eligible retirees who turned down enrollment in Medicare Part B during this "open enrollment" period are ineligible for TRICARE benefits.
TRICARE For Life is the Medicare-wraparound coverage for TRICARE beneficiaries entitled to Medicare Part A and purchase Medicare Part B. Payment of the monthly Medicare premium is required. Supplemental insurance policies may not be necessary as TRICARE programs offer comprehensive health benefits. For services covered by Medicare and TRICARE, TRICARE will pick up whatever costs, fees, or deductible Medicare does not.
For services not covered by Medicare or TRICARE, you are responsible for the entire bill.
For TRICARE eligibility information and other military retiree benefit questions, please call 1-800-538-9552 or visit website www.tricare.osd.mil.
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Information
To contact the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) telephone
1-800-827-1000.
Additional VA Help - For the VA Health Benefits Service Center, call toll-free at 1-877-222-VETS; TDD - 1-800-829-4833; Education & Training - 1-888-442-4551; Life Insurance - 1-800-669-8477; Special Issues - 1-800-749-8387; Headstones/Markers - 1-800-697-6947; VA Inspector General -1-800-488-8244; Information and assistance may also be obtained from the NJ Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs, Eggerts Crossing Road, PO Box 340, Trenton, NJ 08625‑0340, telephone toll-free 1-888-8NJ-VETS (1-888-865-8387) or 609‑530‑6868 or visit the website www.nj.gov/military or www.va.gov.
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Division of Aging and Community Services
