Services

Veteran Benefits Assistance

Programs that provide assistance for veterans in understanding and/or obtaining the full benefits and services to which they are entitled by law based on service to their country.

Department of Veterans Services, Benefits Assistance

The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) offers programs that provide assistance for veterans in understanding and/or obtaining the full benefits and services to which they are entitled by law based on service to their country.

Veteran Benefits Assistance

Programs that provide assistance for veterans in understanding and/or obtaining the full benefits and services to which they are entitled by law based on service to their country.

Veteran Burial Benefits

A program of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs that provides a variety of burial benefits for eligible deceased veterans of peacetime or wartime service who have been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable and, in the case of some benefits, for their dependents. Included are burial in a national cemetery (opening and closing the grave, headstones and markers and perpetual care); headstones and markers for graves of veterans that are located anywhere in the world as well as niche markers for urns; headstones or markers for memorial plots in situations where the veteran's remains are not available for burial; Presidential Memorial Certificates; and burial flags which drape the veteran's coffin and are given to the next of kin or close associate following the funeral. Burial and funeral allowances are also available to certain veterans under specified conditions.

Veteran Compensation and Pension Benefits

Programs administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that provide monthly payments to veterans who are disabled and were discharged under other than dishonorable conditions, their dependent children, surviving spouses and parents. Included are compensation benefits for veterans with service-connected disabilities; and pension benefits for veterans with limited incomes who are age 65 or older or are permanently and totally disabled as a result of a condition not related to military service. Veterans who are more seriously disabled may qualify for Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits which are paid in addition to the basic compensation or pension rate. A veteran cannot receive both Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits at the same time.

Veteran Education Benefits

Programs administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or other organizations that provide educational financial assistance for veterans and service personnel and their eligible dependents. Veterans and service personnel who served on active duty between January 31, 1955 and January 1, 1977 for specified periods of time are eligible for a variety of education benefits under the GI Bill including a stipend for tuition assistance at approved educational institutions. Veterans and service personnel who entered active duty after January 1, 1977 may participate in a voluntary contributory plan in which the individual's savings for a future education are administered and augmented by the government. Partial educational assistance is also available to the survivors of deceased or disabled veterans whose death or permanent and total disability was service-connected; and to the spouses and children of servicemen and women who have been listed for more than 90 days as missing in action, captured in the line of duty or forcibly detained by a foreign power. 

Programs also include Post-911 GI Bill, MYCAA Spouse Benefits, and Schools participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Veteran Life Insurance

A post-separation insurance program administered by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs that allows service members to convert their Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) coverage to renewable term insurance, Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI). Members with full-time SGLI coverage are eligible for VGLI upon release from service and have one year and 120 days from the time of discharge to file their application. VGLI coverage is issued in multiples of $10,000 up to a maximum of $400,000. However, a service member's VGLI coverage amount cannot exceed the amount of SGLI they had in force at the time of separation from service. VGLI premiums are based upon the separating member's age. VA also manages life insurance programs for veterans of World War I, World War II and the Korean Conflict and for service disabled veterans of the Vietnam Conflict; and provides mortgage protection life insurance under a group policy for those disabled veterans who are given a VA grant to secure specially adapted housing.

Veteran Survivors Benefits

A program administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that provides special payments for the eligible survivors of deceased veterans whose wartime or peacetime service meets specific criteria for service-connected death compensation or non-service-connected death pensions. Eligible survivors (dependent children, surviving spouses and parents) who are seriously disabled may also qualify for Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits which are paid in addition to the basic benefit.