PENSIONS AND bENEFITS
AID AND ATTENDANCE
Aid and Attendance benefit is available, at no cost, to all qualified Veterans or Surviving Spouses to have the ability
to stay in their home and be assisted with Activities of
Daily Living (ADL’s).
PTSD (POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER)
Symptoms can include disturbing thoughts, feelings or dreams related to the events, mental or physical distress, difficulty sleeping, and changes in how a person thinks and feels.
TBI (TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY)
Symptoms can vary. Mild or moderate TBI symptoms can include mood changes, trouble with concentration, headaches, difficulty with sleep, and reduced motor coordination. Severe TBI can cause greatly reduced or lack of motor control, greatly reduced ability or inability to speak, and restlessness or agitation.
*1 in 3 service men & women live with PTSD.
*1 in 5 live with TBI.
BURN PITS
Veterans who were closer to burn pit smoke or exposed for longer periods may be at greater risk.
Health effects depend on a number of other factors, such as the kind of waste being burned and wind direction.
Waste products in burn pits include, but are not limited to: chemicals, paint, medical and human waste, metal/aluminum cans,
munition and other unexploded ordinance, petroleum and lubricant products, plastics, rubber, wood, and discarded food.
Burning waste in open air pits can cause more pollution than controlled burning such as in an incinerator.
REGISTRY
AGENT ORANGE
Agent Orange was a tactical herbicide used the by U.S. military from 1962 to 1975, named for the orange brand around the storage barrel.
The military sprayed millions of gallons of agent orange and other tactical heribicides on trees and vegetation during the Vietnam war.
Veterans who may have been exposed to agent orange include veterans who were in Vietnam, the Korean demilitarized zone, on those air force bases, and who flew on or worked on C-123 aircraft. Several decades later, concerns about health effects from these chemicals, including dioxin, a by product of agent orange production.
VA offers eligible veterans a free agent orange registry health exam (exposures/agentorange/benefits/registry-exam.asp) for possible long-term health problems related to exposure.
VA also offers health care, disability compensation, and other benefits to eligible veterans for certain disease conditions (https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/), as well as benefits for children of Vietnam veterans who have spina bifida (https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/birth-defects/spina-bifida.asp)
Dependents and surviors may also be eligible for other benefits.
VETERAN SUICIDE
There is no single cause of suicide. Suicide deaths reflect a complex interaction of risk and protective factors at the individual, community, and societal levels.
Risk factors are characteristics associated with greater likelihood of suicidal behaviors.
Some risk factors for suicide include:
- A prior suicide attempt.
- Mental health conditions.
- Stressful life events such as divorce, job loss, or the death of a loved one.
- Availability of lethal means.
Protective factors can help offset risk factors. These characteristics are associated with a less likelihood of suicidal behaviors.
Some protective factors for suicide include:
- Positive coping skills.
- Having reasons for living or a sense of purpose in life.
- Feeling connected to other people.
- Access to mental health care.
*An average of 20 veterans die by suicide each day.
–About six of the 20 are recent users of Veterans Health Administrations Services.
On average, there are 93 Suicides among the general U.S. non-veteran adult population per day.
BURIAL BENEFITS
- Schedule a Burial
- Burial Benefits
- Headstones, marks & medallions
- Presidential Memorial Certification
- Survivors Benefit