Veterans still not aware of benefits they paid for

YOU PAID FOR THESE BENEFITS WITH YOUR SERVICE. THEY ARE NOT HANDOUTS.

VA Says Most Vets Still Unaware of Benefits
Nov 20, 2012
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
by Chris Adams

WASHINGTON - More than half of America's veterans say they have little or no understanding of the benefits due them, despite efforts over recent years to match returning soldiers with the help and services they need.

An analysis of Department of Veterans Affairs survey data found that younger veterans - those who served in the post-9/11 war period - are better versed in their benefits. But even among those veterans, 40 percent say they have little or no understanding of their benefits, a figure that climbs to two-thirds for those unfamiliar with life insurance benefits available.

The VA said it's working hard to boost benefits awareness and has taken steps in recent years to do so.

"We want to accept them into the VA. We want to help them," said Joseph Curtin, who recently became the VA's director of outreach.

One major change will come Wednesday when a new law will mandate all departing service members go through a series of detailed benefits sessions. Until now, participation in such sessions varied by service and was often optional.

The VA had been reaching 150,000 service members per year; under the mandatory, beefed-up, sessions, that is expected to rise to 307,000.

America's veterans are eligible for a range of benefits, from access to the VA's well-regarded medical system to lifetime payments for disabilities suffered during military service to access to education, life insurance and home loan programs.

But VA data show that participation varies widely by geography. In addition, a veteran's understanding of what's available varies greatly by period of service.

McClatchy Newspapers analyzed the VA's 2010 National Survey of Veterans, conducted about every 10 years to determine the state of America's veterans. Included are several questions about veterans' health coverage as well as understanding of the VA benefits package. McClatchy also reviewed benefits data by state in 2011, the most recent year available.

When asked about the VA benefits, veterans' responses are all over the map, depending on their age and the benefit in question.

Among all veterans, 59 percent said their understanding of available benefits was "a little" or "not at all," according to the analysis of the VA's survey data.
for list of VA Benefits read more here