In this edition:

• The Primary Reason Why More than 50% of Veterans Don’t get Benefits

• Myths About VA Eligibility and VA Health Care

• Non-profit Resources that Assist with Benefits Navigation and More

• Books for Navigating VA Benefits

• Veterans in Crisis: Assistance is Available

• Top News of the Week: Veterans Edition

• Last Week’s Poll Results

• Support the Dementia Newsletter (and shoutouts to last week’s donors!)

The Primary Reason Why More Than 50% of Veterans Don’t Get Benefits

The VA estimates that there are 19.5 million veterans in the United States.¹ 53% of those veterans are currently ineligible for veteran benefits. Why? It’s not necessarily because they were refused or declared ineligible. It’s because they’re not enrolled at the Veterans Administration.²

As simple as it sounds, applying for enrollment is the number one thing that has to happen in order to get more veterans and their caregivers the benefits they deserve. So let’s talk about the enrollment process for a minute.

There are a couple of basic requirements for eligibility (with some fine print, of course — this is the government, after all!). Here are the two biggies:

1. You served in the active military, naval, or air service

2. You did not receive a dishonorable discharge

You can find out more about the finer details of eligibility here: VA Eligibility

Resources for Navigating Enrollment and Eligibility

Here are some VA resources that will help you begin your navigation of the enrollment and eligibility process:

• VA.gov: begin at the beginning, the VA home page! Create an account, search topics, find locations, or click “Get Started with VA” to start a walkthrough of benefits, support, and programs.

• Discover Your Benefits: this benefits walkthrough from the VA will help you explore the different benefits available to you and tailor your plan for applying to your needs. And we’re not just talking about health care here. You can explore benefits related to going back to school, retirement planning, and career development among other things.

• Get the 10-10EZ form — the Enrollment Application for Health Benefits — here.

• Call the VA hotline at 877-222-8387 to apply or get help with your application.

• You can get help in person at the nearest medical center or clinic. Find the closest location for you at the Find VA Locations page.

• Get help from a VSO (Veterans Service Organization) representative or an accredited representative at the Accredited Representative web page.

• VA Social Workers are also trained to guide you through each step of the process. Make sure you get to see one as you’re enrolling or as soon thereafter as possible to help chart your course.

Note: on the VA pages, I sometimes got the error “www.va.gov took too long to respond.” Refresh and try again. It will load eventually. Again…it’s the government. 🙄

Myths about VA Eligibility and VA Health Care

There’s lots of “common knowledge” about the VA that just ain’t so.

• I’m not eligible because I wasn’t deployed?

• I make too much money to be eligible?

• I’ve been out of the military too long?

• VA healthcare is reserved for combat veterans?

Check out this web page where these myths, and several more, are BUSTED!

Non-profit Resources for Benefits Navigation and More

Did you know that there are many not-for-profit organizations that are there to help veterans with benefits applications, legal issues, financial problems, and so much more? Below are just a few of the most reputable and highly-regarded organizations that are waiting to assist our veterans and their caregivers.

• Disabled American Veterans: “DAV benefits experts are available across the country to help veterans navigate their VA benefits and provide counseling for veterans on claims and appeals—all at no cost to the veteran.”

• National Veterans Foundation: The NVF offers a vet-to-vet assistance model that has proven particularly effective. Veterans can call the Lifeline for Vets (888-777-4443) and receive help with financial problems, mental health issues, receiving their VA benefits and healthcare, employment, housing, family counseling and many other concerns.

• American Bar Association Home Front: an array of pro bono legal resources for veterans offered by America’s premier legal organization.

Books for Navigating VA Benefits⁵

• You Deserve It: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Veteran Benefits You've Earned, by Brian Reese

• VA Claims Simplified: A Veteran’s Manual for Securing Benefits, by Glenn Brady

• Veterans Benefits for You: Get What You Deserve, by Paul R. Lawrence

• The Complete Guide to Veterans' Benefits: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply, by Bruce C. Brown

• Veterans Benefits Guide For Dummies, by Angie Papple Johnston

Veterans in Crisis: Assistance Is Available

Veterans who find themselves in crisis are never alone. Help is available through the VA.

If you are in crisis, or you know a veteran in crisis, you can use the resources below to learn about how to best assist your loved one.

Don’t wait. The people at the other end of the phone are waiting for your call, and they have the tools to help.

Top News of the Week: Veterans Edition

There is a lot of uncertainty in the air as the Trump administration promises sweeping changes to government. The debates are raging as controversy swirls, and it seems like we’ll simply have to wait, stay positive, and see what happens. There is a tremendous amount of support for veterans in our country, and I personally believe that we will find the budget and willpower to support our veterans regardless of party affiliation. Below are some recent articles about the news to be watching.

• VA dismisses more than 1,000 employees (VA website): this has been the big news over the last week, and it will take time to evaluate the impact. The VA has, by their own estimation, 479,000 employees.³ That amounts to about a 0.002% reduction in workforce projected to save $98 million dollars.⁴ In theory, those funds will go toward improving veteran services and access to care. Of course, there has been fierce debate about whether things will actually turn out that way.

• VA plans to trim 10,000 jobs this year, mostly from medical sites (Military Times): this story hasn’t seen as much exposure…yet. While the immediate cut of 1,000 employees has gained everyone’s attention, there is a much larger cut planned over the course of 2025.

• What’s next for VA? Here’s 5 trends to follow in the new year (Federal News Network): 2025 may bring sweeping changes. This articles suggests some things to look for, and several are quite promising!

• The VA Is Retroactively Increasing GI Bill Benefits for a Million Veterans. Here's How to Claim Them (military.com) [pdf]: “The Department of Veterans Affairs kicked off 2025 by expanding its GI Bill education benefits to millions of more veterans.”

Poll Results:

After compiling the results of last week’s poll, readers of The Dementia Newsletter are particularly interested in understanding the Aid & Attendance qualification tips along with getting more information about the PCAFC application. I’ll work on covering these in more detail in the upcoming editions.

Want to put your vote in? The poll is still open and you can vote below. Let me know about your interests so that I can tailor the Newsletter to what you’re looking for!

🎉🙏Thanks to the Audience Sponsors!🙏🎉

Thank you so much to the folks who sponsored the newsletter over the last week! Here’s the weekly shoutout!

Support the Cause

1  https://elumened.info/va-infog

2  https://elumened.info/va-stats

3  https://elumened.info/va-479k

4  https://elumened.info/mt-98m

5  I compiled this book list as an Amazon “affiliate.” If you’re interested in any of these books, buying them through the links above helps to support the newsletter. Thanks for considering it!