As a disabled veteran, it can be hard to take care of your family and provide a high level a care for them. The VA and the United State’s Congress recognize this struggle, which is why they provide extra support and help for disabled veterans with families.
When a veteran is awarded disability compensation with a disability rating of 30 percent or greater, they might be eligible for extra compensation if they have a family. If the veteran has a wife they can be eligible for an extra $150 per month, and if you have a wife and a kid you can get an extra $259 on top of your disability payments, with $75 for any more children.
Besides extra compensation, there are three main categories of other benefits: health care, educational, and burial. There are a few other benefits, like tax breaks, spouses and families can get but these three are the most common.
Health Care
The Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) is a really long name for a program that provides health care for family members of disabled veterans.
Here’s how CHAMPVA works, the VA will reimburse qualifying spouses and family members for the cost of medical expenses. If the spouse has medical insurance through another source, CHAMPVA will cover whatever costs that insurance doesn’t cover. It’s important to note that the other insurance will be billed first.
Education
The VA offers education benefits through the Department of Education Assistance (DEA), and thankfully there’s no ridiculously long acronym for this benefit. This program helps pay for educational training for spouses.
There’s no set amount of benefits for education, it all depends on if the qualifying person is training full-time or part-time and where they are doing their training. On-the job training, apprenticeships, co-ops, correspondence classes, and institutions are all acceptable means of training.
Burial
When a spouse of a disabled veteran dies, they can be eligible for burial benefits at a VA cemetery. The VA offers spouses a grave site, grave marker, opening and closing of the grave, headstone, and care for the grave site.
When applying for benefits, it’s important to know what options are available to you and family. Jan Dils Attorneys at Law will explain all your options so you can take advantage of the benefits you deserve.
