Economic Services:
Veterans

We are Buncombe County's Veterans Affairs (VA) department. We offer a wide range of benefits to our Nation's veterans, service members, and their families.

VA pledges to:

• Treat you with courtesy, compassion and respect at all times
  
• Communicate with you accurately, completely and clearly
  
• Provide timely service to you
  
• Make our services accessible to you
  
• Fully answer your questions, concerns and complaints

VA benefits and services fall into these major categories:

• Disability Benefits
  
• Education & Training Benefits
  
• Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment
  
• Home Loans
  
• Burial Benefits
  
• Dependents' and Survivors' Benefits
  
• Life Insurance
  
• Health Care

• a veteran
  
• a veteran's dependent
  
• a surviving spouse or child of a deceased veteran
  
• a member of the Reserves or National Guard
  
• an active duty service member

We administer two disability programs. Both pay monthly benefits to disabled veterans.

• Disability Compensation: We can pay you compensation if you are at least 10% disabled as a result of your military service.
• Disability Pension: We can pay you a pension if you are a wartime veteran with limited income and you are no longer able to work.

Time Limits: There is no deadline for applying for disability benefits.

Education and Training

We pay benefits to eligible veterans, dependents, reservists, and service members while they are in an approved training program. Our major programs are:

• Montgomery GI Bill Persons who first entered active duty after June 30, 1985, are generally eligible. Some Vietnam Era veterans and certain veterans separated under special programs are also eligible. The bill also includes a program for certain reservists and National Guard members.
• Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP) This program is for veterans who entered active duty for the first time after December 31, 1976, and before July 1, 1985, and contributed to a training fund.
• Survivor's & Dependent's Educational Assistance Some family members of disabled or deceased veterans are eligible for education benefits.

Time Limits: Generally, veterans have 10 years from the date they were last released from active duty to use their education benefits. Reservists generally have 10 years from the date they became eligible for the program unless they leave the Selected Reserves before completing their obligation. Spouses generally have 10 years from the date we first find them eligible. Children are generally eligible from age 18 until age 26. These time limits can sometimes be extended.

Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment

We can help certain service-disabled veterans get and keep suitable employment. Some of the services we provide are:

• Employment and case management services
  
• Vocational and Rehabilitation counseling
  
• Payment of training costs
  
• Monthly payments to help with living expenses
  
• Medical and dental treatment, if needed, to complete your program

Time Limits: You generally have 12 years from the date we tell you in writing that you have at least a 10 percent rating for a service-connected disability. You may have longer if certain conditions prevent you from training or if you have a serious employment handicap.

Home Loans

We offer a number of home loan services to eligible veterans, some military personnel, and certain spouses.

• Guaranteed Loans We can guarantee part of a loan from a private lender to help you buy a home, a manufactured home, a lot for a manufactured home, or certain types of condominiums. We also guarantee loans for building, repairing, and improving homes.
• Refinancing Loans If you have a VA mortgage, we can help you refinance your loan at a lower interest rate. You may also refinance a non-VA loan.
• Special Grants Certain disabled veterans can receive grants to have their homes specially adapted to their needs.

Time Limits: There is no time limit for a VA home loan, except for eligible reservists. Their eligibility expires September 30, 2007.

Burial Benefits

We offer certain benefits and services to honor our Nation's deceased veterans.

• Headstones and Markers We can furnish a monument to mark the unmarked grave of an eligible veteran.
• Presidential Memorial Certificate (PMC) We can provide a PMC for eligible recipients.
• Burial Flag We can provide an American Flag to drape an eligible veteran's casket.
• Reimbursement of Burial Expenses. Generally, we can pay a burial allowance of $2,000 for veterans who die of service-related causes. For certain other veterans, we can pay $300 for burial and funeral expenses and $300 for a plot.
• Burial in a VA National Cemetery Most veterans and some dependents can be buried in a VA national cemetery.

Time Limits: There is no time limit for claiming reimbursement of burial expenses for a service-related death. In other cases, claims must be filed within 2 years of the veteran's burial.

• Servicemembers who die on active duty
  
• Veterans who died from service-related disabilities
  
• Certain veterans who were being paid 100% VA disability compensation at time of death

Death Pension is payable to some surviving spouses and children of deceased wartime
veterans. The benefit is based on financial need.

VA Civilian Health and Medical Program (CHAMPVA) shares the cost of medical services for eligible dependents and survivors of certain veterans.

Time Limits: There are no time limits for applying for the benefits described above.

Health Care

We provide a number of health care services.

• Hospital, outpatient medical, dental, pharmacy and prosthetic services
  
• Domiciliary, nursing home, and community-based residential care
  
• Sexual trauma counseling
  
• Specialized health care for women veterans
  
• Health and rehabilitation programs for homeless veterans
  
• Readjustment counseling
  
• Alcohol and drug dependency treatment
  
• Medical evaluation for military service exposure, including Gulf War, Agent Orange, radiation, or other environmental hazards.

Life Insurance

Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (SGLI) is low-cost term life insurance for service members and reservists. Generally, coverage begins when you enter the service. It is available in amounts up to $200,000. Generally, it expires 120 days after you get out of the service.

Veterans Group Life Insurance (VGLI) is renewable five-year term life insurance for veterans. It is available in amounts up to $200,000. You may apply any time within 1 year from the date your SGLI expires.

Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance also called "RH" Insurance, is life insurance for service-disabled veterans. The basic coverage is $10,000. If your premium payments for the basic policy are waived, you may be eligible for a supplemental policy of up to $20,000. Generally, you have 2 years after being notified of your service-connected disability to apply for basic coverage.

Monday through Friday
8:00am - 5:00pm

Please call for appointments.

To file claims for compensation/pension:

• Please bring all military separation papers and social security numbers of dependants.
• If applicable the name of your bank, routing number, and account number.
• If you are a married veteran and there were previous marriages, we will need the dates and places of the previous marriages and the dates and places of termination for you and your spouse.
• If you are a surviving widow or widower, previous marital information is also needed if applicable.
• Pension:
  If applying for pension we will also need all sources of income and net worth.

Dependency and indemnity compensation:

• We will need military separation papers or veterans C file number
• All marital information
• Dependants social security numbers
• Banking account information if applicable

Veterans and dependants education:

Please call the office

There is no charge for this service.

Ellen White
250-5726
ellen.white@buncombecounty.org

Toll-Free Service Benefits Information and Assistance

Each VA benefit has its own eligibility requirements. For more information about specific benefits, you may visit the nearest VA office or call: 1-800-827-1000

Special Toll-Free Numbers

• Apply for Compensation, Pension or Vocational Rehabilitation benefits on line
• For more information and links to our regional offices, visit the VA Web-Site
  • Look at our specialty pages
    • Compensation and Pension Benefits
    • Education
    • Environmental Exposure
    • Health Care
    • Home Loans
    • Insurance
    • Minority Veterans
    • Women Veterans
    • Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment
      

For a listing of county-wide programs & services offered by Buncombe County Government, please visit our Services section.