Burial And Memorial Benefits
VA provides a burial flag to memorialize members or former members of the Selected Reserve who served their initial obligation, or were discharged for a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, or died while a member of the Selected Reserve.
Reservists and National Guard members may be eligible for additional burial benefits if their death was due to an injury or disease that developed during, or was aggravated during, active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty for training. Burial benefits may include burial in a national cemetery an inscribed headstone, marker, or medallion a Presidential Memorial Certificate and an allowance to partially reimburse burial and funeral costs. Additional information about burial benefits that may be available can be found in Chapter7 8 “Burial and Memorial Benefits”.
Veterans’ Group Life Insurance :
- Servicemember separating, retiring, or being released from Reserve or National Guard assignment and already covered by SGL,I OR
- National Guard or Reserve member covered by part-time SGLI who incurred a disability or aggravated a pre-existing disability while performing inactive duty training or traveling to/from duty, OR
- Member of the Individual Ready Reserve or Inactive National Guard
You must apply within one year and 120 days from discharge. However, Servicemembers who submit their application within 240 days of discharge do not need to submit evidence of good health. Service members who apply after the 240 day period must submit evidence of good health. You can convert your SGLI to VGLI through eBenefits.
Elks Mutual Benefit Association
Like many other fraternal orders, the Elks at one point sponsored an insurance fund. The Elks Mutual Benefit Association was founded in 1878. At the 1885 Grand Lodge it was reported that the EMBA was prosperous, but its finances were carelessly managed. The Association was disbanded after the 1907 Grand Lodge passed a resolution banning mutual or insurance features, as well as degrees and auxiliaries.
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Are You A Veteran If You Only Did Basic Training
For individuals who are currently in the military, active duty excludes training. If a member of the armed forces was discharged during basic training for medical reasons, they are still considered a veteran for Federal student aid purposes so long as they served at least one day before being discharged.
Who Is Eligible For Veterans Benefits
To be eligible for veterans benefits the applicant must meet the definition of a veteran, meet specified requirements for active duty and must have a discharge other than dishonorable. Reserve and Guard members are generally not eligible for benefits except under certain circumstances.
Here are the basic eligibility requirements for receiving VA benefits which we will discuss in more detail below.
- Must meet definition of a veteran or considered as a veteran
- Must meet active duty requirements
- Must meet the period of active duty service requirements
- Service-connected disabilities cannot be a result of willful misconduct
- Pension is not available if discharge was due to willful misconduct
- Must have received an other than dishonorable discharge
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Veterans Status For Student Aid Purposes
Veterans and active duty military personnel are considered automatically independent for federal need analysis purposes. However, the Veterans Administration and the US Department of Education use a different definition of veteran, leading to some confusion. The definition of active duty also excludes active duty for training, attendance at a service school or, in many cases, members of the National Guard or Reserves.
The definition of veteran for Federal student aid purposes is not necessarily the same as the definition of veteran for VA purposes. This can lead to potential problems, since the FAFSA processor performs a data match with Department of Veterans Affairs records to confirm a students veteran status.
Section 480 of the HEA indicates that a student is considered to be an independent student if he or she is a veteran of the US Armed Forces, which is defined in Section 480 to mean any individual who:
- has engaged in the active duty in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard and
- was released under a condition other than dishonorable.
Section 8019 of the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 changed the definition of independent student to also include members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty for other than training purposes. HERA 2005 also defined active duty to exclude attendance at a service school.
Independent students do not need to report their parents financial information on the FAFSA.
Tips For National Guard And Reservists To Get Va Disability Benefits
The following 6 tips are from a former VA Rater who has extensive experience reviewing and rating VA disability claims for National Guard and Reservists.
- Tip #1:Line of Duty Determinations for National Guard and Reservists are EXTREMELY important.
- Tip #2.Tinnitus claims are usually the easiest way to start a VA disability claim WITHOUT an LOD.
- Tip #3.Buddy Letters are effective to help prove service connection if it was directly witnessed by the buddy writing the letter for you .
- Tip #4: Get your DD 214 for ANY period of active duty service and submit it to the VA as supporting evidence with your claim.
- Tip #5:ALWAYS make copies of your military personnel and service records as well as your medical records.
- Tip #6: It can be useful to schedule and attend medical appointments corresponding with Drill Weekends.
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Va Home Loan Benefits For Guard And Reserve
VA Home Loan Benefits, aka Home Loan Guaranty, allows National Guard and Reserve members to get home loans with more favorable terms.
Private lenders provide the loan, but VA guarantees a portion of it, allowing lenders to provide benefits such as no down payment or mortgage insurance premiums.
To qualify for a VA home loan as a National Guard or Reserve member, you must meet one of the following conditions:
- Served for 90 days or more on active duty during a wartime period, OR
- Were discharged or released from active duty for a service-connected disability, OR
- Have six years of service in the Selected Reserve or National Guard, AND
- Were discharged honorably, OR
- Were placed on the retired list, OR
- Were transferred to the Standby Reserve or an element of the Ready Reserve other than the Selected Reserve after honorable service, OR
- Continue to serve in the Selected Reserve.
Dont forget if you have a VA disability rating of 10% or higher, you qualify for the VA Funding Fee Waiver, which could potentially save you thousands of dollars or more on your home.
Make sure to get a copy of your VA COE Form during the VA loan application process.
Whats The Purpose Of Part
Reservists are in place to support active duty forces. All of the branches of the military have a Reserve branch that is under the US Department of Defense. This time, as well as the full-time training time completed each year, doesnt count as active duty time that can be accumulated for veterans benefits, despite Reserve members completing basic training and military job school.
If Reservists are called into active duty at the discretion of the president or secretary of defense that time will count toward gaining military benefits.
National Guard members are also considered part-time military members. The difference between Reservists and National Guard members is that the federal government oversees the Reserves while each individual state has its own National Guardboth Army National Guard and Air National Guard. Governors have the authority to call National Guard members on active duty and usually do so during emergencies that might be related to chaos or safety concerns, or natural emergencies.
Just like Reservists, a good portion of the time dedicated to service in the National Guard does not count toward qualifying for veterans benefits, including the time spent in service when called up for state-related emergencies. However, if National Guard members are called into action by the president or secretary of stateknown as federal dutythose hours do count toward the requirements for veterans benefits.
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Can You Quit The National Guard
You can’t quit or leave the National Guard without an extremely purposeful reason. All National Guard employees are allowed up to 15 days of paid military leave for each year of active duty. You can use this time off for any event or emergency necessary requiring you to leave during your active duty time.
Reserves Are Reservists Veterans
Many people ask if Army Reserves are considered veterans or in general, if reservists are veterans.
The objective of the Reserves is to deliver supplementary support to active-duty forces when obligated. All of the different military services have a Reserve branch under the patronage of the Department of Defense: Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve.
Though it doesnt count as active-duty time for most veterans benefits, when an individual joins the Reserves, they attend basic training and military job school full time. After completion of basic training and military job school, those considered Reserves resume civilian life, except for training called inactive duty training which takes place one weekend per month.
Reserves, however, do complete 14 days of full-time training once a year. The training is categorized as active duty for training . Neither IDT nor ADT counts toward service requirements for veterans benefits.
The president and secretary of defense can request those in the Reserves to active duty at any time in order to increase efforts on certain military projects. Approximately 65,000 Reserves are performing active duty in support of military contingency operations at any given moment.
This type of active duty counts toward veterans benefits.
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Veteran Status For Merchant Mariners
Merchant mariners are civilians who engage in certain maritime activities, such as the transportation of military equipment by sea, in support of the armed forces. In general, merchant mariners are not considered veterans for the purposes of any VA benefits. However, pursuant to regulations promulgated in accordance with P.L. 95-202, the following groups of merchant mariners are considered veterans for purposes of eligibility for all programs administered by the VA:
- United States Merchant Seamen who served on blockships in support of Operation Mulberry in World War II 42 and
- American Merchant Marine personnel who served in oceangoing service during the period of armed conflict between December 7, 1941, and August 15, 1945.43
In addition, pursuant to Section 402 of the Veterans Programs Enhancement Act of 1998 ” rel=”nofollow”> P.L. 105-368), merchant mariners may qualify for interment or inurnment at a VA National Cemetery and VA burial benefits only if they were members of the United States Merchant Marine, Army Transport Service, or Naval Transport Service who served between August 16, 1945, and December 31, 1946.44
Acknowledgments
Adam Salazar contributed to the update of this report.
Active Service Criteria For Veteran Status
A claimant must have “active military, naval, or air service” to be considered a veteran for most VA benefits.8 However, not all types of service are considered active military service for this purpose.9
In general, active service means full-time service, other than active duty for training, as a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard as a commissioned officer of the Public Health Service or as a commissioned officer of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or its predecessors.
Active service also includes a period of active duty for training during which the person was disabled or died from an injury or disease incurred or aggravated in the line of duty10 and any period of inactive duty for training during which the person was disabled or died from an injury incurred or aggravated in the line of duty or from certain health conditions incurred during the training.11
Additional circumstances of service, and whether they are deemed to be active military service, are set out in law.12 For example, if on authorized travel to and from the performance of active duty training or inactive duty for training, a person is disabled or dies, the duty will be considered to be active duty for training or inactive duty for training.13
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Who Is A Veteranbasic Eligibility For Veterans Benefits
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers a broad range of benefits to U.S. Armed Forces veterans and certain members of their families. Among these benefits are various types of financial assistance, including monthly cash payments to disabled veterans, health care, education, and housing. Basic criteria must be met to be eligible to receive any of the benefits administered by the VA.
This report examines the basic eligibility criteria for VA administered veteransâ benefits, including the issue of eligibility of members of the National Guard and reserve components.
For a former servicemember to receive certain VA benefits, the person must have active U.S. military service for a minimum period of time, generally the lesser of the full period ordered to active duty or 24 months, and be discharged âunder conditions other than dishonorable.â Some members of the National Guard and reserve components have difficulty meeting the active duty and length of service requirements. However, a member of the National Guard or reserve components who is activated for federal military service and meets the length of service requirement is considered a veteran for purposes of VA benefits.
State Active Duty Vs Federal Active Duty
A state or territorys governor may activate National Guard members for State Active Duty, such as in response to a natural or man-made disaster.
State Active Duty is based on state law, not federal law, and therefore, does NOT qualify as active service for VA benefits.
Unlike full-time National Guard duty, National Guard members on State Active Duty orders are paid with state funds as opposed to federal funds .
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State Associations And Lodges
The state level organizations are called “State Associations” state level officers include presidents, vice presidents, secretaries and treasurers. Local groups are called “Subordinate Lodges”. Lodges officers are essentially the same as the ones on the national level, with “Grand” prefix removed. Lodges also may establish dinner and recreational clubs for members. In 1979 there were 2,200 lodges Lodges which are incorporated are required to be governed by a board of directors. Otherwise the Lodge Trustees are the governing board.
Benefits Available To Those Who Are Not Veterans
There are certain circumstances under which a person who never served in the military might be eligible for some veterans benefits. For instance, the spouse or child of a veteran who died during active service receives a number of the benefits that wouldve been available to the service member, had he or she survived.
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Veteran Status For Reserve National Guard And Militia
Approximately 40% of the United States Armed Forces serve in the Reserve and National Guard, and New York is home to thousands of Reserve forces, National Guard, and New York State militia members, and thousands more who have served in and retired from these organizations. Reserve, National Guard, and Militia serve important roles in the defense of our nation and state, and many of these individuals also serve their communities in their civilian capacities as well.
For the purposes of veterans benefits, reserve forces generally qualify based on the time periods they were mobilized or activated under federal status. As of 2016, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has granted official veteran status to retirees of the National Guard and Reserve even if they were never called to federal status. Some qualifying conditions for benefits and services may also be met during training periods. As an agency, we welcome all individuals who have served in the Reserve, Guard, and Militia forces to connect with our staff to learn about services and benefits they and their families may be eligible for.
Legal Protections for Reserve, Guard, and Militia Service
Duty Status
Reserve and National Guard members may also serve in various other duty status capacities, such as on full-time duty Active Guard and Reserve , Active Duty Support or Active Duty Special Work , or as a dual-service Technician .
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What Is Veteran Status For National Guard And Reserve Members
Veteran status is defined by federal law as a person who: Served in the active military, naval, or air service AND Was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.
- For VA disability compensation and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation the term veteran includes a person who died in active service and whose death was not due to the veterans own willful misconduct.
- For VA death pension the term veteran includes a person who died in active service under conditions which preclude payment of service-connected death benefits, provided such person had completed at least 2 years honorable military, naval or air service, as certified by the Secretary concerned. and 3.3).
Qualifying service is any type of service that qualifies or potentially qualifies a claimant for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits.
Types of qualifying service are listed in 38 CFR 3.6 and 38 CFR 3.7 and include, but are not limited to:
- Active duty military service
- ADT when a claim for service connection is based on a disability or death resulting from a disease or injury incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, and
- IADT when a claim for SC is based on disability or death resulting from an injury incurred or aggravated in the line of duty or myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, or a cerebrovascular accident which occurred during such training.
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