Veteran’s Affairs Grants that Provide Assistance to Disabled Veterans

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a government-run, military veteran benefit system. It was founded in 1930, and became a cabinet-level Department in 1989. As part of its mission, the VA provides disability compensation to eligible veterans who became disabled during or because of their military service. The VA also offers compensation to eligible dependents of veterans, including spouses, children, and/or parents.

The VA provides the following benefits to disabled veterans:

• Disability Compensation – A monthly, tax-free, monetary benefit paid to veterans who are at least 10 percent disabled by an injury or disease that was incurred in, or aggravated by, active military service. A disability can apply to both physical and mental health conditions, including, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Automobile Allowance – Financial assistance is provided to help eligible, severely disabled service members and veterans purchase or adapt an automobile to accommodate their disabilities.
• Clothing Allowance – The VA can provide one or more annual clothing allowance payments to veterans who use a prosthetic or orthopedic device, including a wheelchair, because of a service-related disability or injury.
• Specially Adapted Housing and Home Adaptation Grants – These grants provide service members and veterans with permanent and total service-connected disabilities by helping them purchase or construct an adapted home, or modify an existing home to accommodate a disability.
• Service-Disabled Veterans’ Insurance – Life insurance coverage is available to veterans who have service-connected disabilities, but are otherwise in good health.
• Veterans’ Mortgage Life Insurance – Available to veterans and service members with severe service-connected disabilities that can help them or their families pay off a home mortgage in the event of the service member’s or veteran’s death. It is only available to those who received a Specially Adapted Housing Grant, has title to the home, and has a mortgage on the home.
• Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment – Provides educational and training services to veterans with service-connected illnesses and injuries to prepare for, obtain, and maintain suitable employment. It also provides a range of career services, including: career counseling, résumé development, and other work-readiness assistance, plus on-the-job training, and apprenticeships. In addition, independent living services are also
available to veterans who are so severely disabled that they are not currently ready or able to work.
• Adaptive Sports Programs – Provides grant funding to organizations to increase and expand the quantity and quality of adaptive sport activities for disabled veterans to participate in physical activity within their home communities, as well as more advanced paralympic and adaptive sport programs at the regional and national levels.

For more information about Veterans Administration disability compensation benefits, including eligibility, establishing a service-connected disability, and how to apply, individuals can call 1-800-827-1000, or go online at www.va.gov/benefits, or www.ebenefits.va.gov, or by visiting a VA regional office.