Veteran Services

Yes. The call should be followed up by submitting a VA form 572 (change of address) 'VA Home Page' or call the Toll Free number at: 1 (800) 827-1000

Contact the military installation nearest you. You need the "Pass & I.D." section.

You may need to acquire a letter of disability from the VA to establish eligibility.

Obtain an application from the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs (FDVA).

The ID cards are issued to Veterans who have been rated 100% Permanent and Total (P&T) service connected disabled either by the VA or Department of Defense. (Permanency is determined by not having a routine future examination scheduled by the VA.)

'FS 295.17

If you have the original discharge paper you can take it to the Clerk of Circuit Court, Recording Records and that office can make certified copies of you discharge papers. The only catch is that the original must stay there.

There is a small fee involved for the copies.

Any Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs Office or County Service Office or call the admissions office at the home.

Phone #: (813) 558-5021

New and material evidence means "evidence not previously submitted to VA decision makers" which bears directly and substantially upon the specific matter under consideration, which is neither cumulative nor redundant, and which by itself or in connection with evidence previously assembled is so significant that it must be considered in order to fairly decide the merits of the claim.

38 C.F.R. 3.156 (a)

The VA uses a VA Form 21-22 (Appointment of Service Representative) authorizing the claimant to have professional representation in pursuing their claim with the VA.

38 CFR 1.525 (a)

Organizations selected to represent claimants before the VA must provide a statement that no charges, fees or gratuities will be charged or accepted.

Membership in the organization or attendance at meetings is not required, but is permitted. 

38 CFR 14.628 (e)(7).

You should be receiving treatment or have a diagnosis of a specific disease or disability as a result of exposure.

You can take this information to your local representative and they will help you complete the forms to apply to the VA.

You may want to contact the nearest VA medical center for information on the Agent Orange Registry.

38 C.F.R. 3.309 (e)

An additional allowance for dependents is payable with a 30% or greater disability rating for compensation benefits.

38 C.F.R. 3.4 (b)(2)

The maximum your spouse can receive is 55% of your gross retired pay.

You should contact the Military Retiree Annuitants finance agency for further information.

Yes. Any veteran who served in the United States Armed Forces and who dies after being properly admitted to a VA medical facility, a VA nursing home, or a private nursing home under VA contract is entitled to burial benefits.

Transportation allowance is also available.

38 CFR 3.1605 (1)

A widow becomes eligible to receive DIC benefits based on a previous marriage to a veteran if the remarriage of a surviving spouse is terminated by death, divorce, or an annulment.

Certain evidence is required to establish the status of the surviving spouse as of the date of death of the veteran.

Resumption of benefits can only be made from October 1, 1998 even if the cessation of the relationship occurred prior to this date.

38 CFR 3.55 (a)(i)(ii)

There are six VA hospitals located throughout Florida.

They are: 

• Gainesville
• Lake City
• Tampa
• Bay Pines (St. Petersburg)
• West Palm Beach
• Miami.

The VA "shall" within available appropriations, furnish hospital care and outpatient services, and "may" furnish nursing home care, to any veteran for a service-connected disability and to veterans:

• who have a service-connected disability rated at 50% or more,
• who have a compensable service-connected disability rated less than 50%,
• whose discharge from active military service was for a compensable disability that was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty,
• who are eligible for VA compensation based on a disability incurred as a VA patient or vocational rehabilitation participant,
• who are former prisoners of war,
• who are veterans of the Mexican border period or WWI, or
• who have incomes below the means test threshold currently $ 30, 450 or less for a veteran with no dependents and $ 34, 800 or less for a veteran with spouse or one dependent.

The VA "may" furnish hospital care, outpatient services, and nursing home care to all other veterans to the extent resources and facilities are available.

For the VA to be financially responsible for the hospitalization, the treatment must have been for:

• a service-connected condition, 
• a disability for which the veteran was discharged or released from the active military service,
• for disabilities associated with and held to be aggravated by a service-connected disability, or
• for a veteran participating in a rehabilitation program under 38 U.S.C. ch. 31. 

Get assistance before you need it. Reimbursement for private hospitalization also requires that VA care was not available and treatment was required due to a life threatening situation, and the VA is notified within 72 hours by a physician.

38 C.F.R. 17.50b (a) (1) (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v).

The amount of money allocated for treating veterans up North is frequently greater than that in Florida, even though the number of veterans in Florida is increasing. Therefore, VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) in Florida often do not have resources to treat as many veterans as northern VAMCs do.

Florida VA hospitals may have to resort to a priority system to make sure all service-connected disabled veterans get treatment first.

Check with your nearest VAMC to see if they'll treat you.

Pension is a benefit payable by the VA to veterans discharged under honorable conditions who have at least ninety days of service during a period or periods of war and are disabled because of non-service-connected disabilities and whose income is below the allowable limit.

38 C.F.R 3.3 (3)

Not necessarily.

If the pension being received is the "New Law" pension, the income of the new spouse will affect the amount of pension payable unless the income is a welfare-related benefit.

38 C.F.R 3.3 (3)

An additional allowance for Special Monthly Pension (SMP) may be available at a housebound or Aid & Attendance rate.

The specific amount will depend on the level of disability and the total countable family income.

'38 C.F.R. 3.351

An employee who has been rated by the VA for a service-connected disability and who has been scheduled by the VA to be re-examined or treated for such disability shall, upon presentation of written confirmation of having been so scheduled, be granted administrative leave for such re-examination or treatment without loss of pay, benefits or efficiency rating not to exceed six calendar days in any calendar year.

60K-5.032(3)(I) F.A.C.