Veterans of Foreign Wars Women

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Veterans of Foreign Wars Womens Forum Ms.
Pamela Liverman Benefits Assistance
Service August 24, 2010
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Agenda Topics

• Benefits Assistance Service
• Overview of Women Benefits
• Women Veterans
• Benefits Usage by Women Veterans
• Compensation and Pension
• Pre-discharge Claims
• Women Veterans Coordinator
• Benefits Unique to Women Veterans
• Military Sexual Trauma
• Overview of Program Updates
• Compensation and Pension
• Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
• Education
• eBenefits

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Benefits Assistance Service (BAS)

• BAS is VBAs newest line of business and it works
  to transform outreach and public contact
  activities through a client-centered approach by
• Ensuring that VBA provides timely, accurate, and
  pertinent information and benefit assistance to
  Veterans, servicemembers, survivors, and
  dependents
• Establishing policy and procedures for
  client-centered outreach, direct services, social
  media, marketing, and web-content tools.
• Ensuring that VBA uses all avenues to reach its
  clients and general public regarding benefits
  and services.
• Websites
• Facebook
• Twitter

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Overview of Women Benefits

• Women Veterans
• There are 1.8 million Women Veterans,
  representing 8 percent of the U.S. Veteran
  population
• Over 250,000 Women Veterans are receiving
  compensation or pension benefits
• Approximately 15 percent of all awards of service
  connection since 2002 have been to Women

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Overview of Women Benefits contd

• Benefits Usage by Women Veterans
• Compensation benefits 243,484
• Pension benefits 11,683
• Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
  benefits 21,000
• Loan Guaranty benefits 37,289 with 2.7 billion
  in loans
• Insurance
• SGLI/TSGLI (Female Service members covered)
  450,634
• FSGLI (Male Service members w/female spousal
  coverage) 931,454
• FSGLI (Female Service members w/male spousal
  coverage) 172,546
• VGLI (Female Veterans covered) 57,964

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Overview of Women Benefits contd

• Compensation and Pension
• Disability resulting from injury or disease
  incurred in or aggravated by active service
• Disability may be rated from 0 to 100, Payments
  made for 10 to 100.
• Special Monthly Compensation (such as aid
  attendance, loss of limb, eyesight)
• Payments are tax-free

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Overview of Women Benefits contd

• Pre-discharge Claims
• Women Servicemembers can submit claims for
  service connection prior to their discharge from
  active duty
• Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD)
• Between 60-180 days of separation from active
  duty
• Requires completion of VA examination
• Includes National Guard and Reservists
• MEB/PEB where DES Pilot not available
• Quick Start
• Less than 60 days remaining on active duty
• Includes National Guard and Reservists
• MEB/PEB where DES Pilot not available
• BDD and Quick Start are available at all
  locations where VA excepts claims

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Overview of Women Benefits contd

• Women Veterans Coordinator (WVC)
• Every VA Regional Office has designated a Women
  Veterans Coordinator (WVC) to provide outreach
  and claims assistance to Women Veterans
• WVCs collaborate with the Sexual Assault
  Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) to obtain
  documentation for claims based on military sexual
  trauma (MST)
• Acts as a point of contact for VA and other
  service providers for Women Veterans with special
  needs. Women Veterans who have experienced sexual
  trauma while on active duty should be referred to
  the RO WVC.

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Overview of Women Benefits contd

• Benefits Unique to Women Veterans
• Unique disability compensation evaluation
  criteria for Women Veterans are provided in the
  VA Schedule of Rating Disabilities
• Benefits are provided to the children of Women
  Veterans who served in Vietnam for disabilities
  due to covered herbicide-related birth defects
• Special monthly compensation is paid to Women
  Veterans who suffer a service-connected loss of
  25 percent or more of breast tissue from
  mastectomy or radiation treatment
• Special monthly compensation is also paid for
  service-connected loss, or loss of use, of a
  creative organ

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Overview of Women Benefits contd

• Military Sexual Trauma
• VBA provides compensation payments for
  service-connected disabilities that are related
  to MST
• VA provides counseling and appropriate care and
  services to overcome trauma due to MST

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Overview of Program Updates

• Compensation and Pension
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) regulation
• Agent Orange presumptive listingin process
• Persian Gulf War presumptive listingin process

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Overview of Program Updates

• Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
• Special training for counselors on diverse needs
• Array of services available, including
• employment services,
• independent living assistance,
• vocational and adjustment counseling,
• adaptive equipment and
• limited childcare
• Outreach efforts
• Coming Home to Work (CWTW) program
• VetSuccess on Campus pilot

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Overview of Program Updates

• Education
• Post 9/11 GI Bill Fall enrollment status
• Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)
• Yellow Ribbon Program
• Fry Scholarship

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Overview of Program Updates

• eBenefits
• One-stop shop benefits-related online tool for
  Wounded Warriors, Veterans, Service members,
  families of Service Members, and others who care
  for them
• Creates a personalized workspace giving quick
  access to online tools
• Apply for benefits
• Check status of claim
• See payment history
• Request and obtain (e.g., DD 214, Certificate of
  Eligibility, etc)
• Upcoming features
• Integrate with Tricare on-line and My HealtheVet
• Update personal information (e.g., address EFT)

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Enhance Advocacy

• Increase presence at every communication forum
  (VSOs conventions, Women Advisory Council, etc)
• Unique Pamphlet for Women Veterans
• Revamping the Transition Assistance Program
• Enhance collaboration efforts with Federal and
  state agencies (DoD, SSA, DoL, etc.)

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Enhance Advocacy contd
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Enhance Advocacy contd
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Questions?