VFW Post 76 Veteran Service Officer:
For Veteran benefits or related questions, please contact or email Post 76 Service Officer and setup an appointment:
POST 76 VSO: Mike Toreno
email: vfwpost76vso@gmail.com (Best for prompt response – Please include detailed summary.)
tel: (509) 863-2546
DD-214s Now Available Online
DD Form 214, commonly referred to as just DD214 is an important document that should be safe guarded. issues to each veteran a DD-214, identifying the veteran’s condition of discharge – honorable, general, other than honorable, dishonorable or bad conduct. A DD214 contains information normally needed to verify military service for benefits, retirement, employment, and membership in veterans’ organizations.
If you have misplaced your DD214, you’re in luck! Form DD-214 can now be order Online. Please pass this information on to other vets. The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has provided the following website for veterans to gain access to their DD-214s online:
Request Veteran Records from VETRECS.ARCHIVES.GOV
More info regarding Veteran service records
VA Mission Act and Community Care FACT sheets and info
The MISSION Act gives Veterans greater access to health care in VA facilities and the community, expands benefits for caregivers, and improves VA’s ability to recruit and retain the best medical providers.
State and National Benefits
You’ve earned and deserve them. Learn more about how to obtain the benefits you’ve earned through your service to our country.
Texas Veterans Benefits Internet Links
Service & Non Service Disability Compensation | provided by: Texas Veterans Commission |
| Service-connected Disability Compensation is a monetary benefit paid to veterans who are disabled by an injury or illness that was incurred or aggravated during active military service. Disability compensation varies with the degree of disability and the number of veteran’s dependents, and is paid monthly. Veterans with certain severe disabilities may be eligible for additional special monthly compensation. Non Service-connected Pension is a monthly benefit paid to wartime veterans, 65 years or older, who have limited or no income. Wartime veterans, younger than 65, who are permanently and totally disabled may also be eligible. | |
VA Appeals Assistance | provided by: Texas Veterans Commission |
| You have the right to appeal VA decisions. The Texas Veterans Commission can help veterans with the appeals process. | |
Claims Representation and Counseling | provided by: Texas Veterans Commission |
| The Texas Veterans Commission is the designated agency of the State of Texas to represent the State and its veterans before the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The agency represents veterans in filing VA disability claims and during VA appeals processes, and assists dependents with survivor benefits. | |
GI Bill | provided by: U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs |
| The GI Bill is a federal education benefit provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs available for eligible veterans and service members. | |
Hazlewood Exemption | provided by: Texas Veteran Commission |
| The Hazlewood Exemption (Hazlewood Act) provides education benefits to honorably discharged or separated Texas veterans and to eligible dependent children and spouses of Texas veterans. | |
Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Program | provided by: U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs |
| The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program provides educational and vocational counseling to service members, veterans, and certain dependents at no charge. These counseling services are designed to help an individual choose a vocational direction, determine the course needed to achieve the chosen goal, and evaluate the career possibilities open to them |
VA Benefits for Spouses & Dependents
Surviving Spouse Benefits – Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) | provided by: U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs |
| VA may provide a monthly benefit to the surviving spouse and some parents of a service member or veteran whose death was service-related. | |
Surviving Spouse Pension | provided by: U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs |
| VA provides pensions to low-income surviving spouses and unmarried children of deceased veterans with wartime service. The pension provides a monthly payment to bring an eligible person’s income to a level established by law. |
VA & TVLB Burial Benefits
VA Headstones and Markers | provided by: Dept. of Veterans Affairs |
| Upon request, the VA will furnish, at no charge to the applicant, a government headstone or marker for the unmarked grave of any deceased eligible veteran in any cemetery around the world, regardless of their date of death. | |
Burial Flags | provided by: Dept. of Veterans Affairs |
| A US flag is provided, at no cost, to drape the casket or accompany the urn of a deceased veteran who served honorably in the US Armed Forces. | |
Burial in National Cemetery | provided by: Dept. of Veterans Affairs |
| Families are encouraged to prepare in advance by discussing cemetery options, collecting the veteran’s military information including discharge papers, and by contacting the cemetery where the burial is desired. Gravesites in VA National Cemeteries cannot be reserved in advance; however, reservations made prior to 1962 will be honored. | |
VA Burial and Memorial Benefits | provided by: Dept. of Veterans Affairs |
| Veterans, spouses, and dependents may be eligible for VA burial and memorial benefits including reimbursement of burial expenses, military funeral honors, VA headstones and markers, presidential memorial certificates, burial flags, burial in VA National Cemeteries or other veterans’ cemeteries. | |
Texas State Cemeteries | provided by: Texas Veterans Land Board |
| Texas operates state cemeteries for veterans and their eligible dependents in the cities of Abilene, Killeen, Mission, and Corpus Christi. | |
State Permits, Plates, Parking & Services
Texas State Park Admission | provided by: Texas Parks & Wildlife |
| The State Parklands Passport provides free admission to Texas State Parks for veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities. | |
Hunting & Fishing Licenses | provided by: Texas Parks & Wildlife |
| Veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities are eligible to purchase fishing and hunting licenses at a reduced cost. | |
Concealed Handgun License Reduced Fees | provided by: Texas Dept. of Public Safety |
| Concealed Handgun License fees for the issuance of an original, duplicate, modified, or renewed license is reduced for active duty members of the US Armed Forces, including members of the reserves, national guard or state guard. | |
Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans | provided by: State Bar of Texas |
| Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans is a State Bar of Texas program to develop and assist pro bono legal clinics throughout the state for military veterans who otherwise cannot afford or do not have access to the legal services they need. | |
Service Animals | provided by: Dept. of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services |
| Texas law and the federal Americans with Disabilities Act guarantee that the right of a person who is blind or has other disabilities, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to be accompanied by a trained service animal in all public places. |
Property & Home Ownership
Property Tax Exemption | provided by: County Assessor |
| Texas law provides partial exemptions for any property owned by disabled Veterans and surviving spouses and children of deceased disabled Veterans. It also provides a partial exemption for residence homesteads donated to disabled Veterans by charitable organizations that also extend to surviving spouses who have not remarried. The amount of exemption is determined according to percentage of service-connected disability. | |
Veterans Housing Assistance Program | provided by: Texas Veterans Land Board |
| The Texas Veterans Land Board offers the Veterans Housing Assistance Program (VHAP) which provides financing up to $417,000 toward the purchase of a home for qualified Texas veterans. Veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities may also be eligible for an interest rate reduction. | |
Land Purchase | provided by: Texas Veterans Land Board |
| The Texas Veterans Land Board (VLB) will finance the purchase of land for qualified Texas veterans. | |
Home Improvement | provided by: Texas Veterans Land Board |
| The Texas Veterans Land Board (VLB) will lend funds to eligible Texas veterans to make substantial repairs to their existing primary residence. All loans are FHA-insured. Veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities may be eligible for an interest rate reduction. |
Military Records-National Archives Request
Medal Awards and Decorations | provided by: National Archives |
| Requests for the issuance or replacement of military service medals, decorations, and awards should be directed to the specific branch of the military in which the veteran served. Medals awarded while in active service are issued by the individual military branch if requested by veterans or their next of kin. | |
Discharge Upgrades | provided by: National Archives |
| Each of the military branches maintains a discharge review board with authority to change, correct, or modify discharges or dismissals not issued by a sentence of general court-martial. The board has no authority to address medical discharges. | |
Military Record Corrections | provided by: National Archives |
| The secretary of a military department, acting through a Board for Correction of Military Records, has authority to change any military record when necessary to correct an error or remove an injustice. A correction board may consider applications for correction of a military record, including a review of a discharge issued by court-martial. |
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