Book Review: Veteran Benefits for You by Paul Lawrence

There are many reasons to write a book. Some people do it to make money or to use as a professional calling card. In the Introduction to Veterans Benefits for You, author Paul R. Lawrence lays out what I think is the best reason I’ve ever read: “I decided to write this book to provide needed information for veterans, answering many of the frequently asked questions that I heard as under secretary of benefits.”

Lawrence’s time as the head of the Veterans Benefits Association (VBA) uniquely qualifies him to provide guidance on this topic. He served through the pandemic, finding a way to continue supporting veterans through telephone town hall meetings, virtually connecting with 5.7 million veterans. Those question-and- answer sessions formed the basis for the information included in this book.

Perhaps because Lawrence is an Army veteran himself, and perhaps because he went on to have a career as a management consultant, his approach combines straightforward explanations with rational problem solving. Veterans’ benefits are governed by a complex web of rules that are subject to reconsideration in response to changes in the law and Congressional funding as well as clarifying court cases. At the same time, the VBA faces
a daunting challenge: trying to achieve flexibility for individual veterans while also building a large-scale organization.

Lawrence opens the book with an explanation of benefits eligibility based upon discharge and shares information about how veterans can demonstrate service. All terms are defined (including what it means to be a veteran) and acronyms are expanded upon in useful tables.

Each chapter addresses a specific area of benefits: disability, education, pensions, home loans, and more. Benefits are explained clearly and factually, and many include examples of how the benefit would work in practice as well as places to go for additional information.

Lawrence separates the advantages these benefits provide veterans from what each veteran must do on their own. For instance, access to a housing loan guarantee (veteran benefit) v. credit rating (individual responsibility). He also acknowledges that veterans make different decisions about pursuing benefits and addresses that logic without judgement but with compassion and understanding.

He also recognizes that military service is often a family affair, and his coverage of benefits extends to spouses and dependents, explaining how changes in life circumstance and condition may alter eligibility.

If you or a member of your family needs a solid, actionable resource for understanding the benefits you earned by serving in the military, this book contains the answers to many of your questions and will point you in the right direction on the rest.