Is it appropriate for a non-combat veteran to use the Vet Center and/or VA?

As I remember the contract I signed. It said Veteran. There was no distinction between combat and non-combat. My biggest issue is that when I was Honorably Separated with 4 years active duty in 1973, I went to the VA Med Ctr in West Haven, CT for a chest cold since I had no insurance at the time. I received a purple ID card. A year later I used the VA to secure a mortgage on my home. Now jump to 2010, I had used the VA on a 2nd mortgage and again no medical insurance. I went to the VA in Atlanta, and I was told I wasn't in the system. Ridiculous. I had used the VA twice for mortgages and once for medical. Evidently my records weren't updated. Then they told me I earned too much money to use the VA. I don't have a lot of good to say about the system, but I have been fortunate in never having been in the position that required long term medical care or rehab. I do feel for those combat vets who get the run around.

I am a Viet Nam veteran with 27 years of Naval service. I was one of the fortunate who did not receive a combat wound. My disability came from an unfortunate PCS assignment to an area of the country where vegetation was different from any place I had been before and I developed adult onset asthma. I was declared unfit for active or reserve duty and given a medical discharge. There are many service members with similar stories who didn't get disabilities or who developed conditions related to their MOSs or their environments or had preexisting conditions (EPTE) aggravated by their service and they are all eligible for services through the VA.
Besides the medical benefits, anyone with an honorable discharge is qualified for VA guaranteed mortgages, college education, etc. Just because you weren't shot or otherwise combat injured does not meant that you have not earned VA benefit.

We are all called veterans for a reason that type of mentality is the very reason you have brother against brother and sister against sister I look at it as I was proud to have served my 24 years then got to retire to ask that type of question is rating yourself above others if you saw combat I am glad your home if you haven't I'm am glad you served one foot in front of the other my RP freinds

Yes.

Yes, absolutely. All veterans went out and stated with hand raised that they would protect and serve our nation. To exclude those who were not in combat operations would be to demean the contributions they gave outside of conflict and undermine the brotherhood inherent to military service.

About the only thing I have run across in my job as a VSO is the question of "free", i.e. no copays, the first 5 years out of service.

Yes and no. It depends. We're all POG's except for grunts. Personnel-other than-grunt. From what I know, soldiers deployed to another country, in a Combat zone, are in 'combat'. As a Medic, I've seen my share. Of course the Fobbits will get harassed because they rarely leave the wire. FOB's get attacked and the enemy doesn't care who or where they hit.
However, if a soldier has not directly been in combat then he/she is NOT combat experienced. Simply avoiding gunfire and explosions is one thing, but to return fire, eliminate the threat, and in my case, treat wounded while they are trying to kill me/us is VERY different.
Active Soldiers get to use a lot of military and government facilities. When one is out-processed from the military he/she would get something detailing what, if any benefits and resources that they may use.
I can use the VA hospital (thankfully one is close to me) for almost anything, though I don't abuse it. I got a 2 year and 4 year degree paid by VA Education. As long as a soldier uses what he/she is given then I see no problem. Lying to use benefits they didn't earn or b/c of a result of injury or similar is dishonest and breaks LDRSHIP.

There are thousands who served during peace time or during the Cold War. Should they be denied? NO!

The VA serves ALL veterans.

I am a retired non-combat veteran. I don't use the VA because I don't have to because I have Tricare, but I am a volunteer van driver for the DAV transporting vets to the Birmingham AL VA hospital. I would guess that 2/3 of these vets are not combat vets. The problem is that these vets in many cases have continuing disabilities that they can not afford to get treated by any other place than the VA. Many are homeless or semi-homeless. The VA is their lifeline. To deny them care just because they aren't wounded vets would just be wrong. As I said I'm not a combat vet but I was injured during my time in service but chose not to apply for benefits because I have other possibilities for care. But what if instead of serving 20+ years I only served 19 years. Would you deny me care for injuries I incurred while on active duty? A veteran is a veteran no matter when or where they served. The only requirement is 181 days of active duty. It's the VA not the Combat VA.

I am not a combat veteran. I have been on many humanitarian assignments and have been injured while performing my duties as a soldier. I am 40% service connected disabled from performing my duties in the army. I was willing to go to war. I volunteered to go to the Gulf when several members of my platoon went. When I was selected and sent home to pack my bags to leave for the Gulf, the war ended. Does that make me less of a soldier? I have a buddy that blew out his knee on a training jump and has had multiple knee surgeries. He wasn't in combat, but his injuries were from performing his duties. I have been in hostile zones and received hazard duty pay, but I was never in combat. You need to realize young specialist that the military does more than go to war, and that soldiers don't only get injured in war. The VA is for ALL veterans who served, just because we didn't make the ultimate sacrifice does not mean we weren't willing to!