Top 5 VA Benefits You Probably Didn’t Know You Have (But Should!)

RallyPoint Shared Content — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 16:46:26 -0500

VA benefits are pretty great, am I right? Health care, education assistance, home loans, life insurance…if you aren’t already taking advantage of these, you’re missing out. But chances are, you are benefiting from the widely known services provided to Veterans.

What you might be missing, however, are some lesser known perks for Veterans. Here are the top five services available to you that you might never knew existed:

Free Tax Prep - It’s that time of year…when you check the mailbox daily hoping for a Valentine from a long lost love but instead find a W-2 or a 1099 for the IRS. Little did you know, those forms are almost as special as greeting cards! Ok, maybe not, but instead of looking at the mail and seeing a hefty tax preparation bill, know that you can have your taxes prepared for free just by being a Vet. TurboTax and H&R block offer free access to tax prep software for Veterans but you can also get in-person services. Check out the following links to take advantage of your benefit:
https://militarybenefits.info/free-tax-filing-preparation-services/
https://www.irs.gov/individuals/information-for-veterans
https://themilitarywallet.com/free-tax-preparation-for-military-members/

Discounts - Who doesn’t love a good discount? There are so many to be had as a Veteran, from home improvement retailers (Lowe’s, Home Depot) to cell phone providers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, etc), car manufacturers (foreign and domestic - some of the largest from GM and Chevrolet), restaurants, travel…all you have to do is ask! Many amusement parks, museums, zoos and aquariums offer discounts on admission, the Armed Forces Vacation Club has resort deals, R&R packages and last minute travel and many ski resorts offer reduced prices for Veterans. Gunstock Resort in Gilford, NH offers 25% off to Vets! Find more info here:
The Military Wallet https://themilitarywallet.com/military-discounts/
AFVC https://rly.pt/3L9HAHS

Service Dogs - Did you know that a service dog can cost anywhere between $15,000-$50,000. That’s one expensive pooch! The VA offers free service dogs to those veterans that qualify through the VA Veterinary Health Benefit. Learn more here: https://www.prosthetics.va.gov/ServiceAndGuideDogs.asp

Small Business Assistance - Interested in starting your own business? The VA can help with that too! The Office of Veterans Business Development provides numerous resources to help veterans and their families learn about entrepreneurship through workshops and training programs, provides access to funding assistance through the Small Business Association, and even offers programs designed to help Veteran entrepreneurs secure government contracts.
OVBD: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/grow-your-business/veteran-owned-businesses
Boots to Business: https://sbavets.force.com/s/
Veteran Assistance Programs: https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/veteran-assistance-programs

Free Burials - Not to get all macabre here, but the truth is that the cost of dying is immeasurable in terms of the personal loss but quite measurable financially. Generally speaking, burial fees range between $7,000-12,000 (varies greatly by state). The VA offers burial benefits that include a plot in a “National cemetery with available space, opening and closing of the grave, perpetual care, a government headstone, marker, or medallion, a burial flag, and a Presidential Memorial Certificate.” This benefit even extends to the spouse and family members of the Veteran, with the Veterans headstone being etched with the family members names and dates of birth and death, even if they predesease the Vet. Find out more here: https://www.cem.va.gov/burial_benefits/

Being a Veteran certainly has its advantages. You served our great nation, let the VA show its appreciation by utilizing all the benefits provided to you, not just the most popular options.

Free Tax Filing for Military Members

Free tax help is one of the "hidden" benefits of serving, and there are many free and discounted tax filing and preparation options available to servicemembers.

Response by Cpl Vic Burk made Mar 7 at 2022 5:54 PM

Cpl Vic Burk — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 17:54:53 -0500

Thanks for the information!

Response by SSgt Brian King made Mar 7 at 2022 6:29 PM

SSgt Brian King — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 18:29:09 -0500

Great information. This post should be locked to where everyone can be able to find it.

Response by PO2 Jay Stotler made Mar 8 at 2022 9:15 AM

PO2 Jay Stotler — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 09:15:51 -0500

Thanks for the info. The trouble is right now VA is down sized to 25% I send to get DD 214 in October still no help , all they say is because of virus they are understaffed.

Response by CPT David Gowel made Mar 9 at 2022 12:50 PM

CPT David Gowel — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 12:50:48 -0500

I had no idea service dogs were that expensive, or available via VA. Great post!

Response by Cpl Chuck Ledford made Mar 11 at 2022 10:01 PM

Cpl Chuck Ledford — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 22:01:00 -0500

You better believe the benefits are Great, when you finally find out what you rate. What I mean is I ask the VA office here what do I rate since I was rated at 100% permanently disabled and they replied that they’re not sure but then I went to buy a car and their loan department told me that I didn’t have to pay advalorem tax(how bout that), run into a doctor that told me about community care, community care told me about them covering emergency 14 day prescriptions and now we just found out from another Veteran told me about filing for the home stead exemption act and not having to pay property taxes, a lady at Lowes told me and showed me how to sign up and get their discount, and a salesperson at Home Depot told me about their discount stuff too and finally my hunting and fishing license was told to me by a Game Warden(wow how bout that?). Great stuff! The only thing that I wish is that I could go back to college, I was in college and my educational benefits ran out(I got discharged 1988) and I had loans but I had cancer and had to leave cause I knew with the operation(they had to remove my whole right lung) I would miss too many days and I had to file for education loan forgiveness and that means that I can’t ask for anymore loans to go back to college. But that’s just one benefit and there are a lot more Great benefits!!

Response by MSG David Lambert made Mar 15 at 2022 7:07 AM

MSG David Lambert — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 07:07:51 -0400

Just had my taxes done by H&R Block like every year. Not once did the preparer mention any discounts for being a veteran . At no time in the past has that preparation service ever disclosed any available discounts for veterans .

Response by SSG Joe Shellnut made Mar 16 at 2022 10:49 PM

SSG Joe Shellnut — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 22:49:01 -0400

The afore mentioned information regarding family members receiving the same burial benefits as the Veteran is misleading and partly untrue. The family do not get buried with Dad and Mom, they only get their names on the headstones and only in certain situations. Shame on you VA for publishing misleading info.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 20 at 2022 6:13 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 20 Mar 2022 18:13:28 -0400

Thanks for the info.

Response by SGT Charles Graham made Mar 28 at 2022 5:30 PM

SGT Charles Graham — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 17:30:53 -0400

THIS INFORMATION COMES IN VERY HANDY

Response by PFC Lawrence Pierce made Mar 28 at 2022 6:47 PM

PFC Lawrence Pierce — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 18:47:25 -0400

The Government should give every veteran a insurance policy….they did so much to mess a lot of service members up and because of disabling effects from serving I am not eligible for life insurance….Thank You Uncle Sam

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Apr 21 at 2022 7:31 PM

SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 19:31:21 -0400

Thanks for sharing.

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Apr 21 at 2022 7:31 PM

SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 19:31:38 -0400

Thanks for sharing.

Response by Cpl Chuck Ledford made Apr 22 at 2022 5:12 PM

Cpl Chuck Ledford — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 17:12:13 -0400

There’s also, in some counties, a no land tax for 100% disabled Veterans. Which that also helps a lot on your home loans and that can lower your monthly payment too.

Response by CPL Dante Kimble made Apr 24 at 2022 6:47 AM

CPL Dante Kimble — Sun, 24 Apr 2022 06:47:18 -0400

My mom passed in March of 2021 and I had to have her cremated due to COVID. Im trying to bury her with my father in a Veteran cemetery in OWINGS MILLS Maryland. They charging me over 800 dollars for this!