Dear Veteran,
As we enter 2014, I have some important information to share with you.
Veterans and their families are now eligible to participate in Dental Health Care. Please click here for detailed information.
Some questions have been asked about the Funeral and Burial Benefits afforded to veterans. In general, any service member discharged under conditions other than dishonorable is eligible to receive DoD and/or VA funeral and burial benefits.
Service members who meet any of the following requirements are eligible to receive Military Funeral Honors: service members on active duty or in the Selected Reserve, former service members who served on active duty and departed under conditions other than dishonorable, former service members who completed at least one term of enlistment in the Selected Reserve and departed under conditions other than dishonorable, and former service members in the Selected Reserve who were discharged due to a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty. Service members who have been convicted of a capital offense under federal or state law will be denied Military Funeral Honors.
For more detailed information on Funeral and Burial Benefits, please click here.
After a service member separates from the military, he or she can convert SGLI into VGLI to continue the term life insurance policy coverage but only at a coverage level equal to or less than the coverage level of SGLI at the time of separation. The VGLI pays beneficiaries a tax-exempt payment equal to the level selected by the veteran and must be renewed every five years.
Premiums associated with VGLI are based on the service member's age. More information, including current premium rates and coverage amounts, can be found on the VA's VGLI website.
Coverage
VGLI coverage is available in increments of $10,000 up to a maximum of $400,000. However, a Service member's initial VGLI coverage amount cannot exceed your SGLI coverage amount in force at the time of separation from service.
Effective April 11, 2011, VGLI policy holders who are under age 60 and have less than $400,000 in coverage can purchase up to $25,000 of additional coverage on each five-year anniversary of your policy, up to the maximum $400,000. No medical underwriting is required for the additional coverage.
Please click here for more information.
New Rates for Compensation and Pension Benefits in 2014
WASHINGTON – Veterans, their families and survivors receiving disability compensation and pension benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs will receive a 1.5 percent cost-of-living increase in their monthly payments beginning Jan. 1, 2014.
“We’re pleased there will be another cost-of-living increase for Veterans, their families and their survivors,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The increase expresses in a tangible way our Nation’s gratitude for the sacrifices made by our service-disabled and wartime Veterans.”
Please click here for more information.