Veterans Benefits Administration
Veterans of Foreign Wars Women’s Forum
Ms. Pamela Liverman
Benefits Assistance Service
August 24, 2010
Agenda Topics
 Benefits Assistance Service
 Overview of Women Benefits
 Women Veterans
 Benefits Usage by Women Veterans
 Compensation and Pension
 Pre-discharge Claims
 Women Veterans Coordinator
 Benefits Unique to Women Veterans
 Military Sexual Trauma
 Overview of Program Updates
 Compensation and Pension
 Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
 Education
 eBenefits
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Veterans of Foreign Wars
Benefits Assistance Service (BAS)
 BAS is VBA’s newest line of business and it works to
transform outreach and public contact activities
through a client-centered approach by
 Ensuring that VBA provides timely, accurate, and pertinent
information and benefit assistance to Veterans,
servicemembers, survivors, and dependents
 Establishing policy and procedures for client-centered
outreach, direct services, social media, marketing, and
web-content tools.
 Ensuring that VBA uses all avenues to reach its clients and
general public regarding benefits and services.
 Websites
 Facebook
 Twitter
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Veterans of Foreign Wars
Overview of Women Benefits
Women Veterans
There are 1.8 million Women Veterans, representing 8
percent of the U.S. Veteran population
Over 250,000 Women Veterans are receiving compensation
or pension benefits
Approximately 15 percent of all awards of service connection
since 2002 have been to Women
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Veterans of Foreign Wars
Overview of Women Benefits cont’d
Benefits Usage by Women Veterans
Compensation benefits: 243,484
Pension benefits: 11,683
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
benefits: 21,000
Loan Guaranty benefits: 37,289 with $2.7 billion in
loans
Insurance
-SGLI/TSGLI (Female Service member’s covered) – 450,634
-FSGLI (Male Service members’ w/female spousal coverage) – 931,454
-FSGLI (Female Service members’ w/male spousal coverage) – 172,546
-VGLI (Female Veterans covered) 57,964
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Veterans of Foreign Wars
Overview of Women Benefits cont’d
Compensation and Pension
Disability resulting from injury or disease incurred
in or aggravated by active service
Disability may be rated from 0% to 100%,
Payments made for 10% to 100%.
Special Monthly Compensation (such as aid &
attendance, loss of limb, eyesight)
Payments are tax-free
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Veterans of Foreign Wars
Overview of Women Benefits cont’d
Pre-discharge Claims
Women Servicemembers can submit claims for
service connection prior to their discharge from
active duty
Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD)
 Between 60-180 days of separation from active duty
 Requires completion of VA examination
 Includes National Guard and Reservists
 MEB/PEB where DES Pilot not available
Quick Start
 Less than 60 days remaining on active duty
 Includes National Guard and Reservists
 MEB/PEB where DES Pilot not available
BDD and Quick Start are available at all locations where
VA excepts claims
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Veterans of Foreign Wars
Overview of Women Benefits cont’d
Women Veterans Coordinator (WVC)
Every VA Regional Office has designated a Women Veterans
Coordinator (WVC) to provide outreach and claims assistance to
Women Veterans
WVCs collaborate with the Sexual Assault Prevention and
Response Office (SAPRO) to obtain documentation for claims
based on military sexual trauma (MST)
Acts as a point of contact for VA and other service providers for
Women Veterans with special needs. Women Veterans who have
experienced sexual trauma while on active duty should be
referred to the RO WVC.
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Veterans of Foreign Wars
Overview of Women Benefits cont’d
Benefits Unique to Women Veterans
Unique disability compensation evaluation criteria for
Women Veterans are provided in the VA Schedule of Rating
Disabilities
Benefits are provided to the children of Women Veterans
who served in Vietnam for disabilities due to covered
herbicide-related birth defects
Special monthly compensation is paid to Women Veterans
who suffer a service-connected loss of 25 percent or more of
breast tissue from mastectomy or radiation treatment
Special monthly compensation is also paid for serviceconnected loss, or loss of use, of a creative organ
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Veterans of Foreign Wars
Overview of Women Benefits cont’d
Military Sexual Trauma
VBA provides compensation payments for serviceconnected disabilities that are related to MST
VA provides counseling and appropriate care and
services to overcome trauma due to MST
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Veterans of Foreign Wars
Overview of Program Updates
 Compensation and Pension
 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) regulation
 Agent Orange presumptive listing—in process
 Persian Gulf War presumptive listing—in process
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Veterans of Foreign Wars
Overview of Program Updates
 Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
 Special training for counselors on diverse needs
 Array of services available, including:
-
employment services,
independent living assistance,
vocational and adjustment counseling,
adaptive equipment and
limited childcare
 Outreach efforts:
- Coming Home to Work (CWTW) program
- VetSuccess on Campus pilot
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Veterans of Foreign Wars
Overview of Program Updates
Education
Post 9/11 GI Bill Fall enrollment status
Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)
Yellow Ribbon Program
Fry Scholarship
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Veterans of Foreign Wars
Overview of Program Updates
eBenefits
 “One-stop shop” benefits-related online tool for Wounded
Warriors, Veterans, Service members, families of Service Members,
and others who care for them
Creates a personalized workspace giving quick access to online
tools:
–Apply for benefits
–Check status of claim
–See payment history
–Request and obtain (e.g., DD 214, Certificate of Eligibility, etc)
Upcoming features:
–Integrate with Tricare on-line and My HealtheVet
–Update personal information (e.g., address & EFT)
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Veterans of Foreign Wars
Enhance Advocacy
 Increase presence at every communication forum
(VSO’s conventions, Women Advisory Council, etc)
 Unique Pamphlet for Women Veterans
 Revamping the Transition Assistance Program
 Enhance collaboration efforts with Federal and state
agencies (DoD, SSA, DoL, etc.)
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Veterans of Foreign Wars
Enhance Advocacy
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cont’d
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Enhance Advocacy
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cont’d
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Questions?
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Veterans of Foreign Wars