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- What is the Veterans Service Commission?
- What is the role of the Veterans Service
Commission?
- Do you provide temporary financial
assistance?
- When is transportation available to the VA
medical centers?
- Where can I get information about my late
father's military career?
- What can I do to upgrade my bad conduct
discharge, if possible?
- I was cleaning my father's apartment and
found an old benefits check he apparently misplaced and never
deposited. Is there a time limit on how long a veteran can hold
benefits checks from VA without cashing them?
- How does a veteran become enrolled in the
"direct deposit" program for VA compensation or pension benefits?
- I was on active military duty from 1959
through 1960. I recently became disabled, not from any
service-connected cause, and may not be able to return to work.
Am I eligible for nonservice-connected pension benefits from VA since
I now have a limited income?
The Erie County Veterans Service Commission is a board of five
honorably discharged veterans who oversee operation of the County's
Veterans Service Office. Our role is to see that veterans, their
spouses, and their dependent children, as well as surviving spouses of
deceased veterans, obtain temporary financial assistance when they are
in need. We also assist veterans in obtaining earned benefits
from Federal, State, and local government agencies.
To oversee the operation of the Veterans Service Office; to provide
temporary financial assistance to indigent veterans, spouses, dependent
children and surviving spouses; and to assist veterans in obtaining
earned benefits from the Federal, State, and local levels of government.
Temporary funds for food, housing and utilities may be provided to
veterans and/or their dependants. Eligible veterans will have
established 90-days of residency in Erie County. The following
factors will be considered when determining financial need: proof
of veteran status (DD-214 or other separation or discharge record),
proof of household income, assets, and current bills. Unemployed veterans
are required to be actively seeking employment or must provide medical
evidence of the inability to work.
Residents of Erie County can ride on vans to the Cleveland area
VA
Medical Centers. Home pick-up is available daily at 6:30 a.m.
Commercial transportation to the Sandusky VA Community Based Outpatient
Clinic is provided as well. Call at least one workday before
appointment to schedule a ride.
VA may have some records available if a decendent was a VA
beneficiary. You may send identifying information to your nearest
VA regional office. Useful information would include full name, VA
file number, branch of service, service serial number, Social Security
number, exact dates of birth or death, and enlistment and discharge
dates. If the veteran has not been a VA beneficiary, you may call
the regional office at 1-800-827-1000 to request Standard Form 180,
Request Pertaining to Military Records, to file with the National
Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records, 9700 Page Blvd.,
St. Louis, MO 63132. You can also contact your county Veterans
Service Office.
Call the Veterans Benefits Administration's toll-free number at
1-800-827-1000 to request that you be sent DD Form 293. This will
provide information on how to appeal your discharge status. If
more than 15 years passed since discharge, DD Form 149 should be used.
You may also contact your county Veterans Service Office.
Government checks more than a year old can no longer be cashed.
Those holding VA benefits checks longer than one year must apply to VA
for a replacement.
Enrollment in this service, which is recommended for efficiency and
security, can be accomplished by telephone. You may reach your
local VA regional office at 1-800-827-1000. A benefits counselor
there can enroll you so that your benefits check can be electronically
credited to your bank account each month. Some VA benefits such as
education payments and insurance dividends are not included in the
direct deposit program, however.
Veterans' entitlement to nonservice-connected disability pension is
premised on three basic criteria: the individual must have a
minimum of 90 days of active military service, one of which must have
been during a designated wartime period; the veteran must be permanently
and totally disabled or so disabled that it would be impossible for the
average person to pursue substantially gainful employment; and the
veteran's countable income must be within limits defined by statute.
Because your active service was entirely during peacetime, you do not
meet the service eligibility requirement for pension benefits.
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