Women
Veterans
Questions and Answers
1.
What services are available to women Veterans?
A full
continuum of comprehensive medical services including health promotion
and disease prevention, primary care, women’s gender-specific
health care; e.g., hormone replacement therapy, breast and gynecological
care, maternity and limited infertility (excluding in-vitro fertilization),
acute medical/surgical, telephone triage, emergency and substance
abuse treatment, mental health, domiciliary, rehabilitation and
long term care. VA researchers at many VA facilities also conduct
medical research on women’s health.
2.
How do I access the system for health and benefits
services?
Veterans
can apply for VA health care enrollment by completing VA Form 10-10EZ,
“Application for Health Benefits.” The 10-10EZ may be
obtained by visiting, calling or writing any VA health care facility
or Veterans’ benefits office. You can also call the VA Health
Benefits Call Center toll-free at 1-877-222 VETS (1-877-222-8387)
to determine your eligibility or access the form from the Health
Administration Eligibility Reform website: www.va.gov/elig.
For
VA benefits, refer to Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents
at www.va.gov/opa/vadocs/current_benefits.htm.
This booklet, which may be downloaded, discusses the variety of
Federal benefits available to Veterans and their dependents, such
as:
• Compensation and Pension
• Montgomery GI Bill (Education)
• Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
• Veterans Group Life Insurance, and
• Home Loan Guaranty
Additional
information and application forms can be obtained at VA’s
website: www.va.gov .
The Veterans Online Application (VONAPP) http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp,
allows you to complete and submit application forms on-line.
You may also call the VA nationwide toll-free number, 1-800-827-1000,
for specific benefit information.
3.
Are VA services authorized for women Veterans who
were involuntarily discharged from the military for pregnancy prior
to May 1974? If not, how does one get this issue addressed?
The provision
of health care services to Veterans is established by certain eligibility
criteria and discharge status requirements. To determine your eligibility
for services, contact your nearest VA health care facility.
Women
Veterans involuntarily discharged may also be eligible for compensation
and pension, vocational rehabilitation and employment, home loan
guaranty, and burial benefits. Children born to Veterans who served
in Vietnam may also be eligible for monthly monetary benefits, medical
care, and vocational training if they have certain birth defects
linked to their mother’s service. Contact the nearest VA Regional
Office on the nationwide toll-free number, 1-800-827-1000, for benefit
information and eligibility requirements, or visit VA’s homepage
at www.va.gov. Veterans Health Services
4.
How can I receive gender-specific services, including
Pap smears, mammography, prenatal and childcare?
Apply
for VA health care enrollment by completing VA Form 10-10EZ which
may be obtained by visiting, calling, or writing any VA health care
facility or Veterans’ benefits office. You can also call toll-free
1-877-222 VETS (1-877-222-8387) or access the form on the Internet
at www.va.gov. The provision of
health care to non-Veteran children is limited to those instances
where specific authority is given to VA by law. Contact your local
VA health care facility and ask to speak with the Women Veterans
Program Manager (white pages of the telephone directory under U.S.
Government, Department of Veterans Affairs).
5.
Where are the designated Clinical Programs of Excellence
in Women’s Health?
•
Women Veterans Health Care Program, Alexandria, LA, VAMC
• Women Veterans Comprehensive Health, Durham, NC, VAMC
• Women Veterans Health Program, Boston, MA, VAMC, VA New
England Health Care System
• Women Veterans Health Program, Bay Pines, FL, VAMC
• Women Veterans Health Program, VA Pittsburgh, PA, Healthcare
System
• Women Veterans Health Program, South Texas Veterans Health
Care System, San Antonio
6.
How do I get a clinic appointment when the waiting
list is six months for an initial appointment?
If you
experience an urgent or emergent medical condition, you can contact
your local VA health care facility telephone care program or visit
their walk-in (urgent care) clinic or emergency room. Non-acute
problems will be scheduled on a next-available appointment basis.
7.
Where can I get inpatient psychiatric care as a
woman Veteran?
Most
VA Medical Centers have inpatient mental health programs. Contact
your VA Primary Care Provider or the local Mental Health Program
office for assistance. If you already have a therapist and need
inpatient care, please discuss your concerns with your therapist.
If you
have urgent or emergent needs, you can contact your local VA health
care facility telephone care program or urgent care clinic.
8.
Where can I get Military Sexual Trauma treatment?
You may
enroll and receive counseling and treatment for any emotional or
physical condition experienced as a result of sexual trauma experienced
while on active duty at any VA health care facility or Vet Center
in the continental United States without regard for your service-connected
rating or length of military service. The Women’s Trauma Recovery
Program (WTRP), located at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System,
is a 60-day residential posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and
military sexual trauma (MST) treatment program for women Veterans.
The WTRP is part of the National Center for PTSD and serves women
who are coping with the aftermath of all eras and is open to women
from across the country. Additional information about this program
can be found at www.womenvetsPTSD.va.gov.
9.
Where are the special PTSD treatment centers?
Women
Veteran Stress Disorder Treatment Programs have been established
at the following VA sites:
• Boston, MA
• Brecksville, OH
• Loma Linda, CA
• New Orleans, LA
10.
How do I get evaluated for nursing home care?
If you
have never been seen at a VA health care facility, you must first
enroll for benefits. Then you must enroll in a primary care clinic
and ask for an evaluation for nursing home care. The evaluation
will be done either by the primary care provider or a geriatrics
care team.
. What
is the process of getting quality of care issues addressed?
Contact the Women Veterans Program Manager at your local VA health
care facility (white pages under U.S. Government, Department of
Veterans Affairs).
Veterans Benefits
11.
How do I get my disability compensation claim reevaluated?
You may
request a reevaluation of your claim anytime that you believe your
condition has changed or worsened. Submit the request to reopen
or reevaluate your claim to the VA Regional Office by either letter
or statement or on VA Form 21-4138, “Statement in Support
of Claim,” www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/21-4138.pdf.
Your request should include the following information:
• Name
• VA claim number, Service Number, or Social Security Number
• Day and evening contact information
• Current address
• Statement explaining change requested
• Any new and pertinent medical evidence that supports your
request
A Women Veterans Coordinator is available at each VA regional office
to assist women Veterans.
12.
How and where do I apply for home, business, or
car loans?
VA Home Loan Guaranty Program provides loan guaranties to service
members, Veterans, reservists, and un-remarried surviving spouses
for the purchase of homes, condominiums and manufactured homes,
and for refinancing loans. Some of the ways a VA loan guaranty can
be used include:
•
Buy a home
• Buy a residential condominium
• Build a home
• Repair, alter, or improve a home
• Refinance an existing loan
• Buy a manufactured home with or without a lot
You
must complete VA Form 26-1880, “Request for a Certificate
of Eligibility for VA Home Loan Benefits, http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/26-1880.pdf
and submit it to one of the VA Eligibility Centers along with acceptable
proof of service as described on the instruction page of the form.
The
Center for Veteran Enterprise partners with the Department of Labor
and the Small Business Administration to provide information, assistance,
and mentoring for Veterans who would like to start their own business.
See www.vetbiz.va.gov/ for
additional information.
VA does
not provide assistance for automobile purchases except for certain
Veterans and service members who need special adaptive equipment.
To apply, contact a VA regional office (1-800-827-1000) or a VA
medical center.
13.
I have been out of the military for more than 10
years. How do I get an extension to my GI Bill educational benefits?
Montgomery
GI Bill (Chapter 30) Benefits end 10 years from the date of your
last discharge or release from active duty. If your benefits expire
mid-term, your benefits are extended to the end of the term or semester.
(Example: Your benefits expire in November but the course ends in
December. You will be paid for December.)
The
delimiting date can be extended past your 10-year period if you
were prevented from attending classes due to:
• A severe disability, or
• You were held against your will by a foreign government
or power.
The delimiting date is only extended by the amount of time you were
prevented from attending classes.
VA can
also extend your 10-year period if you reenter active duty for 90
days or more after becoming eligible. The extension ends 10 years
from the date of separation from the later period. Periods of active
duty of less than 90 days can qualify you for extensions only if
you were separated for:
• A service-connected disability,
• A medical condition existing before active duty,
• Hardship, or
• A reduction in force.
If your
benefit eligibility is based on two years of active duty and four
years in the Selected Reserve, you have 10 years from your release
from active duty, or 10 years from the completion of the four-year
Selected Reserve obligation to use your benefits, whichever is later.
For more information, you may visit www.gibill.va.gov.
Homeless
Services
14.
How do I contact a coordinator for options for
women Veterans who are homeless with children?
Contact
the local VA homeless coordinator (or point of contact), Social
Work Services department, or Women Veterans Program Manager at your
local VAMC. There are homeless women Veteran and homeless women
Veterans with children pilot programs located at 11 designated VA
facilities as well, and the Women Veterans Program Manager can discuss
what options are available in your area.
Burial
Benefits
15.
Am I eligible for burial at Arlington National
Cemetery? What are my options?
Arlington National Cemetery is just one of the nearly 200 national
or state Veterans cemeteries across the country. Eligibility at
Arlington is restrictive. For information, call 703-607-8000 and
select (press) 4 or visit
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/.
Burial
in other national cemeteries is available for Veterans, spouses
and dependent children. Generally all that is required is some active
duty service, other than Reserve active duty for training, with
a discharge other than dishonorable. Retired Reserve and National
Guard members and some others are eligible. State cemeteries may
also require residency. For more information visit http://www.cem.va.gov/eligible.htm
or call 1-800-827-1000 and select (press) 0 twice to speak to a
counselor.
Locating
Military Records
16.
How do I locate my military records or those of
a relative?
To obtain
copies of your military records and/or “Report of Separation
from Active Military Service” (DD Form 214 or equivalent),
you must submit a “Request Pertaining to Military Records”
(SF 180) to the records custodian of your branch of service. Addresses
for each service’s records custodian are found on page 2 of
the SF 180. The SF 180 requires a signature and must be submitted
either by mail or fax. Contact the National Personnel Records Center,
Military Personnel Records, 9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63132-5100,
or fax requests to (314) 801-9195. The web site is www.archives.gov/research_room/vetrecs/index.html
Locating
Other Veterans
17.
How do I locate a buddy whom I served with in the
military?
The Privacy
Act obliges the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as a Federal
agency, to protect the privacy of Veterans’ personal information.
Therefore, VA cannot release personal information about a Veteran
in its records system without that person’s permission. VA
can, however, forward a message from you to the Veteran, providing
VA has a current address on record.
Write
your message to your friend and place it in an unsealed, stamped
envelope. Include a note to VA explaining who it is that you are
trying to reach and add as much identifying information as you have.
Put all of this in another envelope and address it to the nearest
VA Regional Office.
If the
Veteran is in VA records, your message to the Veteran will be sealed
and the envelope will be sent to the address on file for the Veteran.
It is then up to the Veteran to contact you. This process is designed
to protect the privacy of Veterans as required by law. If you have
questions, you may call VA at 1-800-827-1000.
You
may also contact the Women In Military Service for America Memorial
(WIMSA) located at the ceremonial entrance of Arlington National
Cemetery in Arlington, VA, at www.womensmemorial.org
or by telephone at 1-800-222-2294.
National
Guard and Reserves
18.
How do I get the names of local Veterans in my
area to interview for a school project?
Veterans
Service Organizations are available in most communities. Telephone
book yellow pages will list local Veteran groups under "Veterans"
or "Veteran Service Organizations." Examples of organizations
include Disabled American Veterans (DAV), The American Legion, and
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW).
WIMSA
can also help arrange for members to either speak at civic or educational
events or to be interviewed about the Women's Memorial, a specific
era, or women in the military. Contact the Public Relations Department,
at 1-(800) 222-2294 or (703) 533-1155.
WIMSA
also has volunteer opportunities if you are interested in speaking
about the Women's Memorial, a specific era, or women in the military.
Contact the Public Relations and Education Department at www.womensmemorial.org
19.
Where can I find information regarding benefits and services for
National Guard and Reserves?
Current
and former members of the Selected Reserve who served on active
duty may establish Veteran status and may therefore be eligible
for VA benefits, depending on the length of active military service
and the character of discharge or release. Members of the National
Guard activated for federal service during a period of war or domestic
emergency may be eligible for certain VA benefits, such as VA health
care, compensation for injuries or conditions connected to that
service and burial benefits. Activation for other than federal service
does not qualify Guard members for all VA benefits.
Operation
Iraqi Freedom/Enduring Freedom Veterans: VA provides two years of
free health care for Veterans who served in certain combat locations
during active military service, beginning on the date of separation
from active duty. This benefit covers all illnesses and injuries
except those clearly unrelated to active military service. For more
information call 1-877-222-8387. A Summary of VA Benefits for National
Guard and Reserve Personnel is available online at: www1.va.gov/environagents/docs/SVABENEFITS.pdf.
The Transition Assistance Program (TAP) was established to meet
the needs of separating service members during their period of transition
into civilian life by offering job-search assistance and related
services. The law creating TAP established a partnership among the
Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Transportation and the
Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training
Service (VETS), to give employment and training information to armed
forces members within 180 days of separation or retirement. TAP
helps service members and their spouses make the initial transition
from military service to the civilian workplace with less difficulty
and at less overall cost to the government. TAP consists of comprehensive
three-day workshops at selected military installations nationwide.
Professionally-trained workshop facilitators from the State Employment
Services, military family support services, Department of Labor
contractors, or VETS’ staff present the workshops. For more
information about U.S. Department of Labor employment and training
programs for Veterans, contact the VETS office nearest you, listed
in the phone book in the United States Government under the Labor
Department or visit the website at: www.dol.gov/vets/aboutvets/contacts/main.htm.
Employment
20.
How do I access employment options for women Veterans?
Some job websites for Veterans include the following:
• Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Human Resources
Management:
www1.va.gov/ohrm
• Department of Labor Veterans site:
www.dol.gov/dol/topic/hiring/Veterans.htm
• Office of Personnel Management:
www.usajobs.opm.gov
• America’s Job Bank:
www.ajb.org
You
may also wish to research job opportunities through:
• VA National Employment Office website: www.va.gov/jobs and
• Generic: www.monster.com
Women
Veterans Research
21.
Where do I find research studies and surveys on
women v-terans?
The Office
of Research and Development at VA Central Office oversees research
within the Veterans Health Administration through its four service
areas:
The Medical Research Service provides knowledge of the fundamental
biological processes to form an understanding of disease pathology,
diagnosis, and treatment.
The Cooperative Studies Program applies the knowledge gained from
medical research to patients by determining the effectiveness of
novel or unproved therapies using multi-center clinical intervention
trials.
The Health Services Research and Development Service (HSR&D)
contributes to improving the quality, effectiveness, efficiency,
and accessibility of health care services for Veterans.
The Rehabilitation Research and Development Service addresses the
minimization of disability and restoration of function in Veterans
disabled by trauma or disease. Some important VA research websites
to know are:
Website for the HSR&D: www.hsrd.research.va.gov/.
For HSR&D studies: http://www.va.gov/resdev/programs/womens_health
Focusing on women Veterans research:
www.starsandstripes.med.va.gov/visn4/page.cfm?pg=26
www.va.gov/womenvet/
www.sf.med.va.gov/womens.htm
22.
How and where do I find historical information
on women Veterans?
Contact
the Women In Military Service For America Memorial (WIMSA) located
at the gates of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, through
their website, www.womensmemorial.org.
23. How do I locate statistics on women
Veterans by state and nationally?
VA provides
statistics and demographic information on various Veteran populations
at the following website: www.va.gov/vetdata/index.htm
under Program Statistics, Table 2. Additional statistics by state
can be found on the same website under Demographics, VetPop, National
and State.
24.
Where do I locate legislation on women’s
and related issues?
You may
access legislative information and follow up on Congressional bills
through the Thomas website http://thomas.loc.gov/.
