Veteran Services: Benefits
The Collin County Veteran Services Office is a department of Collin County. We are not part of the Veterans Administration, nor funded by them. We are your ADVOCATE, and can assist you in dealing with the Veterans Administration.
Eligible Wartime Periods
Under current law, the VA recognizes the following wartime periods to determine eligibility for VA Pension benefits:
- World War II (Dec.7,1941 - Dec.31,1946)
- Korean conflict (June 27,1950 - Jan.31,1955)
- Vietnam Era (Aug.5,1964 - May 7,1975)
- Vietnam Era (since Feb.28,1961 if served in-country)
- Gulf War (Aug.2,1990 through a future date to be set by law or Presidential Proclamation)
Benefits
Veterans, dependents of Veterans, and survivors of Veterans have a right to appeal any aspect of a VA claim decision. The appeals process is a complex, multi-stage process set in law that allows submission of new evidence (medical records, statements, etc.) at any time. Each submission of new evidence requires a new cycle of review and decision making of the claim.
An appeal can be filed when a final decision, called a “Notification,” from the VA is sent to the Veteran. The “Notification” decision becomes final after one year, and cannot be appealed, bur rather must be reopened with new and material evidence. We recommend applicants consult with the Collin County Veteran Services Office to seek assistance when applying for this benefit. We can assist the veteran with completing the appeal. This may help reduce delays in receiving benefits or even prevent denial of benefits. We may be reached at 972-881-3060.
VA may grant additional benefits, including the plot or interment allowance and transportation allowance, if it
receives a claim for these benefits. To determine eligibility, and how to apply, see the VA Burial Allowance Fact
Sheet.
A United States Flag is provided, at no cost, to drape the casket or accompany the urn of a deceased veteran who served honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces. It is furnished to honor the memory of a veteran’s military service to his or her country.
Dependency & Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a survivor's benefit for the survivors and dependents of a veteran whose death was the result of a service-connected disability or who had been 100-percent disabled due to a service-connected condition for 10 years or more at the time of death.
The DIC compensation benefit is also provided to the un-remarried surviving spouse, dependent children and certain dependent parents of a veteran who died on active duty as the result of a service-connected disability, or had been permanently and totally disabled as the result of a service-connected disability for at least 10 years at the time death due to an unrelated cause.
We recommend applicants consult with the Collin County Veteran Services Office to seek assistance with applying for this benefit. We can assist the surviving spouse, or eligible dependent, with completing the application. This may help reduce delays in receiving benefits or even prevent denial of benefits. We may be reached at 972-881-3060.
The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017, also known as the “Forever GI Bill,” is named after the American Legion national commander who wrote the original GI Bill language in 1944. This legislation contains 34 new provisions, the vast majority of which will enhance or expand education benefits for Veterans, service members, families and survivors.
Veterans who transitioned out of the military after Jan. 1, 2013, will not be limited to the 15-year deadline to use their GI Bill benefits – hence the bill’s nickname, “Forever GI Bill.” This law also restores benefits to Veterans who were impacted by school closures since 2015, and expands benefits for Reservists, surviving dependents, Purple Heart recipients, and provides many other improvements.
The Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarships entitle children of those who die in the line of duty after Sept. 10, 2001, to use Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.
Eligible Children:
- Are entitled to 36 months of benefits at the 100-percent rate
- Have 15 years to use the benefit, beginning on their 18th birthday
- May use the benefit until their 33rd birthday
- Are not eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program
The MGIB provides up to 36 months of education benefits. This benefit may be used for degree and certificate programs, flight training, apprenticeship/on-the-job training and correspondence courses. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances. Generally, benefits are payable for 10 years following your release from active duty. This program is also commonly known as Chapter 30.
Eligibility Guidelines:
Category I
- Entered active duty for the first time after June 30, 1985
- Had military pay reduced by $100 a month for first 12 months
- Continuously served for 3 years, OR 2 years if that is what you first enlisted for, OR 2 years if you entered the Selected Reserve within a year of leaving active duty and served 4 years (“2 by 4” Program)
Category II
- Entered active duty before January 1, 1977
- Served at least 1 day between 10/19/84 and 6/30/85, and stayed on active duty through 6/30/88, (or 6/30/87 if you entered the Selected Reserve within 1 year of leaving active duty and served 4 years)
- On 12/31/89, you had entitlement left from Vietnam-Era GI Bill
Category III
- Not eligible for MGIB under Category I or II
- On active duty on 9/30/90 AND separated involuntarily after 2/2/91,
- OR involuntarily separated on or after 11/30/93,
- OR voluntarily separated under either the Voluntary Separation Incentive (VSI) or Special Separation Benefit (SSG) program
- Before separation, you had military pay reduced by $1200
Category IV
- On active duty on 10/9/96 AND you had money remaining in a VEAP account on that date AND you elected MGIB by 10/9/97
- OR entered full-time National Guard duty under title 32, USC, between 7/1/85 and 11/28/89 AND you elected MGIB during the period 10/9/96, through 7/8/97
- Had military pay reduced by $100 a month for 12 months or made a $1200 lump-sum contribution
Burial in a VA national cemetery is available for eligible veterans at no cost and includes the gravesite, grave-liner, opening and closing of the grave, a headstone or marker, and perpetual care as part of a national shrine. For veterans, benefits may also include a burial flag and military funeral honors.
Veterans, active duty service members, and retired Reservists and National Guard service members, are eligible for an inscribed headstone or marker for their unmarked grave at any cemetery – national, state veterans, tribal, or private. VA will deliver a headstone or marker at no cost, anywhere in the world.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill is an education benefit program for service members and veterans who served on active duty after Sept. 10, 2001. Benefits are payable for training pursued on or after Aug. 1, 2009. No payments can be made under this program for training pursued before that date.
Eligibility Guidelines:
To be eligible, the service member or veteran must serve at least 90 aggregate days on active duty after Sept. 10, 2001, and remain on active duty or be honorably discharged. Active duty includes active service performed by National Guard members under title 32 U.S.C. for the purposes of organizing, administering, recruiting, instructing, or training the National Guard; or under section 502(f) for the purpose of responding to a national emergency. Veterans may also be eligible if they were honorably discharged from active duty for a service-connected disability after serving 30 continuous days after Sept. 10, 2001. Generally, service members or veterans may receive up to 36 months of entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
Eligibility for benefits expires 15 years from the last period of active duty of at least 90 consecutive days. If released for a service-connected disability after at least 30 days of continuous service, eligibility ends 15 years from when the member is released for the service-connected disability. If, on Aug. 1, 2009, the service member or veteran is eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill; the Montgomery GI Bill – Selected Reserve; or the Reserve Educational Assistance Program, and qualifies for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, an irrevocable election must be made to receive benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
In most instances, once the election to receive benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill is made, the individual will no longer be eligible to receive benefits under the relinquished program.
Based on the length of active duty service, eligible participants are entitled to receive a percentage of the following:
- Cost of in-state tuition and fees at public institutions and for the 2017-2018 academic year, up to $22, 805 towards tuition and fee costs at private and foreign institutions (paid directly to the school).
- Monthly housing allowance equal to the basic allowance for housing payable to a military E-5 with dependents, in the same zip code as the primary school (paid directly to the service member, veteran, or eligible dependent).
- Yearly books and supplies stipened of up to $1,000 per year (paid directly to the service member, veteran, or eligible dependent).
- A one-time payment of $500 paid to certain individuals relocating from highly rural areas.
The housing allowance is not payable to individuals pursuing training at half time, or less.
Approved training under the Post-9/11 GI Bill includes graduate and undergraduate degrees, vocational/technical training, on-the-job training, flight training, correspondence training, licensing and national testing programs, and tutorial assistance.
A Presidential Memorial Certificate (PMC) is an engraved paper certificate, signed by the current U.S. President, to honor the memory of deceased veterans who are eligible for burial in a national cemetery.
An eligible recipient (i.e., next of kin, a relative or friend upon request, or an authorized service representative acting on behalf of such relative or friend) may apply for a PMC by completing a VA Form 40-0247, Presidential Memorial Certificate Request Form. More than one PMC may be requested. To expedite the processing of the claim, please submit the veteran's military discharge documents and death certificate. Do not send original documents, as they will not be returned.
There are two types of Enhanced or Special Monthly Pension (SMP): Housebound, and Aid and Attendance (A&A).
Housebound is an increased monthly pension amount that may be added to your monthly pension amount when you are substantially confined to your immediate premises because of a permanent disability.
Aid and Attendance is an increased monthly pension amount when the claimant requires the aid of another person in order to perform activities of daily living, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, toileting, adjusting prosthetic devices, or require protection from hazards of their daily environment. Aid and Attendance may also be granted if the claimant is bedridden, a patient in a nursing home, or has corrected visual acuity of 5/200 or less in both eyes or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less.
Since Aid & Attendance and Housebound allowances increase the pension amount, individuals who are not eligible for a basic pension due to excessive income may be eligible for pension at these increased rates.
We recommend applicants consult with the Collin County Veteran Services Office to seek assistance with applying for this benefit. This may help reduce delays in receiving benefits or even prevent denial of benefits. We may be reached at 972-881-3060.
The Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) program offers grants to certain service members and veterans with severe service-connected disabilities to assist them in building, remodeling, or purchasing an adapted home.
SAH grants help veterans with certain service-connected disabilities live independently in a barrier-free environment. SAH grants can be used in one of the following ways:
- Construct a specially adapted home on land to be acquired
- Build a home on land already owned if it is suitable for specially adapted housing
- Remodel an existing home if it can be made suitable for specially adapted housing
- Apply the grant against the unpaid principal mortgage balance of an adapted home already acquired without the assistance of a VA grant.
Please see the SAH
Fact Sheet for additional information and eligibility requirements.
Survivors pension (formerly death pension) is a "needs-based" program designed to assist the surviving spouse, or children, of wartime veterans.
Unlike pension rules for veterans, the surviving spouse does not have to be disabled to qualify for this benefit. The survivor's income from all sources must be below the VA’s Maximum Allowable Pension Rate (MAPR) and they must have a "limited" estate. The veteran must have received an other than dishonorable discharge and have at least 90 days of active military service, with at least one day during wartime.
We recommend applicants consult with the Collin County Veteran Services Office to seek assistance with applying for this benefit. We can assist the surviving spouse with completing the application. This may help reduce delays in receiving benefits or even prevent denial of benefits. We may be reached at 972-881-3060.
The VA helps veterans and their families cope with financial challenges by providing supplemental income through the Veterans Pension benefit. Pension benefits are needs-based and your “countable” family income must fall below the yearly limit set by law. Veterans eligible for this benefits must have at least 90 days of active duty, including one day during a wartime period (if the active duty occurred after Sept. 7, 1980, the veteran must have served at least 24 months or the full term of service). Veterans must also have received a discharge under other than dishonorable conditions.
In addition to the service and income requirements, the claimant must be:
- Age 65 or older with limited or no income, OR
- Totally and permanently disabled, OR
- A patient in a nursing home receiving skilled nursing care, OR
- Receiving Social Security Disability Insurance, OR
- Receiving Supplemental Security Income
We recommend applicants consult with the Collin County Veteran Services Office to seek assistance with applying
for this benefit. This may help reduce delays in receiving benefits or even prevent denial of benefits. We may be
reached at (972) 881-3060.
The Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement Program was enacted to potentially assist eligible individuals with payment of their tuition and fees in instances where costs exceed the in-state tuition charges at a public institution or the national maximum payable at private and foreign institutions.
Eligibility Guidelines:
To be eligible, the student must be: a veteran receiving benefits at the 100-percent rate payable, a transfer-of-entitlement-eligible dependent child, or a transfer-of-entitlement eligible spouse of a veteran.
The school of attendance must have accepted VA’s invitation to participate in the program, state how much student
tuition will be waived (up to 50 percent), and how many participants will be accepted into the program during the
current academic year. VA will match the school’s percentage (up to 50 percent) to reduce or eliminate out-of-pocket
costs for eligible participants.
- Title
- Appeals Process
- Link
- Appeals Process
- Description
Veterans, dependents of Veterans, and survivors of Veterans have a right to appeal any aspect of a VA claim decision. The appeals process is a complex, multi-stage process set in law that allows submission of new evidence (medical records, statements, etc.) at any time. Each submission of new evidence requires a new cycle of review and decision making of the claim.
An appeal can be filed when a final decision, called a “Notification,” from the VA is sent to the Veteran. The “Notification” decision becomes final after one year, and cannot be appealed, bur rather must be reopened with new and material evidence. We recommend applicants consult with the Collin County Veteran Services Office to seek assistance when applying for this benefit. We can assist the veteran with completing the appeal. This may help reduce delays in receiving benefits or even prevent denial of benefits. We may be reached at 972-881-3060.
- Title
- Appeals Process
- Link
- Description
- Veterans, dependents of Veterans, and survivors of Veterans have a right to appeal any aspect of a VA claim decision. The appeals process is a complex, multi-stage process set in law that allows submission of new evidence (medical records, statements, etc.) at any time. Each submission of new evidence requires a new cycle of review and decision making of the claim.An appeal can be filed when a final decision, called a “Notification,” from the VA is sent to the Veteran. The “Notification” decision becomes final after one year, and cannot be appealed, bur rather must be reopened with new and material evidence. We recommend applicants consult with the Collin County Veteran Services Office to seek assistance when applying for this benefit. We can assist the veteran with completing the appeal. This may help reduce delays in receiving benefits or even prevent denial of benefits. We may be reached at (972) 881-3060.
- Title
- Burial Claims
- Link
- Burial Claims
- Description
VA may grant additional benefits, including the plot or interment allowance and transportation allowance, if it receives a claim for these benefits. To determine eligibility, and how to apply, see the VA Burial Allowance Fact Sheet.
- Title
- Burial Flag
- Link
- Burial Flag
- Description
A United States Flag is provided, at no cost, to drape the casket or accompany the urn of a deceased veteran who served honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces. It is furnished to honor the memory of a veteran’s military service to his or her country.
- Title
- Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
- Description
Dependency & Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a survivor's benefit for the survivors and dependents of a veteran whose death was the result of a service-connected disability or who had been 100-percent disabled due to a service-connected condition for 10 years or more at the time of death.
The DIC compensation benefit is also provided to the un-remarried surviving spouse, dependent children and certain dependent parents of a veteran who died on active duty as the result of a service-connected disability, or had been permanently and totally disabled as the result of a service-connected disability for at least 10 years at the time death due to an unrelated cause.
We recommend applicants consult with the Collin County Veteran Services Office to seek assistance with applying for this benefit. We can assist the surviving spouse, or eligible dependent, with completing the application. This may help reduce delays in receiving benefits or even prevent denial of benefits. We may be reached at 972-881-3060.
- Title
- Disability Compensation
- Description
- Disability compensation is a monthly tax-free benefit paid to Veterans who are at least 10% disabled because of injuries or diseases that were incurred in or aggravated during active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training. A disability can apply to physical conditions, such as chronic knee condition, as well as a mental health condition, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).There are numerous types of claims that apply to disability compensation. They can be based on disabilities that existed when entering military service, but were made worse, disabilities that occurred during service, or disabilities that arose after you left military service.Additionally, there are claims that are filed for special circumstances. We recommend applicants consult with the Collin County Veteran Services Office to seek assistance when applying for this benefit. We can assist the veteran with completing the claim. This may help reduce delays in receiving benefits or even prevent denial of benefits.We may be reached at (972) 881-3060.
- Title
- Discharge Upgrade
- Link
- Description
- A veteran may want to upgrade his or her military discharge for many reasons. A veteran can get a discharge upgrade from either a Discharge Review Board (DRB) or Boards for the Correction of Military Records (BCMR). A veteran who wants to upgrade a discharge should find an advocate.We recommend applicants consult with the Collin County Veteran Services Office to seek assistance with applying for this benefit. Local bar associations may also be able to suggest a private attorney, or a free (pro bono) attorney.
- Title
- Forever GI Bill
- Link
- Forever GI Bill
- Description
The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017, also known as the “Forever GI Bill,” is named after the American Legion national commander who wrote the original GI Bill language in 1944. This legislation contains 34 new provisions, the vast majority of which will enhance or expand education benefits for Veterans, service members, families and survivors.
Veterans who transitioned out of the military after Jan. 1, 2013, will not be limited to the 15-year deadline to use their GI Bill benefits – hence the bill’s nickname, “Forever GI Bill.” This law also restores benefits to Veterans who were impacted by school closures since 2015, and expands benefits for Reservists, surviving dependents, Purple Heart recipients, and provides many other improvements.
- Title
- Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship
- Description
The Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarships entitle children of those who die in the line of duty after Sept. 10, 2001, to use Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits.
Eligible Children:
- Are entitled to 36 months of benefits at the 100-percent rate
- Have 15 years to use the benefit, beginning on their 18th birthday
- May use the benefit until their 33rd birthday
- Are not eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Program
- Title
- Montgomery GI Bill
- Link
- Montgomery GI Bill
- Description
The MGIB provides up to 36 months of education benefits. This benefit may be used for degree and certificate programs, flight training, apprenticeship/on-the-job training and correspondence courses. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances. Generally, benefits are payable for 10 years following your release from active duty. This program is also commonly known as Chapter 30.
Eligibility Guidelines:
Category I
- Entered active duty for the first time after June 30, 1985
- Had military pay reduced by $100 a month for first 12 months
- Continuously served for 3 years, OR 2 years if that is what you first enlisted for, OR 2 years if you entered the Selected Reserve within a year of leaving active duty and served 4 years (“2 by 4” Program)
Category II
- Entered active duty before January 1, 1977
- Served at least 1 day between 10/19/84 and 6/30/85, and stayed on active duty through 6/30/88, (or 6/30/87 if you entered the Selected Reserve within 1 year of leaving active duty and served 4 years)
- On 12/31/89, you had entitlement left from Vietnam-Era GI Bill
Category III
- Not eligible for MGIB under Category I or II
- On active duty on 9/30/90 AND separated involuntarily after 2/2/91,
- OR involuntarily separated on or after 11/30/93,
- OR voluntarily separated under either the Voluntary Separation Incentive (VSI) or Special Separation Benefit (SSG) program
- Before separation, you had military pay reduced by $1200
Category IV
- On active duty on 10/9/96 AND you had money remaining in a VEAP account on that date AND you elected MGIB by 10/9/97
- OR entered full-time National Guard duty under title 32, USC, between 7/1/85 and 11/28/89 AND you elected MGIB during the period 10/9/96, through 7/8/97
- Had military pay reduced by $100 a month for 12 months or made a $1200 lump-sum contribution
- Title
- National Cemetery / Headstones, Markers & Medallions
- Description
Burial in a VA national cemetery is available for eligible veterans at no cost and includes the gravesite, grave-liner, opening and closing of the grave, a headstone or marker, and perpetual care as part of a national shrine. For veterans, benefits may also include a burial flag and military funeral honors.
Veterans, active duty service members, and retired Reservists and National Guard service members, are eligible for an inscribed headstone or marker for their unmarked grave at any cemetery – national, state veterans, tribal, or private. VA will deliver a headstone or marker at no cost, anywhere in the world.
- Title
- Obtaining Military Awards or Decorations
- Description
- Title
- Post – 9/11 GI Bill
- Link
- Post – 9/11 GI Bill
- Description
The Post-9/11 GI Bill is an education benefit program for service members and veterans who served on active duty after Sept. 10, 2001. Benefits are payable for training pursued on or after Aug. 1, 2009. No payments can be made under this program for training pursued before that date.
Eligibility Guidelines:
To be eligible, the service member or veteran must serve at least 90 aggregate days on active duty after Sept. 10, 2001, and remain on active duty or be honorably discharged. Active duty includes active service performed by National Guard members under title 32 U.S.C. for the purposes of organizing, administering, recruiting, instructing, or training the National Guard; or under section 502(f) for the purpose of responding to a national emergency. Veterans may also be eligible if they were honorably discharged from active duty for a service-connected disability after serving 30 continuous days after Sept. 10, 2001. Generally, service members or veterans may receive up to 36 months of entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
Eligibility for benefits expires 15 years from the last period of active duty of at least 90 consecutive days. If released for a service-connected disability after at least 30 days of continuous service, eligibility ends 15 years from when the member is released for the service-connected disability. If, on Aug. 1, 2009, the service member or veteran is eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill; the Montgomery GI Bill – Selected Reserve; or the Reserve Educational Assistance Program, and qualifies for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, an irrevocable election must be made to receive benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
In most instances, once the election to receive benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill is made, the individual will no longer be eligible to receive benefits under the relinquished program.
Based on the length of active duty service, eligible participants are entitled to receive a percentage of the following:
- Cost of in-state tuition and fees at public institutions and for the 2017-2018 academic year, up to $22, 805 towards tuition and fee costs at private and foreign institutions (paid directly to the school).
- Monthly housing allowance equal to the basic allowance for housing payable to a military E-5 with dependents, in the same zip code as the primary school (paid directly to the service member, veteran, or eligible dependent).
- Yearly books and supplies stipened of up to $1,000 per year (paid directly to the service member, veteran, or eligible dependent).
- A one-time payment of $500 paid to certain individuals relocating from highly rural areas.
The housing allowance is not payable to individuals pursuing training at half time, or less.
Approved training under the Post-9/11 GI Bill includes graduate and undergraduate degrees, vocational/technical training, on-the-job training, flight training, correspondence training, licensing and national testing programs, and tutorial assistance.
- Title
- Presidential Memorial Certificate
- Description
A Presidential Memorial Certificate (PMC) is an engraved paper certificate, signed by the current U.S. President, to honor the memory of deceased veterans who are eligible for burial in a national cemetery.
An eligible recipient (i.e., next of kin, a relative or friend upon request, or an authorized service representative acting on behalf of such relative or friend) may apply for a PMC by completing a VA Form 40-0247, Presidential Memorial Certificate Request Form. More than one PMC may be requested. To expedite the processing of the claim, please submit the veteran's military discharge documents and death certificate. Do not send original documents, as they will not be returned.
- Title
- Special Monthly Pension
- Description
- There are two types of Enhanced or Special Monthly Pension (SMP): Housebound, and Aid and Attendance (A&A).Housebound is an increased monthly pension amount that may be added to your monthly pension amount when you are substantially confined to your immediate premises because of a permanent disability.Aid and Attendance is an increased monthly pension amount when the claimant requires the aid of another person in order to perform activities of daily living, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, toileting, adjusting prosthetic devices, or require protection from hazards of their daily environment. Aid and Attendance may also be granted if the claimant is bedridden, a patient in a nursing home, or has corrected visual acuity of 5/200 or less in both eyes or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less.Since Aid & Attendance and Housebound allowances increase the pension amount, individuals who are not eligible for a basic pension due to excessive income may be eligible for pension at these increased rates.We recommend applicants consult with the Collin County Veteran Services Office to seek assistance with applying for this benefit. This may help reduce delays in receiving benefits or even prevent denial of benefits. We may be reached at (972) 881-3060.
- Title
- Special Monthly Pension
- Description
There are two types of Enhanced or Special Monthly Pension (SMP): Housebound, and Aid and Attendance (A&A).
Housebound is an increased monthly pension amount that may be added to your monthly pension amount when you are substantially confined to your immediate premises because of a permanent disability.
Aid and Attendance is an increased monthly pension amount when the claimant requires the aid of another person in order to perform activities of daily living, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, toileting, adjusting prosthetic devices, or require protection from hazards of their daily environment. Aid and Attendance may also be granted if the claimant is bedridden, a patient in a nursing home, or has corrected visual acuity of 5/200 or less in both eyes or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less.
Since Aid & Attendance and Housebound allowances increase the pension amount, individuals who are not eligible for a basic pension due to excessive income may be eligible for pension at these increased rates.
We recommend applicants consult with the Collin County Veteran Services Office to seek assistance with applying for this benefit. This may help reduce delays in receiving benefits or even prevent denial of benefits. We may be reached at 972-881-3060.
- Title
- Specially Adapted Housing
- Description
The Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) program offers grants to certain service members and veterans with severe service-connected disabilities to assist them in building, remodeling, or purchasing an adapted home.
SAH grants help veterans with certain service-connected disabilities live independently in a barrier-free environment. SAH grants can be used in one of the following ways:
- Construct a specially adapted home on land to be acquired
- Build a home on land already owned if it is suitable for specially adapted housing
- Remodel an existing home if it can be made suitable for specially adapted housing
- Apply the grant against the unpaid principal mortgage balance of an adapted home already acquired without the assistance of a VA grant.
Please see the SAH Fact Sheet for additional information and eligibility requirements.
- Title
- Survivors Pension
- Link
- Survivors Pension
- Description
Survivors pension (formerly death pension) is a "needs-based" program designed to assist the surviving spouse, or children, of wartime veterans.
Unlike pension rules for veterans, the surviving spouse does not have to be disabled to qualify for this benefit. The survivor's income from all sources must be below the VA’s Maximum Allowable Pension Rate (MAPR) and they must have a "limited" estate. The veteran must have received an other than dishonorable discharge and have at least 90 days of active military service, with at least one day during wartime.
We recommend applicants consult with the Collin County Veteran Services Office to seek assistance with applying for this benefit. We can assist the surviving spouse with completing the application. This may help reduce delays in receiving benefits or even prevent denial of benefits. We may be reached at 972-881-3060.
- Title
- Veterans Land Board Home/Land/Improvement Loans
- Description
- Title
- Veterans Pension
- Link
- Veterans Pension
- Description
The VA helps veterans and their families cope with financial challenges by providing supplemental income through the Veterans Pension benefit. Pension benefits are needs-based and your “countable” family income must fall below the yearly limit set by law. Veterans eligible for this benefits must have at least 90 days of active duty, including one day during a wartime period (if the active duty occurred after Sept. 7, 1980, the veteran must have served at least 24 months or the full term of service). Veterans must also have received a discharge under other than dishonorable conditions.
In addition to the service and income requirements, the claimant must be:
- Age 65 or older with limited or no income, OR
- Totally and permanently disabled, OR
- A patient in a nursing home receiving skilled nursing care, OR
- Receiving Social Security Disability Insurance, OR
- Receiving Supplemental Security Income
We recommend applicants consult with the Collin County Veteran Services Office to seek assistance with applying for this benefit. This may help reduce delays in receiving benefits or even prevent denial of benefits. We may be reached at (972) 881-3060.
- Title
- Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment
- Description
- Title
- Yellow Ribbon Program
- Description
The Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement Program was enacted to potentially assist eligible individuals with payment of their tuition and fees in instances where costs exceed the in-state tuition charges at a public institution or the national maximum payable at private and foreign institutions.
Eligibility Guidelines:
To be eligible, the student must be: a veteran receiving benefits at the 100-percent rate payable, a transfer-of-entitlement-eligible dependent child, or a transfer-of-entitlement eligible spouse of a veteran.
The school of attendance must have accepted VA’s invitation to participate in the program, state how much student tuition will be waived (up to 50 percent), and how many participants will be accepted into the program during the current academic year. VA will match the school’s percentage (up to 50 percent) to reduce or eliminate out-of-pocket costs for eligible participants.