We have spent the past few weeks talking about the variety found within the Veteran community. Veterans do not have one appearance, and military service does not come in one standardized package. The same lesson applies when we talk about Veterans’ benefits.
You cannot determine eligibility by looking at someone.
A healthy-looking 35-year-old may have significant service-connected disabilities. An 80-year-old combat Veteran may never have filed a disability claim. A Veteran who never deployed overseas may have been exposed to hazards during stateside service. A National Guard member may have several different types of duty documented in the same military career.
None of those examples, by themselves, tells us what benefits the person will receive.
Veterans benefits are created by laws and administered through specific programs. Eligibility may depend on service dates, duty status, discharge, location, exposure, disability, income, age, residency, family status, or another requirement. Eligibility for one Veteran benefit does not automatically establish eligibility for another.
This is one reason I encourage Veterans not to compare their benefits with someone else’s. “My neighbor gets it” may be useful information, but it is not an eligibility standard. Two Veterans who served together may receive very different benefits because their circumstances are different.
CVSOs should also be careful about saying someone definitely qualifies—or does not qualify—before the appropriate authority reviews the application. We can examine records, discuss requirements, identify possible benefits, help develop evidence, prepare applications, and advocate for the Veteran. VA, MDVA, or another governing agency generally makes the final decision.
If there is a reasonable possibility you qualify, ask questions and consider applying. Do not disqualify yourself because you did not serve in combat, do not have a visible disability, think you earn too much money, or assume a program was intended for another generation.
Your story does not need to match someone else’s. It only needs to be accurately told and properly considered.
Veterans Day reminders: MDVA’s official State celebration is Wednesday, November 11, at the Duluth National Guard Training and Community Center, with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and the program at 10:00 a.m. American Legion Post 109 is providing a local Veterans Day program/ dinner; social hour starting at 5:00 p.m. and dinner at 6:00 p.m. (reservations required due to limited seating).
Brad Anderson and Melissa Crandall are the Lake County Veterans Service Officers and can be reached at 218.834.8326 or Vets@LakeCountyMN.gov
Karen Christianson is the Cook County Veterans Service Officer and can be reached at 218.387.3639, or karen.christianson@cookcountymn.gov
