News for Immediate
Release
DMVA: PA Veterans
Should Never Pay for Help to Apply for Benefits
Harrisburg – Veterans, active military personnel and their dependants
should never pay for help to apply for veteran’s benefits, according to the
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
“We’ve heard of several
instances in which individuals or businesses are approaching veterans to
offer assistance in applying for benefits for free, and then charging a fee
for financial planning services,’’ said Brig. Gen. Mike Gould, the state’s
deputy adjutant general for veterans’ affairs.
“I cannot stress it enough when I say that
veterans should never pay for these services,’’ Gould added. “Free
assistance is readily available from any accredited veterans service officer
at the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, their County Director of
Veterans Affairs, or through a chartered veterans service organization such
as the American Legion, VFW, DAV, or AMVETS -- to name a few.”
County Directors of Veterans Affairs are
accredited veterans service officers that provide veterans and their
dependents assistance to identify and help determine eligibility for a wide
range of veterans benefits, assist in the preparation of applications for
county, state and federal veteran’s benefits and programs such as: the
payment of burial allowances; ensuring grave markers and headstones are
properly requested and placed; direct application for state programs like
the Disabled Veterans Real Estate Tax Exemption Program, Veterans Emergency
Assistance, Blind and Paralyzed Veterans Pensions and the Education Gratuity
Program; and federal health care benefits, service connected disability and
non-service connected disability pensions, and survivor benefits.
For more information
on other Veterans Service Organizations and to find out more about veterans
benefits, visit the DMVA online at
www.dmva.state.pa.us and click on
Veterans Affairs or follow DMVA on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/padmva.
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