Veterans Benefits & Issues: Resources for Veterans

The Resources for Veterans page identifies programs and resources that help veterans.  These resources are holistic, looking at furthering a veteran's or servicemember's health, employment prospects, education, and overall quality of life.  Veterans' advocates can also become knowledgeable about the various veterans' programs and resources to better serve veteran clients.  Veterans may suffer during tough economic times.  Veterans may be underemployed or unemployed.   Veterans may also be homeless.  It is crucial to support veterans through comprehensive programs that address their diverse needs, including health, employment, education, and housing.

The UIC School of Law Veterans Legal Clinic provides free assistance to veterans in appealing the characterization of their discharge to the Discharge Review Board or the Board of Corrections of Military Records. 

If you are a veteran seeking to appeal your discharge characterization, you can contact the Clinic.  If possible, please have a copy of your DD-214 (Report of Separation) for review.  If you do not have a copy of your DD Form 214, the National Archives provides instructions to request copies.

Contact the Veterans Legal Clinic via email at Law-vlsc@uic.edu or by phone at 312-360-2656.

Margaret Kuzma et al., Military Discharge Upgrade Legal Practice Manual (ABA 2021).  This book provides instruction for a review of less-than-honorable discharges. It provides guidance for discharge upgrade advocacy so all veterans with unjust or erroneous discharges will have their service recognized.  Also available via Lexis.

Eligible Illinois veterans can take advantage of federal and state healthcare programs. 

Federal Benefits

• VA Healthcare.  The VA hospitals provide medical care to eligible veterans and sometimes family members (e.g., children with spinal bifida and a parent who was exposed to Agent Orange).  The following is a list of the different enrollment groups:
  • OEF/OIF Combat Veterans can receive five years of free care for any condition related to their service.
  • Service-Connected Veterans Receive care for their conditions that are recognized as service-connected.
  • Service-Connected Veterans with a 50%-90% disability rating receive free VA care for any condition 
    • Note: Dental care is usually not provided unless the service-connected disability requires dental care or the veteran has a certain status, like former POW; see the VA's Dental site for more information.
  • 100% Service-Connected or 100% non-service connected but deemed unemployable receive VA medical and dental care.
  • Non-service-connected veterans or veterans with less than 50% seeking care for a non-service-connected condition may receive VA care, but may be required to pay a copay.
• For more information, explore the VA's Healthcare website or call the VA at 1-877-222-8387.  The VA is funded by Congress, so non-service-connected veterans may not enroll in VA care. 

Illinois Benefits

Illinois provides some healthcare benefits and services to Illinois Veterans.  

• Illinois Veterans Nursing Homes. Illinois Veterans homes were established to care for certain eligible veterans who need long-term care.  Staying at home may require monthly payments, but the costs are much less than private nursing homes.  Some Illinois Veterans homes also permit a spouse to live with their veteran spouse.  
• Illinois Healthcare for Veterans Program.  Illinois established an affordable healthcare insurance for veterans with low incomes.  For more information check out the website or call 1-877-4VETSRX.

The programs provide resources or aid to Veterans and Military Servicemembers dealing with PTSD and other mental health issues:

• Veterans Crisis Line.  The VA, the Department of Public Health, and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline sponsor the Crisis Line, linking veterans and servicemembers with counselors.  Veterans and service members suffering from an emotional or social crisis may also call the Crisis Line: 988.
• National Center for PTSD Public Page.  The VA provides descriptions of common symptoms and behaviors associated with PTSD.  The VA provides a concise description of other common problems associated with traumatic events or prolonged combat deployments (e.g., anxiety, anger, etc.).
• National Veterans Foundation's Lifeline for Vets. The National Veterans Foundation ("NVF") has been running call centers, staffed by trained veterans, to reach out to veterans suffering from psychological issues and trauma.  Veterans with issues may prefer to call Lifeline for Vets over other resources because they will talk to another veteran.  The Lifeline for Vets number is (888) 777-4443.  
• VA's PTSD Program Locator.  Veterans experiencing PTSD from their service or those enrolled in VA health care can seek treatment through the VA.  Check out the VA's PTSD Program Locator for the closest program.  

Some organizations provide additional resources and programs for disabled veterans.  These programs range from job training and therapy to social programs.  Organizations include:

• Wounded Warrior Project.  The Wounded Warrior Project provides a diverse range of programs to wounded veterans who served on or after 9/11 and their families.  Sponsored events include baseball games, college basketball tournaments, major concerts (e.g., Pink Floyd's The Wall), sporting excursions, and outdoor programs.  WWP also provides care packages to wounded warriors, provides education programs, rehabilitative programs, and mentorship programs. 
• Paralyzed Veterans of America. The Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) focuses on ensuring that veterans with spinal cord injuries or diseases receive the necessary medical care.  The group maintains a doctor and nurse network that helps veterans.  The group's national service officers also assist with veterans' claims.

There is an increasing number of veteran employment resources and programs, sponsored by the state/federal government, corporations, and NGOS.  This effort is designed to help bridge the gap in unemployment between veterans and non-veterans.  The Illinois Department of Employment Services' Monthly Employment Situation for Veterans report (March 2013) noted that in 2011, post 9/11 veterans suffered from higher unemployment rates than the national average.  Veterans aged 18-24 suffered from significantly higher rates than any other demographic, with a 30.2% unemployment rate.  The following resources and programs are designed to help veterans obtain employment:

Federal Programs

• Veterans' Preference in Hiring. The federal government promotes the hiring of veterans.  The following resources help veterans determine eligibility for veterans' preference, the type of preference (e.g., 5-point veterans' preference, 10-point veterans' preference with service-connected), and federal job resources:
  •  Department of Labor's Veterans' Preference Advisor.  This Department of Labor questionnaire walks veterans through a series of questions to determine eligibility for veterans' preference.  While this screening tool is useful, it does not ask veterans if they have a 30% or more service-connected disability, making them eligible for non-competitive status for select positions.  Also, a veteran's spouse may be able to qualify for a veteran's preference hiring.  For a full description of veterans' preference classification, see the Office of Personnel Management's Veterans' Preference page.    
  • Feds Hire Vets.  The Office of Personnel Management's Feds Hire Vets website is a great resource for veterans and military servicemembers interested in obtaining federal jobs.   The website provides an overview of the federal hiring process, veterans' preference classification, and answers commonly asked questions.
• Obtaining copies of a veteran's DD-214.  The National Archives page contains instructions and links to obtain DD-214. Veterans can use this site to obtain their DD-214s, which are needed for many federal veteran programs and benefits.  

Illinois Programs

• Illinois Department of Employment Services' Veterans Services Program.  The Illinois Department of Employment Services provides specialized employment services for veterans.  State unemployment offices are staffed with a counselor dedicated to veteran job seekers.  This site also has links to state-run job search engines, such as IllinoisJobsLink.com. 
• Note: Illinois also supports veterans' preference hiring.  Some of these jobs require a notarized copy of the veterans' DD-214.  To get a notarized copy, a veteran can submit his or her DD-214 to an Illinois county recorder of deeds.  This act helps preserve a record of the veterans' military service.  While the Federal government maintains military service records, there have been past instances of fire that destroyed government copies.  Additionally, the county recorder will provide the veteran with free certified copies of his or her DD-214.  

VETNET

• VETNET is a project sponsored by Hire Heroes USA, Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families, and the US Chamber of Commerce.  This site can help veterans learn job search strategies, provide job document examples (e.g., resumes) job interview advice, and also search for jobs with veteran-friendly employers.  The site also provides a considerable library of resources designed to help veterans start and run businesses.  

Illinois veterans can take advantage of Federal and State Education Benefits.  This section provides links to websites that help veterans and family members apply for education benefits.

Federal

VA Educational Programs.  The VA'S GI Bill Education page is a portal to the various VA benefits available.  Eligible veterans seeking education programs can access information on the GI Bill, Post 9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP), Educational Assistance Test Program, National Call to Service Program, and Veterans Retraining Assistance Program.  The VA's site provides information to veterans seeking educational benefits.  Veterans may qualify for more than one education program; for example, a severely disabled veteran may qualify for VEAP, but also is eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill.  Veterans interested in using these programs can contact the VA's Education Hotline at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551).

Illinois

Illinois Veterans Grant.  This program was established for veterans to pursue higher education at an Illinois state school.  This grant provides a four-year tuition waiver for any level of higher education.  Veterans have used this program to pay for undergraduate degrees, law degrees, and medical school.  

The Children of Veterans Tuition Waiver. The University of Illinois awards a limited number of tuition waivers to children of Illinois veterans who served in a recognized conflict period (i.e., World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Southwest Asia Conflict, Operation Enduring Freedom, or Operation Iraqi Freedom).  See the site for program and application requirements.  

The VA Homeless Program provides programs and resources for helping homeless veterans.  The VA has prioritized ending veterans' homelessness.  For more information or help, call 1-877-424-3838.