HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Still Serving Veterans helps veterans and their families navigate a complicated realm once the veteran hangs up their uniform: VA benefits.
Terri Womack, team lead for the veteran claims and benefits division, has worked day and night for the past six years in an effort to help every veteran or veteran spouse who comes through her office door.
“For so many veterans, they know what they were exposed to,” Womack said. “They know what they did, and now they have a cancer, or they have this chronic illness that nobody else in their family has. It’s a sense of recognition of your service and the sacrifice, and what that has now caused in your body.”
Veterans injured or exposed to harmful chemicals during their service can apply for benefits and compensation after service.
The 2022 PACT Act significantly expanded the medical issues that qualify for benefits. Specifically, it allows veterans exposed to Agent Orange, burn pits and other toxic substances to enroll in VA Healthcare without needing to prove a link between their health conditions and exposure.
“He was not service-connected for high blood pressure, but because of that, high blood pressure is now a presumptive service-connected issue,” Womack said. “So now his surviving spouse can come see me and I can apply for service-connected death due to complications from hypertension, and get her $1,600 a month.”
VA benefits stretch beyond just service-related medical issues.
“They can also get non-service-connected pension if they have a financial need, and served during a wartime period,” Womack said. “By the same token, their surviving spouse is also authorized to different kinds of care. So, a service-connected death…if they died of a service-connected illness, then their surviving spouse can apply for what we call dependency and indemnity compensation. It’s kind of like VA life insurance…There’s lots of options to be able to get help for military families in this area.”
Navigating and applying for benefits is not always easy, and that’s where Still Serving Veterans comes into the picture. Claims and benefits counselors are carefully trained in nearly everything the VA has to offer.
Womack said that, unlike other organizations, benefit services at SSV are completely free, and clients keep all of the compensation they receive from Veterans Affairs. She added that the veteran-to-veteran relationships cannot be duplicated.
“We’re all veterans, and we want to hear your story,” Womack said. “Just don’t go into the world of VA by yourself. We like to say we’re VA sherpas. It’s a high mountain to climb, but we know the way. So, just give us a call and we’d love to help.”
Still Serving Veterans cannot give these free services and continue changing the lives of veterans across the nation without the community’s help. To learn more on getting involved and donating, visit their website.
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