Help for American Veterans (Updated for 2022)

Over one million brave men and women serve in our armed forces, protecting our country in the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. As any serving veteran will know, this is not an occupation that can last forever. Injury, age or familial circumstances can ensure that any honorable American may find themselves discharged from the military, and the transition to civilian life can be a struggle. The government offers advice on how to prepare for your change in circumstances, but help is at hand from a number of sources.

Financial Assistance for Veterans

Financial concerns are a fact of life for many American veterans. Regular moves and redeployments can be an expensive business, and with the job market still recovering from the recession, it may take a little time to find a new position upon discharge. Thankfully, help it as at hand from a number of organizations.

• The National Association of American Veterans list the many financial benefits available to military veterans.
• The US Soldiers Foundation is available to help and advise any eligible party.
• USA Cares are a charity that can offer emergency grants to veterans to assist with everyday bills.
• The American Veterans Foundation also offers emergency services.
• The American Legion is always worth contacting for any kind of concern or query.
• The Government has an established Veteran-Focused Federal Financial Assistance program.

Debt Relief for Veterans

A veteran returning from service may also be faced with debt concerns. Studies show that former military personnel are more likely to struggle with credit card debt than the average civilian, and the build-up of such concerns can be every bit as worrying as immediate or impending financial hardship.

• Military.com offers advice on how to chip away at credit card debt.
• Debt.org is an organization that assists consumers with debt concerns, and have policies in place for veterans.
• InCharge are a charity that provides help and assistance to Americans struggling with debt and again focuses on military personnel.
• The American Legion can offer advice and support.

Housing for Veterans

Housing is also a concern for military personnel. Military housing can be removed from an equation if somebody leaves the armed forces, and the statistics that detail homeless veterans do not make for pretty reading. As always, never be shy about looking into your options, of which there are many.

• The American Veterans Foundation offers a transitional home service, as do Volunteers of America.
• The Veterans Affordable Housing Program is an independent body that looks to assist former military personnel to find homes.
• Veterans, Inc. provides equal housing opportunities for any veteran searching for a home.
• US Vets work on providing both transitional and permanent housing.
• The Government offers all kinds of service, including:
  • The Opening Doors program, which is tackling homelessness among the veteran community.
  • The Vet Center, which offers advice and support.
  • HUD-VASH, which is dedicated to finding permanent housing for veterans and their families.

Employment and Education for Veterans

A return to civilian life can be daunting for any veteran, even once the primary concerns of housing and finance are resolved. What will you do for work, and what options are available to you for re-training?

• The Government has suggestions and systems in place, as do the US Department of Education.
• Unemployment Benefit is available for anybody seeking work after their initial discharge.
• The Department of Labor is doing great work in finding work for veterans.
• The Environmental Protection Agency actively seeks to employ veterans.

Benefit Entitlement for Veterans

• The Government’s eBenefits portal will take any veteran through the process of applying for eligible benefits using a simple online portal.
• I am a Veteran is another government program for anybody discharged from the armed forces.
• The American Legion provides a number of benefits to their members.
• Military.com will outline all the benefits available to veterans.
• Military Benefits is an independent website that describes ten benefits that you may be unaware of.
• American Veteran Aid lists a number of available benefits.

Services and Compensation for Injured Veterans

Any of the brave men and women you sacrifice their physical well-being for their country are entitled to various benefits upon their discharge.

• The Wounded Warrior Project is a charitable organization that specializes in assisting injured veterans.
• Veterans of Foreign Wars look to assist anybody who suffered a wound while stationed overseas.
• ElderCare Survival, while not exclusively dedicated to veterans, will explain the process of applying for disability benefit.
• Disabled American Veterans, meanwhile, will assist any former military personnel injured in the line of duty.
• Paralyzed Veterans of America assist those who find themselves seriously injured on duty.
• Veteran Programs will detail any potential compensation you may be entitled to.
• The Government has a number of compensation programs in place.

Mental Health Concerns for Veterans

It isn’t just physical injury that can afflict military personnel; many veterans understandably experience struggles with their mental health following the high-pressure nature of life in the armed forces and the culture shock of transitioning to civilian life.

• The American Legion, as always, are a useful first port of call.
• After Deployment work with veterans struggling to adjust to civilian life.
• The American Psychological Association offers a great deal of insight into what they dub war’s invisible wounds.
• The American Public Health Association provides a similar service.
• The Government’s formal VA program, again, can guide anybody in the appropriate direction.
• PTSD Alliance, PTSD Anonymous, and PTSD United specialize in this the debilitating reality of PTSD.

Summary of Useful Links

As a nation, we owe a huge debt of thanks to brave the men and women of our armed forces who have fought and sacrificed to protect our freedom. This debt can be repaid by making their transition into civilian life as comfortable and tranquil as possible, and by following the steps detailed in this guide, there is no reason why this should not be the case. Help is always at hand to those who need it, provided they know where to turn; below is a list of all the links that have been discussed in this article.

• After Deployment – afterdeployment.dcoe.mil
• The American Legion – legion.org
• American Psychological Association – apa.org
• American Public Health Association – apha.org
• American Veterans Aid – americanveteransaid.com
• American Veterans Foundation – avetsfoundation.org
• org – www.debt.org
• Disabled American Veterans – dav.org
• ElderCare Survival – eldercaresurvival.com
• Environmental Protection Agency – epa.gov
• com – www.military.com
• Military Benefits – militarybenefits.info
• National Association for American Veterans – naavets.org
• Paralyzed Veterans of America – pva.org
• PTSD Alliance – ptsdalliance.org
• PTSD Anonymous – ptsdanonymous.org
• PTSD United – ptsdunited.org
• US Government – usa.gov
• US Soldiers Foundation – ussoldiersfoundation.org
• US Vets – usvetsinc.org
• USA Cares – usacares.org
• Veterans, Inc. – veteransinc.org
• Veterans Affordable Housing Program – veteransaffordablehousing.org
• Veteran Programs – veteranprograms.com
• Veterans of Foreign Wars – vfw.org
• Volunteers of America – voa.org
• Wounded Warrior Project – woundedwarriorproject.org