{"id":6434,"date":"2026-09-17T16:26:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T16:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?page_id=6434"},"modified":"2026-09-17T16:29:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T16:29:07","slug":"veterans-benefits-guide","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?page_id=6434","title":{"rendered":"Veterans Benefits Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Find the next step for your situation.<\/strong> Start with a question below, then follow the official link for eligibility, forms or applications.<\/p>\n<p><small>Sources checked September 17, 2026. Its Veterans is an independent guide, not the Department of Veterans Affairs. VA decides eligibility; an accredited representative can help with your individual claim.<\/small><\/p>\n<h2>What do you need help with?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#already-rated\">I already have a disability rating or receive IU<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#apply\">I want to apply for benefits<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#family\">I need help for my family<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#changes\">I want to understand benefit or rule changes<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#help\">I am not sure where to start<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"already-rated\">I already have a rating or receive IU<\/h2>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?page_id=6438\">80% rating with Individual Unemployability: benefits, work rules and 20-year protections<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Your combined disability rating, Individual Unemployability (IU\/TDIU), Permanent and Total (P&amp;T) status, and the effective dates of your awards are different pieces of information. Gather these before comparing benefits. If you are unsure, choose \u201cI do not know\u201d on your own checklist and ask for help.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/records\/download-va-letters\/\">Download your VA benefit letters<\/a> and keep your rating decisions together. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/disability\/eligibility\/special-claims\/unemployability\/\">Read VA\u2019s explanation of IU<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"apply\">I want to apply for benefits<\/h2>\n<p>Choose the benefit you need. These links go to official VA information, where you can check requirements and find the application.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/disability\/how-to-file-claim\/\">Disability compensation: preparing and filing a claim<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/health-care\/how-to-apply\/\">Health care: how to apply<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/\">Education, employment, housing, pensions, insurance and burial benefits: VA\u2019s benefits directory<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Before submitting an application, read the benefit\u2019s eligibility and evidence instructions, gather the requested documents, and keep a copy of what you send. Application requirements differ by benefit.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"family\">I need help for my family<\/h2>\n<p>Start with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/family-and-caregiver-benefits\/health-and-disability\/\">VA\u2019s family and caregiver health and disability directory<\/a>. For family health coverage, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/family-and-caregiver-benefits\/health-and-disability\/champva\/\">check CHAMPVA\u2019s specific requirements<\/a>. A Veteran\u2019s percentage alone does not establish a family member\u2019s eligibility.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"changes\">Has something changed?<\/h2>\n<p>Ask four questions about any benefits headline: <strong>Is it a proposal or a final rule? Who does it affect? When does it take effect? Do I need to do anything?<\/strong> A news date is not always the date a rule starts.<\/p>\n<p>Our <a href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?cat=6\">Veterans Benefits news<\/a> provides dated coverage. It is not a complete list of legal changes. Follow the official source linked in each story and check the effective date before acting. This guide does not provide automatic alerts.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"help\">I am not sure where to start<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/get-help-from-accredited-representative\/\">Find a VA-accredited representative<\/a>. An accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO) representative\u2019s help with VA benefit claims is free. Attorneys and claims agents may charge fees.<\/p>\n<h3>A simple checklist to take to an appointment<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Your question in one sentence.<\/li>\n<li>Your latest benefit summary letter and relevant rating decisions.<\/li>\n<li>The benefit or condition you are asking about, with its effective date if known.<\/li>\n<li>Any VA notice you received, including its response deadline.<\/li>\n<li>Your state of residence if asking about state or local benefits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You do not need to send personal records to Its Veterans. Use VA\u2019s official services or your chosen accredited representative for applications and claim documents. You can print this page using your browser\u2019s Print command.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Find the next step for your situation. Start with a question below, then follow the official link for eligibility, forms or applications. Sources checked September 17, 2026. Its [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6434","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Veterans Benefits Guide - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?page_id=6434\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Veterans Benefits Guide - Its Veterans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Find the next step for your situation. Start with a question below, then follow the official link for eligibility, forms or applications. Sources checked September 17, 2026. Its [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?page_id=6434\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Its Veterans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-17T16:29:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?page_id=6434\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?page_id=6434\",\"name\":\"Veterans Benefits Guide - Its Veterans\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-17T16:26:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-17T16:29:07+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?page_id=6434#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?page_id=6434\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?page_id=6434#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Veterans Benefits Guide\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Its Veterans\",\"description\":\"Veterans news, benefits, health and community resources\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Its Veterans\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/its-veterans-six-service-branches-flag-header-v2-2026-09-18.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/its-veterans-six-service-branches-flag-header-v2-2026-09-18.jpg\",\"width\":2172,\"height\":724,\"caption\":\"Its Veterans\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/itsveterans.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Veterans Benefits Guide - Its Veterans","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?page_id=6434","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Veterans Benefits Guide - Its Veterans","og_description":"Find the next step for your situation. Start with a question below, then follow the official link for eligibility, forms or applications. Sources checked September 17, 2026. Its [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?page_id=6434","og_site_name":"Its Veterans","article_modified_time":"2026-09-17T16:29:07+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?page_id=6434","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?page_id=6434","name":"Veterans Benefits Guide - Its Veterans","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-09-17T16:26:08+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-17T16:29:07+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?page_id=6434#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?page_id=6434"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?page_id=6434#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Veterans Benefits Guide"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/","name":"Its Veterans","description":"Veterans news, benefits, health and community resources","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#organization","name":"Its Veterans","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/its-veterans-six-service-branches-flag-header-v2-2026-09-18.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/its-veterans-six-service-branches-flag-header-v2-2026-09-18.jpg","width":2172,"height":724,"caption":"Its Veterans"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6434"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6440,"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6434\/revisions\/6440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}