Special Notice
If you are a veteran in emotional crisis and need help RIGHT NOW, call this toll-free number 1-800-273-8255, available 24/7, and tell them you are a veteran. All calls are confidential.
Veterans' Home Loan Assistance
The State of Kansas can provide assistance in locating approved lenders and completing applications for loan guarantees.
Certificate of Eligibility - Veteran Registration User Guide Instructions for obtaining your Certificate of Eligibility online.
Military Service Requirements for VA Loan Eligibility:
Note: Applications involving other than honorable discharges will usually require further development by VA. This is necessary to determine if the service was under other than dishonorable conditions.
Wartime - Service During:
- WWII: 9/16/1940 to 7/25/1947
- Korean: 6/27/1950 to 1/31/1955
- Vietnam: 8/5/1964 to 5/7/1975
You must have at least 90 days on active duty and been discharged under other than dishonorable conditions. If you served less than 90 days, you may be eligible if discharged for a service connected disability.
Peacetime - Service during periods:
- 7/26/1947 to 6/26/1950
- 2/1/1955 to 8/4/1964
- 5/8/1975 to 9/7/1980 (Enlisted)
- 5/8/1975 to 10/16/1981 (Officer)
You must have served at least 181 days of continuous active duty and been discharged under other than dishonorable conditions. If you served less than 181 days, you may be eligible if discharged for a service connected disability.
Service after 9/7/1980 (enlisted) or 10/16/1981 (officer)
If you were separated from service which began after these dates, you must have:
- Completed 24 months of continuous active duty or the full period (at least 181 days) for which you were ordered or called to active duty and been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, or
- Completed at least 181 days of active duty and been discharged under the specific authority of 10 USC 1173 (Hardship), or 10 USC 1171 (Early Out), or have been determined to have a compensable service-connected disability;
- Been discharged with less than 181 days of service for a service-connected disability. Individuals may also be eligible if they were released from active duty due to an involuntary reduction in force, certain medical conditions, or, in some instances for the convenience of the Government.
Gulf War - Service during period 8/2/1990 to date yet to be determined
If you served on active duty during the Gulf War, you must have:
- Completed 24 months of continuous active duty or the full period (at least 90 days) for which you were called or ordered to active duty, and been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, or
- Completed at least 90 days of active duty and been discharged under the specific authority of 10 USC 1173 (Hardship), or 10 USC 1173 (Early Out), or have been determined to have a compensable service-connected disability, or
- Been discharged with less than 90 days of service for a service-connected disability. Individuals may also be eligible if they were released from active duty due to an involuntary reduction in force, certain medical conditions, or, in some instances, for the convenience of the Government.
Active Duty Service Personnel
If you are now on regular duty (not active duty for training), you are eligible after having served 181 days (90 days during the Gulf War) unless discharged or separated from a previous qualifying period of active duty service.
Selected Reserves or National Guard
If you are not otherwise eligible and you have completed a total of 6 years in the Selected Reserves or National Guard (member of an active unit, attended required weekend drills and 2-week active duty for training) and
- Were discharged with an honorable discharge, or
- Were placed on the retired list, or
- Were transferred to the Standby Reserve or an element of the Ready Reserve other than the Selected Reserve after service characterized as honorable service, or
- Continue to serve in the Selected Reserves
Individuals who completed less than 6 years may be eligible if discharged for a service-connected disability.
You May also be determined eligible if you:
- Are an unremarried spouse of a veteran who died while in service or from a service connected disability, or
- Are a spouse of a serviceperson missing in action or a prisoner of war
Note: Also, a surviving spouse who remarries on or after attaining age 57, and on or after December 16, 2003, may be eligible for the home loan benefit. However, a surviving spouse who remarried before December 16, 2003, and on or after attaining age 57, must apply no later than December 15, 2004, to establish home loan eligibility. VA must deny applications from surviving spouses who remarried before December 6, 2003 that are received after December 15, 2004.
Eligibility may also be established for:
- Certain United States citizens who served in the armed forces of a government allied with the United States in WW II.
- Individuals with service as members in certain organizations, such as Public Health Service officers, cadets at the United States Military, Air Force, or Coast Guard Academy, midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy, officers of National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, merchant seaman with WW II service, and others.
Vietnam Era Medal Medallion and certificate
The Kansas Commission on Veterans' Affairs has selected the design for the Vietnam Era Medal Medallion and certificate. The agency is in the process of soliciting bids for the production of the medallion. Individuals who served in the military during the Vietnam War era are eligible for the Medal, Medallion, and Certificate.
Applications for the Medal/Medallion and Certificates will be held at the KCVA central offices. Delivery will begin as funds become available. Applications are processed on a first come first serve basis.
You may apply by completing a simple application form and faxing, along with a copy of your DD-214, to (785) 296-1462 or mailing it to:
Kansas Commission on Veterans' AffairsDirector of Veterans Services
700 SW Jackson Ave. Suite 701
Topeka, KS 66603
It's always nice when the good guys win!
Case in point: recently, the KCVA sought a wartime exemption from the membership cost in The Kansas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (KAHSA) for the Soldiers' Home at Fort Dodge and the Veterans' Home at Winfield. KAHSA is a statewide organization that provides a range of services, including advocacy, education, and cost containment programs to its members. On November 1, 2009, KAHSA President Debra Zehr sent letters to the Superintendents informing them of complimentary membership for 2010! This is enormous...
"Thank you, Debra, for your advocacy, and thank you, KAHSA, for your decision!"
State Treasurer's Office offers Patriots Property Program
Treasurer McKinney partners with the Kansas Commission on Veterans' Affairs to return unclaimed property to Kansas' Veterans.
Just in time for Veterans Day Kansas State Treasurer Dennis McKinney has announced that his office is bringing the Patriots Property Program to Kansas. Modeled from a Missouri initiative, Kansas now has a system in place to reunite Kansas Veterans with their unclaimed property. The Patriots Property Program was created through a partnership between the State Treasurer's Office and the Kansas Commission on Veterans' Affairs.
"These veterans have served our country well and we owe it to them" said Dennis McKinney. "Finding and returning their property is the least that we can do."
The State Treasurer's office will begin immediately looking for 35,000 veterans that may have unclaimed property. Names of Kansas Veterans with property being held by the state will also be published on the State Treasurer's website at www.kansasstatetreasurer.com/patriotsproperty.
"When a name or address of the veteran matches a name or address in our unclaimed property database, then the veteran's most current contact information will be used to get in touch with them and make them aware of their lost property," explained McKinney.
"We are proud of our veterans and we want to make every effort to return the favor of the great sacrifice that they have made for our country," McKinney said. Each year thousands of people lose track of their bank accounts, cash, stocks, bonds, refunds, royalties, safe deposit boxes and other property.
People move and forget to furnish their bank, broker, employer or insurance company with a forwarding address. It is the Treasurer's charge to locate the rightful owners and heirs to the over $209 million in unclaimed assets currently being held by the State of Kansas.
To search for unclaimed property please call the State Treasurer's office at 1-800-432-0386 or visit www.KansasCash.com.
Popular VA Websites:
• Post-9/11 GI Bill
• VA's Budget Request for 2010
• ALS Statement
• Prescriptions
• Military Records
• Health Care Benefits / Eligibility
• Endoscopic Report
• Find a VA Form
• Jobs at VA
• Benefits Booklet
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Patient Care Group Scam
I have received many reports that Veterans are being contacted by "Patient Care Group" representing that they are helping administer VA prescriptions and stating that the pharmacy billing procedures have changed and they are therefore requesting Veteran credit card numbers for prescription payments in advance of filling their prescriptions. This is false.
VA does not call Veterans asking to disclose personal financial information over the phone. VA has not changed its processes for dispensing prescription medicines.
Kevin Secor, Veterans Service Organizations Liaison, Office of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC.
Veteran's Pension
The KCVA has received a number of inquiries regarding VA pension and widow's pensions. We would like to answer some basic questions. There is a lot of misinformation out about this benefit. We recommend that you visit with the KCVA veteran service representative in your area, or a accredited representative of one of the many veteran service organizations that will represent you at no cost. While we do not encourage it, if you choose to deal with an individual that is not KCVA or a representative of a service organization, make sure they have VA accreditation so they can represent you to the VA.
Clicking here you can find some simple answers to your questions or for more information contact one of the accredited representative listed on our Website.
Priority Group 8 Enrollment Relaxation Changes
VA eligibility rules changed on June 15, 2009, making it easier for more Veterans to enroll in VA’s health care system. Under this new regulation, VA relaxed income restrictions on enrollment for health benefits. While this new provision does not remove consideration of income, it does increase income thresholds. A web–based calculator is available for Veterans to enter their income information, dependents, and zip code to assess if their income would fall within the proposed income threshold adjustments. Veterans are encouraged to contact VA’s Health Resource Center at 1–877–222 VETS (8387) or visit the VA health eligibility website for more information.
NATIONAL GUARD AND DISABLED VETERANS HUNTING/FISHING LICENSES AVAILABLE
Applications available at KDWP website or by clicking herePRATT -- A program created by the Kansas State Legislature and administered by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) offers active members of the Kansas Army and Air National Guard who are Kansas residents the opportunity to receive free Kansas hunting and fishing licenses, as well as free state park permits.
Like other KDWP permits and licenses, 2010 National Guard permits are available now and will be valid for the remainder of 2010. To receive free licenses and permits, Kansas guardsmen apply to KDWP's Pratt Operations Office. Depending on the particular licenses and/or state park permits they request, they will be required to submit appropriate documentation.
Application forms for 2010 licenses and permits can be downloaded from the KDWP website at www.kdwp.state.ks.us. Click "Other Services," "Publications," "Hunting," then "Application 2010 KS National Guard Hunting, Fishing, and Park Vehicle Permit." The forms must be signed by the National Guard member's unit commander and mailed to KDWP with photocopies of appropriate documentation. Beginning Jan. 1, 2009, a portion of the program will be extended to include all Kansas veterans who have been certified by a physician as at least 30 percent disabled. Disabled veterans who enlisted as regular servicemen will be able to apply for free hunting and fishing licenses (not applicable for park permits).
Lottery Supports Kansas Veterans with Special Instant Scratch Tickets
TOPEKA, KAN. - Did you know the Kansas Lottery supports Kansas military veterans with the sale of special instant games that provide direct funding for Kansas Veterans' programs, Kansas National Guard scholarships, and the Museum of the Kansas National Guard? Read the news release here.
DoD's Transition Assistance Program
TurboTAP.org is the Department of Defense's official website providing information for servicemembers on transitioning from military service. This site is also supported by the Departments of Labor and Veterans Affairs. TurboTAP.org is intended to supplement the services offered by the Transition Assistance Offices and other groups.
The DoD Transition Assistance Program (TAP) was developed to assist in the transitioning of military personnel and family members leaving the service. Returning to civilian life is an exciting time, but is also a complex undertaking. There are many steps to take, with questions to be answered. The DoD Transition Assistance Program is here to help. TAP services are provided on major military installations by Transition Assistance Offices. For Army installations, services are provided by ACAP Centers. On Navy and Marine Corp installations, the transition assistance office is typically located at the Family Support Service Center. Air Force TAP services are provided through the Airmen and Family Readiness Flight centers. Coast Guard TAP services are offered through the Work-Life offices. Use our search engine to locate the transition assistance office near you.
New VA Survivor Benefits Web site
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has created a new Internet Web site for the surviving spouses and dependents of military personnel who died on active duty and for the survivors and dependents of veterans who died after leaving the military. The web site is organized into two broad categories – death in service and death after service. It provides visitors with information about a wide range of benefits for the surviving spouse, dependent children, and dependent parents of deceased veterans and active-duty personnel. The site also has information from -- and links to -- other federal agencies and organizations that offer benefits and services to survivors and dependents. The new web site can be found at www.vba.va.gov/survivors or by clicking the “Survivors Benefits” button on the left panel of www.vba.va.gov. For more information on these and other benefits visit www.military.com/benefits.
