Today I wanted to pass along some useful information for any veterans who are considering filing a new claim for VA benefits or to increase their ratings. This is for only veterans that do not have any open claims for benefits. Vets can call 1-800-827-1000 and tell the VCA agent you would like to start a claim. This will establish a start date of that month for benefits and will give the veteran one year to submit a Fully Developed Claim to the Department of Veterans Affairs. By doing this, the veteran start date is when they make that call and if benefits are approved, they will receive retroactive payments back to that date. This will be beneficial to the veterans who are waiting for our next intake event. This also applies to surviving spouses who plan to file for VA benefits.
We have begun tracking the number of veterans and surviving spouses we have assisted in receiving the VA benefits. Ten veterans received a one hundred percent rating for their service-connected disabilities last week. These men and women will receive a combined annual payment of $436,000 per year. They will also be eligible for the Oklahoma State Sales Tax exemption, Property Tax exemption on their primary residence along with reduced auto-tag cost and Fishing and Hunting License. There are other benefits such as Commissary privilege and more.
We were able to help 44 veterans receive VA disability ratings from ten percent to 90 percent for their service-connected disabilities. This group of veterans will receive a combined annual benefit of $600,000.
We assisted three surviving spouses to receive DIC benefits based on their veteran’s service-connected death being the primary or contributing to their death. They will receive an annual combined amount of $55,000. These surviving spouses will also receive the reduced auto-tag benefit from our state.
We are partnering with Tinker Federal Credit Union to host a 2 part financial literacy series at our Foundation. The goal is to educate and empower veterans until all have the financial stability they and their families deserve. If you have questions about the VA home loan or saving/investing please register for the seminars below. Limited seating is available.
-Friday, May 27th: Detailed VA Home Loan Workshop
-Friday, July 22nd: Saving & Investing Workshop