Gilpin County COLORADO

News and info

Veteran's Affairs
Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents

Department of Veteran Affairs (VA)

Helpful Phone numbers

My VA 444 (main line)                    1-800-698-2411
VA Benefits hotline                         1-800-827-1000
Health care benefits                       1-877-222-8387
My HealthVet help desk                1-877-327-0022
GI Bill hotline                                    1-888-442-4551
National Pension hotline             1-877-294-6380
CHAMPVA                                            1-800-733-8387
Quit VET (quit smoking)                1-855-784-8838
Caregiver support line                   1-855-260-3274
National Cemetary Scheduling  1-800-535-1117
Headstones & Markers                   1-800-697-6947

VA Home Page      www.va.gov/
Burial and Memorial Benefits     www.cem.va.gov/
Education Benefits      www.gibill.va.gov/
Health Care Eligibility     www.va.gov/healtheligibility/
Home Loan Guaranty     www.homeloans.va.gov/
Life Insurance     www.insurance.va.gov/
Mental Health     www.mentalhealth.va.gov/
Records www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/
Veterans Employment and Training   www.dol.gov/vets/
Veterans Preference   www.opm.gov/veterans/index.asp
VA Forms      www.va.gov/vaforms/
Veteran's Nursing Home     FAQs

State of Colorado
Military Benefits Fact Sheet

Summary: The State of Colorado offers special benefits for its military service members and Veterans including Retired Military Pay tax exemptions, state employment preferences, education and tuition assistance, vehicle tags, as well as hunting and fishing license privileges. Eligibility for some benefits may depend on residency, military component and Veteran disability status.

State Benefit Highlights and Eligibility
State Tax Advantage: SCR06-001 has passed and will be on the November ballot. It provides a Property Tax Exemption for 100% SC disabled veterans.
Retired Military Pay: Members of the Armed Forces can exclude up to $20,000 in any one taxable year from their retirement pay.
Eligibility: U.S. Armed Forces Retiree.

Military Disability Retired Pay: Disability Portion - Length of Service Pay; Member on September 24, 1975 - No tax; Not Member on September 24, 1975 - Taxed, unless combat incurred. Retired Pay - Based solely on disability: Member on September 24, 1975 - No tax; Not Member on September 24, 1975 - Taxed, unless all pay based on disability and disability resulted from armed conflict, extra-hazardous service, simulated war, or an instrumentality of war.

VA Disability Dependency and Indemnity Compensation: Not subject to federal or state taxes.Education Benefits: For Veterans: None
Tuition Assistance: Any member of the Colorado National Guard is eligible for state tuition assistance, up to 100% tuition paid at any CO state-funded school depending on funding available. State funding can be used in conjunction with Federal Tuition Assistance. Deadline for Spring Semester is Dec. 1. Deadline for Fall Semester is July 1. Summer deadline is May 1 (if funding is available).
Eligibility: Colorado National Guard member must serve 2 years for each year granted.
* Beginning July 1, 2000 any new member of the Colorado National Guard eligible for State Tuition Assistance must have a minimum of 6 months of service in the Colorado National Guard. Interstate Transfer (ISTs) and In-Service Recruits (ISRs) are waived from this requirement.
* As of 1 July 2005 the State Tuition Assistance (TA) program is no longer a payback program; To get TA the member must be in drilling status with the Colorado National Guard. If the member leaves drilling status, during the semester/quarter for which they are receiving TA, the member must reimburse the Department for the whole amount of TA received for that semester. For those members who received TA prior to 1 July 2005 (to include Summer 2005) the service requirement of 1 year for each semester sponsored PRIOR to 1 July 2005 still applies.
* Must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average.

Tuition Assistance for Children of POWs, MIAs, or Disabled/Deceased ARNG: Free tuition in certain State-support schools for children of prisoners of war or persons missing in actions who were Colorado residents when they entered the Armed Forces, or for children of Colorado National Guardsmen who died or were permanently disabled while on State active duty limited to dependents who do not qualify for Federal Education benefits.

Operation Recognition: Operation Recognition is a program to award High School diplomas to deserving and qualified WWII, Korea and Vietnam Era Veterans. Operation Recognition, is authorized by Colorado State Law and is offered by the Colorado Board of Veterans Affairs in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Association of School Boards.

Employment Assistance: State Active Duty employee receives 15 days of paid military leave per year.
Eligibility: Colorado National Guard

Employment Preference (Civil Service Rights): Disabled Veterans shall have 10 points added to their grades and non-disabled Veterans shall be credited with an additional 5 points for "state employment". For city and county governments that have a “Merit System” in place.

Motor Vehicle Tax: No fee shall be charged to certain disabled Veterans or Ex-POWs who have established their right to benefits under public laws. Applies to subsequent vehicles, but only one at a time.

Special Vehicle License Plates: The State provides plates at no cost to the Veteran include: recipients of the Medal of Honor, recipients of the Purple Heart, to certain disabled wartime Veterans, special disabled (50%+)Veterans license plates, and special license plates for former POWs. Plates for honorably discharged Veterans may be purchased for nominal fee. January 2007, There will be issued a “Valor Plate” for those veterans who have received the Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross ,Air Force DSC, and Survivors of Pearl Harbor and/or their surviving spouse.

Medical Benefits: Dental coverage and full medical for line-of-duty
Eligibility: Colorado National Guard

Hunting and Fishing Privileges
Fishing license: No fee for
Eligibility: 1) Member of the Armed Forces stationed as a resident patient at a military hospital or convalescent station, 2) any resident patient at a USDVA hospital located within the State, 3) any Veteran who is permanently and totally disabled.

Small Game Hunting and Fishing License: Free lifetime combination small-game hunting and fishing license.
Eligibility: Resident Veteran with a service-connected disability of 60% or more.

Miscellaneous Benefits:

State Veterans' Home: Admission preference is given to Veterans, spouses, widows and mothers at State Veterans Center, Homelake, CO. With 40 operating beds in the domiciliary unit and 60 beds in nursing care service.

State Veterans Nursing Home: The Colorado State Veterans Nursing Home at Florence, CO with a bed capacity of 120 beds. Colorado State Veterans Nursing Home at Rifle, CO with a capacity of 100 beds. Colorado State Veterans Nursing Home at Walsenburg with a capacity of 120 beds. We have a new State Veterans Home. It is the Fitzimons State Veterans Home, located in Denver, CO. It has a capacity of 180 beds.

Burial Allowance: County allowance of up to $50 for burial and up to $50 for setting markers for pauper Veterans.

NEW LEGISLATION

HB06-1072- Special Armed Forces License Plates- fee
SB06-031- Bronze Star Special License Plate-fee
SB06-172- Exemption to fees on Special Military License Plates.

The Veterans Trust Fund

A fund established from the Master Tobacco Settlement which provides to Chartered Veteran Service Organizations, State Veteran Nursing Homes, Division of Veteran Affairs and the State Veteran Cemeteries for the operations of, maintenance of facilities, and/or veteran homeless shelters and transportation programs.

Department of Veterans Affairs & Colorado Division of Veterans Affairs Information:

Veterans TAX info. for 2008

Free National Park Passes: The National Park Service is a participant in the Interagency Pass Project. A lifetime free pass, Access Pass, is offered to U.S. citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities. Accepted documentation is a VA disability rating. There is some question if it has to be a 100% P & T or if any lower percent rating qualifies, as long at is permanent. “Individuals eligible to receive the Access Pass shall be any person who has a permanent physical, mental or sensory impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning or working.” From BLM General Program Descriptions and Requirements
USGS states: “If I am partially disabled do I qualify for the Access Pass?
If you believe you qualify based on the definition of permanent disability and have supporting official documentation for the disability, you can be issued a pass.”
Passes can be picked up at any National Park entrance. Go to HYPERLINK "http://www.nps.gov/fees_passes" or "http://store.usgs.gov/pass/access.html" for more information this and other passes available.

Where can I obtain an Access Pass?
An Access Pass can be obtained in person from a participating Federal recreation site or office.

Bureau of Land Management http://www.blm.gov
Bureau of Reclamation http://www.usbr.gov
Fish & Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov
USDA Forest Service http://www.fs.fed.us
National Park Service http://www.nps.gov

Miscellaneous Benefits: State Veterans' Home: Admission preference is given to Veterans, spouses, widows and mothers at State Veterans Center, Homelake, CO. With 40 operating beds in the domiciliary unit and 60 beds in nursing care service.

State Veterans Nursing Home: The Colorado State Veterans Nursing Home at Florence, CO with a bed capacity of 120 beds. Colorado State Veterans Nursing Home at Rifle, CO with a capacity of 100 beds. Colorado State Veterans Nursing Home at Walsenburg with a capacity of 120 beds. We have a new State Veterans Home. It is the Fitzsimons State Veterans Home, located in Denver, CO. It has a capacity of 180 beds.

Burial Allowance: County allowance of up to $50 for burial and up to $50 for setting markers for pauper Veterans.

The Veterans Trust fund: A fund established from the Master Tobacco Settlement which provides to Chartered Veteran Service Organizations, State Veteran Nursing Homes, Division of Veteran Affairs and the State Veteran Cemeteries for the operations of, maintenance of facilities, and/or veteran homeless shelters and transportation programs. Veteran's Trust Fund link from Military and Veteran's Affairs.

USO: If you are an active duty or military retiree and traveling through DIA, use some of your waiting time to visit the USO. Those chairs are soft! This is a great place to get out of the hustle and bustle.

VA Disability Dependency and Indemnity Compensation: Not subject to federal or state taxes.

A Reminder - Death While Claim Pending: If the veteran dies during the period of application and the application was not approved prior to the death, there may be accrued benefits. If the regional office had all of the information in its possession that would have led to an approval, then there is an accrued benefit payable. Otherwise there is none. The full benefit is available for the month of death of the veteran and to a surviving spouse through an application on Form 21-534. This is the same form a surviving spouse uses for a death benefit claim for himself or herself. VA will award either an accrued benefit or death benefit to the surviving spouse whichever is larger. If there is no surviving spouse or dependent child, VA will pay the unreimbursed costs of last illness and burial to the person who paid those costs.

A veteran is awarded service-connected status via a Veterans Benefits Administration award letter dated January 1, 2007. The veteran filed the initial claim for service-connection on May 1, 2006. The service-connected award is retroactive to May 1, 2006.
The veteran may file a claim for private medical expenses care of the service-connected condition from May 1, 2006 forward as long as this claim is filed by January 1, 2009.
Where to File Claims: Veterans may file a claim for private medical expenses with their local VA health care facility's Fee Basis office. Call Colorado Division of Veterans Affairs at 303 343-1268 or Denver Regional Office of Veteran Affairs at 1 (800) 827-1000 for details

Replacing Missing Medals: When requesting medals via form SF-180, type or clearly print the veteran's full name, include the veteran's branch of service, service number or Social Security number and provide the veteran's exact or approximate dates of military service. The request must contain the signature of the veteran or next of kin if the veteran is deceased. If available, include a copy of the discharge or separation document, WDAGO Form 53-55 or DD Form 214. If you're requesting a DD-214, you don't to include one with your request.

The VA has a campaign and message for you:
The major message of the campaign is to wash your hands and cover your coughs. These basic public health measures - hand and respiratory hygiene - can make a huge difference in reducing the spread of infection, and can save time, money, and lives. From New York Times