West Virginia veterans sometimes unaware of benefits

Veterans are unaware of entitled benefits easily received in West Virginia.

When leaving the military, benefits don't take precedent in the minds of vets, said Sherri Barbour-Jackson, veterans' advocate.

"Any one of the veterans I talk to will tell me that they were not focused on anything when they were getting out except getting home," she said.

The military has a strong policy on benefits counseling and makes sure everyone is made aware of their benefits before they are discharged, but there's no perfect system, said David Mullins, a work study veteran in Charleston from Shrewsbury, W.Va.

National Guard members on active duty are out-briefed by the Federal Department of Veterans' Affairs, but they can't catch everyone, so they have to depend on the veterans' unit and post to have a good working relationship with them, and the veterans' memory of what they were told in their debriefing, Barbour-Jackson said.

"This is a relatively new process and communication is an ongoing problem," she said.

Veterans are put in an uncomfortable position when asking for help, Barbour-Jackson said.

"It has always been part of the military way of life to suck it up and drive on, so no matter what was wrong it was just part of your duty to your country," she said. "Also, some things that you need benefits for are really embarrassing to talk about. Physical and or mental ailments could be embarrassing. Sometimes they may not even know that they have changed or that they have a mental illness because they're way too close to the situation, but their friends will tell them they have a problem they may not realize."

West Virginia Veterans Affairs connects to the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs to look at information regarding compensation and pension benefits, Barbour-Jackson said.

"I would definitely say that the state of West Virginia and the Veterans' Affairs system in the state of West Virginia are veteran friendly," Mullins said. "It's not a painstaking process for returning veterans. I don't think veterans are not getting the help that they need – not in the state of West Virginia anyway."

"Veterans have medical benefits, compensations, pensions and educational benefits available to them," Barbour-Jackson said. "All they have to do to get enrolled is show their discharge and their temporary ID card, and then they can get a medical ID card."

"There isn't a deadline for applying for those benefits, though the laws and rules change over time," Barbour-Jackson said. "People that serve at different times may be eligible under a different set of rules."

Medical benefits can be in the form of free health care, nearly free health care, money to help pay for other needs when your health is down and in the form of vocational rehabilitation, she said.

"There are many different ways to address medical needs," Barbour-Jackson said. "It's important for veterans to talk to someone who has an overview of the entire system."

West Virginia Transition Assistance Adviser Daniel Searles helps connect veterans with the people who can help them with every need, no matter what their military background. He works as a conduit of information between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans' Affairs while serving in the Air National Guard.

   "I give the veterans personalized service," Searles said. "I'm a veteran myself so it means a lot to me. I am here to help."

   Searles will be at Latta's on Fourth Avenue on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to assist veterans in exploring their benefits.

Elizabeth Adams can be contacted at mccoma36@marshall.edu.