Pa. Veterans Should Never Pay for Help to Apply for Benefits

Pa. Veterans Should Never Pay for Help to Apply for Benefits

Veterans, active military personnel and their dependents should never pay for help to apply for veterans benefits, according to the Pa. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA).

“We’ve seen advertisements from businesses that offer veterans assistance in applying for benefits for free, and then end up charging a fee for financial planning services,’’ Brig. Gen. Mike Gould, the state’s deputy adjutant general for veterans’ affairs, said. “We need to get the word out that veterans should never pay for these services. Free assistance is readily available from any accredited veterans service officer at the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the County Director of Veterans Affairs, or through a chartered veterans service organization such as the American Legion, VFW, DAV, or AMVETS to name a few.”

County Directors of Veterans Affairs are accredited officers that provide veterans and their dependents assistance to identify and help determine eligibility for a wide range of veterans benefits; assist in the preparation of applications for county, state and federal veterans benefits and programs such as: burial allowances; grave markers and headstones; disabled veterans real estate tax exemptions; veterans emergency assistance; education gratuity program; federal health care benefits, service-connected disability and non-service connected disability pensions, and survivor benefits.

To locate a County Director of Veterans Affairs or for more information, visit the Pa. DMVA online at dmva.state.pa.us and click on Veterans Affairs.

Other helpful information is available on that website or by following DMVA on Facebook at or Twitter.