Your Benefits
Every VA benefit you may qualify for, with who qualifies, why it gets missed, and the official VA.gov page for each one.
Health care
Enroll in VA health care
Apply once for VA health care and unlock primary care, mental health care, prescriptions, and specialty services.
Who qualifies: Most veterans who served on active duty and did not receive a dishonorable discharge. PACT Act toxic-exposure rules opened enrollment to many veterans who were turned down before.
Why it gets missed: Veterans who were denied years ago, or who assume they earn too much or need a disability rating, never re-apply after the rules expanded.
Value: Application takes about 30 minutes online with VA Form 10-10EZ.
Source: VA.gov — Apply for VA health care
VA health care priority group review
VA sorts enrollees into eight priority groups that set your copays and how quickly you are seen.
Who qualifies: All enrolled veterans. Your group can improve with a new rating, combat service, Purple Heart, POW status, low income, or PACT Act toxic exposure.
Why it gets missed: Veterans who enrolled years ago are rarely re-evaluated after a rating increase or a PACT Act eligibility expansion.
Value: Groups 1–6 generally pay $0 copays for care tied to a service-connected condition.
Source: VA.gov — Health care priority groups
VA dental care
Full or partial dental treatment through VA, not just for 100% ratings.
Who qualifies: 100% service-connected veterans, those with a service-connected dental condition, veterans in homeless programs, and veterans who apply within 180 days of discharge.
Why it gets missed: Most veterans assume dental is never covered and never check the eligibility classes.
Source: VA.gov — Dental care
PACT Act toxic exposure screening
A short screening at VA appointments that flags burn pit, Agent Orange, and other exposures.
Who qualifies: Every veteran enrolled in VA health care, regardless of when or where they served.
Why it gets missed: It is presented as a routine screening, so veterans do not realize it can open new care and compensation claims.
Source: VA.gov — The PACT Act and your benefits
Everyday perks
Download the VA: Health and Benefits app
VA's official mobile app for claim status, appointments, prescription refills, secure messages, and proof of your disability rating.
Who qualifies: Any veteran with a VA.gov (Login.gov or ID.me) account, on iPhone or Android.
Why it gets missed: It is not mentioned in claim letters, so most veterans keep calling or logging in on a computer instead.
Value: Free download; check claim status and refill prescriptions from your phone.
Source: VA Mobile — App Store
Commissary, exchange & MWR access
Shop tax-free at on-base commissaries and exchanges and use MWR facilities, in person or online.
Who qualifies: Any veteran with a service-connected disability rating (any percentage), Purple Heart recipients, and former POWs.
Why it gets missed: Most veterans believe it is limited to 100% ratings, and in-person access needs a Veteran Health Identification Card that many never request.
Value: Tax-free groceries; the Defense Commissary Agency estimates shoppers save well over 20% versus civilian stores.
Source: VA.gov — Commissary and exchange privileges
Money
Travel pay reimbursement
Mileage, tolls, and parking reimbursed for travel to VA-authorized health appointments.
Who qualifies: Veterans rated 30% or higher for any care, any rating when traveling for a service-connected condition, and pension or low-income veterans.
Why it gets missed: Claims must be filed within 30 days of the appointment, and most veterans never learn they can file online after every visit.
Value: Paid at the current federal mileage rate for every qualifying appointment.
Source: VA.gov — Reimbursed travel expenses and mileage rate
Aid & Attendance and Housebound benefits
An extra monthly payment on top of pension or compensation when you need help with daily activities or are housebound.
Who qualifies: Veterans or surviving spouses who need help bathing or dressing, are bedridden, live in a nursing home, have severely limited eyesight, or are substantially housebound.
Why it gets missed: Widely considered VA's most underused benefit — it needs its own application and many assume it only applies to nursing-home residents.
Source: VA.gov — Aid and Attendance
Annual clothing allowance
A yearly cash payment when a prosthetic or orthopedic device, or a skin medication, damages your clothing.
Who qualifies: Veterans using a qualifying device or skin treatment tied to a service-connected disability.
Why it gets missed: It requires an annual re-certification (VA Form 10-8678) that is easy to forget.
Source: VA.gov — Clothing allowance
State property tax exemptions
Most states cut or eliminate property tax for disabled veterans.
Who qualifies: Varies by state; many states grant a full exemption at 100% P&T.
Why it gets missed: This is a state benefit, so it never appears in a VA claim — you apply through your county assessor.
Source: VA News — Veteran tax exemptions across states
Education & work
Veteran Readiness & Employment (Chapter 31)
Pays for retraining, education, and job placement — often with a monthly subsistence allowance — when a service-connected disability limits your work.
Who qualifies: Veterans with a service-connected rating and an employment handicap (commonly 20%+, or 10% with a serious employment handicap).
Why it gets missed: It is overshadowed by the GI Bill, and many assume it is reserved for severe disabilities.
Source: VA.gov — Veteran Readiness and Employment
GI Bill and VET TEC tech training
Tuition, housing, and books through the Post-9/11 GI Bill, plus funded non-degree tech training such as coding and cybersecurity.
Who qualifies: 90+ days of aggregate active duty for the Post-9/11 GI Bill; eligible GI Bill users for VET TEC.
Why it gets missed: VET TEC is newer and less known, and many veterans do not realize unused entitlement can transfer to a spouse or child.
Source: VA.gov — VET TEC 2.0
Home & auto
VA home loan funding fee waiver
Veterans receiving (or entitled to) VA compensation pay no VA loan funding fee.
Who qualifies: Receiving VA disability compensation, entitled to it but taking retired pay instead, Purple Heart recipients on active duty, or surviving spouses receiving DIC.
Why it gets missed: Lenders sometimes charge the fee anyway when exemption status is not verified before closing, and the refund must be claimed.
Value: The fee normally runs 1.25%–3.3% of the loan — thousands of dollars on a typical purchase.
Source: VA.gov — Funding fee and closing costs
Specially Adapted Housing (SAH/SHA) grants
Grants to build, buy, or modify a home for a severe service-connected disability.
Who qualifies: Certain service-connected disabilities including loss or loss of use of limbs, blindness, severe burns, and qualifying respiratory or neurological conditions.
Why it gets missed: Veterans rarely connect the grant with everyday changes like ramps or widened doorways, assuming it is wheelchair-only.
Source: VA.gov — Disability housing grants
Automobile allowance & adaptive equipment
A one-time payment toward a specially equipped vehicle, plus separate coverage for adaptive equipment like hand controls.
Who qualifies: Service-connected loss or loss of use of hands or feet, permanent vision loss, or severe burns that prevent driving.
Why it gets missed: It is filed as a special claim and is not linked from the main compensation flow.
Source: VA.gov — Automobile allowance and adaptive equipment
Family
VALife whole life insurance
Guaranteed-acceptance whole life coverage with no medical underwriting.
Who qualifies: Any veteran with a service-connected rating — including 0% — age 80 or younger.
Why it gets missed: It launched in 2023, and veterans with a 0% rating rarely realize they qualify at all.
Value: Up to $40,000 of coverage in $10,000 increments, guaranteed issue.
Source: VA.gov — VALife
CHAMPVA health coverage for family
Health coverage for the spouse and children of a 100% P&T or service-connected-deceased veteran.
Who qualifies: Spouse or dependent child of a permanently and totally disabled veteran, or a survivor of a veteran who died from a service-connected condition.
Why it gets missed: Families default to civilian insurance and never learn CHAMPVA opens up once the veteran reaches 100% P&T.
Value: No enrollment fee; covers most medical costs with cost-shares.
Source: VA.gov — CHAMPVA
Chapter 35 education for dependents (DEA)
Up to 36 months of education and training benefits for spouses and children.
Who qualifies: Dependents of a veteran who is 100% P&T, died in service, or died from a service-connected condition.
Why it gets missed: Eligibility opens automatically with a 100% P&T rating, but the benefit still needs its own application.
Source: VA.gov — Dependents' educational assistance rates
Caregiver support program stipend (PCAFC)
A monthly tax-free stipend to a primary family caregiver, plus health insurance, respite care, and training.
Who qualifies: Veterans needing personal care services due to a serious injury or illness incurred or aggravated in the line of duty — now open to pre- and post-9/11 veterans.
Why it gets missed: Spouses rarely know it exists separately from VA health care; it needs a joint application and a clinical assessment.
Source: VA Caregiver Support — PCAFC stipend
Burial allowance & memorial benefits
Reimbursement toward funeral and burial costs plus a headstone, burial flag, and Presidential Memorial Certificate.
Who qualifies: All honorably discharged veterans for memorial items; a higher reimbursement tier applies to service-connected deaths.
Why it gets missed: Nothing is automatic — a family member or funeral home has to apply.
Source: VA.gov — Veterans burial allowance
YourVABenefits is software you run on your own records. It is not part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and does not file claims. You file on VA.gov, or an accredited representative files for you at no charge.