What counts as âfree benefitsâ for veterans?
The VAâand our governmentâoffer real free benefits, not marketing fluff. These include health care, mental health, prescriptions, travel to appointments, educational coverage, home loans with waived fees, and more.
According to VA records, in fiscal year 2024 alone:
- Over $187âŻbillion was distributed in earned benefitsâincluding $173âŻbillion in compensation and pensionsâto 6.7âŻmillion veterans and survivors en.wikipedia.org+1en.wikipedia.org+1hillandponton.com+6benefits.va.gov+6dav.org+6department.va.govnews.va.gov.
- More than 127.5âŻmillion VA healthâcare appointments were providedâ6% more than the previous record year news.va.gov.
So yes: free benefits for veterans are real, ongoing, and substantial.
VA noâcost healthcare & travel assistance
0â100% Serviceâconnected disability ratings
Benefit levels grow with your disability rating:
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- 0%: free health care related to serviceâconnected condition, prescriptions, travel reimbursement, VA hiring preference, homeâloan fundingâfee waiver, commissary/exchange access dav.orgbenefits.va.gov.
- 10â20%: adds vocational rehab, burial allowance, and more perks dav.org+13benefits.va.gov+13en.wikipedia.org+13.
- 30â60%: includes subsidized dependents’ allowances, concurrent retired pay, CHAMPVA benefits.va.gov+1hillandponton.com+1.
- 100%: full VA coverageâincluding dental, vision, prosthetics, equipmentâall 100% free dav.org+2hillandponton.com+2businessinsider.com+2.
Emergency mentalâhealth & MST coverage
Thanks to recent updates, the VA now covers emergency mental-health servicesâincluding free for any veteran experiencing suicidal crisis or traumaâand no-cost treatment for Military Sexual Trauma, regardless of discharge status businessinsider.com+10department.va.gov+10va.gov+10.
Education & career helpâGI Bill and more
The Postâ9/11 GI Bill (aka ChapterâŻ33) offers full inâstate tuition, housing stipends, and book allowances military.com+4en.wikipedia.org+4en.wikipedia.org+4. Eligible veterans may also tap into the Yellow Ribbon Program to cover private and outâofâstate tuition costs en.wikipedia.org.
Other options:
- Montgomery GI Bill â up to 36 months of education benefits en.wikipedia.org.
- Dependentsâ Educational Assistance (DEA) â for survivors and dependents of veterans who’ve passed or are 100% disabled en.wikipedia.org.
- Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) â career training, skills, and support to reâenter workforce .
Housing & homeownership: VA home loans, waivers
VA doesn’t loan directly, but it insuresâand often removes down payment and private mortgage insurance for veterans. If you receive any disability compensation or a Purple Heart, the funding fee is waivedâmeaning real savings dav.org+6en.wikipedia.org+6en.wikipedia.org+6.
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Plus, spouses of deceased veterans (and some Native American vets) can access special programs. There are also foreclosure avoidance programs.
Compensation, pension, and caregiver support
Veterans rated 10%+ receive monthly taxâfree compensation. If you’re unemployable, you may qualify for Individual Unemployability (IU) benefits at 100% rate benefits.va.gov.
Survivors receive burial allowances, pension boosts, and Family Caregiver Program supportâlike stipends, training, and mental-health compensation en.wikipedia.org.
State perksâbeyond VA
Many states layer extra free benefits on top of federal ones. These include:
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- Free college tuition
- Tax reductions or exemptions
- Free hunting, fishing or driverâs licenses
- Cash bonuses for service investopedia.com+2military.com+2wsj.com+2
Check local veteran affairs officesâyour state may surprise you.
Survivors, dependents & caregivers: benefits too
Survivors can receive:
- Survivor pensions
- Burial cost assistance
- GI Bill benefits under the Fry Scholarship
- Health coverage under CHAMPVA va.govinvestopedia.comhillandponton.com+1benefits.va.gov+1
Caregivers of severely injured postâ9/11 veterans might qualify for a stipend, training, and even health insurance en.wikipedia.org.
Cool bonus benefit: Natâl Parks free access
If you’re rated 100% disabled, you get the America the Beautiful passâfree entry for you and passengers to national parks, federal recreational areas, and 50% off camping veteransguide.org. A peaceful retreat? Absolutely.
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Fresh insight: how often veterans use their benefits
Utilization has grown steadily: from 2001 to 2016, VA healthcare use climbed from 20% to 48%; similar increases occurred for both men and women pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Still, about half remain unenrolled postâserviceâmeaning millions leave free benefits for veterans unused, possibly due to lack of awareness.
How to unlock these benefitsâ5 action steps
- Get enrolled in VA health care earlyâespecially with PACT Act expansions va.gov+4businessinsider.com+4news.va.gov+4.
- Apply for your disability rating, even 0%âit opens doors.
- Explore state-level freebiesâvisit your stateâs veteran affairs office.
- Talk to a veteran advocateâDAV, VFW, and others offer free claims assistance .
- Use every perkâcommissaries, parks, education, loan waivers, caregiver aid: theyâre all funded by taxpayer dollars meant for you.
Final reflection
Free benefits for veterans aren’t just perksâtheyâre rights earned in service. Yet, many go unused. With nearly 18âŻmillion U.S. veterans todayâroughly 6% of the adult population pewresearch.orgâthatâs a lot of value going unrealized.
So here’s your thought: If you’ve earned these benefits, why not use them? And if you know someone who hasnât tapped in yetâwhat story will you help them tell?
What benefit surprised you mostâand what will you use next?
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