Disability Compensation & Other Programs

Getting VA Disability Compensation means you can also get help from many other benefits, programs, and services.

The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) helps Michigan veterans and their families connect to services and benefits statewide. MVAA offers:

• The Michigan Veteran Resource Service Center at 1-800-MICH-VET (1-800-642-4838) and the Michigan Veterans website: Information, resources, and support for veterans and their families.
• The Michigan Veterans Trust Fund: Help for combat-era veterans and their families with unforeseen, temporary financial emergencies.
• Copies of DD-214 discharge documents for veterans.
• Three Michigan Veterans Homes with skilled nursing, dementia, special needs, or home-like care in safe, caring environments for certain veterans and their spouses.

Depending on your level of disability and other factors, once you get VA Disability Compensation, you may qualify for other state and federal benefits.

Benefit Payments:

• Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CDRP)
• Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC)
• VA dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) for survivors (in some cases) for a non-service-connected death
• Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) for the loss (or loss of use of) specific organs or body parts as a result of military service; you can only get this extra payment if you also get VA Disability Compensation benefits

Services:

• Priority VA health care
• Dental services
• VA independent living services
• VA Aid and Attendance (A&A) for housebound veterans
• Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS)
• Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E)

Employment / Business:

• Priority hiring for government jobs
• Employment help for veterans and their spouses through the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity's Veterans Employment Services
• Referrals to veteran-friendly employers
• Federal contracting jobs for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses

General:

• Waiver of VA home loan funding fee
• Option to buy up to $10,000 of low-cost VA service-disabled veterans insurance (S-DVI) life insurance; these policies have the letters “RH” in front of the policy number, so are sometimes called RH insurance
• VA automobile allowance for disability modification
• VA burial benefits, including burial expenses for service-connected death, burial and funeral expenses for non-service-connected death, and a burial plot allowance
• VA clothing allowance, if needed because of prosthetic use or certain skin disabilities
• Disabled parking privileges

If the VA rates your disability or disabilities as “total and permanent,” you may qualify for some other programs, including:

• A waiver of premiums on Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance (S-DVI) life insurance (also called RH insurance)
• Eligibility for up to $20,000 more of VA Life Insurance, called Supplemental Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance (S-DVI) or Supplemental RH
• Health insurance, called CHAMPVA, for certain dependents
• Survivors and Dependents Educational Assistance (DEA) for a spouse or dependent children
• Eligibility for a Uniformed Services Identification and Privilege Card
• Commissary and exchange privileges
• Forgiveness of federal student loans
• Specially Adapted Housing Grants, and
• Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance.

If you have a disability, you may also qualify for federal Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, no matter what your VA service-connected disability is. Learn more about it in DB101’s SSDI article.

For more information, the Michigan Legislature has a brochure on veterans benefits and services, and the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency lists benefits and resources.