ASSISTANCE ABOUT NAVY RESERVE ELIGIBILITY FOR HEALTH CARE/BENEFITS

[Raza2009]

There is a elderly Navy Veteran, retired civil service wondering if he (actually my father) is eligible for VA health care. I have tried to explain to him that since he was never called to Active Duty for war purposes (Vietnam War time period) and was only on reserve status doing his two weeks of duty a year that he DOES NOT qualify for VA health care. He is not service connected for anything. For some reason he has gotten it in his head he needs to be with the VA for health care and benefits. He is 74 and probably only has a couple months left to live due to complications from COPD. If I am wrong, can someone please point me in the direction as to where the information might be? He has full health care, Medicare and a monthly retirement check. I believe the Kaiser Insurance may have told him the VA would do modifications to his home if he was eligible for the benefit.

 

I know I did not meet the financial qualification so I had to wait until I was 50% service connected to be eligible for VA care. Why he thinks he qualifies is a mystery.

 

THANK YOU!

 

 

[Berta]

This pdf might help:

https://www.benefits.va.gov/benefits/benefits-summary/summaryofvanationalguardandreserve.pdf

This part seems to agree with your statement here

"Active Service. Eligibility requirements for several VA benefits include a certain length of active service. Active service in the National Guard or Reserve includes: » Active duty (Title 10) - full-time duty in the Armed Forces, such as unit deployment during war, including travel to and from such duty, except active duty for training, OR » Full-time National Guard duty (Title 32) – duty performed for which you are entitled to receive pay from the Federal government, such as responding to a national emergency or performing duties as an Active Guard Reserve (AGR) member"

but the next page says this:

"Traditional Service. Traditional National Guard and Reserve members typically serve one weekend per month and two weeks per year. Traditional members may become eligible for some VA benefits by fulfilling a service commitment. Eligibility for disability compensation requires that a disability was the result of an injury or disease incurred or aggravated in the line of duty during active duty or active duty for training. For inactive duty training, the disability must have resulted from injury, heart attack, or stroke. Other benefit programs require a specified number of days of active service."

I dont understand that second page but I do think you are correct.

 

 

[Guest L]

Also as a side bar - Just because you are in the reserve, does not mean you are a Veterans - for eligibility purposes.

180 Consecutive  days of service is required to be a Veteran. 

"Old" Navy recruiter..... 

Edited December 4, 2017 by L