Veterans benefits assistance coming to North Carolina

An event that started in 2015 and has resulted in millions of dollars of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) benefits being paid out to veterans will take place again later this month in North Carolina.

A Veterans Experience Action Center (VEAC) is scheduled for Oct. 19-21 at the National Guard Armory in Wilmington. The American Legion Department of North Carolina is teaming with VA and the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to bring veterans needing benefits assistance and other help face to face with veteran service officers from all over the state, as well as staff from the Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits Administration and the Vet Center program.

At the VEAC, veterans can check on the status of pending VA claims and file new ones on the spot. At past VEAC, some have received VA disability ratings while at the centers; the results were millions of dollars in VA benefits awarded through the centers.

Veterans attending the VEAC will have the opportunity to:

·         File a new claim with the VA.

·         Ask questions about VA appeals or benefits to which they may be entitled.

·         Ask questions about VA health care.

·         Get assistance facilitating and expediting existing claims and appeals.

·         Receive information regarding benefit related VA programs.

All veterans planning to attend are asked to bring the proper documentation about their case, including their DD 214, and all medical records related to their disability, both military and civilian.

The hours for the Wilmington VEAC are 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 19-20 and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 21. The attendance suggestions are as follows:

·         Those with a Social Security number ending in 00-33 should attend Oct. 19.

·         Those with a Social Security number ending in 34-66 should attend Oct. 20.

·         Those with a Social Security number ending in 67-99 should attend Oct. 21.