Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors, 2012

Important Documents In order to expedite benefits delivery, Veterans seeking a VA benefit for the first time must submit a copy of their service discharge form (DD-214, DD-215, or for World War II Veterans, a WD form), which documents service dates and type of discharge, or provides full name, military service number, and branch and dates of service. The Veteran’s service discharge form should be kept in a safe location accessible to the Veteran and next of kin or designated representative. The following documents will be needed for claims processing related to a Veteran’s death: 1. Veteran’s marriage certificate for claims of a surviving spouse or children.2. Veteran’s death certificate if the Veteran did not die in a VA health care facility.3. Children’s birth certificates or adoption papers to determine children’s benefits.4. Veteran’s birth certificate to determine parents’ benefits

eBenefits
eBenefits is a joint VA/Department of Defense Web portal that provides resources and self-service capabilities to Servicemembers,Veterans, and their families to apply, research, access, and manage their VA and military benefits and personal information through a secure Internet connection.
Through eBenefits Veterans can: Apply for benefits, view their disability compensation claim status, access official military personnel documents (e.g., DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), transfer entitlement of Post-9/11 GI Bill to eligible dependents (Servicemembers only), obtain a VA-guaranteed home loan Certificate of Eligibility, and register for and update direct deposit information for certain benefits. New features are added regularly.Accessing eBenefits: The portal is located at www.ebenefits.va.gov. Veterans must register for an eBenefits account at one of two levels: Basic or Premium. A Premium account allows access to personal data in VA and DoD systems, apply for benefits online, check the status of claims, update address records, and more. The Basic account allows access to information entered into eBenefits by the