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VA Officials Discuss Getting Veterans Needed Services

NPR

There are many resources available to Veterans once they leave service, many of them are free. However, some programs and services depend on a single document, the DD-Form-214. The document is a complete record of service, including awards and honors, highest rank achieved and reason for discharge. The form is used by the VA when determining benefits, compensation, and eligibility for military funeral honors in VA cemeteries.

Unfortunately, in many cases Veterans leave service with mistakes on that document. Samantha Morrill talked to General Counsel for Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs, Dennis Shepherd, about the process of correcting DD-Form-214 and upgrading the discharge status.

People can visit Veterans.ky.gov or call (502) 564-9203 to be connected with services and Field Benefits Representatives. WEKU talked to Larrissa Roach, an Iraq Veteran who found her next chapter as a Benefits Representative at the KDVA. 

LarrissaForWeb.mp3
KDVA Field Benefits Representative Larrissa Roach talks about the ways her job allows her to help veterans

April Brown is the Program Coordinator for Kentucky Veterans Employment Training and Support, but its all hands on deck when a Veteran needs help. She recalls a time when a 21-year Veteran was not receiving appropriate care in a nursing home, and the KDVA stepped in to bring this Veteran to one of their facilities.

AprilForWeb.mp3
Program Coordinator for Kentucky Veterans Employment Training and Support, April Brown, recalls a time when the KDVA helped a 21-year veteran get the care she needed

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