VETERANS BENEFITS DEPARTMENTPartners For Life

Any service member, veteran, dependent, or survivor seeking to obtain benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs has Paralyzed Veterans of America to assist—free of charge. We have 69 offices located nationwide for your convenience.

Our extensively trained Service Officers will use their expertise in the VA claims process to secure veterans benefits—from disability compensation to adaptive automobile equipment. We also assist service members with discharges and pending discharges due to injury. We specialize in complex cases and advocacy for veterans with disabilities.

OTHER BENEFITS INCLUDE:

� Vocational rehabilitation for veterans facing barriers to employment

� Health benefits, such as prosthetics, home care, and mental health treatment

� Housing and auto grants for veterans with qualifying disabilities

� VA Pension for eligible low-income veterans with disabilities

� Life insurance at lower premiums—or in some cases free

� Burial and survivor benefits and more…

FULL BENEFITS

‘Holistic transition’ is the

key to ensuring our nation’s

heroes successfully adjust

to civilian life after service.

Sherman Gillums, Associate Executive Director of Veterans Benefits

With offices located in all VA Spinal Cord Injury & Disease Centers, our medical experts monitor the quality of care in those facilities and offer free benefits counseling and assistance to veterans receiving health care in these centers. Our team of doctors, nurses, and architects are leaders in ensuring the highest quality care and optimal environment to promote maximum recovery.

Through bedside visits and consultations with VA medical staff in these facilities, we ensure that veterans are receiving the highest level of care to maximize their health and rehabilitation. In addition, we provide the following services to ensure a full continuum of SCI care:

� Educate clinicians, caregivers, and caregivers on best practices for spinal cord injury/disease care

� Champion barrier-free access and noninstitutional design for medical facilities

� Provide one-on-one support through a medical helpline at 800.232.1782

QUALITY HEALTH CARE

WWW.PVA.ORG/BENEFITS 800.232.1782

Our vocational rehabilitation program, Operation PAVE, provides one-on-one career counseling and assistance to veterans and their families. With offices in every VA spinal cord injury center, we reach out to all veterans seeking to transition to civilian employment, return to school, or begin a new career search. All services, from résumé assistance, interview preparation, vocational counseling, or employer networking are provided at no charge—and are available to dependents as well.

Our Master’s-level certified rehabilitation counselors work with employers by screening job candidates, remaining available as post-placement resources, and helping access state and federal resources for workplace accommodations.

TO PLACE THESE VETERANS ON A NEW CAREER PATH, OPERATION PAVE COUNSELORS:

� Provide the resources and guidance that enable veterans to focus only on finding a great career

� Assist in résumé writing, identification, and improvement of skills, and interview preparation

� Use our vast employer network to place veterans in jobs

� Advise employers on workplace accommodations

� Remain a vocational partner for veterans future career growth

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

I want to be a productive person. I

don’t want to be a drain. Paralyzed

Veterans just stepped in and

helped me…Paralyzed Veterans

has always been in my corner.

Captain Eric Lorence, paralyzed veteran and PAVE success story

Veterans Benefits Department

801 18th Street NW

Washington DC 20006

www.pva.org/benefits

PHOTO CREDITS

Cover: Keith Mellnick

Interior: Jonathan Franklin