Ancillary Benefits: What Veterans Need To Know

When you think of veterans’ benefits, you probably picture the well-known programs offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), such as health care, education assistance, and home loan benefits. But did you know there’s another category of benefits called “ancillary” benefits?

These are additional benefits that can significantly improve your quality of life, but many veterans are unaware of them. To qualify for many of these ancillary benefits, your condition must be service-connected. Some benefits may also require a specific disability rating from the VA, which is determined by the severity of your service-connected injury or illness.

For example, federal benefits available to veterans may include:

• VA Health Care (other eligibility requirements apply)
  
• Travel pay to VA medical facilities
  
• Service-connected veteran life insurance
  
• Veterans Employment and Readiness Services
  
• Federal job hiring preferences
  
• Access to military base commissary, exchange, and moral & welfare facilities
  
• Access to national parks
  

Additionally, veterans may be eligible for the following Illinois state benefits:

• Various Illinois military license plates
  
• Hunting and fishing licenses (requires a service connection)
  
• Property tax exemptions (requires a service-connected disability rating of 30% or higher)
  
• Veterans preference for State of Illinois hiring
  
• Access to state parks for camping (requires a service connection)
  

Spouses and dependent children of veterans may also be eligible for certain benefits, including health care coverage and education benefits. Eligibility requirements vary by program.

Need more information about ancillary benefits? The Grundy County Veterans Assistance Commission offers free assistance with those, as well as with many other federal, state, and local veterans benefits.

For more information, call (815) 941-3152, or send an email to vac@grundycountyil.gov.

Grundy County Veterans Assistance Commission : 1320 Union Street : Morris, IL 60450 :

815.941.3152 : https://www.grundycountyil.gov/veterans-assistance/