AARP DC/LCE: Veteran Resource Navigator Workshop

*4 Social Work CEUs Available

Join AARP DC, Legal Counsel for the Elderly (LCE) and the Mayor's Office of Veteran Affairs (MOVA) for an interactive training/workshop for providers and family caregivers. Participants will be equipped with a comprehensive understanding of VA benefits, eligibility requirements, and common barriers veterans and their families encounter when accessing benefits. Participants will gain practical knowledge of major VA benefit programs, character-of-discharge requirements, VA debt and overpayment issues, and the interaction between VA benefits and other public assistance programs.

Educational Content and Session-Specific Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

• Identify common barriers veterans face when accessing VA benefits and understand the potential impact of benefit eligibility on veterans and their families.

• Describe major VA benefits and programs, including: 

 - Service-connected disability compensation

 - Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU)

 - Non-service-connected pension benefits

 - Survivors' and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)

 - Survivors' Pension benefits

 - VA debt and overpayment programs

 - Burial benefits

• Identify different discharge classifications and understand exceptions to statutory and regulatory bars to VA benefits.

• Describe the VA character-of-discharge determination process.

• Recognize common advocacy issues involving veterans with less-than-honorable discharges and identify strategies for assisting these veterans.

• Explain how VA benefits may interact with other public benefit programs, including Medicaid, Medicare, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), SNAP, and other means-tested programs.

• Identify common eligibility and coordination issues that may arise when veterans receive VA benefits in conjunction with other forms of public assistance.

• Apply the information presented to better assist veterans and their families in identifying, accessing, and maintaining eligibility for available benefits.