Bootcamp · Veteran

Already out. VA.gov is the cash register now.

Login.gov, then 10-10EZ, then the claim if you have one. GI Bill, the COE, VALife, and travel pay do not ride along automatically.

A mill that wants a cut of back pay is optional and not required.

1. Keys

   Do now

   Create the VA.gov account

   Login.gov or ID.me. My HealtheVet and DS Logon passwords are dead. Same key opens the Health and Benefits app.

   Creating a VA.gov accountVA.gov walkthroughAsk TOP about this

2. Healthcare

   Do now

   Apply for VA health care (10-10EZ)

   Enroll even if you have other insurance. Free. Do it before you need a clinic. Community care is not a workaround for people who never applied.

   Apply for VA health10-10EZ walkthroughAsk TOP about this

3. Healthcare

   This month

   File mileage in BTSSS

   VA does not guess the drive. VA or authorized community-care appointments. Keep the letter.

   VA travel payCommunity care + travel payAsk TOP about this

4. Healthcare

   This month

   File the disability claim without a mill

   21-526EZ on VA.gov. Intent to file locks a date. Accredited VSO is free. Confirm them on the OGC list.

   File a claimFile without a millAsk TOP about this

5. Education

   When you need itGap recut

   Veteran Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31)

   Training and employment for service-connected veterans. Separate from GI Bill. Separate application. Recut from VA.gov.

   VR&EGI Bill / VR&EAsk TOP about this

6. Education

   This month

   Run the Comparison Tool, then file 22-1990

   Post-9/11, Montgomery, SR, DEA are different pots. The school still has to certify the enrollment.

   How to applyGI Bill pageAsk TOP about this

7. Housing

   This month

   Request the home-loan COE

   Many lenders pull it. You can request it on VA.gov. Funding fee waiver rides with qualifying disability compensation — confirm on their page.

   Request a COECOE walkthroughAsk TOP about this

8. Housing

   When you need itGap recut

   Adaptive housing / auto grants (if you qualify)

   Specific service-connected losses. SAH, SHA, and automobile allowance live on VA.gov. Not a mill product. Recut from the housing pages.

   Adaptive housingAsk TOP about this

9. Insurance

   This monthGap recut

   VALife if you have a service-connected rating

   Guaranteed-acceptance whole life up to $40,000. Age 80 or under with a rating — even 0%. Two-year wait for full coverage. Not VGLI.

   VALifeVALife walkthroughAsk TOP about this

10. Finance

    When you need itGap recut

    Your state’s veteran office

    Property tax, tuition, plates. State site wins. I recut the door, not the statute.

    VA state benefitsState benefitsAsk TOP about this

11. Healthcare

    Do nowGap recut

    Submit an intent to file before you finish the claim

    21-0966, or start the claim on a verified VA.gov login. Locks a potential effective date. One year to finish. Recut from VA.gov.

    Intent to fileIntent-to-file walkthroughAsk TOP about this

12. Finance

    Do nowGap recut

    Direct deposit for VA pay

    Compensation, pension, education. VA.gov profile — not myPay. A mill does not need this login.

    VA direct depositVA.gov walkthroughAsk TOP about this

13. Healthcare

    This monthGap recut

    PACT Act / toxic-exposure claim if it applies

    Burn pits, Agent Orange, radiation, contaminated water. File on VA.gov. A denied old claim is often a supplemental, not a new Facebook group.

    PACT ActFile without a millAsk TOP about this

14. Finance

    When you need itGap recut

    VA pension if wartime service and low income

    Need-based. Not disability compensation. Income and net-worth limits. Recut from VA.gov pension. Aid and Attendance is a rider on this or on compensation — not a nursing-home sales pitch.

    Veterans PensionPension walkthroughAsk TOP about this

15. Healthcare

    When you need itGap recut

    VA dental — rating, or VADIP

    Outpatient dental at VA is not automatic with 10-10EZ. Some ratings and recent combat deployments open it. Everyone else looks at VA Dental Insurance Program. Recut from VA.gov.

    VA dentalWhich dental?Ask TOP about this

16. Healthcare

    When you need itGap recut

    Family caregiver program (PCAFC) if someone is caring for you

    VA Form 10-10CG. Stipend, training, sometimes CHAMPVA for the caregiver. The veteran must be in VA health first. Recut from VA.gov.

    PCAFC caregiverCaregiver walkthroughAsk TOP about this

17. Keys

    This monthGap recut

    Install the VA Health and Benefits app

    Same Login.gov / ID.me key. Appointments, Rx, claim status. Not a mill app. Recut from VA.gov.

    VA Health and Benefits appVA app walkthroughAsk TOP about this

18. Finance

    This monthGap recut

    Add spouse and kids to the compensation award

    Extra money for dependents is not automatic because DEERS has them. File on VA.gov. Recut from the add-or-remove-a-dependent page.

    Add a dependentFormsAsk TOP about this

19. Housing

    When you need itGap recut

    Pre-need burial eligibility in a VA cemetery

    Apply before anyone needs it. VA Form 40-10007. Not a funeral-home upsell. Recut from VA.gov.

    Pre-need burialFormsAsk TOP about this

20. Insurance

    ClockGap recut

    Convert SGLI → VGLI if you are still inside the clock

    Already out, still on the conversion clock. 240 days with no health questions from SGLI ending. Holiday does not pause it. After that, VALife if you have a rating. Recut from VA.gov VGLI.

    240 days from SGLI ending for no-health-review VGLI; last day is 1 year and 120 days

    VGLISGLI → VGLIAsk TOP about this